Long:
Laini grew up in the hippie mecca of Austin, Texas during the 1970s. It was a wonderful time to be a kid, and her family was solidly middle-class. Her dad was a computer programmer, and her mom was a bookkeeper. Her brother was twelve years older, so as an almost only child, she became a bookworm early on. Her dad read Winnie the Pooh Meets Gopher to her every night. (It’s the one where Winnie gets stuck in Rabbit’s hole, so they have to put him on a diet to get him out. No honey!) At last, she could follow along on her own, so she could read before she reached first grade.
Her mother had a collection of old 1940s Nancy Drew books that she had lent to some cousins, and they were returned when Laini was about eight. From then on, it was all-Nancy-all-the-time until she plowed her way through all the books. She wanted to BE Nancy Drew. Until she realized that she might not be able to escape from deadly tarantulas, scary cisterns, and bad guys with guns. This Nancy-philia inspired her first book, a Nancy Drew rip-off with hand-drawn illustrations, about a year later.
She put the writing aside while real life got in the way for a while, obtaining a BA in art history from the University of North Texas (Go, Mean Green!), and became a technical writer for her day job. Laini thinks Pop-Tarts are the world’s most perfect food.
Short:
Laini grew up in Austin, Texas, and originally wanted to be Nancy Drew. When she realized this meant fighting actual bad guys, her wimpy side took over, and she decided to write mysteries and historical biographies instead. She lives in Alberta, Canada with her husband and their cat Lily. She thinks Pop-Tarts are the world’s most perfect food.
Fast Facts
- Laini lives in central Alberta, Canada with her cat, Lily. She was recently widowed from her husband of almost twenty years.
- She is addicted to coffee (ie, writer fuel), and has been since she was about eight.
- She dislikes melon of any kind.
- Her most embarrassing moment was playing Pontius Pilate in the school play, Jesus Christ Superstar, in 8th grade. Making her dramatic exit, she tripped on her Roman sandal and fell flat on her face.
- She didn’t begin writing seriously until she was led back to it by beginning a genealogy of her father’s family (Smiths. She likes a challenge).
- She was reading before she hit first grade, and usually finishes a book a week when she has time (i.e. when she’s not editing or publicizing a book of her own!).
- She loves anything creative– gardening, cooking, drawing, painting, home renovation, or re-doing furniture. If you stand still long enough, she may paint you!