Susan Richards Shreve is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 professor, author, and novelist, as well as author of over a dozen children's books. She currently teaches at George Mason University

George Mason University

George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...

.

Shreve was educated at the University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

 as well as the University of Virginia

University of Virginia

The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...

. She has also taught at George Washington University

George Washington University

The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...

, Bennington College

Bennington College

Bennington College is a liberal arts college located in Bennington, Vermont, USA. The college was founded in 1932 as a women's college and became co-educational in 1969.-History:-Early years:...

, and Princeton

Princeton University

Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....

. She briefly served as an essayist on The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour.

As a writer, her works often center around the integrity

Integrity

Integrity is a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions...

 of characters; with the choices they make when confronting adversity. Her book Daughters of the New World inspired a television miniseries

Miniseries

A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...

 A Will of Their Own

A Will of their Own

A Will of their Own is a 1998 American television mini-series directed by Karen Arthur. The film follows six generations of females within one family, and their struggle for power and independence in America. The film debuted on October 18, 1998 on the NBC network to strong critical reviews...

. The program used no lines from her novel, and was critically panned. She has since stated that one of her most well-acclaimed books, A Country of Strangers, would never be made into a Hollywood movie. Lucy Forever and Miss Rosetree, Shrinks (1987) received an Edgar Award

Edgar Award

The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...

 for Best Juvenile Mystery.

She has four grown children, one of whom, Porter Shreve

Porter Shreve

Porter Shreve is an American author, and professor of English and Director of the Creative Writing Program at Purdue University.-Life:...

, is also a published author. Shreve lives in Washington, DC. She is the writer of several series including Joshua T. Bates.