Susen Edwards Shares Her Journey of Healing, Storytelling, and the Power of Hope
PHOTO: Author Susen Edwards at home in Middlesex, New Jersey, where she continues to write stories that heal, inspire, and uplift.
Memoir, Fiction, Friendship, and Finding Light Through Darkness
In this intimate interview, author Susen Edwards reflects on her transition from healing practitioner to full-time writer, exploring how personal loss, emotional depth, and resilience shape her compelling, hope-filled narratives.
Susen Edwards writes with a heart wide open. Her stories don’t flinch from pain or skirt around darkness—they walk straight into it, searching for meaning, healing, and connection. Whether she’s chronicling a young woman’s descent into addiction and her long road back in Lookin’ for Love, capturing the political turbulence and emotional awakenings of a generation in What a Trip, or weaving feline magic into a children’s fantasy with Doctor Whisper and Nurse Willow, Edwards proves herself a fearless and compassionate storyteller.
Her work resonates because it’s rooted in truth—not just factual truth, but emotional truth. Drawing from a rich life that includes co-founding New Jersey’s first accredited massage therapy school and guiding others through personal transformation, Edwards brings a therapist’s insight and a writer’s sensitivity to every page. Her characters, whether fictionalized or real, are raw, flawed, searching, and beautifully human.
In this issue, we’re honored to sit down with Susen to explore the journey behind her writing—the personal losses that shaped her, the healing that writing offers, and the friendships, both real and imagined, that carry her stories forward. Her voice is one that insists on hope, even in the darkest hours, and we’re proud to share her light with our readers.
Susen Edwards writes with empathy and truth, crafting powerful, emotionally rich stories that inspire healing, connection, and deep human understanding.
Susen, you made a major career shift—from founding New Jersey’s first accredited massage therapy school to becoming a full-time writer. What inspired that transition?
I’ve loved language and writing since I was a child. In college I wanted to major in English and go on to teach creative writing, but life and tragedy got in my way. My personal healing journey led me to massage therapy and to co-founding the school with my husband. After we sold the business, I continued working part-time as a massage therapist and began focusing more on writing. When the Pandemic hit in 2020, I retired my practice and turned to writing full-time.
Your novels, especially Lookin’ for Love and What a Trip, explore deep emotional terrain. Do you think your background in healing and therapy shaped how you approach storytelling and character development?
Absolutely. In my work I’ve learned patience, acceptance, and the art of listening without judgment. I’ve also found it healing to explore deep emotional terrain whether I’m writing my personal journey or that of someone else. I feel I’m touching on universal themes in my novels and hope my readers connect to the story I’m sharing.
“I’ve loved language and writing since I was a child.” — Susen Edwards
Lookin’ for Love is based on a true story and follows Ava through addiction, crime, and ultimately redemption. What drew you to her story, and what was it like writing such a raw, emotional journey?
I knew of Ava through some of her family members but never met her until 2018 when she visited New Jersey. No one in her family had seen her for 54 years or knew what had happened during that time. I vividly remember sitting with Ava on our back porch as she told me some of her miraculous story. I knew readers would connect with Ava and her search to find peace, love, and self-acceptance. We began weekly phone meetings until the experience became too raw for her. A year later she asked if we could begin again. I admired her courage and insight and while I often found it difficult to continue, I’d remind myself that Ava had lived the journey and had the courage to share her life with me. She gave me the hope and strength to move forward.
In What a Trip, you take readers right into the cultural upheaval of the late ’60s and early ’70s. What made you want to revisit that era, and how much of Fiona’s journey echoes your own experiences?
Most of What a Trip is fiction. But like Fiona, I came of age during the later years of the Vietnam War and actively participated in antiwar rallies on my college campus and in Washington, DC. During my senior year I lost my best friend to a drunk driver. Through a personal essay I was eventually able to come to terms with the loss and heal from the PTSD I had lived with for decades. I wanted to expand the memoir to explore personal trauma, female friendship, and women’s rights.
What a Trip also focuses on the political landscape of the late ’60s and early ’70s. While writing I’d ask myself whether the current political chaos in America or the Vietnam era was more charged. Despite extensive research and mining my memories, I still don’t have an answer to my question.
“I feel I’m touching on universal themes in my novels.” — Susen Edwards
Fiona and Melissa’s friendship in What a Trip is layered and powerful. What do you think is the importance of female friendships in navigating big life changes?
Friendship is important at all stages of life but especially as girls become young women. By sharing personal experiences, thoughts, and emotions women learn to navigate the world. Friends are there to pull each other up when they’re down, give advice, share secrets, celebrate triumphs, and provide a listening ear. Fiona and Melissa shared this bond.
Your children’s book, Doctor Whisper and Nurse Willow, is such a heartwarming read. How did your love for your cats—and maybe your nurturing side—inspire this story?
Several years ago my husband, Bob, was in bed with the flu. Our cats, Harold and Maude never left his side. He claimed their purrs and loving energy were responsible for his quick recovery. I thought it would make an adorable children’s story, so I changed adult Bob into Little Bobby and the book was born. My neighbor’s granddaughter provided the illustrations.
A week after my husband recovered, I came down with the flu, but my cats ignored me!
You’ve said memoir is your first love. How do you think your work in memoir writing seeps into your fiction? Do you find yourself blurring the lines between the two?
I suspect every writer injects a bit of memoir into their characters and novels. Even when writing someone else’s story, I believe it’s impossible not to include a personal thought, characteristic, or experience.
Through memoir blended with fiction, history can reach more people. We must strive toward the truth and learn from our past, whether it’s personal or universal.
Ultimately, what are we without our stories?
Since 2017, you’ve facilitated a memoir writing group at the Middlesex Public Library. How has working with others on their personal stories influenced your own writing process or perspective?
Our group formed to share our past and connect through writing. Unlike most memoir groups we don’t critique each other’s pieces; instead, we share our life experiences. Three of our members are in their nineties. Their exquisite writing chronicles the Great Depression, World War II, and mid-20th century history. Each month I meticulously craft an essay to share with these brilliant women. Over the past eight years we have formed a unique friendship and a bond that could not have been achieved without our memoirs.
“By focusing on the positive, I could make a difference.” — Susen Edwards
You don’t shy away from tough topics—abuse, addiction, incarceration. What gives you the courage to explore these darker realities, and what do you hope readers take away from them?
My work in health care has given me empathy. Tough topics need to be addressed, and readers need to remember the power of hope, forgiveness, and love. Sadly, not everyone recovers but through my writing, I hope that someone who is struggling can find the strength to move forward.
It’s not easy. I’ve experienced many sleepless nights but the more I write about the dark side, the stronger I’ve become as a person.
Despite the heavy themes in your adult novels, there’s always a current of hope, faith, and love. How do you strike that balance and keep your characters—and your readers—reaching for the light?
I’ve experienced my own struggles with loss and trauma. I’ve found joy and clarity through yoga, meditation, and new age wisdom. After I lost my best friend in college, I learned that by focusing on the positive, I could make a difference. I see my writing as a way to dispel my personal demons and ultimately find peace.
