Laura Lewis (formerly Laura Griffith) is a native
of the Chicagoland area and has lived there her whole life. She
developed a love for all types of writing at an early age and wrote for
local newspapers and newsletters before turning her aspirations to
fiction. She has written a few screenplays and stage plays, and
finished her first novel, Remember, in 2009. She was thrilled to see it
published by Otherworld Publications in July of 2010. She enjoyed
the experience and support that the staff of Otherworld Publications
gave her, and she was sad when she was notified that they would be
closing their doors at the end of 2012. However, as with any journey,
the end of one story began the beginning of another. The years
following that have seen a great many personal and professional changes
that have been challenging and have effectively changed the course of
her life. Now - 7 years after the original publication of Remember -
she is writing under the new name, Laura Lewis and has signed on with
Hydra Publications. Their mystery/thriller branch, Engima House Press,
is re-releasing a modified version of the original book – with more
projects on the horizon. While being a mother and working full-time,
keeping up with writing has been tough. However, her next book and
ideas for future books are always waiting for the moment that they can
come to life.
Laura is a huge supporter of fine arts – music, theater, and writing
have played a part in her life since elementary school. Being a
member of the band and theater in school helped develop her love of
stories and performance. She was excited to bring the two
together when her first children’s play, How Once Upon A Time Began,
was performed by the a local children’s theatre group and even more
excited to see its sequel, The Charming Quest, put on by the same group
the following year. She also joined forces with Joliet’s Billie
Limacher Bicentennial Park and created an original family-friendly
Halloween show, Transylvania General, in October of 2010. The show was
such a hit that it was put on annually for four years. She also wrote a
customized version of Alice in Wonderland for the same group that was
put on at the Joliet Area Historical Museum in 2011. She is always
happy to work on customized scripts for community groups and frequently
can be seen supporting community theaters around her area.
Her inspiration can be found in the writings of her favorite authors
who span a number of genres – James Rollins, Matthew Reilly, Danielle
Steel, and Lisa Gardner top her list of writers to model. Of
course, her biggest inspiration and support come from her friends and
family – without whom her sanity would be lost.