The Fragile Bravery of Being Human
Many of us are Rob Rener adjacent. Never having had the privilege of meeting this lovely human man and...
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Susan Merson has dedicated her life to sharing stories through stage performances, written works, and teaching. Her novels, plays, and workshops encourage readers and writers to find their voice and embrace the power of imagination.
Susan Merson is an author, playwright, and theatre professional whose career began on and off Broadway before expanding into television and film. In 1985, she co-founded the LA Writers Bloc with award-winning writer Jane Anderson. Since then, she has mentored hundreds of writers through the Bloc, in university settings, and in her own workshops.
Her teaching has covered playwriting, life stories, writing as a spiritual practice, tarot for writers, and the ongoing VOICING Series. Her short fiction has appeared in Lilith magazine, The Jew in America, Nice Jewish Girls (Penguin), The Worcester Review, the Chicken Soup series, and several online platforms. As a playwright, her award-winning works have been staged internationally, including eight solo plays featured in YOUR NAME HERE: An Actor Writer’s Guide to Solo Performance (Amazon). Susan is also the author of long-form fiction available on Amazon and Audible, including her award-winning blog collection When They Go and You Do Not, as well as the novels Dreaming in Daylight, Oh Good Now This, and How We Saw the Moon.
Outside of writing and theatre, she is a Tarot reader and counselor, a maker of quilts, clothing, and small whimsical pieces. Most importantly, she is a devoted mother and a proud resident of New York’s Hudson Valley.
On the streets of Baltimore, two little girls find each other: Perle, a quiet refugee from Eastern Europe, and Myrna, a fearless local with a big heart. Their unlikely friendship begins with an act of courage and grows into a lifelong bond. Together, they face love, betrayal, political unrest, and unimaginable loss. However, when tragedy strikes, even the strongest bond is put to the test. Chosen Family is a moving story about resilience, grief, and the ties that outlast everything.
4.5 Review from our book reader
Reader
Susan Merson is such a brilliant writer--taking us into dangerous and dark places with such a sure hand. Yes, there is grieving, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. More than this, Susan is so humane and funny and breathtakingly talented. Her blog, her play, her monologues all grab you by the collar and launch you into unexpected places. Because of Susan's writing, I am changed forever, and I will never look at loss in quite the same way again.
Reader
The healing journey from deep loss is messy, and we live in a culture where we increasingly do not create space for grief. The negative results of unprocessed grief and the cost to individuals and families and society is huge. Susan Merson's "When They Leave and You Don't' , like Joan Didion's "The Year of Magical Thinking", takes us "there"...but unlike that book, it takes us somewhere where hope resides as well.
Reader
Susan Merson's play is brilliantly written and a very enlightening account of this woman's experience of managing her life after the death of her man. It's full of rich humor and specific detail, and the ending is powerful and moving. I recommend it very highly.
Reader
I so loved diving into Susan Merson's new novel. This is the journey of a woman dealing with loss, healing, transformation, mystery, love, and the times we are all going through. Her intimate insights during her journeys about herself, those she loves, and the cultural climate she is living through are revelatory. Highly recommend this author.
Reader
Susan Merson gets the crazy times that we're living in. And she gets the struggle of aging liberals who don't know what to do with the realization that they can't save the world. She opens the novel with the election of 2016 which sends her sturdy but grieving protagonist Annie into a tailspin on top of a tailspin. Merson's characters are beautifully, surprisingly drawn. All of them stubbornly well-meaning in their search for meaning and all of them marvelously flawed. And just when you think you have their type nailed down, Merson will reveal a piece of them that shows their full humanity and leaves you breathless and kind of humbled. It's a wonderful and delicious read. I highly recommend this.
Reader
It is impossible to turn away from the world Susan Merson pulls us into as she weaves the personal story of Annie, widowed mother, writing teacher and lifelong seeker, navigating the politically charged 2016 election and the relationship with her increasingly estranged son. We first meet Annie, working joyfully, valiantly then desperately, for Hillary’s election campaign, then follow her journey inward and back out into the world. Susan Merson s a gorgeous, intelligent, deeply satisfying writer. All her characters are complicated, sometimes, maddening, but always believable and we feel privileged to see the world through her very wise, often funny and always empathic eyes.
