Susan specializes in writing content related to home living, including appliances, construction, crafting, food, gardening, green living, hobbies, real estate, insurance, technology. She writes content about education, including two chapters of a book for incoming first-year students. Susan B also writes about budgeting, saving money, beauty, fashion, and music. Susan doesn’t shy away from unfamiliar topics because she thrives on learning new things.
Susan specializes in writing B2C content. However, she isn't afraid to tackle B2B projects.
Throughout her ten-year career as a content writer, Susan has and continues to develop a reputation as an expert writer in many industries, including but not limited to:
*Agriculture-related topics
*Household appliances
*Beauty - skincare, hair and makeup, current hair and makeup trends, news, and more.
*Construction (residential and commercial, roofing, remodeling, renovation, HVAC, plumbing, electrical topics, outdoor living, and entertainment spaces, and anything that helps businesses reach their target audiences.)
*Fashion
*Food (including content directed at foodies, healthy eating, locally produced and grown foods, wine, beer, coffee, food, wine, and beer pairings, gourmet cooking, and international cuisine styles and general food-related information, including recipes and cooking methods.)
*Garden (organic gardening, plant profiles, gardening advice, landscaping topics, natural and sustainable insect and pest control, watering practices, garden design, DIY projects, how-to articles, and much more.) Her membership in GardenComm is proof of her expertise in all topics related to gardening.
*Green Living - including interior furnishings, eco-friendly clothing, cleaning products, eco-conscious design features, alternative energy sources, greener utility use, and energy conservation topics. She has extensive experience writing about energy efficiency, smart home technologies, and using home automation to reduce carbon footprints.
*Health (Susan has personal and professional experience writing about dental health (and dealing with dental health-related issues), and senior care topics).
*Home Living (including interior decorating, renovation and remodeling, design, advice, DIY and How-to articles, home organization, and smart home technologies. Her writing for the Home Living industry spans the gamut from advice about choosing bed sheets, to holiday and every day entertaining, choosing and arranging furniture, and more. Susan's writing for home living clients involves creating content for businesses that target consumers (B2C), but she is equally adept at writing content for companies. (B2B.)
*Landscaping (including hardscapes, outdoor living, and entertaining areas, practical and appealing garden beds, shrubbery, trees, and landscape features that increase property values.)
*Outdoor Living (including construction, extending indoor living areas, outdoor kitchens, pool, and entertaining areas and everything you can imagine.)
*Insurance - Susan is an expert on topics related to renter's insurance, and issues related to flood, hurricane, windstorm and hail, tornado and other problems related to severe storm damage and property insurance coverage.
*Real Estate - including property descriptions, community information, advice for people who are relocating, and website material (including blog posts, community information, and property descriptions, details about unit and community amenities and services) for property management companies.
*Technology - mobile computing, smartphone, tablet and laptop trends, and simplifying technological terms, concepts, and processes for consumers and business owners who don't have tech backgrounds or knowledge. Susan keeps up with advancements in technology - primarily when those trends relate to Internet connectivity, mobile computing, and alternative operating systems.
Other specialties include:
*Blog posts
*Articles that offer advice and helpful hints
*e-Books
*Website content (including About, Service, Landing, and other website pages for businesses in all industries.)
*Marketing content, including product descriptions
*Research articles
*General interest articles
*How-To and DIY blog posts and articles
*News stories
*Press releases
*In-depth Research
*Books and eBooks
*Product and Service Descriptions
Susan excels at helping clients build their brand and develop engaging websites. She strives to craft digital content that interests, entertains, and helps each client’s' readers. She wants every piece of writing she creates to resonate with the company's target audience, giving them something valuable enough to make them want to become loyal customers and regular site visitors.
Susan enjoys working with clients who want one writer to create their blogs, articles, and website content for the sake of consistency. Her positive attitude and willingness to go the extra mile are attributes that have helped her earn a spot on over 450 love lists, and that count increases all the time.
Susan is a life-long organic gardener with a passion for sustainable gardening, self-sufficiency, hydroponic gardening, and aquaponics. In addition to writing, Susan B is a collector of houseplants, flowering plants, and tropical plants. Her obsession with hummingbirds prompted her to learn about flowering plants to attract them, and she uses that knowledge to grow plants that attract pollinating insects and birds and growing native and drought-tolerant plants in her small apartment garden space and on her patio.
