Lord of Lightning (24 page)

Suzanne at her college graduation, photographed by her mother. Suzanne graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of California at Irvine in 1978, and went on to a post-graduate degree in psychology. She wouldn’t begin writing until her psychology career was derailed by a car accident; in order to pass the time while recovering, she began to write some of her first stories.

A photograph of Suzanne with husband Allan in their first apartment together in Westminster, California. After they married in the early 1980s, Suzanne and Allan had a ready-made family, including Suzanne’s son, Kenny, and Allan’s three children from his first marriage. At the time of the photograph, Suzanne was working on her first book,
Undercover Angel
.

Suzanne at her first book signing at a small independent bookstore in California. The signing was held for
Wild Child
, Suzanne’s second release through the Loveswept series, and was a success—over one hundred copies of the book were sold.

Suzanne, left, with close friend and fellow author Meryl Sawyer at the RT Book Lovers Convention in Atlanta in 1990. The two are celebrating
The Devil and Ms. Moody
, which garnered myriad awards that year, including the Career Achievement Award for its author.

One of Suzanne’s favorite photographs: she and Allan in Hawaii, preparing to take a helicopter tour of Maui. Suzanne frequently mined her vacations for material for her books, and later used a lunging helicopter in her romantic suspense novel
The Morning After
.

Suzanne, left, spending time with her son, Kenny, her grandchildren, and extended family.

Suzanne wearing a biker jacket in reference to
The Devil and Ms. Moody
, her award-winning motorcycle romance novel. Her husband, Allan, bought the jacket as a gift in honor of her biker romances that swept award ceremonies in the 1990s and essentially established her as a star in the genre.

Suzanne holds up a copy of
The Morning After
during a signing at Borders. The novel was the first book to hit the
New York Times
bestseller list, an experience that Suzanne called “thrilling, amazing, and unexpected.” The romantic thriller also hit top spots on lists at
USA Today
, Waldenbooks, and Barnes & Noble.

Suzanne and her writing group, brainstorming at the beach. From left to right: Olga Bicos, Lou Kaku, Jill Marie Landis, Lou Herter, Suzanne Forster, and Meryl Sawyer. Meeting monthly, the group discussed craft and story ideas. With rare exceptions, the meetings sparked ideas for nearly all of Suzanne’s books.