Laura grew up in the military, visiting castles in England, pig fests in Germany, and the historic sites of America's east coast, and living in climates ranging from Mississippi's heat to Duluth, Minnesota.   She earned a bachelor's degree in music, and worked for many years as a freelance musician, playing trombone for pit orchestras, ballets, and symphonies, and flute and harp for other venues.  She spent three years as a member of the Buz Whiteley Big Band and Farragut Brass Band in Bremerton, WA.     After earning a masters degree in education, she took a job as a music teacher and band director.  She has also taught private lessons on wind instruments, piano, and harp, for twenty years.    Favorite books over the years have included In the Keep of Time by Margaret J. Anderson, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling, and Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. In her spare time, Laura likes to play piano, harp, and flute, do sudokus, and learn Gaelic.  She currently lives in Minnesota with her husband, nine children, and assorted menagerie.