Susan grew up in a musical household. Her father's love of music and his talent and popularity as a classical violist in some of the nation's most well-known orchestras inspired her to pursue a degree in Music History. Susan has written program notes, biographical profiles of composers and musicians, and in-depth research reports on topics related to Baroque music and performance practice.
Her interest in Music History led her to Iowa City where she spent several years studying calligraphy, bookbinding, printmaking, and papermaking. She spent many years as a member of the University of Iowa Book Arts Club before enrolling in the newly-formed and accredited Graduate Certificate Program in Book Arts. While there, she studied Latin, Medieval Latin Paleography, and focused on studies related to the History of Books. After completing and defending her thesis, she became a member of the first class of students to graduate from the program.
Susan loves doing crossword puzzles and playing word games, reading historical mysteries, and listening to classical music. Other interests include train travel, bird watching, swimming, exercising, and spending time with family.
Susan earned a B. Music Degree in Music History, Literature, and Theory. She minored in Piano and Harpsichord performance. Before her enrollment in music school, Susan spent two decades studying piano. Her father, who died in 2001, was a well-known classical violist and his career inspired her to study music for over 25 years from childhood through college.
Susan was a three-time winner of the competitive Betty Taylor Clark Memorial Scholarship for in-depth research papers she submitted in the musicology category. Upon winning each scholarship, she was responsible for writing program notes for the recitals that featured winners of instrumental performance awards.
An intensive program designed for people wanting to study the way books were made and produced, including calligraphy, papermaking, and printmaking. Susan's focus revolved around learning about the history of writing, printing, bookbinding and acquiring the essential skills for conducting historical and general library science research.
Susan worked with other students to trace the provenance of an early printed French missal that the University of Iowa Library received as a gift. She spent a semester learning the paleographical abbreviations that are used in Medieval Latin manuscripts.
Susan is an experienced calligrapher, bookbinder, and hand papermaker.
Susan B. is the top-ranked garden writer on the WriterAccess platform. She was awarded the industry Elite designation based on her extensive writing and hands-on gardening experience. She is also a member of Garden Communicators International, formerly known as Garden Writers Association. Susan has been an avid organic gardener for over 50 years. Her gardening activity is not limited to what she grows outdoors. Susan brings the garden into her home and has a vast collection of tropical and familiar houseplants. She is passionate about all aspects of gardening, and the gardening articles and blog posts in her writing portfolio reflect that diversity and dedication. Her writing provides growing information about specific plants, elementary information aimed at beginning gardeners, and pieces that address challenges of growing plants in different areas. She also discusses plant diseases and insect infestations.
Susan's skillful research consistently results in top quality content. That attention to detail doesn't go unrecognized on the numerous writing platforms and sites on which her work appears. She has bylined pieces on the online edition of the San Francisco Chronicle, Dave's Garden, Garden Guides, and Hunker. Susan is a guest contributor to Farmer Gracy's blog. Farmer Gracy is a British-based Dutch bulb retailer. She seizes every chance she gets to write about anything related to gardening, plants, or landscaping.
Susan has lived in multiple hardiness zones. She understands the challenges of growing plants in areas for which they aren't hardy. She has learned enough about unpredictable weather to know that gardeners need to protect zone hardy plants from extreme conditions.
Susan is an expert on all things related to lifestyle. She worked in the industry long before she began her career as a freelance writer. As a writer, her work has appeared on numerous industry platforms, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Bounty Paper Towels, Hunker, eHow, and more. She is often called upon to write content for home renovation and remodeling, interior design, landscaping, outdoor living, and health and wellness companies.
Susan works with B2C companies, and she envisions herself as a client or customer as a way of connecting with the target audience. And she works closely with her clients to ensure that she understands their vision as well as their content needs.
Susan B. prides herself on her insatiable appetite for knowledge. That desire to learn more prompted her to want to learn about household appliances, their motors and topics related to home living. Without any type of background in machinery or motors, or knowledge of household appliances, Susan B delved into difficult references to create some of her best content. She was especially proud to learn that several home living articles were cited for excellence, including the sample provided here.
Susan B is extremely interested in all things related to health insurance. She has a first-hand understanding of what it is like not to have it, and she knows how people with pre-existing conditions struggle, especially when job loss eliminates their insurance. She's written extensively about all aspects of insurance but is most enthusiastic about writing content that stresses the importance of having it, while helping people navigate the confusing maze of types of insurance and the coverage they provide. ?
