Dr. Susan Harris Howell is a psychologist, author, and speaker. The Spirit of Vanderlaan, her debut novel, is a fun, cozy, ghost story featuring a professor, Samantha Hayes, and her lively band of students who get caught up in solving a campus mystery. This book draws on her teaching career of over thirty years to capture the camaraderie and warmth between a professor and the assortment of personalities which inhabit her office.

She also speaks and has published extensively on gendered socialization. Her book, Buried Talents, focuses on the subtle ways women are discouraged from entering male-dominated occupations. Her other areas of expertise include mental health, the integration of psychology with faith, and building a writing career in an already busy life. In all these areas, her passion is to help others step into their best life with confidence and joy.

Dwayne, Susan’s husband of over forty years, is also an author, retired university professor, and minister. They have two grown children, a daughter-in-law, and an adorable grandson. They also have a beagle named Doc who tries their patience on a regular basis. While he doesn’t understand anything Susan says, he is completely supportive of her speaking and writing endeavors.