Welcome, Susan!

............and who did the ship bring in?

Yes, that's our lovely friend Susan Branch!

Susan takes her time visiting with each and every one who came to see her, and signing our treasured books. She is as sweet, down to earth, and real as you can get--nothing fake about Susan.

Susan and Joe are on their journey to Ireland and back to the English countryside and have a short lay-over here in Charleston.

I've read all her books and love them all! "Fairy Tale Girl" and "Isle of Dreams" are my favorites. Many happy hours spent snuggling under my warm fluffy comforter or late night couch and enjoying these colorful and delightful books! Susan not only writes them, but illustrates them as well-(all water colors I believe?) they are lovely works of art. Her annual calendars are lovely as well, and I give them as gifts every Christmas.

on the table

And now..........it's finally my turn to meet "my girlfriend Susan". Readers of Susan's books know how she always calls us "girlfriends" on her blog! My Mom and I look forward to new posts from Susan and are always so happy to see a fresh new one. When you're a Susan reader you come to feel like you truly know her because she shares her life and adventures with us all. Because of Susan, I've learned so much about the New England island area her and her husband call home, a place I've never been. I love the pictures she posts of their daily walks to the sea and what they see on the path, the seasons, her GARDEN and flowers, their beautiful and welcoming historic home, the birds at their feeders, and their celebrations with family, friends, and neighbors. Most of all,I enjoy a peek into Susan's old fashioned kitchen (love that amazing STOVE!)  and following along on one of her delicious recipes and reading about her and her husband Joe's travels to fairy-tale places. And let's not forget JACK! Jack is their pony tail band chasing, intelligent, and gorgeous black and white kitty cat! We all feel like we know him, because we've been reading about him since they day they brought him home.

Isn't she lovely?

Welcome to Charleston, Susan and Joe---may you thoroughly enjoy your time here and get a taste of our delicious Southern foods, a good long walk about our lovely and historic streets, (careful on the cobblestones!) a glass or two of our sweeeeeet sweet tea with ice and lemon!,  and pleasant greetings from our friendly people. I hope you see our strong carriage horses, our breezy piazzas and our beautiful window boxes full of spring blooms! May you meander one of our ancient church-yards and think about the people that were here so long long ago and may you wander among those of us who are here today as we run our errands, work our jobs, bicycle about, and walk our loyal dogs. May you hear our loud church bells pealing out as they have for hundreds of years now and feel the whisper of our history as it wraps around you. 
Thank you, Susan. Your books are beloved by so many and inspire so many of us "fairy tale girls" and it was a joy to meet you today! Safe journeys, Y'all!