Reader
Susan Merson is simply an interesting writer. Interesting, nay, fascinating on the level of words, images, syntax, but interesting also in writing pivotal moments in personal relationships. She’s deft at probing social issues. Her work is poised but underlying that is passion and a commitment to talking about political shifts of our time. I get tremendous enjoyment because Susan Merson knows writers need to beguile their readers and she never fails at that.
Reader
Susan Merson's new novel is a transformative look at life and loss. She weaves a story that is powerful and also unsettling in its honest look at today's culture and how it impacts us. The writing tugged at my heart. A mother and son and their journey woven with issues of creativity and finding our place in the world. Heartfelt and true! Highly recommended!
Reader
Susan Merson's lyricism has a depth and beauty that underscores the entire work. The eloquent and ultimately optimistic look at the aging process is outstanding and unique. "Oh Good Now This" refers to the understanding and ultimate delight with what lies ahead for older women. A welcome message for all of us facing the last third of our lives. Beyond this, there is captivating mysticism and visceral and passionate love for nature that is both earthy and light. And then there is love, love for her departed husband, for color, for the minutiae of life that transcends death. And then the assured message, that no matter what age, we are allowed new beginnings. Included are ghosts so powerful they take plasmatic form. So great! A delicious work to be savoured for a long long time!
Reader
You'll be engaged with the characters and their stories from the very beginning! This is an unusual bunch, they're fascinating and their circumstances unfold on many levels. Looking for brief examples of this compelling writing I found "Her eyes look out at the gravel in the small parking area behind her home. Her eyes feel like the gravel comes right in and sits under her eyelids." And "Vivi marvels at all of the ways in which women must maneuver their feelings to continue to move forward without losing a leg in the craters that litter an interesting path." Brava, Susan Merson! Congratulations on achieving an excellent novel.
Reader
A heartwarming, soul-lifting novel. Merson’s writing not only reveals new insights and lessons but also introduces us to surprising new spheres of consciousness. Vivi, our heroine, has just lost her husband. Now she has to start the second act (or is it third act?) of her life. Through her journey to becoming whole and comfortable in her solitude, we travel with her to a new home where she creates a bountiful, beautiful, almost magical garden that is a reflection of inner self. It would be easy to say this is a novel for “women of a certain age.” But, going from loneliness to solitude, from anger to love, and resentment to acceptance. is not a journey for a specific age or only one gender. It is a voyage of the soul for all.
Reader
Susan Merson serves up an engaging story of a young woman coming of age in a difficult family situation. Her writing is strong, sensuous, lyrical and observant. I looked forward to reading this book every night before bed. Upon finishing tonight, I am filled and satisfied and look forward to reading more of the author’s exquisite prose.
Reader
Rosie, the heroine of DREAMING IN DAYLIGHT, is one of those characters you immediately feel you know, an authentic, charming voice that stays with you long after you've finished the book. The time, the location, the references all ring true, taking you to another place, but one that is both familiar and new. As young as she is, Rosie is an old soul, someone we want to ride along with as she lives her life, with her non-functioning family.
Reader
I was intrigued by the title--and then I got to know Rosie. She is one of those unsung heroines who gets through an idiosyncratic childhood, who is continually drawn into the drama around her, wants to understand it, but would also just love to pull the covers over her head. I was taken back in time to an era of my teens, another daughter caught in the grasp of a loving father. Each character came alive and due to the skill of the writer, I could empathize with them all. Having grown up in a New York Jewish home, I could relate to the values and mishigas of this family. The sensitivity and courage of Rosie, spirited and vital, has stayed with me. She could have been my friend.
Reader
Your Name Here charts Susan Merson's journey through her creation & performance of 6 different solo plays--and what she learned along the way. Full of wisdom, quotes, and tons of useful information (even for someone who's been performing for years!), I'd highly recommend this book to any actor/writer wanting to bring a story to the stage.
From heartfelt memoirs to award-winning plays and novels, Susan Merson’s books explore the themes of resilience, creativity, and the power of chosen connections. Browse the collection below to find your next inspiring read.
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