My name is Laura, and I’m a book addict.

Before we jump into the spiel that sounds like something from a support group for book hoarders, let me clue you in to some backstory.

I was that weird kid, you know, who brought stacks of ten plus books with them almost everywhere they went. (Much to my parents’ irritation.)  This book obsession only got worse over the years, made more so given the fact that I spent a lot of time writing as a kid. When my father got me to read The Lord of the Rings, my addiction to books was sealed.

My reading journeys have taken me into a number of genres, but the works that have stuck with me through my life are: Tolkien’s, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, American Gods, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven,  God’s 15 Minutes,  A Canticle For Leibowitz, and pretty much any anthology edited by Ellen Datlow.

It was only until some time later that I realized just how much books would come to bear over the course of my life. I got my associate’s in psychology, and when I realized that wasn’t for me, I switched gears to getting my bachelor’s in writing from the University of Pittsburgh. Much of what I have learned about language and effective world-building comes from my time in that program. Most recently I’ve finished my master’s in publishing from The George Washington University.

Needless to say, I really, really like books.

I’ve also worked off and on as an editor for the close to ten years, and I’ve realized that I absolutely adore working with and supporting authors. The Book Haunt, while meant to be a hub for genre fiction’s weirder kids, is also a personal foray into the digital humanities and the impact of stories on our lives, while also supporting authors, editors, and publishers through book reviews, author interviews, and news about upcoming releases. It takes a village to make a book, after all, and I’m here to cheer for the village.

So hi, I’m Laura, and I think books are pretty much the greatest things ever.