Susan Beckham Zurenda taught English for thirty-three years at the college level and at the high school level to AP students. She is the author of the Southern literary novel, Bells for Eli, which received several awards including first place for Best First Book--Fiction in the 2021 Independent Publisher Book Awards. Her novel The Girl from the Red Rose Motel was the recipient of the 2024 Patricia Winn Award in Southern Fiction and first place winner for Southeast Fiction in the 2024 Independent Publisher Book Awards, among others. Zurenda has won awards for her short fiction, including the South Carolina Fiction Prize, twice. The author lives in Spartanburg, SC. Learn more at www.susanzurenda.com.
