Helen Susan Swift

Born in Edinburgh and bred in the Scottish countryside, Helen Susan Swift currently lives in the north-east of the country. Happily married, she works two jobs as well as writing in a variety of genres. Her interests include folklore and history, as well as hill-walking, nature and football, following Aberdeen FC and Ayr United. She grew up visiting castles and stories, which gave her books a slight quirk when compared to others of the genres in which she writes. It is foibles and cares of people that interest her, the impact of image over reality and the realisation of the true depth of love rather than the shallow desire for material advantage. When Helen Susan wrote her first book, The Handfasters, she intended it to be a one-off, but one thing led to another, her love of history intervened and others followed. She thinks the same about each book she produces: this will be the last, so it is a surprise when the desire for another arises. Helen Susan is one of the shyest people it is possible to meet. Very few people know she writes. She keeps herself to herself and does not encourage photographs. From her small house, Helen Susan can see the North Sea on one side and the country on the other. The moodiness of nature inspires long walks along the coast, with its shattered castles and splintering waves, coves where Vikings once landed and houses that once sheltered smugglers. The hills constantly beckon, where the wildlife is more important than humans. Above, Helen can contemplate the void of the sky. Yet at home, one person awaits, always. Her Dark stories reveal her interest in the supernatural, the impact of superstition on the mind of man and woman. Life on this planet is a constant battle between good and evil, in whatever guise that takes. Sometimes good is victorious, as in the romance stories, sometimes the other side triumphs. Perhaps Helen Susan's life walks along the shaded fringe of both, as her writing can be cosy and fun. . . or dark.