Laura Abbot
Personal Information
Description
Laura Abbot was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. Her very arrival on the planet is a romantic plot device. Her parents, married five years, had been unable to have children. Her dad was working two jobs and under a great deal of stress. A wise doctor suggested that they needed a prolonged vacation away from home where they would feel free to — er — do the deed. Often. Day or night. However, this was during the Depression and romantic getaways were hard to come by. To the rescue came a West Virginia cousin who owned a primitive cabin in the mountain wilds, which he put at their disposal. So they went. And voilà! Laura arrived nine months later. Laura was blessed with an idyllic childhood. Make-believe was a favorite pastime; Laura was especially good as either a racehorse or a G.I. In those days, kids were free to roam the neighborhood, and they did — using vacant lots and open spaces as enchanted lands. Perhaps because her grandmother and another elderly friend lived in their household, expectations for Laura were pretty high. She was supposed to be a lady, a scholar, and an example to her two younger brothers. A born tomboy, the first was hard to achieve, but she did an adequate job in the other two categories. Then in eighth grade, Laura discovered boys. At the time she felt reasonably certain that her mother was about the most old-fashioned, intrusive female she'd ever encountered. Looking back now from the vantage point of being the mother of daughters, she realizes her mother saved her from herself. Laura found college liberating, and still keeps in touch with several of the women who became her friends in those years. By attending summer schools and loading up on the hours she took each semester, she graduated at Kansas State University with a bachelor's degree in English in three years and went "out into the world," a pretty big deal after attending the same grade school and high school all her life! Laura taught eighth- and ninth-grade English, and from the very first day, knew she'd found the thing she was supposed to be doing. She loved the school environment, the kids, and how the work fulfilled her. From that point on, Laura taught off and on for over 25 years. After that first year of teaching, Laura married, and she and her husband subsequently had three children. Ten years into the marriage, they were divorced, but Laura is happy to say they've been able to remain amicable through the years. Single, with three children under 10! Talk about scary. Fortunately, Laura's prayers were answered, and she fell in love with her current husband, who never once has been anything but accepting of Laura and her three kids. His daughter and orphaned nephew brought their total to five children. Like most parents, they've had their ups and downs with them, but strong faith, consistent discipline, and a ton of love and forgiveness have made their family bonds very strong. And what joy it is now to have 13 grandchildren! Now Laura and her husband don't have to worry about school conferences, curfews, or questionable friends. All they have to do is love. Laura Abott's writing career, which began in 1995, later than most, has been absolute icing on the cake! What fun it is to follow a long-held, somewhat secret desire — to write publishable fiction. Remember the scene in Little Women of Jo scribbling away in the attic? She was Laura's role model. And to think it's all come true. Sounds like a storybook ending, right? It is!
Books
Homecoming
A Letter For Annie
The last time Annie Greer saw Eden Bay was in her rearview mirror. And she'd keep it that way if not for the SOS from the only family she has. While she may have come home, she has no intention of reconnecting with the town that thinks the worst of her.Too bad fate has different plansnamely Kyle Becker. Despite her attempts to avoid him, the attraction between them grows. But can they overcome their shared history? The obstacle seems too great. Then Kyle gives her a lettera voice from the pastthat could hold the key to their future.
Change Of Heart
Honeymoon At Home (Second Honeymoom)
“First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Meg with the baby carriage.” Once upon a time, Meg and Scott Harper had it all. But then life got in the way, and they lost sight of what was important. Each other. Now twenty years have passed, and they seem to be just going through the motions. It is finally time to call it quits? But before they can make that decision, they are confronted with a crisis...one they can only get through together.
A Country Practice
Life never works out the way you planned: Not for Kate Manley, the young widow who thought she'd spend the rest of her life with her high school sweetheart. And not for Sam Gray, who ended up in a big-city hospital instead of the small country practice he'd always dreamed of. Fate's always throwing you a curve: Such as bringing Kate and Sam together when a relationship between them can only cause trouble. Living in a small town is like living in a fishbowl: Clean air, easy living and welcoming neighbors offering lots of down-home hospitality -- this is what Sam hopes to find in his new hometown. Well...at least the air is clean.
