Author of the Month: Susan K. Marlow

I recently had the pleasure of guest posting for Susan Marlow, and since she has been so kind as to let me guest post, I decided to feature herself as Author of the Month.

Susan K. Marlow is a historical fiction writer and the author of the popular Circle C Ranch Series, set in 1880s California. Her books feature both spunky role models for all ages, (girls and boys with the release of her recent Goldtown series), wonderful horses, and brilliantly written settings and plot.

About the Author:

Marlow began writing her Circle C stories as an adult, but the author began writing at the age of ten. Her original stories were a bit of a far cry from the Circle C we have today: much of it was science fiction or adventure stories, and she even wrote fanfics for Star Trek (You can find some of those stories on her website, HERE)

When she became an adult, she homeschooled her children by day and wrote her stories at night. She was encouraged by friends and family to pursue publishing, and in 2005 her first book, Andrea Carter and the Long Ride Home, was published, the first in a series of historical fiction books about faith, family, horses, and Wild West adventures.

Over 180,000 books in the series have sold, and Marlow continues to publish books, making a series for boys based on Circle C called Goldtown Adventures.

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What We Can Learn From Her

When we read stories, we should always try to take away bits that we could use for our own writing to strengthen it. For Susan Marlow, her strength is in her dialogue and characters.

Few people can make their characters come to life in such vivid ways that you feel like the character could be your best friend, but Marlow does that. Her blog is uniquely designed in that you can “talk” with her characters through the blog. Of course the author answers as herself, but that doesn’t make it any less amazing.

Andi is such a relatable character. She has dreams and fears and loves and desires like any other girl, and she’s the sort of character who if you could actually meet her, she would be your best friend through thick and thin. So many girls have been pulled into her world through the books and meet a character who is a true example on how to be a good friend.

The dialogue is wonderfully realistic, like you’re listening to the characters themselves speak. There is a satisfying amount of both humor and seriousness.

Marlow also knows how to keep a story moving, and her ability to write for a wide age range is brilliant and very admirable. Her faith in her stories is never cheesy, like so many Christian fiction books. It’s real and whole, ready to answer the hard questions in a sensitive, tactful way. God isn’t a cheesy, save everything hero in her books– she shows Him as the loving, kind Father that He is. That deserves applause in itself.

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Mrs. M, as everyone calls her on her blog, is not only an amazing writer, but an amazing friend and mentor. Her love for her readers (an essential tool for any author) shines through not only her books, but everything she touches. I am very thankful that God led me to meet such an inspiring woman, and I hope that if you haven’t checked out her books, you will. She is truly a gem among authors.

To learn more, go to andicartersblog.com.