LOVE’S CHRISTMAS Blessing

While I love reading aloud as much as I do silently, writing stories for you that will demonstrate the awesome wonder of God's love and provision gives me the most joy.

If one of my stories touches your heart, I'd love to hear about it.

God bless you.

Laura

The Stories:

The heroine and the hero navigate real-life situations and contend with past disappointments and doubts that challenge them to trust God—and each other. They're people like you and me, people who sometimes struggle to believe that God has good plans for them or that His grace and forgiveness are always within reach, no matter their past.

A Life-Long Love of Storytelling:

As far back as I can remember, I've loved stories. As a little girl, I would make up "happily-ever-after" tales to entertain myself while I waited for sleep to quiet my active mind. As a young teen, I devoured one romance book every two or three days, often rereading my favorites until I could visit the bookmobile or the local library replenish my stack of novels.

Why I Do What I Do (And How I Do It):

Although I was bitten by the writing bug way back in high school, I didn't write my first novel until 1990. A few years back that book ended up in the recycling bin. What author wants anyone to find her first stumbling efforts at learning how to craft a novel?

In 2000, I took a correspondence course and wrote my next book, a historical romance set on the Homefront during WWII. In case you're wondering, that book has sat on the backburner since roughly 2003, when I decided to focus on writing contemporary novels.

Meanwhile, for several years, I wrote short fiction and non-fiction, mostly for Sunday School publications, and several op-ed pieces for the local newspaper. I also polished the art of greeting card messages for many occasions.

But all that time, the desire to write novels that would speak to longing and hurting hearts simmered deep in my soul. During a mid-life crisis in which I left teaching in private education and went back to school to become a veterinary technician, I needed another credit to be full-time. So I marched into the office of one of the English professors and proposed that I would write a novella over the summer. About thirteen years later, that book became Love's Way Back.

After working as a vet tech for a year, I returned to teaching--this time in public education. Balancing teaching and writing was a challenge for many years until I learned to make writing part of my morning devotional time with God.

For me, writing is an act of worship and an extension of my faith. You see, unlike many authors who plot out their books before beginning to write, I write by the seat of my pants. I show up with my laptop and trust that the story will unfold as my characters show me who they are--their hopes, dreams, and heartaches. And on the pages, they find the answer is learning to trust God--to trust His unfailing love and His good plans.