Autorentext

Susan L. Marshall is the founder of Story Playscapes, an Australian publishing house. As a novelist, adult's and children's fiction writer, poet, dramatist, essayist, theatre practitioner and illustrator, she is globally renown within the world of contemporary metaphysical literature. Susan's body of work explores the major themes of: spirit, soul, nature, internal landscapes and the human experience, often drawing upon natural settings for inspiration. Her writing is celebrated for its unique metaphysical artistry, featuring vivid mystical and lyrical qualities, as she attunes herself to setting the Romantic spirit alight in a range of genres. Susan's professional publications are available in more than 200 countries and territories around the globe. At Story Playscapes, Susan has cultivated a global readership through her work on projects and platforms, such as the My Story Meadow Project and the Romantic Spirit Alight Readers' Garden. She nurtures readers and writers interested in learning about the art and techniques of writing and its progressive development into a professional publication. The My Story Meadow project has seen the birth and success of many of Susan's professional publications, including: "Adira and the Dark Horse" (Book One of the 'An Adira Cazon Literary Mystery' series); "Bare Spirit: The Selected Poems of Susan Marshall" (An Amazon best-seller and popular psychology publication) and "Wild Soul: Contemporary Classical Winter Poetry" (an Amazon best-seller and #1 Hot New Release). Susan's groundbreaking Theatre Playscapes style places the wellbeing of the young adult at the centre of theatre. The premiere dramatic literature of the series: "Fleur of Yesterday" is a monumental publication that officially introduces the Theatre Playscapes style, its principles and conventions, via Susan's accompanying essay: "Theatre Playscapes: A New Theatrical Style." The innovative series continues with the second dramatic literature, the inspirational: "All the Hope We Carry." Susan has completed a range of poetry and fiction that are published at Vocal Media in the U.S.A. In 2022, her short story: "Peonies for Masha: Her Journey Home" was shortlisted as a finalist in the Vocal+ Fiction Awards. Susan delights readers as she experiments with Metaphysical philosophy and genre blending, producing published works, such as: "Whispers of My Deep Soul: If I Could Just Return ... to the Love I Know" (Surrealist Romance). Most notably, Susan's Metaphysical Romance: "Wild Love at Christmas Eve: A Romance," received an accolade by the Vocal editorial team, by being recognised as a 'Top Story' for December, 2025. Susan is an honoured recipient of the prestigious Award for Special Civic Service, presented to her by the Mayor of Richmond, Victoria, for her extensive civic contributions to the city of Richmond and the Richmond City Council. The Award particularly recognises her outstanding efforts in assisting young people through her work on the Richmond Youth Work Project and the Richmond Youth Council. Susan is an honoured recipient of the Arthur Andersen prize for Business Studies, awarded for her outstanding academic results and in encouragement of her future business career. Susan has also received a National Volunteer Award 'For Outstanding Voluntary Service As Literacy Assistant' by MVRS (supported by Monash City Council).In "Princess Zyra's Lost Storm: An Australian Childhood Myth," (to be released 2026), written and illustrated by Susan Marshall, the moonlit cosmos of Sea Castle transcends the fierce beauty of Australian land and sea, empowering our hero, Princess Zyra as its original mystic, pioneer and adventurer. It is a tale of childhood heroism, adventure and the quest for being and existing as Australia faces drought.

Klappentext

"Harnessing winter's energy, I drift,my free, wild woman's soul,alight with day's deep desires." An evocative, soul-stirring poetry collection for adults, by history-making theatre practitioner and Amazon best selling author of Bare Spirit, Susan Marshall. In winter in Melbourne, 2024, award-winning Susan Marshall set herself a challenge. Outdoors, she attuned herself to the raw, living energies of the season and fostered the artistic emergence and growth of the wild soul in poetry. What resulted is Susan's magnificent collection of 31 poems: Wild Soul: Contemporary Classical Winter Poetry, which is a tribute to her refined, globally renown, metaphysical artistry. She unleashes the soul's wild states of existence amidst: the dark, fire, fog, grey, light, rain, ice, snow, starkness, storm, stillness and silence of winter. Susan fuses contemporary metaphysical poetry with the conventions of classical literary styles, including: Romanticism (Wild Woman Soul, Winter Solstice's Secret, Beats of Wander, Wild Love, Stoic Solitude, Harboured Love and Kiss Me with Clear Sight); Dark Romanticism (Silent Flight, Cold Frost, Quieten My Heart, Your Voice Hides, Free Soul, Hold onto My Fire Heart and A Shelter for the Soul ); Gothic (Dark Storm Melody, Stirring her Storm, Love's Wild Silhouette, Tiny, Soulful Dancer, Wild Alive and Spirit of the Light) and Steam Punk (Lost Flame of Love). Susan allures us into the wild presence, awakenings, emotions, journeys, manifestations, states and transformations of the soul with evocative, soul stirring personas, visual imagery and journeyed verses. Also included in this collection, are metaphysical, winter poems that Susan has written to pay tribute to the city of Florence, its people and its Renaissance history. In O Sweet Florence, Unearth My Soul, she acknowledges Florence's role in helping to awaken her own wild soul and its artistry. Her poem: Wild Artist's Soul acknowledges the significant, historical emergence and growth of the Renaissance artist. Susan celebrates the soul's healing and renewal at the end of winter, in her poem: Rise of the Daffodil. She has also written eight winter Sonnets (using Pertrarchan conventions), which detail her stunning, metaphysical inspirations in both Florence and Australia.