Sue Brown lives with her husband--and their dogs and cats--in northern Maine. Originally from Massachusetts, she attended the University of Maine at Orono and earned a Bachelor's degree in Art Education and later a Master's in Counselor Education. In 2008 she completed the diploma program in Web Design from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.
Sue draws and paints in a variety of mediums, including pencil, watercolor, pen and ink, and oils, and dabbles in crafts such as stained glass, woodcarving, ceramics and polymer clay, rubber stamping, and beading. She has taught art in public schools at all grade levels. Currently she is employed as a school counselor, designs Web sites and graphics for her own business, and has just published her first novel: a mystery and love story set in eighteenth-century Scotland. For eight years she was a tenor drummer in the Northern Border Caledonia Pipe Band. She belongs to Goodwin's and White's Companies and the 74th Highlanders of Foot, groups that specialize in 18th century Living History and the reenactment of battles that took place during the French and Indian War and the American Revolution.
In her online journal Sue writes, "When did I begin to love writing? Probably as soon as I could read. My parents let me use a heavy little typewriter most likely manufactured in Central or South America; it had Spanish symbols on some of the keys and they were not in QWERTY order. (It seemed old—predating WWII?) I remember sitting in my room writing story after story. I was copying Mom, who had a BIG typewriter and wrote many stories herself. I copied Dad as well, who drew and painted. I suppose it’s no surprise that I love to do both things. When I’m not creating or imagining something, I feel very much out of sorts."
Sue is fond of Celtic music, and when she listens to particular songs she envisions scenes and plots and characters, and stories begin to emerge. Because her main character in The Blackbird of Kirthgarran plays the clarsach, a Celtic lap harp, Sue decided to try it herself. She bought a harp kit and embellished it with Celtic knotwork. Although she does not claim to be an accomplished musician, she enjoys playing Scottish, Irish, and English folk songs on the harp from time to time, as well as on her dulcimer and guitar.
Sue gathered much of her background material for The Blackbird of Kirthgarran during her visits to Scotland. She carries many fond memories of that beautiful country, one of them being the day in Edinburgh when her husband proposed.
Links:
Susan Brown's Web and Graphic Design: Blackbird Studio
18th Century Reenactors: Goodwin's and White's Companies