Susan Baur's Latest Book...
Swimming with Turtles
When psychologist and author Susan Baur first slipped into a Cape Cod pond with a snorkel, she wasn’t looking for transformation, just a swim. But beneath the surface, she discovered something extraordinary: minnows hiding among water lilies; fresh-water jellies like jewels and—most striking of all—painted, musk, and snapping turtles. Whether the turtles were buried in mud, teetering on a submerged branch, or drifting like ancient astronauts, they pulled her into a mysterious happiness she could not explain.
Learning to move slowly enough to see them became both her new discipline and her greatest joy. Each dive required patience, curiosity, and humility, and she learned to read the water, follow a subtle shadow, and anticipate the turtles’ rhythms without disturbing their world. As she mastered the art of swimming with turtles, Baur also fell in love with an older man whose companionship deepened her connection to the natural world. When he passed away, grief drove her deeper into the water. There, among the turtles, she found solace and purpose: a reason to keep diving, looking, and learning.
Over nearly two decades, Baur became a self-taught naturalist, children’s author (of The Turtle Sisters series), and unlikely environmental advocate, founding Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage to protect the ponds she had grown to love. With humor, heart, and vivid observation, Baur shows that wonder isn’t reserved for the young or the lucky—it waits beneath the surface for anyone willing to slow down, look closely, and stay a while.
Purchase a Copy Today!
Are you looking to purchase a copy of my newest release? Visit the links below to order Swimming with Turtles from UMass Press, Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon. If you're looking to save on your copy, use code UMASS20 to save 20% when you order at umasspress.com. Don't wait, pre-order, or purchase, your copy today!
The Edge of An Unfamiliar World: A History of Oceanography and On Almost Any Wind: Both published under married name of Susan Schlee.
The Dinosaur Man: Tales of Madness and Enchantment From the Back Ward (1991), NY: HarperCollins,
Confiding:A Psychotherapist and Her Patients Search For Stories To Live By. (1994) NY: HarperCollins,
The Intimate Hour: Love and Sex in Psychotherapy (1997), NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.
The Love of Your Life: What We Learn In the Grip of Passion (2001). Naperville, Illinois: Sourcebooks.
The Turtle Sisters, a series of four self-published books for children. (published between 2010-13)
Other Books
Hoping to be a novelist from the age of fourteen, I started writing imitation James Bond adventures when I was supposed to be doing my homework, substituting a much-improved me for "Bond, James Bond." When that went nowhere, I tried my hand at a bodice-ripper, then fell back on an imagined first-person account of the bombing of Hiroshima. No one had told me, "Write what you know."
In college I took every writing class available but the truth was I didn't know enough about anything to write a book on it. So I became a journalist. Covering meetings and miscellanea, I learned to write fast on just about any topic. Graduating to features, I had the luxury of spending up to three days on a piece. Living in Florida and writing articles on a research submarine led me to oceanography. I became what was called a trade non-fiction writer. My specialty was investigating dark areas that no one knew much about like the deep sea--or the human psyche.
When I wrote a book on the history of hypochondria--how that painful anxiety has been viewed over the centuries-- i was told that the book was good BUT, I wasn't an expert. I returned to school, got degrees in psychology, published the book, and became a psychologist who, of course, wrote books. When I wrote one on passion, I met Peter who lived some 40 miles away from me on Cape Cod. He introduced me to ponds and turtles and that's where Swimming With Turtles begins.
The third of the four Turtle Sisters books, this one follows The Turtle Sisters Move to the Other Side of Cape Cod Pond. To order, visit theturtlesisters.com.
The Turtle Sister Series
Griffith Review 82, Animal Magic. "Talking To Turtles."
Passager, "In the Company of Turtles." Spring 2024
"The Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage," elsewhere: The Outdoor Swimming Society, December, 2025.
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