Susan earned a B. Music degree from Chicago Musical College. She majored in Music History and Theory and minored in piano and harpsichord performance. Susan studied piano for over 25 years. She later studied the harpsichord.
Susan competed in and won three consecutive Betty Taylor Clark Memorial Scholarships.
Susan trained at a classical music conservatory, but her music education and lifelong background in the music industry prepared her so she can write about any music genre while focusing the tone of her writing on her clients' target audience.
Susan writes everything from program notes for student recitals to electronic press kits and press releases and other material for indie bands. She wrote an in-depth article about the history of Soca Music and its Caribbean roots.
Susan comes from a family of well-known Chicago architects, so a love of the industry runs through her blood. Her academic background in history helped her learn the ins and outs of in-depth research. She brings that knowledge to her work as a writer. Susan grew up in a house filled with authentic Mid-Century modern furniture pieces, many of which were designed by noted architects like Eero Saarinen and Alvar Aalto. She has written about Mid-Century Modern architectures for clients, and for lifestyle platforms. Susan attended a camp across the road from Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin. She earned her B.Music degree from Chicago Musical College, a music conservatory that is located in an iconic building that Louis Sullivan designed.
Susan has addressed many aspects of nutrition, and most recently, she wrote a lengthy article for a WA client about the Paleo diet. She has also written about antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables, how vegetarians can get adequate protein in their diet, and what foods vegetarians can combine to get complete protein, including all necessary Amino acids.
She has also written articles geared towards college students, with the aim of helping them become more aware of what they are eating and the need to be more health conscious in their food choices.
Susan B focuses her articles related to shopping on helping people get the best possible deals. She's written extensively about saving money on grocery shopping, using coupons to save money, ways to save money on shopping for clothing, and much more. When it comes to helping people save money, she embraces writing assignments with the utmost enthusiasm. Her phenomenal research skills help her dig deep to find new and effective ways to show people how to get the biggest bang for their buck.
Susan B. has addressed multiple health related topics in writing. One article addressed the safety of artificial sweeteners, another dealt with pesticide contamination in foods. Her articles on ADD/ADHD are extremely popular because people realize that her knowledge comes from first hand experience.
She also enjoys writing about healthy eating habits, dieting, and stress reduction. The subject of breast cancer is another topic about which she writes with great passion and authority because of the impact it has had on her family. Her mother, sister and grandmother all had breast cancer. Her sister's 2005 diagnosis lead Susan B. to volunteer to be part of a large scale national Sister Study that is funded by the National Cancer Institute and National Institute of Environmental Health.
Her most recent health articles were news related, including one about the obesity gene based on findings that were released at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. She also wrote an article about a study whose results were reported at the same conference. It involved Intermittent Low-Carbohydrate diets, and their importance for weight loss - especially for women prone to breast cancer.
Susan's extensive research experience and outstanding research skills help her address almost any health related topic.
Susan wrote health news stories for the DailyGlow platform.
Susan's love of all things pertaining to home design, landscaping, gardening and architecture fuels her writing about real estate. She has written countless articles that address everything from the interior features home buyers look for, to outdoor projects for DIY lovers, to energy efficiency in homes, to insider secrets to assist home buyers. She has also addressed subjects such as the importance of a home's entryway because of what it says about the homeowner.
Susan writes real estate content for multiple clients at WA, and her articles about gardening, landscaping and home living frequently appear in the HomeGuides section of the weekend online edition of SF Gate, the San Francisco Chronicle. She also specializes in content related to rental properties, and creates content for InternetBrands website ApartmentRatings.com
Susan B writes a range of content on various aspects of home repair, home design and issues that are relevant to homeowners and renters. She creates content for Style Home, SF Gate Home, and eHow Home, in addition to SF Gate Garden and eHow Garden where she addresses topics related to landscape construction, design and plants in general. Several of her eHow Home articles were cited by editors for excellence.
Susan B admits to being a foodie. She comes from a family of other foodies who love to cook. Since she lacks the talent that her mother and brother have, she decided to write about food.
Susan's experience working in a wine, cheese and gourmet food shop taught her a lot about wines, beers, cheeses and paring them together. She is also knowledgeable about different types of coffees, roasting methods, and brewing methods.
