When I was a kid, Nancy Drew was my hero. A titian-haired, teen sleuth with a female friend named George? A self-reliant girl not afraid to take on the big boys? It didn't get much better!

When Harriet the Spy came along, I was in heaven. In fact, my first attempts at creative writing include my super secret spy book, in which I kept track of the mysterious comings and goings of friends and family. Unfortunately, puberty intervened, and my spy book was discarded, left to molder along with the rest of my childhood fantasies.

Fast forward many years, and I earned a Master's degree in Zoology, eventually working at the Metro Toronto zoo, I carted away more poo than I could have ever imagined. I loved working with tigers and orangutans, lemurs and rhinos. I even got used to snakes and spiders. Best of all, shoveling all that sh** re-ignited my creative spark.

Lots more school later, and I was working as a mental health social worker. Talk about inspiration. The people I worked with lived with serious mental illness...and with courage, grace and determination. But, unlike Nancy Drew, their voices were often not heard, their stories left untold. The light bulb finally went on, and kick-ass Signy Shepherd was born.

In Blown Red, the first installment in the series, Signy is recruited to the Line, a shadowy underground railroad shuttling abused women out of harm's way. She has no idea that her first solo case will set her on a collision course with a renowned photographer concealing a murderous past; a relentless tracker with an explosive secret; and her own violent demons.

The long journey to Blown Red reminded me that adventure is always just around the corner...if you want it to be. And my super secret spy book? It's back where it belongs...tucked under my arm, ready and waiting for that next big scoop.

To order Blown Red, or to pre-order Dark Territory (coming Jan 12/16) susanplease visit me at http://www.susancphilpott.com

For a glimpse into the sillier side of my writing life check out dumpygrace.blogspot.ca