Escape to Paris for the weekend with a free short read...

A girls' weekend, the City of Light, and one very light-fingered parrot. Grab your free copy of the short story, Peck Pocket when you subscribe. That's your next quiet moment sorted!

Hi, I’m Susan J Bruce

I’m Susan J Bruce—former veterinarian, author, artist, and someone who has never successfully written a story without animals in it. Well, not a good one, anyway.

I spent my young years immersed in books, drawing animals, and collecting strays. It’s no surprise that all three influence my life today.

After many years as a veterinarian, a difficult season made me stop and ask what I really wanted—and the answer surprised me.

I wanted to write.

I went on to complete a Masters in creative writing, publish my debut YA novel Running Scared—winner of the 2018 Caleb Prize for unpublished manuscripts—and dream up a woman named Ruth Smythe with an unfortunate reputation for death.

The Ruthless-the-Killer Mysteries were born—and trouble has been finding Ruth in Pelican Bay ever since.

I also write heartfelt romantic comedies under the pen name Holly Hartman—funny, feel-good stories where falling in love feels like finding home.

My love of animals also spills into my art—I paint and draw creatures of all kinds, and occasionally take on pet portrait commissions.

I currently live in sunny South Australia with my husband, a cantankerous rescue cockatiel, and an irrepressible ShiChi named Nikita who considers it her personal mission to stop me writing—although she does occasionally write my newsletters for me.