About Me

img_2498-2I grew up on Long Island and left for college at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia in 1987. In 1989, my mom moved to Florida and I went to visit her during Christmas break. By the time I got out of the airport in Palm Beach, I threw up my hands: “This is the place for me!” I transferred the next semester and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida in 1991 and a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Central Florida in 1994. I should have stopped right there, but I then went to chiropractic school just outside of Atlanta and, well, let’s just talk about that some other time, kay?

Despite aaaaaall those years of education and aaaaaall those teachers, professors, and guidance counselors, I never tapped into my first and true love–reading, and over time, writing. It took a complete career mental breakdown to finally figure out the obvious, and I wrote my first book, a semi-autobiographical novel (what else?), Cracking Ellie. Soon after, my world really started crashing around me and that was all I could write about for the next several years so my memoir, What Didn’t Kill Me, was born. I am currently working on my next novel, about a psychiatrist who falls in love with a homeless man.

Some other tidbits about me:

I live in Stuart, Florida with my husband and two kids who hang the moon, sun, and everything in between.

I run every morning. I love it so much I sometimes talk to it, like I will actually say out loud, “Running, I love you,” or “Running, you are my best friend,” or “Thank you, Running, I don’t know how everyone doesn’t do you every morning.”

I am a baseball fanatic and my team is The Miami Marlins.

I love yummy soaps, lotions, and candles but couldn’t pick out a pair of Prada shoes from a lineup of Payless. Hundreds—or thousands!—dollar purses literally mystify me.

Guilty Pleasures: People Magazine and Breyer’s Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. With hot fudge.

Confession: I hate poetry that doesn’t rhyme and have never made it through Pride and Prejudice. (OK, not the juiciest confession ever, but definitely Gasp!-worthy for a woman reader/writer.)

And finally, a Disclaimer: I love to curse and my profanity of choice is Fuck. (Seriously, I have a t-shirt in my closet that says Fuck You You Fucking Fuck. Of course I don’t actually wear it, but I feel better just knowing it’s there. The funniest part about it is that my mom gave it to me, and went to considerable lengths to get it when she saw it. Thanks, Mom, you’re the best.) I often find cursing a nice little release, like a sneeze, and often wickedly hilarious, like a fart in church. Other times it’s simply the right word for the job. I have to curb my cursing enough as it is at work and around my kids, so I’ll be letting it rip here whenever I feel like it. If that’s not for you, thanks for checking my site out this far and buh-bye. For anyone else, yay! Thanks so much for being here, I hope you enjoy my books and blog, and let’s chat!

Cheers,

Laurie 🙂