Susan received her B.F.A. from the Herron School of Art, with a concentration in Illustration. She went on to become a staff Illustrator for fifteen years for Author Solutions Publishing, where she illustrated over 500 books, and built a strong knowledge not only of illustration and design, but of the ins and outs of working in the publishing industry. Outside of art directing, Susan is a freelance fantasy artist and can be seen showing in the con circuit at places like GenCon, C2E2, and Illuxcon. She also hosts an art podcast where she interviews prominent artists working in the industry today, called The Shorter Artist Hour on Youtube.