Writing was a constant in Lara’s life from an early age and she seemed gifted at little else, being rather awkward and clumsy at almost everything. But a degree in literature wasn’t “practical” so she studied and apprenticed, and put her name… oh, wait, no, that’s someone else. (if you recognize that run-line, you will know the very first series I ever wrote fanfiction for, at the tender age of 14)
Anyway, after college training and venturing around the private sector doing “practical” things as a journalist, technical writer, systems analyst, and documentation specialist, she finally hit upon the realization that she ought to be trying to make a living doing something she really loved: writing fiction. As a hobbyist, she wrote short stories and fanfiction but then decided she needed a “real” writing course. The professor, writing unseen, declared she’d probably not do too well. She still prizes the workshop copy of her short story where he wrote in the margin: “This is brilliant. I’m sorry about what I said. You are a real writer. Publish already.”
Her first novel, Turning Point, received the 2007 Lesbian Fiction Readers Choice Award. She was also a finalist for the 2008 Debut Author award from the Golden Crown Literary Society. She has sold short stories to several anthologies, and reviews and articles have appeared in several LGBTQ newsletters. Her second novel, Turn for Home, was first published in 2010. For several years her inner journalist got a rebirth hosting a writer interview program on Blogtalkradio. She has worked as an editor for several publishers and continues to write while teaching. She lives in Florida with her family.
