LAURA LEIGH
LAURA LEIGH
Fun Facts and FAQs
-
I married my boss. Literally. This may explain the workplace romance stuff.
-
I once ate dog. Don’t judge. I’ve eaten a lot of other things too, some of which I’m happy to forego in the future. It’s all part of missions and travel.
-
When I was writing one of my first novels, my brother made fun of a line about the heroine’s “tendril of hair.” It stunted my ability to use that phrase, so if you find it in my books, realize I’ve had success with facing my childhood trauma.
-
I have six brothers and three sisters. They have had a heavy hand in making me who I am, and I’m grateful to God for each of them.
-
I have one daughter and five sons. I have had a heavy hand in making them who they are, and that knowledge is scary, painful, and wonderful all at once. I am thankful to God for each one of them and I’m also very proud of them.
-
I was saved as a young child, after family devotions. I will be forever grateful for parents who made family devotions a consistent thing.
-
After finishing my Masters of Science in Biblical Counseling, I worked for a year at a major pharmaceutical company. That company shows up in some of the details of my Just Molly books.
Questions I sometimes get asked
Q: Is Molly a fictional version of you?
A: I’m older, not as pretty, and I can’t remember names. But there are some similarities, especially when it comes to where she lives, parts of her job, and other details of her life. But no, I’d say she is not a fictional version of me.
Q: Is Aaron a fictional version of your husband?
A: There’s some similarity. My husband loves the Lord with all his heart. And occasionally I give Aaron some traits I find appealing in my own man. But no. He’s not. My husband thinks he’s more like Cliff, and he teases me about that unendingly. But Cliff also is quite unlike him.
Q: Why did you use Pennsylvania as your setting?
A: I grew up in Pennsylvania and I wanted to revisit it in my fiction. To me, Pennsylvania is the prettiest place in the world.
Q: Is Molly’s Nana a fictional version of your grandmother?
A: My grandmother was so dear to me. I lost her a couple of years ago, and I’m sad that she was never able to finish reading the Just Molly series. But as with all the other characters, they are composites of people I know and people I imagine. There are some similarities, but also many differences. I would say this: my grandmother was a stinker and she would totally have loved living the Nana adventures with me.
.jpg)
Hi! I’m Laura Leigh.
Fun fact: Laura Leigh is my first and middle name, and it’s the name I use when I write fiction. I decided that when I was a teenager, and it stuck.
I’m the author of The Just Molly Series, a humorous Christian fiction series about faith, friendship, family, and love, and the ways all our carefully laid plans tend to slide sideways when they skid on the icy road of real life.
When I read, I like stories that make me laugh often and cry occasionally.
I like characters who aren’t perfect but who are trying to be what God wants them to be.
I like love, because I’m very happily married and wish the same for others.
And I like a good solid redemption arc, because I’ve been redeemed and I know what it feels like.
Christianity isn’t a garment we take out of our closet and put on for Sundays. It’s full-life transformational. It turns our lives inside out, and changes the way we handle disappointments, interruptions, conflict, sin, fear, joy, and all the ordinary moments of life.
That’s what I like reading about, and it’s also what I like writing about.
Besides writing fiction, what else do I do?
I’ve been writing nonfiction for years under my married name. I’ve written two books about homeschool organization and life management because I have goals and homeschooling tends to make them slide sideways.
I’ve homeschooled all six of my (awesome) children. Four of them successfully graduated and are in college or above and beyond. Two are still under my thumb and in my home all day, munching on snacks and needing rides everywhere, which is why my books don’t get published faster. (Priorities!)
I also write articles for our ministry website and a couple of other websites. I view my Laura Leigh Christian fiction body of work as an extension of everything I’ve tried to write and live elsewhere.
Besides writing, I have been heavily involved in missions and ministry with my husband and children for many years. I taught in a Christian school in South Korea before I was married, and since marrying my super-duper-amazing husband, I’ve literally followed him around the world. Cambodia, South Africa, Ireland, Singapore, Bangladesh, and the Philippines have all been part of our travel and missions history.
I’ve loved every place I’ve lived, but if you’ve read my Just Molly books, you may have noticed that my heart lives in Pennsylvania, even if I don’t. That’s where I grew up. It’s where I skinned my knees and rode my bike and played with my nine siblings and fell asleep listening to the snuffling of horses and woke up to the sound of the rooster. Pennsylvania farm life makes for the best childhood memories!
If you know me personally, I’m glad you’ve discovered this part of my life.
And if you found me because you met Molly first, welcome! I’m so glad you are here.
