A Note from Susan Newark

I have always loved books. As a child, I was often at the library, checking out a stack each week and keeping track of all the titles in notebooks and reports that I wrote just for fun. Growing up with books allows children to enter other worlds and imagine other lives, and I was no exception. We traveled frequently, and I shared the back seat on all those road trips with two German shepherds, a notepad, and an array of books. Even when we were nowhere in particular, I could always immerse myself in somewhere specific. I was never bored. There was too much to read!

I read everything: Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden, and other mysteries, adventure stories like Swiss Family Robinson and Zorro, geographical exploration tales about explorers like Magellan, classics such as Little Women and Black Beauty, and most especially nature books and field guides about wildlife, plants, oceans, and forests.

My First Photograph

My childhood bedrooms (and there were a lot of them, because we moved twenty times) were filled with shells and driftwood from west-coast beaches, wall pennants from cities and national parks all over the country, and other on-the-road souvenirs like snow globes and petrified rocks. To gaze at each one was to reach into the memories of a particular trip.

But even being at home was an adventure. Our house was full of art and music because, among the many other things that my parents were, Mom was a painter and Dad was a singer. And of course, there were always shelves full of books. I tried a little of everything, but often I loved reading best. The more I read, the more I wanted to read. The more I read, the more I craved to travel, explore, teach, write, draw, and take photographs.

I have spent much of my life doing just that, always with much gratitude that my parents constantly provided examples worth following and journeys worth navigating. As an adult, I have done my best to pass their compassion and sense of adventure on to my own children—and whenever possible, to my readers as well.

My books are about everything in the way that my life has been about everything. There are stories about travels, learning, teaching, and crusading. There are memoirs about coming of age, enduring relationships, and beloved places. There are romances and protests. There is a little fiction and a lot of reality. Above all, there is honesty and everlasting appreciation for my good fortune.

Welcome to my website. I hope you enjoy what you encounter here.

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In this family biography focusing on Newark’s experiences in the 1960s and 1970s, the author entwines her amusing stories of youth and young adulthood with the influence of her mother, a courageous woman whose optimism in the face of personal tragedy becomes an eternal inspiration. A poignant coming-of-age tale you won’t want to miss!

1st Edition Softcover $5.95

(while supplies last)

Also available on Kindle for $4.95

Amazon.com: The Phosphorescence of Pearl eBook : Newark, Susan: Kindle Store