Meet The Author

Born in the mayhem of New York City, S.K. Ryder was raised in the vineyards of Germany before getting turned lose on the beaches of South Florida. She speaks German, English, a little Spanish—scandalously, even less French—and claims citizenship in both the US and Canada.

Wanderlust and a passion for learning run in her blood. Her mother—perhaps to her later regret—gifted her with a love of reading and a gift for telling stories. The more adventurous the better. Consequently, Ryder, a daredevil youngster, did her best (worst?) to realize some of her imagined escapades. Frequently this involved copious amounts of water (to make small seas in yards and basements), tools not fit for childish hands (tree house anyone?), ropes (to scale the sides of buildings and simulate amusement park rides with furniture), bedsheets (to conjure ghosts or build tent forts), the occasional fire (just because), the family dog (who survived it all unscathed) and even a pony (which may or may not have appreciated its part in the plot).

Suffice it to say…dolls were never her thing.

Increasing skills with the alphabet inspired Ryder to confine her tales exclusively to paper. This she did with some regularity even as she earned degrees in business management and information systems. A lengthy and varied line of employments followed, ranging from retail clerk and scuba diving instructor to business analyst and IT department manager. It took years but she finally settled on software development as an acceptable form of earning a living while letting her imagination run wild in her spare time.

Today S.K. Ryder is a freelance software developer by day, a scribe by night and answers to Susan any time.  She writes the type of stories she loves to read: heart-pounding adventures full of twisty plots, supernatural mysteries, and relationships between strong, compelling characters. The great outdoors still inspire her, especially places of wild and scenic beauty. One of her favorite real-life adventures is rafting through the Grand Canyon. As she still calls South Florida home (for now), she can also be found communing with the denizens of the deep while scuba diving, coaxing the wind into a sail at the water’s surface or simply combing the beach. Other joys include getting lost in books she didn’t write, practicing yoga and baking things with more chocolate than the recipe strictly calls for.