About Laura
Laura's Background
Growing up on a family farm in Iowa as one of 8 children gave Laura a head start in learning to nurture, teach, and care for her younger siblings. Reading books and telling stories had a great impact on her from a young age, influencing her passion for children's literature. Many of her unique experiences form the basis for her humorous tales of life on the farm with her various friends and relatives. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Iowa State University and accepted a position as a full-time school teacher in Omaha, Nebraska, where she met her husband Leo, who was serving in the Air Force. Throughout the years, as they moved from base to base with their three sons, Laura continued to inspire her students by using creative teaching tools. She has always enjoyed wordplay, poetry, and writing stories based on her life experiences. Encouraged by her colleagues to market her educational resources and share them with even more educators, she decided to use her successful classroom friendship poem to launch a children's picture book series.
Laura's Writing Roots
Laura's interest in writing began back in elementary school when her teachers and parents recognized her talent and praised her enthusiastic creativity in storytelling. After taking a Creative Writing course, Laura's college professors encouraged her further, leading her to develop new ideas for characters. These stories, drawn from her own childhood experiences, often featured hilarious and harrowing adventures that would eventually contribute to her work in children's literature. Throughout her career, colleagues frequently borrow her educational resources and creative teaching tools for their own classrooms. Teachers and administrators alike have encouraged her to get her work published.
Teaming Up
As Laura was considering who to bring on as an illustrator for her upcoming children's literature project, fate intervened. Her Art-major roommate, Robin O'Hara from Iowa State University, reached out and reconnected with Laura on Facebook, and the two women found their bond of friendship was still just as strong! Although Robin had moved away from illustration into marketing and communications, she was hoping to devote more time to her art, especially in creating educational resources and creative teaching tools. When Laura asked if she would be interested in teaming up on her book series, Robin enthusiastically agreed. And the magic began!