Susan takes these experiences and uses the knowledge in her writing. She loves to write about anything that challenges her.
The focus of most of Susan's education articles revolve around things having to do with college. Two articles, one on Greek life and another addressing basic freshman fears about starting college were published in a printed book.
Her articles for college students explore everything from balancing school and work or school and a social life, to proper time management for more effective studying. Other articles deal with things like finding time for exercise as a college student, and the importance of healthy eating.
Susan B. has also written articles about learing languages, including French and Latin. She is also knowledgeable about dealing with ADHD and finding ways to deal with it as a college student.
Her content on ADHD/ADD and education is widely acclaimed by parents, students and educators who read it because the knowledge she has about this subject is based on first hand experience.
Susan really enjoys writing content about college life, especially when the target audience is college students.
Susan B. believes that people don't need to belong to a gym in order to get in shape or stay fit. She offers practical advice for people who want to incorporate exercise into busy schedules. She addresses topics such such as taking advantage of community facilities, making exercise a family endeavor, and taking advantage of simple daily activities as a way to be more active..
Since she has no professional training, she is always mindful of the need to issue disclaimers and advise readers to talk to their doctors before beginning any fitness regime.
Susan B. loves all things tropical, so it isn't surprising that that interest would push her to write about tropical destinations. In addition to writing about tropical places, she enjoys writing articles that help people know how to pack for trips, how to plan for a trip, and what to expect.
Susan is native of Chicago. She has a deep interest in Chicago's architecture, thanks to the contributions of two of her family members who were noted architects in the city.
In addition to writing about the tropics and Chicago, Susan has written about other cities, including Des Moines. As part of her interest in writing about things related to college, Susan has written articles about spring break destinations as well.
Susan B. worked in retail sales at a major Chicago department store for many years. She also worked for a famous designer hair salon, and these jobs inspired her interest in beauty. She now uses that interest to her advantage, writing beauty news for a popular beauty news website. An interest in fashion prompted her to explore writing about that area.
Her fashion content includes a biography of Coco Chanel, articles about age appropriate clothing, and several articles about shoes and accessories.
Susan embraces the opportunity to use her articles about utilities as a way to share information with homeowners and renters on Eco-friendly ways to save money on their utilities. She has also had the opportunity to write about alternative energy sources, and about financial incentives for purchasing Energy Star appliances, which ultimately save money on utilities.
Susan's foray into the beauty industry began in the 1970's when she worked for Vidal Sassoon as a receptionist, and walking advertisement. One of the benefits (and perhaps drawbacks,) of working for a world renown hair salon, is that the stylists try out new styles, trends and designs they're interested in on their colleagues. It was an incredible learning experience, and that started Susan's lifelong interest in beauty.
Susan B loves to swim. She is fascinated by some Olympic sports, including swimming, diving, figure skating, speed skating, Alpine skiing, gymnastics, track and field and more. She is also a big college football fan. Her sports content includes articles about specific athletes, the history of sports (ski jumping,), Olympic events, and the best places to have a college football tailgate.
She is also interested in yoga, Pilates, horseback riding, college football and more.
Susan B doesn't just have experience writing about crafts; she's done the crafts about which she most frequently writes. She and her husband started a cottage business making soy candles with all natural ingredients. Their small business has shipped candles to both ends of the country.
In addition to making candles, Susan spent many years doing calligraphy and learning the about the craft as ancient and Medieval scribes did. She has also learned to make her own inks, using the outer skin of black walnuts and other natural ingredients.
Susan B is uniquely capable of writing about family-friendly projects ranging from holiday table decor to coming up with things to do with recycled items. She has written how-to guides for making planters with egg crates or the cardboard tubes that hold paper towels and toilet paper and using brown paper bags and newspapers to make wrapping paper. She and her husband make scented soy candles, soaps, and wire jewelry. Susan is a calligrapher, bookbinder, and a papermaker, and she was honored to have some or her work hang in several Iowa book arts exhibits throughout the 1990s.
Susan used to create projects for the Bounty-at-Home portion of the Bounty Paper Towels website.
When she has time, Susan likes to knit.
Susan B. has experience writing about green living in terms of green gardening, energy and resource conservation, and the use of green products, including green alternatives to wood and green cleaning products .
Her content addresses things such as water conservation, composting, lasagna gardening, the use of companion plants to add nutrients to soil, and using eco-friendly building materials.
