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Laura Benedict's Interests
General
Reading, reading, reading. Writing. Hanging out with P. Hiking with my children--Doing anything with my children. Gardening. Cooking (particularly baking) for friends and family. Golf. Needlepoint. Shooting. Keeping in touch with people I care about.
Music
Steely Dan, Jim White, Loretta Lynn, Dusty Springfield, Johnny Cash, Diana Krall, Nat King Cole, Sinatra, Patsy Cline, Belle and Sebastian, Pink Floyd, The Allman Brothers, Chopin and more Chopin, Sarah Vaughn, Lyle Lovett, Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Sonny Rollins, Susannah McCorkle, Tom Petty
Movies
Casino Royale (Daniel Craig), Rebecca, Anything Hitchcock, Brazil, The Thin Man Films, ‘50s Noir, Laura, The Manchurian Candidate, The Haunting, Conan the Barbarian, Highlander, Best in Show, The Passion of Joan of Arc
Television
Dexter, Project Runway, The Tudors, Dirty Jobs, Wire in the Blood, BSG, PBS Mysteries, Days of Our Lives (40 years!)
Books
Beowulf, Translation by Seamus Heaney
Heroes
My Dad and any other current or former service U.S. Marines.
Welcome to my myspace page! What you might like to know about me: I’m a thriller-writer, a mother, a wife. I’m living proof that dreams do come true. I wrote fiction for almost twenty years before selling my novel, Isabella Moon, and a second book to Ballantine Books in 2006. Isabella Moon debuted in September and is also available on Brilliance Audio. (UK and Australian versions were released in early February.) Last October, Press 53 published Surreal South, an anthology of surreal short fiction and poetry by some of the most remarkable living southern (and southern-minded) authors around. I had the privilege of co-editing Surreal South with Pinckney Benedict, my writer husband and all-around genius guy.
What’s my work like? You might want to check out the excerpt on my official website. Isabella Moon is a thriller with supernatural elements, but I hope it’s a good story, first. My first major short story publication was The Hollow Woman with Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine in 2001. It was later anthologized by the estimable Jon Breen in Best Mysteries of 2001. I’m thrilled to have published another piece, The Erstwhile Groom, in the Sept/Oct 2007 double issue of EQMM. Also, I’ve reviewed books for The Grand Rapids Press in Michigan and other papers for the last decade as Laura Philpot Benedict.
Random facts about me: I live in the country, love to bake, never win at tic-tac-toe, don’t really care what sort of car I drive, am (to steal my good friend Margy’s phrase) stubbornly blonde and always hope to make enough money to support trips to my colorist, really like having all the trashcans in my house empty at the same time, think there are few things better than finding a pair of blue jeans that fit, am an unapologetic Christian and imperfect parent, enjoy meeting all sorts of people despite the fact that I’m actually quite shy, and I love to eat good sushi, dark chocolate, and all kinds of cheese (not at the same time!). If you want to know more, I hope you’ll check out my Notes from the Handbasket blog, and my website, www.laurabenedict.com.
Thanks for stopping by!
Who I'd like to meet: Readers, Writers, Closet Optimists
Hi Laura I've just finished reading Isabella Moon and just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed it. It was one of those moments where I was dying to get to the end to see what happened but also wanted to savour it and didn't want it to be over. Am looking forward to reading your next book. I've also had some good news as well - one of my short stories is going to be published in a magazine called Darkened Horizons so I'll finally be able to call myself a "published" author. D
I started to come down for it but I couldn't quite make the drive. I am sans book fairs until I have another book under my belt which is eeking slowly toward fruition, sorta maybe hopefully. may the rest of your week be glorious. i'm tired already.
Thanks Laura. I will watch for more of your work. My novel is Break Your Mother's Back and is out there. If you read it, I'd love your comments, perhaps on Amazon. com of my website at www. patriciabrownbooks. com. Thanks.