Laura Purdie Salas

Small Reads for Brighters Days

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • Laura’s Books
  • Poetry
    • Poems Published Elsewhere
    • My Poetry–a Sampler
    • Poetry Videos
    • How To Write Poetry
      • Poetic Pursuits
  • For Teachers
  • Presentations
  • Freelancer
  • About
    • Press Kit
      • Short Bios
      • Awards & Honors
      • Author Photos
      • Book Covers
      • Book Reviews
      • In the Press
    • Who Am I?
    • How I Became a Writer
  • Blog
    • Review Policy
  • For Writers
You are here: Home / How Laura Became a Writer

How Laura Became a Writer

Laura (sitting on the floor) with her bossy big sisters, Patty, Gail, and Janet

Me (on floor) & my sisters

As a kid, I devoured books. Lots of books. My big sisters, Gail, Patty, and Janet, taught me to read when I was 4, and I read for hours every day, despite constant orders from my parents to “Go outside and get some fresh air!” Since I grew up in Florida, I heard these dreaded words all year long. If I was forced outside, I climbed up to the treehouse or lay on the trampoline, reading.

Books were like pieces of magic, conjured up to entertain me, keep me company, and show me the whole world before disappearing into the library return drop as if they had never existed. It never occurred to me that real people actually wrote those books.

This was my favorite reading chair when I was a kid. Apparently, it wasn't bad for napping, either!

My favorite reading chair

College was the first time I considered a career in the publishing field. After graduating with an English degree, I worked as a magazine editor, writing occasional freelance articles for newspapers and other magazines on health and education topics. Then I taught 8th-grade English for two years and rediscovered my love for children’s literature. I focused on writing for kids and never looked back.

Laura and Family - The Weird Version - August 2015

Me and my wacky family

Today, I’m still a fanatic reader, and I’m thrilled to be a writer, too. All the things I wanted to do when I grew up–studying animals, traveling to exotic places, figuring out people’s minds, answering all the questions that occur to me, like Where do mountains come from—are wrapped up into my writing. I love living in Minnesota and writing about anything that catches my interest.

I get lots of ideas from my daughters, Annabelle and Maddie, and my supportive husband, Randy. It’s never the ideas they suggest I write about; it’s the funny things they do that get my brain moving.

Share:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

JANUARY NEWS

I loved the holidays! And I'm so glad they're over. A quiet, snowy January is just what I need. This month, I'm working on two board book manuscripts, and I'm making materials to go with my 3 spring 2023 books.

I'm also busy prepping for upcoming author visits and setting my goals and priorities for 2023. Wishing you a lovely start to your own new year!

Are You Looking For…?

  • Poems for the Classroom
  • Poetryactions
  • 15 Words or Less Poems
  • Poetry Activities for Teachers

Tags

15 Words or Less Poems 30 Painless Classroom Poems anthologies A Rock Can Be... BookSpeak! Can Be... books classroom connections conferences and conventions equation poems events free verse haiku imagepoems image poems J. Patrick Lewis Kidlit Combos Laura's books Laura's poems my writing process National Poetry Month 2014 (riddle-ku) National Poetry Month 2016 nifty news nonfiction books personal photopoetry poems poemsketch Poetry 7 poetryactions poetry books Poetry Friday Poetry Princesses poetry prompts poetry sisters Putrid rhyming nonfiction rhyming poems Riddle-ku school visits snowman-cold student poems teen/adult poems the business side videos Water Can Be...

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Laura’s Press Kit Components

Who Am I?
Short Bios
Awards & Honors
Author Photos
Book Covers
Book Reviews
In the Press
How I Became a Writer

Laura’s Author Visit Info

VISITS TO SCHOOLS
A Video Intro to Laura’s Author Visits
Virtual Visits with Laura
Small Writes: Write-Along Videos
Printable Flyer (print page 1 only)
Author Visit Programs
Typical Schedules
Author Visit Materials
Multi-Day Visits
Fees
Ordering Books for Events
Where Laura’s Been
Laura’s Report Card from Educators

OTHER PRESENTATIONS

For Libraries & Book Festivals
For Educators
For Writers

Post Categories

Copyright © 2009–2023 · Laura Purdie Salas · WordPress · Log in