Suzanne Merchant

I was born and raised in East London, South Africa, with an ambition to see the world. Soon after graduating from the University of Cape Town with a degree in English Literature and Post Graduate studies in Library Science, I boarded a ship for the fourteen-day voyage to Southampton. The following two years were spent working in London and exploring the British Isles and Europe in a camper van.

My husband’s job in construction has enabled us to travel widely and I have lived and worked in Cape Town, London, Kuwait, Baghdad, Sydney and Dubai. We have now settled in Sussex, UK, where a spaniel, a miniature dachshund, an African Grey parrot and a large garden all keep us very busy and provide many opportunities for putting off getting on with my next book.

I’ve always loved writing, from essays for the school magazine to letters home to family and friends. I’ve been an avid reader across multiple genres all my life and after several international moves and raising three children, I decided to try writing a novel.

The first thing I discovered was that the blank first page is daunting. The second was that I was woefully ignorant of what it takes to write a successful book. The subsequent learning curve I needed to climb was steep and sometimes slippery. Mills and Boon was my target publisher and the thrilling day they offered me a two-book deal was one of the most exciting, ever. They have published five of my books now and the sixth is a work in progress.

I can’t think of anything better than writing stories set in exotic locations and finding happy-ever-after endings for my characters, and so I hope you will love reading my books as much as I love writing them.