I'm Oprah Winfrey. Welcome to Super Soul Conversations, the podcast. I believe that one of

the most valuable gifts you can give yourself is time, taking time to be more fully present.

Your journey to become more inspired and connected to the deeper world around us starts right

now.

After choosing Sue's latest book for our book club, it was obvious she has a true gift,

a calling even as a writer, but that calling went unheated for many years. Being an author

would be a dream deferred. Born in 1948, Sue grew up in the small town of Sylvester

Georgia, along with three younger brothers. They were a devout family. Her father and grandfather

were both southern Baptist deacons and her mother taught Sunday school. At 20, Sue married

her college sweetheart, had two children, and became a nurse. But she could not shake the

feeling that she had missed her calling. And so, on the morning of her 30th birthday, Sue

announced to her husband and children that she was going to become a writer. But she was

not an overnight success. She honed her craft for more than two decades. Her first three

books were spiritual memoirs, then a turning point. In 2002, at the age of 53, Sue published

her first novel, The Secret Life of Bees. As many of you know, it became a literary sensation

selling more than six million copies and spending more than two and a half years on the New

York Times bestsellers list. With eight books to her name, Sue continues to delight her

millions of readers with rich words that offer inspiration and hope and run deep with spiritual

meaning.

Of course, we're going to talk about the book, The Invention of Wings, but I really wanted

to talk to you about what we talk about mostly on Super Soul Sunday is that path, finding

that path for ourselves and being able to discover the essence of who we really are. So,

...