'What could be more fulfilling than that?'

 

“Librarians and romance writers accomplish one mission better than anyone, including English teachers: we create readers for life - and what could be more fulfilling than that?” – Susan Elizabeth Phillips

 

Credited as being the creator of the sports romance genre, Phillips also has been called the “Queen of Romantic Comedy” with books published in more than 30 languages.  Born in Ohio in 1944, she is the only 5-time winner of the Romance Writers of America Favorite Book of the Year Award.

 

A graduate of Ohio University, she was a teacher for a number of years, then a stay-at-home mom when she joined with neighbor Claire Kiehl to co-author her first book, The Copeland Bride, under the pen name Justine Cole.  By the mid-1980s she had begun her own career, which has now produced three dozen titles.

 

Among her many bestsellers are the terrific “Chicago Stars” series, including It Had To Be You; Heaven, Texas; First Star I See Tonight; and this year's hit Simply The Best. 

 

Inducted into the Romance Writers Hall of Fame, Phillips also is recipient of the Romance Writers Lifetime Achievement Award.    When she isn’t writing she enjoys hiking, gardening and reading – and supporting her local library.

 

A self-styled "positive person," she advises others to focus first on themselves and what they want to achieve.  “You can't do extraordinary things in the world if you're spending time criticizing others because they don't look or behave the way you think they should.”