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Susan Juby

Born

in Smithers, British Columbia, Canada

March 30, 1969

Website

http://www.susanjuby.com

Genre

Young Adult, Fiction, Humor and Comedy

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(from her website)

I was raised in Smithers, BC, Canada and lived there until I moved to Toronto at age 20. I had a brief and unsuccessful career as a fashion design student and, after I worked at a series of low paying jobs, such as server, record store employee, etc., I began a degree in English Literature at University of Toronto, which I finished at the University of British Columbia. After graduating I became an editor at a self-help/how-to book publishing company based in Vancouver. Later, I did a master’s degree in publishing.

When I was a kid I wrote fiction but gave it up for a life of crime. Okay, that’s not true, but I did get seriously sidetracked. That time in my life is the subject of my memoir, "Nice Recovery". When I was twen (from her website)

I was raised in Smithers, BC, Canada and lived there until I moved to Toronto at age 20. I had a brief and unsuccessful career as a fashion design student and, after I worked at a series of low paying jobs, such as server, record store employee, etc., I began a degree in English Literature at University of Toronto, which I finished at the University of British Columbia. After graduating I became an editor at a self-help/how-to book publishing company based in Vancouver. Later, I did a master’s degree in publishing.

When I was a kid I wrote fiction but gave it up for a life of crime. Okay, that’s not true, but I did get seriously sidetracked. That time in my life is the subject of my memoir, "Nice Recovery". When I was twenty, until I got myself together and when I was about 26 I started writing, in the morning before work, first on the bus, then in a coffee shop. This writing became my first novel, "Alice, I Think", which was published by Thistledown Press in 2000.

When I first started writing my intention was to write a book about a teenager who doesn't fit in, but doesn't allow that fact to crush her. The Alice MacLeod series is my homage to oddballs. I wanted to create a character who has the courage and integrity to find her own way and define herself independently of other people. I've always admired people who can do that.

After finishing three books about Alice and her family, I decided that my goal is to write every kind of book I love to read. I’ve always loved horse books. I was a lunatic for horses when I was younger. I owned several horses over the years (for a time when I was quite young I was convinced I was a horse, but let's keep that between us) and I became obsessed with an equestrian sport called dressage. I quit riding when I left home to go to college, but part of me always thought I could have been a "contender". (In retrospect, I'm not sure why I would have thought that.) Anyway, I got a nice pay day when Alice, I Think was made into a TV series, and the first thing I did was rush out a buy a horse and start working on a book about two young dressage riders. The story was initially about two girls, but soon I fell in love with a secondary character, a boy named Alex, and the book became mainly about him. That one is called "Another Kind of Cowboy".

I’m also a maniac for detective novels, which led to "Getting the Girl", a comedy about an inept detective and a high school conspiracy he is determined to stop. Book number six is my memoir. I developed a bit of a substance abuse problem when I was thirteen and I ended up getting clean and sober when I was twenty. Nice Recovery is about that time. The book includes information for people with addiction problems and interviews with amazing young people in recovery. My love for satire and the End Is Nigh novels led me to write "Bright’s Light", which is that rarest of things: a funny dystopian novel about young dunderheads in the last fun place on earth and the alien who wants to save them.

"Home to Woefield", as it’s known in the U.S. and "The Woefield Poultry Collective" as it’s known in Canada, is a comedy about a young woman from Brooklyn who inherits a derelict farm on Vancouver Island. It’s the first of my novels published specifically for adults, though I’d say at least half the readers of my other books have been adults. I hope all my readers will like it. (It does contain quite a bit of swearing. Just be forewarned!) I’ve always wanted to be self-sustaining and able to grow my own food. All I lack is land and skill. The sequel, "Republic of Dirt", is scheduled to be published January 2015 by HarperCollins.

My next teen novel is called "The Truth Commission". It will be published March 2015 by Penguin Canada and Viking U.S. The story is about a group of teens who attend an art high school who start a truth-telling club with consequences both dire and funny.

In addition to my writing, I teach creative writ ...more

145 posts
Susan Juby's Blog

Susan Juby isn't a Goodreads Author (yet), but they do have a blog, so here are some recent posts imported from their feed.

Up On Charges of Website Neglect!

Happy to report that A Meditation on Murder was an instant national bestseller. Quite the thrill! The third book about Helen Thorpe, Contemplation of a Crime will be out in May, 2025. I’m very excited about that one. Yes, I love all my book babies, but I think Helen fans are going to particularly enjoy […]

The post Up On Charges of Website Neglect! appeared first on Susan Juby.

Combine Editions
Susan Juby’s books

Average rating: 3.71 · 15,723 ratings · 2,695 reviews · 21 distinct works • Similar authors

	Home to Woefield (Woefield, #1) 3.86 avg rating — 3,306 ratings — published 2011 — 18 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Truth Commission 3.68 avg rating — 2,042 ratings — published 2015 — 17 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Alice, I Think (Alice MacLeod, #1) 3.41 avg rating — 2,073 ratings — published 2000 — 31 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mindful of Murder 3.64 avg rating — 1,367 ratings — published 2022 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Getting the Girl: A Guide to Private Investigation, Surveillance, and Cookery 3.55 avg rating — 1,046 ratings — published 2008 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Republic of Dirt: A Return to Woefield Farm (Woefield, #2) 4.08 avg rating — 840 ratings — published 2015 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Another Kind of Cowboy 3.65 avg rating — 652 ratings — published 2007 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Miss Smithers (Alice MacLeod, #2) 3.54 avg rating — 591 ratings — published 2004 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Fashion Committee 3.45 avg rating — 570 ratings — published 2017 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Alice MacLeod, Realist at Last (Alice MacLeod, #3) 3.61 avg rating — 388 ratings — published 2005 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Susan Juby…

Series by Susan Juby

Woefield (2 books)
by

Susan Juby

3.91 avg rating — 4,146 ratings

Alice MacLeod (3 books)
by

Susan Juby

3.46 avg rating — 3,066 ratings

Helen Thorpe (2 books)
by

Susan Juby

3.65 avg rating — 1,704 ratings

Quotes by Susan Juby (?)

“In the future if my mother tries to shame me with her disapproval, I will let her know in no uncertain terms that I reject her and all of her codependent baggage. I am Codependent No More.”
― Susan Juby, Alice, I Think

tags: family, humor

20 likes

“If the facts don't fit your theory, just find some new facts.”
― Susan Juby, Alice MacLeod, Realist at Last

tags: humor

10 likes

“My heart kind of hurt when I looked at her. Not because I was in love, but because I could tell from looking at her that she didn't hate herself. Not only didn't she seem to hate herself, she barely seemed to think about herself. How fucking glorious must that be?”
― Susan Juby, Home to Woefield

tags: heart, prudence, self-image, self-perception, seth

8 likes

See all Susan Juby's quotes »

Polls

What should be our June 'Read Around the World' Group Read? (North/Central America)

The Secret History by Donna Tartt (USA)

12 votes 19.4%

The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez (Mexico/USA)

11 votes 17.7%

Negroland: A Memoir by Margo Jefferson (USA)

9 votes 14.5%

One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul (Canada)

8 votes 12.9%

The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat (Haiti)

7 votes 11.3%

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine (USA)

5 votes 8.1%

The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier (USA)

4 votes 6.5%

Republic Of Dirt : A Return to Woefield Farm by Susan Juby (Canada)

2 votes 3.2%

Not Lost Forever: My Story of Survival by Carmina Salcido (Mexico/US)

2 votes 3.2%

Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns (USA)

1 vote 1.6%

Company Town by Madeline Ashby (Canada)

1 vote 1.6%

62 total votes

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