Susanna Laiho Hawkins grew up in rural southwest Finland, surrounded by forests, lakes and the long golden summers of the north.

She always loved words and the way they could build entire worlds, but her early path was a more scientific one. She earned a master's degree in neurobiology and moved to New York City to take a research assistant job. On a spontaneous trip to the Caribbean, she met her future husband. Two years later, she found herself living in London, working in pharmaceutical research, before eventually leaving the corporate world behind to pursue a more creative life.

For the past decade Susanna has worked as a stylist, writer and content creator. She lives in the Cotswolds with her husband, their two children, one energetic cocker spaniel called Laila and Ebba, the beautiful but permanently grumpy cat.

Her Instagram account, SH Nordic, has 1.1 million followers.