Bite of the Mango, The

Susan Elizabeth McClelland was born in Toronto and spent part of her childhood in England. She received an honors degree in political science from McMaster University, with a minor in peace studies. Her particular interest was Central American politics and liberation movements. During her undergraduate days, Susan worked at the Children's International Learning Centre, a project partially funded by UNICEF Canada. The year she graduated from McMaster, Susan received a Week of the Child certificate of honor from the city of Hamilton for her work with children and the Centre.

In 1998, Susan received a master of arts in communications, specializing in print journalism, from the University of Miami. She attended the university on a scholarship, and while there, Susan wrote for the Miami Herald and interned at the New York Times' Florida, Caribbean, and Central American bureau. Also while in Miami, Susan landed her first investigative reporting story.

After a brief stint at the Ottawa Citizen, Susan went on to Maclean's, Canada's weekly newsmagazine. Susan also wrote numerous stories at Maclean's on the lifestyles of women and children. As a freelancer, she has been published in Chatelaine, Canadian Family, Canadian Living, Elle, Reader's Digest, Toronto Life, the Globe and Mail, Best Health, and the Walrus.

Susan has also taught magazine journalism at Centennial College. Bite of the Mango (2008), a memoir of a child victim of the Sierra Leone war, as told to Susan, is her first book.

Her hobbies include cooking, photography, hiking, reading and music. Most of all, though, Susan likes being surrounded by water, boating, sailing, kayaking, swimming. She loves traveling, particularly to places off the beaten track where she inevitably finds new and interesting stories and meets new and interesting people, all with a story of their own to share.