Susan Branch is an American author, watercolorist, and designer. Her works include the ''Heart of the Home'' series of cookbooks in which she was also the illustrator.

Life

Born in St. Mary's Hospital in Long Beach, California, she is the eldest of Patricia Louise (Smith) and John Patrick Stewart's eight children, Branch grew up in the

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...

outside of Los Angeles, California. This is chronicled in her 2015 memoir, ''The Fairy Tale Girl''. Her first commercial success manifested in 1978 at the Red Door GalleryNot Quite June Cleaver interview, October 2010
/ref> in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. B ...

. In 1982, Branch moved from California to the island of

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes the s ...

off the coast of Massachusetts, a story told in part-two of her memoir, ''Martha's Vineyard, Isle of Dreams'', published in 2016. In 1986, the first of eleven volumes, ''Heart of the Home, Notes from a Vineyard Kitchen'', was published by Hachette Book Group (then "Little, Brown and Company"). In 1990, Branch's book, ''Christmas from the Heart of the Home'' was nominated for the James Beard Award. She lives on Martha's Vineyard with her partner Joe Hall and runs Susan Branch Studios. Branch's book, ''A Fine Romance, Falling in Love with the English Countryside'' (2013), was discussed in an article in Publishers Weekly both for the velocity of its sales (going into 3rd printing) and how an established author has taken risks by choosing a hybrid publishing route. Her latest book, ''Martha's Vineyard, Isle of Dreams,'' currently a New York Times Bestseller, was published by her own imprint, Spring Street Publishing. Her entry into self publishing is discussed in a recent article in ''Publishers Weekly''.

Bibliography

*
''Heart of the Home, Notes from a Vineyard Kitchen''
' (1986) *
''Vineyard Seasons''
' (1988) *
''Christmas from the Heart of the Home''
' (1990) *
Baby Love
' (1992) *
Love from the Heart of the Home
' (1994) *
The Summer Book
' (1995) *
Christmas Joy
' (1995) *
Days from the Heart of the Home
' (1996) *
Sweets to the Sweet
' (1998) *
Girlfriends Forever
' (2000) *
Christmas Memories
' (2001) *
Autumn
' (2004) *
A Fine Romance, Falling in Love with the English Countryside
(2013) *
Fairy Tale Girl
' (2015)
Martha's Vineyard, Isle of Dreams
(2016)

References

External links

Official website
* Goodreads
Susan BranchSpring Street PublishingSusan Branch, At Home with the Queen of Cozy, Yankee Magazine, 2013
{{DEFAULTSORT:Branch, Susan 1947 births Living people Writers from Massachusetts American women illustrators American illustrators American food writers American watercolorists People from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts American travel writers American women travel writers Women food writers Women cookbook writers Women watercolorists 21st-century American women artists