Raising a child with ADHD, learning disabilities, and a rare genetic disorder gave Susan the insight and inspiration for
Skyler and the Moonstone Medallions. Her husband, John Chappelear, wrote The Daily Six (G.P. Putnam’s Sons), a program for creating and sustaining positive personal and organizational change based on six simple principles. During the publication of a translation of his book, the idea of a children's version came up, and so began Susan’s decade-long creation of Skyler, Ms. M, and all the other kids struggling to survive middle school.
Writing is Susan’s second passion. Her first was and continues to be Interior Design. Much of her career was spent in the Washington, D.C., and Alexandria, Virginia area, which is the setting for Skyler and the Moonstone Medallions.
She is a Shantyboat Writer, having studied the craft of writing with Lynn Skapyak Harlin for over ten years. Susan’s published
works include a short story, “A Tale of Two Dogs” (Shapato Publishing), and an essay, “Bridges from my Balcony” (A.C. PAPA, literary journal). During her career as an interior designer, she wrote a regular column for The Washington Post, wrote a variety of trade articles, newsletters for the Alexandria Kiwanis Club, and, more recently, a blog on her website designlovehome.com.
She lives in Jacksonville, Florida, with her husband, John, and their rescue dog, Hitch, who hitched a ride with them following a Christmas visit with their daughter, Lisa, and her family in Atlanta, GA. Their other daughter, Erin, lives in Honolulu, HI, with her family and has adopted more dogs than we can count. The couple’s son, Dayton, resides in San Diego, CA, with his rescue dog, Tuna, and runs a skateboarding school.
All three children are entrepreneurs, animal lovers, and amazing human beings.