About the author

Pam Laughlin

<p>Yup, I was one of those kids. Call me an avid reader or a book nerd, but my head was buried in books as I walked down the halls. The librarian knew me by first name and favorite genre, and I thought the March sisters were way cooler than the girls in school. Things haven&rsquo;t changed much. I still love the way a great book can transport me to a different place and time, and I continue to bond with imaginary characters and fantastic stories.</p> <p>I was born and raised in New Jersey but don&rsquo;t hold that against me. Believe it or not, New Jersey has some beautiful spots and I&rsquo;m lucky enough to live in one of them with a pack load of males (my husband, 3 sons and 2 Havenese furry boys). I&rsquo;ve been a writer most of my life, starting in 3rd grade when my short story won the school writing competition. It was about a family that lived in a freckle, so I guess I&rsquo;ve suffered from FPP (fantasy prone personality) from an early age. Thank God!</p> <p>I&rsquo;ve written for over thirty years, mostly non-fiction technical pieces on how to use systems and equipment that most users threw away and opted to figure out on their own. I&rsquo;ve worked as a staff reporter for my local paper, The Breeze, covering the Bridgewater/ Raritan, NJ area with a specialty in human interest stories. I was also the Creative Editor for the online monthly publication, DoJo Digest, and wrote &ldquo;From a Mother&rsquo;s Point of View&rdquo; and &ldquo;Hot Tips&rdquo; columns.</p> <p>My short story,&nbsp;<em>Combat Paper</em>, was published in Folio Oak Literary Magazine and won the Writer&rsquo;s Village University short story contest. Other work has appeared in Edify Publications, Blink Ink, City Kidz World Magazine, and blogs galore.&nbsp;<em>The Soul of the Elephant</em>&nbsp;is my first full-length historical novel. I hope to transport readers to a magical and mystical world (even if for just a little while) jampacked with mahouts, spirit animals, wonderworkers, and adventure.</p>