Sue’s Reading Neighborhood

Let me introduce you to another one of our favorite Pulpwood Queens, Susan Peterson!

My journey as a reader began at a young age. Our house was overflowing with books, my mom loved to read, but it was my dad—a man who didn’t go to school past 9th grade—who was the person who really inspired me to read. He would often have two books going at once, sometimes more, as he read everything he could on the Civil War, and the Wild West, his favorite eras of American history. Books and stories became a refuge and an escape for me as a teenager, a break from the dysfunction of the family of an alcoholic. I loved pretending I was Nancy Drew, or one of the Bobbsey twins, and later on I got lost in the world of Victoria Holt. My younger brothers used to tease that every book I read had the picture of a young woman running from a castle on its cover, and they weren’t wrong!

I continued to read as much as I could after I married, had a child, and began a long career as a paraprofessional in schools. I savored my long holiday breaks as a time to read all the books I was too tired to read during the school year.

In 2014, I retired from that job, and what a luxury it was to have unlimited time to READ!! At the same time, I was beginning to follow authors on social media, especially Facebook, and what a delight it was to form online friendships with these people who were my idols. I began to meet more and more writers on Facebook, most of whom I never would have heard of without social media— and what a pity that would have been! As my reading world grew and grew, I began to understand the value of reviews to authors. I had won a few books, and knew that leaving a review was the best way to repay them for the gift of their writing. I also started to use my voice on Facebook to promote the books and authors as much as I could.

It was around 2017 that I “met” Kathy Murphy, and learned all about the wonderful world of the Pulpwood Queens Book Club, and in 2018 I was finally able to attend Pulpwood Queens Girlfriend Weekend! What a dream come true! Here I was, in the company of so many authors I’d admired; authors whose books I’d talked about online; authors who I’d become online friends with; authors who I was suddenly standing next to, or having lunch with! I was up in the clouds that weekend, and never wanted to come down. Shortly after that fantastic weekend, I thought I’d give it a go to start my own Facebook group, which at the time was called Sue’s Booking Agency. I wanted to introduce readers to authors, to promote their books, to share my reviews—I wanted nothing more than to pair readers with books and authors, especially those that they might never have heard of, the way it happened to me a few years before that. From a group of about 200 friends and authors, the renamed Sue’s Reading Neighborhood now has close to 2,700 members. My goal remains the same, pairing readers with books, and nothing makes me happier than to have a reader tell me that they loved a book I recommended. It’s those connections that keep me motivated!

I’ve now hosted my own panel at PQGW two times. The first time, at the 20th anniversary weekend, I hosted my panel while Kathy Murphy did a complete makeover on my hair— teased and sprayed and swept up into a beautiful updo! It was fantastic, it calmed my nerves, and was a truly memorable experience.

I’ve been working on my interview chops, especially with lockdown and virtual events that followed, and awkward moments aside, they have been such a delight! I recently found myself to be the interviewee, when Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, North Carolina, along with author Barbara Claypole White, interviewed me about reviews, reading groups, and book recommendations.

Nobody is more surprised than I am that a young girl who read Nancy Drew under the covers so I wouldn’t bother my sister has found this whole new life, this whole new mission, to support authors and the books that they write as much as I can. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything.