It's a Brand New Name!

After walking around this dilemma for well over a year, I've adopted a Pen Name!

Hello, my name is Suzanna Ford.

It was a very hard decision, but since there's a Susan Bickford whose mystery novel debuted in 2017 and a non-fiction writer with the same name, I knew I'd have to go with a pen name or deal with confusion. Slowly but surely, you'll see the changes, the new domain name, the new name appearing on all the socials. For a while, I'll be using both names, but don't be surprised when Suzanna Ford appears in your Facebook friends list, on Twitter, and on Instagram (Suz4d). 

A friend asked how I chose my pen name, so I'll share here, as well. Close friends have called me "Suz" for years, and Ford is the last half of my name. Ford is a name close to my heart since my grandfather, uncle, and husband all worked for Ford Motor Company. The name wasn't taken by another writer (very important!), and it fits the tone of my writing. What really made my decision, though: it felt like my name more than any other I thought of. If I have to give up my name, I'm very happy with my new one!

Just call me Suz!

RWA 2018 is now in the books...

...and I may not have won my category at the Golden Heart Awards at RWA 2018 in Denver, but I came home feeling every bit the winner. I have 45 new Golden Heart sisters and a collection of great memories as big as the Denver convention center. Those of you who went know exactly how sprawling and over-sized that is!

Among those memories was a wonderful afternoon spent with my fellow category finalists in Mainstream with a Central Romance having high tea as guests of New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Susanna Kearsley at the Brown Palace Hotel. I mean seriously, can it get any better? She's been a true inspiration to me, so it was especially meaningful.

The week was full of reunions with old friends, my 2014 Pitch Wars buds, 2015 Dragonflies, 2016 Mermaids, 2017 Rebelles, and getting to know my fellow 2018 Persisters. There were lots of pitches, great food with friends, and hugs and laughter and happy tears. And I came home with my suitcase full of books! But the cherry on top was sharing the experience with my fellow Music City Romance Writers Chapter-mate and critique partner, Charissa Weaks, who was my date for the Golden Heart and RITA Awards. How can anyone not feel like a winner with a week like that?