Friend and Castle Pines Village neighbor, Suzanne Harrill, agreed to my request to be profiled. She is author of eight self help books, among them Enlightening Cinderella and Becoming the Person You Always Wanted to Marry.

Suzanne inspires people to build awareness and improve their lives through her counseling, coaching, writing, workshops, and public speaking. She is a natural teacher, encourages self-discovery, and facilitates others in becoming their own authority.

Moving many times over the years with her husband and family to other parts of the U.S. and twice to Australia provided many rich experiences for Suzanne. Upon her husband's retirement, they were able to choose their place to call home. They had fallen in love with Colorado as vacationers do. They put down roots in Castle Pines Village in 2004.

Originally trained as an art teacher, Suzanne later earned her masters degree in education, specializing in counseling psychology. Her experience includes teaching children, adolescents, and college students. In 1981 she started her private counseling practice and began teaching self-esteem workshops for adults. Her first book, Enlightening Cinderella, was published in 1987.

Suzanne is married, has three grown daughters, is a grandmother and dog owner. She enjoys traveling, hiking, watercolor painting, creating stained glass pieces, and spending time with family and friends.

Here is what this fascinating Douglas County woman has to say.

Suzanne, thank you for sharing your life with us. I have read two of your books, Enlightening Cinderella and Becoming the Person You Always Wanted to Marry. Both offer fresh insight into relationship dynamics. Tell me, what would you say to people in general about relationships?

Relationships take time and care to develop. To enjoy, grow, and have a satisfying primary love relationship, start by working on yourself. Get to know yourself, face your issues, and learn to love and accept yourself; then watch how it transfers to your partner and family. Learn communication skills and conflict resolution to help you disagree without hurting each other. Share on a regular basis to build intimacy and remember to have fun together. Express gratitude daily.

What inspired you to write?

Around 1971, I began waking up and hungry for self-discovery, so I read many self-help and spiritual books. This continued along with finding teachers, taking workshops, classes, seminars, and beginning graduate school in counseling. Here you work on yourself much of the time. Many things were impacting me and waking me up to new ways of thinking and living. All the positive changes I was making in my life motivated me to write for interested others.

What words of advice can you offer to budding authors?

Keep writing no matter what. Creative self-expression is one of the greatest joys, so make sure you write for yourself first. Do not get discouraged when getting your works published. Agents and publishers may reject a query letter. However the book world is changing daily. We are moving toward electronic books and "kindles" (Amazon.com's handheld computer that holds thousands of e-books). "Print-on-demand" publishing means a book is printed as it is sold - no inventory. Consider these alternatives for your works.

Will you share parting words of wisdom and tell readers where to buy your books?

Keep growing in awareness and expressing gratitude for each day. Live with intention, stay conscious, and express yourself creatively.

You can buy my books on my website, www.InnerworksPublishing.com , and through Amazon.com. You may have to ask Barnes & Noble, Borders, and The Tattered Cover to order them for you.