Susan Morgan (

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

s: Zoe Barnes and Sue Dyson) (20 July 1957 – 31 October 2009) of

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

was a best-selling

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

author of

chick lit Chick lit is a term used to describe a type of popular fiction targeted at younger women. Widely used in the 1990s and 2000s, the term has fallen out of fashion with publishers while writers and critics have rejected its inherent sexism. Novels id ...

genre. She published 45 novels and also translated books into French.

Biography

Susan Morgan was born near

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

to a

Manx Manx (; formerly sometimes spelled Manks) is an adjective (and derived noun) describing things or people related to the Isle of Man: * Manx people **Manx surnames * Isle of Man It may also refer to: Languages * Manx language, also known as Manx ...

mother and

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

father. Her chick lit novels, written under the pen name of Zoe Barnes, include, ''Bouncing Back'', ''Bumps'', ''Hitched'', ''Hot Property'', ''Ex-Appeal'', ''Love Bug'' and ''Just Married'' and she is classed as an originator of this written genre. She also wrote erotic fantasy and vampire novels under the names Sophie Danson, Valentina Cilescu and Anastasia Dubois. She also translated French novels (including those of Christian Jacq) under the pen name of Sue Dyson. Sue was also one of a small number of translators who, following a worldwide search, were given the task of translating

Van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inclu ...

's French language letters for the prestigious Van Gogh Letters Project for the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Morgan was a singer (

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

) and had been a member of

Equity Equity may refer to: Finance, accounting and ownership * Equity (finance), ownership of assets that have liabilities attached to them ** Stock, equity based on original contributions of cash or other value to a business ** Home equity, the dif ...

. She suffered from

Tolosa–Hunt syndrome Tolosa–Hunt syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by severe and unilateral headaches with orbital pain, along with weakness and paralysis (ophthalmoplegia) of certain eye muscles ( extraocular palsies). In 2004, the International Headache S ...

and

Marinesco–Sjögren syndrome Marinesco–Sjögren syndrome (MSS), sometimes spelled Marinescu–Sjögren syndrome, is a rare autosomal recessive disorder. Presentation The syndrome causes cerebellar ataxia (balance and coordination problems), intellectual disability, congenit ...

. She faced many surgeries following a motorcycling accident in her youth, and combined with her autoimmune diseases she experienced constant pain. Suffering from depression due to a marital breakup, Morgan committed suicide while on holiday on the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

in 2009 at the age of 52. She was survived by her husband Simon Morgan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Susan 1957 births 2009 suicides Writers from Cheltenham English romantic fiction writers British chick lit writers Suicides in the Isle of Man English women novelists 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English women writers British women romantic fiction writers 2009 deaths