SA Rule biography

Sue Rule was born on the outskirts of Croydon, and now lives in Edenbridge, Kent. As well as being an author, she is a songwriter and musician: one quarter of family folk group Pig’s Ear.

She has been writing bits of the fictional history of Shehaios since she first dreamed up the world and its rather prosaic magic in the early 1970’s. The intervening years spent learning and perfecting her craft have culminated in the “Shaihen Heritage” series.

Sue has been writing since the age of 7. She claims she kept trying to give it up, but it wouldn’t let her, so she decided to share her writings with a reading public instead, and embarked on creating the gripping and original fantasy series “Shaihen Heritage” (www.shehaios.co.uk).  The series grows out of Sue’s love of history and folklore, and tracks the fictional history of an imagined world which is not unlike our own. The name “she-haios" means "the home of the spirit of life", and the people who live there have an intuitive understanding of that mysterious force which created mankind and the world we all live in. They seek to serve the spirit of life, guided by the gifts and knowledge of the Magician. The stories chart their conflicts and alliances with those inhabitants of their world who are motivated more by the greed and ambitions of an ever-more prolific human race.

Sue is a member of Kent writing group The Write Idea, and works with other authors to promote independent writers and small publishing houses.

Sue’s other creative life is as a songwriter, singer and musician with Kent folk group, Pig’s Ear. Pig’s Ear have been playing together for 21 years, and have appeared at a number of festivals as well as a string of engagements at fetes, pubs and folk clubs. They are regular contributors to the annual Rochester Sweeps Festival, and have fans scattered around the world.

Sue is also an organiser of musical events, having staged numerous local concerts. She is the leading light in organising a small annual music festival at the village of Markbeech, near Edenbridge. This increasingly popular little festival prides itself on its eclectic mix of material and its friendly efficiency. Sue cut her festival teeth organising a another series of local festivals, Folk on the Green, during the mid-1990s. Prior to that, she was part of the organising committee and resident musician with Croydon Folk Club. She is currently engaged in plans for a 2009 Edenbridge town festival.
Sue joined BBC Radio straight after “A” levels, and worked for the BBC until the birth of her first daughter. Part-time jobs while raising the family included stable girl, door-to-door deliveries, and administrative support for an outdoor pursuits centre. She also contributed to committees for various community organisations and was at one time a school Parent-Governor.

In her  current “day job” , Sue Rule is Director of Sales and Marketing with SMS Ltd., a specialist software management consultancy in which she and her husband, Grant, are majority shareholders.

All SA Rule Reviews