Gray Girl Series

2014 Eric Hoffer First Horizon Award WINNER! 2014 Eric Hoffer e-book fiction WINNER! 2015 Kindle Book Award semi-finalist!   West Point will never be the same! Ten men for every one woman. Those odds are stacked against Jan Wishart as a "plebe" (freshman) at West Point. The first year at the military academy is harsh, with exhausting physical and mental demands which beat everyone down. But the women cadets also endure body shaming, sexual harassment and contempt from those who want to see them fail. Charged with an honor violation, Jan must also defend herself before an all-male cadet jury. She's convinced that her accuser is also the predator who violated a friend. The battle for justice will rage, not only for Jan, but for the victims of a predatory cadet. And one night will change everything--for better or worse. The grayness of West Point is not only in its buildings and uniforms. Even honor isn't always black and white. Relying on her wits and a few friends in the hostile environment of the U.S. Military Academy, Jan discovers the value of friendship, the genuine marks of leadership and her own inner warrior.   The Gray Girl Series depicts authentic experiences of the early years when the United States Military Academy first admitted women cadets. Jan Wishart is both heroine and troublemaker. She and her friends sometimes create their own dilemmas but mostly solve the larger issues they face while at West Point in the early 1980's. Gray Girl is an ERIC HOFFER FIRST HORIZON WINNER and e-book fiction WINNER. Both Gray Girl and Area Bird are KINDLE BOOK AWARD semi-finalists. Area Bird has a 5-star review and is a SILVER AWARD WINNER from Readers' Favorite Book Award Contest. Witch Heart is a GOLD AWARD WINNER from Literary Titan Book Review and also earned a 5-star review and Honorable Mention from the Readers' Favorite Book Award Contest. Fall Out made the 2020 ERIC HOFFER GRAND PRIZE short list and First Runner-up for e-book fiction. It's also a 2020 finalist in the AMERICAN BOOK FEST, military fiction. Susan I. Spieth is a 1985 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and the author of the awarded Gray Girl Series. More information can be found at: SusanISpieth dot com (this platform will not allow actual website addresses)  

2020 Top Shelf Book Award Finalist! 5-star Readers' Favorite Review! 2015 KINDLE BOOK AWARD semi-finalist!   Change is coming to West Point!   One drives off a cliff. An alarming number of others resign. Something at the military academy is causing the unusually high attrition of women cadets. Jan Wishart aims to find out before she's the next statistic at West Point. Her second year at the formerly all male citadel should be the fun year. But when one friend shows signs of abuse and another friend suddenly resigns, Jan's coming of age year becomes anything but enjoyable. The culture of hazing and harassment must be addressed, but it's almost impossible to get results through the chain of command. In a closed academy environment, sometimes the best way to call attention to an issue is to leak it the press. In order to fulfill her duty, Jan must break with tradition and the longstanding culture of the United States Military Academy. Yet not everything is as it seems. Once again Jan's worldview is about to be upended by the secrets of West Point.   The Gray Girl Series depicts authentic experiences of the early years when the United States Military Academy first admitted women cadets. Jan Wishart is both heroine and troublemaker. She and her friends sometimes create their own dilemmas but mostly solve the larger issues they face while at West Point in the early 1980's. Gray Girl is an ERIC HOFFER FIRST HORIZON WINNER and e-book fiction WINNER. Both Gray Girl and Area Bird are KINDLE BOOK AWARD semi-finalists. Area Bird has a 5-star review and is a SILVER AWARD WINNER from Readers' Favorite Book Award Contest. Witch Heart is a GOLD AWARD WINNER from Literary Titan Book Review and also earned a 5-star review and Honorable Mention from the Readers' Favorite Book Award Contest. Fall Out made the 2020 ERIC HOFFER GRAND PRIZE short list and First Runner-up for e-book fiction. It's also a 2020 finalist in the AMERICAN BOOK FEST, military fiction. Susan I. Spieth is a 1985 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and the author of the awarded Gray Girl Series. More information can be found at: SusanISpieth dot com (this platform will not allow actual website addresses)