Susan B enjoys writing about relationships. Her articles touch on subjects such as the empty nest, help for parents whose children are leaving home for college for the first time, or advice for young people who are about to leave a significant other, as they head off to college. Beal also writes about the importance of strengthening family relationships, and helping family members through difficult situations.
Susan B's curiosity prompted her interest in science. The fact that she had a relative who was a NASA astronaut fueled her interest in astronomy, and her own curiosity about the astronaut life provided her with the perfect excuse to write about space life. Her interest in plants began during a high school horticulture class. Since that time, her interest has grown, and a desire to learn even more prompted her to challenge herself to explore all sorts of different plant-science related topics.
Susan is also interested in violent weather phenomenon, and a desire to learn about how tornadoes and hurricanes develop prompted her to explore these subjects in writing. She believes that if people understand how these violent storms form, they will take them more seriously, and take the necessary precautions to protect themselves or prepare for them.
Susan B is a relative newcomer to the area of technology, however, it's a field that greatly interests her, and she's been successful at writing about a range of technology-focused articles because of both her news writing abilities, and her outstanding research skills.
She is also a technology news writer for a couple of popular news websites where her areas of concentration center on things having to do with the soon-to-be released Windows 8 operating system, things pertaining to Android, and tablet computers.
She has also covered breaking news about everything from the Facebook IPO to the release of the new iPad, and the iPhone 4S.
Susan B readily admits that it was her husband's love of electronic gadgets and computer technology that got her interested in writing about technology-related topics. It is now one of her favorite areas about which to write.
Susan's writing about appliances includes articles that explain how agitators work in washing machines, what an induction washing machine is, the proper way to vent clothes dryers, how evaporative (also known as swamp coolers,) work, and articles that provide readers with insights as to what to look for in purchasing major household appliances. Her work appears on well-known content sites, and in the Homeguides section of SF Gate, the website for the San Francisco Chronicle.
Susan's interest in organic gardening extends to the broader area of agriculture. In her writing, she's had the opportunity to write about chemical herbicides, insecticides and pesticides, and the impact these things have on the environment, in particular through runoff that winds up in rivers, streams and other water sources. Her interests revolve around natural ways to improve soil quality, ways to avoid the use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides and pesticides, and methods for slowing the process of soil erosion.
Susan is especially interested in hydroponic and aquaponic growing systems, and in learning about ways to expand the reach of urban agriculture. She believes that urban farming offers a helpful solution to the problem that inner-city food deserts face because there are no accessible neighborhood supermarkets.
Susan B was exposed to the world of architecture and design as a young child. Her grandfather and uncle were well-known, award-winning architects. Design is a natural part of architecture. Since she grew up in Chicago, she was exposed to the work of many of the most important architects of the Arts and Crafts period. Susan is particularly interested in all aspects of Arts and Crafts design, Mid-Century modern design, the clean, simple, but no less elegant lines of Scandinavian and Japanese design, and more. A love of research and a never-ending thirst for knowledge drive her desire to have the opportunity to do more writing about design.
Susan B has written many hundreds of blog posts for WA clients in a broad range of industries. She's written blogs for e-commerce sites, for construction and contracting companies, health, beauty, real estate, insurance and others. She wrote a blog for EverydayHealth as part of their Voices of Experience program. Regardless of the industry, Susan connects with the target audience, crafting interesting, informative and well-researched material for every blog she writes.?
Susan B's writing portfolio includes articles about gardening, plants, architecture, finance, sports, weather, astronauts, travel, education, food, nutrition, health, fitness, relationships and many other areas. She also has a number of articles on home improvement, several of which were cited for excellence.
Susan's web page writing experience encompasses everything from landing pages to About and product or service description pages. Her work spans many industries, but her expertise lies in lifestyle and related areas.
Susan B has ghostwritten two e-books for a client at WriterAccess. Both books were related to one of the areas in which she has industry elite status - Gardening. Originally, the client posted both e-books on Amazon for people to purchase to read on a Kindle device, on Kindle Cloud, or Kindle for PC. One then became a printed book. Both books are receiving 5 stars from all of the people who review it. This experience has helped Susan learn the ropes of book writing. She hopes that she will be able to do similar projects for other clients in the future.
Susan also writer two chapters of a published book that is full of helpful information for incoming college freshmen.