Laura Esther Sciortino

I grew up in a white stucco house in a small Florida Panhandle town (aka, Lower Alabama), where we watched porpoises from the dinner table. Leaving behind fried amberjack sandwiches and white sand dunes, I headed “up north” to Chicago for college, earning a BA in English from Northwestern University and an MA in Social Science from The University of Chicago.

The City of Big Shoulders is still dear to my heart. I especially loved acting and writing in Chicago’s vibrant non-equity theaters, making friends for life, and starting a family. For more than a decade, I’ve lived in Portland, Oregon.

My career through line is communication. Past and present roles include teacher, counselor, training simulation designer, subject matter expert interviewer, team and client manager, recruiter, actor, freelance writer and editor,

When I’m not at my writing desk, you might find me in the kitchen micro-grating ginger root and lemon zest into everything delicious or playing euchre with my husband, son, and our three affable cats, one for each lap.

I’ve been a frequent blissed-out guest and volunteer at Breitenbush Hot Springs, my inspiration for the setting of my debut novel which I’m currently querying. Despite devastating fires damage in 2020, the community is rebuilding from the ashes. They inspire me.