Sue has spent most of her working life in film and TV. She joined the BBC as a school leaver and started her career on Radio 4’s ‘Today Programme’. Over the years she worked her way up to the roles of Producer/Director in BBC Television working on a wide range of News & Current Affairs programmes, including National News bulletins, Breakfast TV, Newsnight and the Money Programme. She left the BBC to run her own video production business, producing films for corporate, public sector and third sector clients and now brings her passion for travel, and empowering stories, to life in her debut novel ‘Eagle Sister’.
”In 2018 I travelled through Central Asia, across the Five Stans, and as I crossed the vast open grasslands of the steppe Gulzura dropped into my head and insisted I wrote her story. I returned to Kyrgyzstan in 2019 to spend more time getting to know this beautiful country; living in yurts, travelling on horseback to Son Kul lake, discovering petroglyphs in the foothills of the Tien Shan mountains, visiting the ruins of the ancient city of Balasagun, drinking mare’s milk and meeting the golden eagle hunters.”
Inspired by real-world events and the extraordinary women she has met, her story-telling centres on themes of self-discovery, resilience, family and loyalty, celebrating the strength of women.
”I am drawn to narratives where female protagonists grapple with their predetermined paths, overcome adversity, and find strength in unexpected places.”
Sue lives in Buckinghamshire and is now working on her second novel, when she’s not hill walking, running, volunteering, cold water swimming and learning Irish.
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‘Eagle Sister’, published by Constellations Press, Feb’24
Living in an insecure and brutal landscape of ceaseless inter-tribal warring, Gulzura is voiceless and powerless and can only dream of adventure. When she rescues a baby eagle and discovers she can communicate with the orphaned bird, her life changes completely and she is thrust onto a perilous new path ordained by the gods, where the fate of her clan lies in her hands. With her Eagle Sister as constant companion and spirit guide, she travels from the Heavenly Mountains to the court of the great warlord Genghis Khan, on a journey fraught with danger and uncertainty. Ultimately, to survive and succeed, she must choose between the exhilaration of her quest for power and the peace and security of a powerful first love. But can her eagle sister help her have both?