Susan Sawyer enjoys exploring the past and writing about historical topics. History serves as the centerpiece for many of her writings, taking form in both fact and fiction. Susan is the author of sixteen books, including Globe Pequot Press's More Than Petticoats: Remarkable Tennessee Women, It Happened in Tennessee, and Myths and Mysteries of Tennessee.

A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Susan worked as a magazine editor and communications consultant before establishing a career as a freelance writer and published author. Today she writes from her home in the suburbs of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The Transylvania Purchase-1775 The Lost State of Franklin-1784 Andrew Jackson's Duel-1806 The Mysterious Death of Meriwether Lewis-1809 The New Madrid Earthquakes-1811-1812 America's First Antislavery Newspaper-1819 The Invention of the Cherokee Alphabet-1821 The Cherokee Removal-1838 The Volunteers of Tennessee-1846 The Battle of Shiloh-1862 The Making of a Confederate Hero-1863 Pauline Cushman's Escape-1863 The Sultana Disaster-1865 America's First Registered Distillery-1866 Pulaski's Secret Society-1866 The Birth of a Newspaper Empire-1878 The Grim Reaper's Visit to Memphis-1878 The British Invasion of Tennessee-1880 The First Coca-Cola Bottling Company-1899 Casey Jones and the Cannonball Express-1900 The Lynching of Murderous Mary-1916 Winning the Right to Vote for Women-1920 The Scopes "Monkey" Trial-1925 The Grand Ole Opry-1925America's First Guide Dogs for the Blind-1929 The Girl Who Struck Out Babe Ruth-1931 The Making of the Tennessee Valley Authority-1933The Secret Oak Ridge Project-1943 From Memphis to Stardom-1954 The Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.-1968 The World's Fair-1982 The Filming of Christy-1993

This book offers an inside look at over 30 interesting and unusual episodes that shaped the history of the Volunteer State. Read about the infamous Scopes "Monkey" Trial in 1925. Find out about Tennessee's reaction to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis. Discover how the Grand Ole Opry came to be the musical powerhouse that it is today.