5-star Reader's Favorite Review  March 2017 GOLD AWARD WINNER-Literary Titan!   Meanness only makes her stronger!   What does a witch, a night stalker and a recurring nightmare all have in common? After a deadly accident in Airborne School, Jan Wishart returns to West Point under a cloud of suspicion. Branded a "witch" by some at the military academy, she becomes the recipient of creepy markings and objects. Jan also loses the precious commodity of sleep due to a masked nighttime intruder. Or is that just another one of her nightmares? Furthermore, she's trying to save a freshman woman from the influences of her classmate, a bad seed. But he's not the only threat. There's another, more deadly foe who's trying to take her out. Events escalate to the point of no return for Jan and her two best friends. When they swear an oath of loyalty to each other, they have no idea how much it will cost to fulfill that vow. Leadership always requires sacrifice. So does loyalty. And sometimes, one virtue must yield to the other.   The Gray Girl Series depicts authentic experiences of the early years when the United States Military Academy first admitted women cadets. Jan Wishart is both heroine and troublemaker. She and her friends sometimes create their own dilemmas but mostly solve the larger issues they face while at West Point in the early 1980's. Gray Girl is an ERIC HOFFER FIRST HORIZON WINNER and e-book fiction WINNER. Both Gray Girl and Area Bird are KINDLE BOOK AWARD semi-finalists. Area Bird has a 5-star review and is a SILVER AWARD WINNER from Readers' Favorite Book Award Contest. Witch Heart is a GOLD AWARD WINNER from Literary Titan Book Review and also earned a 5-star review and Honorable Mention from the Readers' Favorite Book Award Contest. Fall Out made the 2020 ERIC HOFFER GRAND PRIZE short list and First Runner-up for e-book fiction. It's also a 2020 finalist in the AMERICAN BOOK FEST, military fiction.  Susan I. Spieth is a 1985 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and the author of the awarded Gray Girl Series. More information can be found at: SusanISpieth dot com (this platform will not allow actual website addresses)    

2020 ERIC HOFFER GRAND PRIZE short list and 1st Runner up e-book fiction 2020 AMERICAN FICTION AWARDS finalist! Silver Award Readers' Choice Book Contest!   She's in over her head this time... She wears a saber, a red sash and the infamous "crass mass of brass and glass," the United States Military Academy ring. The Army/Navy Game, the 100th Night celebrations, spring leave, and the highest of all cadet days, graduation, await Jan Wishart's final year at West Point. It should be the best one in her notable cadet experience. But graduation and commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army may never happen for Jan. Instead, she might be sent to the Consolidated Brig, for female military convicts. Her friendship with Dimitri Petrov, a diplomat's son and a rising star in the Soviet Army, may derail everything she's fought so hard to achieve. When their relationship takes a dark turn, Jan becomes embroiled in something that will test her stamina, her faith and her friendships, as never before. But like honor, duty and leadership, courage always stands its ground. The Gray Girl Series depicts authentic experiences of the early years when the United States Military Academy first admitted women cadets. Jan Wishart is both heroine and troublemaker. She and her friends sometimes create their own dilemmas but mostly solve the larger issues they face while at West Point in the early 1980's. Gray Girl is an ERIC HOFFER FIRST HORIZON WINNER and e-book fiction WINNER. Both Gray Girl and Area Bird are KINDLE BOOK AWARD semi-finalists. Area Bird has a 5-star review and is a SILVER AWARD WINNER from Readers' Favorite Book Award Contest. Witch Heart is a GOLD AWARD WINNER from Literary Titan Book Review and also earned a 5-star review and Honorable Mention from the Readers' Favorite Book Award Contest. Fall Out made the 2020 ERIC HOFFER GRAND PRIZE short list and First Runner-up for e-book fiction. It's also a 2020 finalist in the AMERICAN BOOK FEST, military fiction.  Susan I. Spieth is a 1985 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and the author of the awarded Gray Girl Series. More information can be found at: SusanISpieth dot com (this platform will not allow actual website addresses)