Hi! Pull up a chair...
I’d love to know about you, and I hope that will come with time. But I’ll start by sharing a little of my story.
First and foremost, I’m a lover of Jesus Christ. I start there because he influences and impacts every area of my life. If you read my blog or books, you’ll see that all my thoughts and characters are in varying places of discovery in regard to God. Even though I’ve known him since I was little, receiving his free gift of forgiveness at a Billy Graham Crusade when I was nine, my complicated upbringing was a mixture of faith and worldly pursuits. It’s taken me decades to navigate through crises and challenges and land in my current life with healing and freedom. My book characters may be angry at God, don’t really know him, are questioning him, or may have developed a real relationship with him through their life difficulties. That’s real life—even in fiction. The world is a sinful mess, and we won’t go through life unscathed by it. But God loves us and Jesus redeems all the broken places with hope and healing. I love him with all my heart, and I pray you’ll see that if you choose to read any of my musings. As a matter of fact, I pray for my readers. Talking to God is what I do. And yes, he talks to me too.
Currently, I live in Southwest Florida with my Aussie husband of sixteen years. After the first fifteen, we’re finally in a good place of unity and partnership. Of course, it all started very romantically with an internet dating site through which God miraculously matched this twice-divorced mother of four grown children with Brendan, the Australian widower with three younger ones. For God, 3,000 miles and two time-zones is nothing! Though I always played with words and longed to write books, our story is what started this writing career for me. The more I answered peoples’ questions about us, the more people said “You need to write a book.” So I did.
I’ve always been a reader. At four, Dr. Seuss’s Go, Dog, Go! was my favorite bedtime read. That led to entering writing contests, making up silly poems, and eventually studying English literature in college. I planned on getting a master’s degree and teaching college students. Instead, I had four children and ended up homeschooling! A very unexpected and incredibly rewarding experience I would never change. Over the years, I also coached sports (gymnastics and hockey), tutored privately, and taught in public and private schools. Out of that came Book Navigators – Guides to Navigating Literature for teachers and homeschooling parents to use classic literature for unit studies.
Our seven children now live in various parts of the world with only our youngest still residing near us. I joke that in spite of me not being someone who ever wanted to travel, I have an international family (a sister-in-law from Brazil & Polish daughter-in-law). Our grown kids (and eleven grand kids) are in Australia, Poland, California, and Washington state. We miss them and don’t see them enough so we are very grateful for video calls.
My husband and I love silly word play, exploring through weekend road trips when possible during which we sing loudly, and mystery/crime shows. Tri-ominoes and Scrabble are two favorite games. He’s a math whiz (I barely passed high school Algebra), but he’s also really good with language. Believe it or not, he usually beats me at Scrabble. We both love coffee, but mine always includes dark chocolate and peppermint. We love beach walks, but he hates the sand in his toes, and I love it.
Due to some chronic health issues, I’m technically “retired” which means I take care of our house; including baking sourdough bread and trying new recipes; and I write books. Most days I require a nap in order to function for a full day.
Here's a few random facts:
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I’ve played guitar for 38 years.
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I’m a Tampa Bay Lightning (used to be Sharks in CA) hockey fan.
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Hang gliding is on my bucket list.
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I don’t really like to travel, but I’ve been to 20 states and 8 countries.
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My favorite color is green.
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When I was a kid, I organized all my books like a library. Yes, with a card catalog.
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My oldest grandson is 3 months older than my youngest son. Figure that out!
I’m not a social person, but I love is hanging out over coffee or herbal tea with one or two people. I love to offer hope and encouragement to others so they can get to know God better and live with more joy and peace each day. Seeing that proverbial light bulb go on in someone’s eyes makes my heart happy. Every day, I pray that happens when someone reads the words I write. I feel God's heart, loving people and wanting the very best for them as they discover who he made them to be.
Maybe you’ll comment on my blog, post a review on my store, or email me with your thoughts and a little about you. I truly want to know my readers.
If you’re not too satiated by this “about me” page and want to connect with my ongoing life, you can read my blog and sign up for my newsletter where I share photos (another hobby) and a little about my personal and writing life as well as new book releases, discounts, and freebies. I respect your privacy and won’t ever inundate you with emails!
May the Lord bless you and keep you, and make his face shine upon you, and give you peace in this troubled world.
Until our next coffee/tea date,
Laura