Into the Wilderness
Escaping the tyranny of the Apostles of The Lamb cult on the post-apocalyptic island of Onewere, Maryam and her three companions search desperately for a welcoming island, as romance blossoms for Maryam and Joseph.
Mating For Life
SOMETIMES...YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN And sometimes that's where you find your life, your love, your destiny. It's what happens when Josie Calhoun returns home to Maizeville, Kansas. She's got some work to finish up, she's tired of city life and she wants to spend a few months with her grandfather. But those calm, well-ordered plans fly off in all directions when she meets sheriff's deputy Mackenzie Scott. Mack's still getting over the loss of his fiancee, so he's not really interested in a romance with anyone else. Especially not an impetuous, opinionated, beautiful redhead. Or so he tells himself... Despite all the differences between them, despite all the arguments, Mack and Josie both want the same thing from life - a forever-after love, a forever-after marriage. And they discover that they want it with each other...
Where there's smoke..
Some moments burn in the mind for ever. The landing is dark. Light comes from a window at the far end, enough to run by. Breath comes hard. From the stairs sound heavy footfalls in pursuit. The landing ends in a last doorway. There is no more running, only the need to hide...Imagine not knowing the father of your child. Not knowing his name. What he looks like. Or what sort of person he is. Although she is desperate for a baby, that is something that Kate Powell cannot accept. Single, independent, she likes to be in control of her own life - even if it has, somehow, become strangely shallow and meaningless. Then Kate meets a man who seems to be the answer to all her problems. But we all know appearances can be dangerously deceptive. And Kate should too. Soon her life is out her hands. And out of control...
You're My Baby
There's one test that a single woman doesn't wasn't to come out positive For Pam Carver, trouble comes in the form of a home pregnancy kit. She wants her baby, but with the father completely out of the picture, she's all on her own. Then her friend and colleague Grant Gilbert makes her an incredible offer. Marriage for one year. Pam needs a father for her baby. Grant needs help with his estranged son. Marriage in name only is a good idea. But it isn't easy trying to fool your family and friends into thinking you're in love. It's even harder trying to convince your spouse that you're not in love -- especially when you actually are. 9 Months Later
The Wedding Vow
What have you resolved to do by the year 2000? Allison Sinclair wrote the words "By the Year 2000: Marriage!" in her planner, but she didn't know details like "who" or "when." She did know "why," though -- for love. She wanted the same kind of loving relationship her parents had shared for forty years. Then she met Chris Naylor -- a good-looking widower with a wonderful little girl -- and started to think she might have found the "who." Unfortunately, Chris wasn't interested in being part of the plan or making any wedding vows....
A Summer Place
A romance novel filled with forbidden love which covers two generations on Pine Island, a private island off the coast of Maine.
My Name Is Nell
Brady Logan never expected to find Nell Porter when he left California. He didn't even know he was looking for her. After the death of his wife and child, Brady Logan barely felt like living, never mind loving again. Meeting Nell has somehow made him want to do both. She's nothing like the people he knew in the past, but he's ready to leave all that behind anyway. How could he know that Nell harbors a secret that makes it impossible for them to ever be together?
Trial Courtship
It isn't easy being a kid. Life's a trial for nine-year-old Nick Porter. His grandfather wants him to be good at sports, but he's hopeless. His grandmother wants him to eat vegetables, but he hates them. His aunt Andrea—who's his guardian—is nice, but she's always on him about school and manners and stuff. It isn't easy being an adult. Tony's worked hard to escape his past, and that means business always has to come first. So he's less than happy when he's called for jury duty during crucial merger negotiations. Then he meets Andrea Evans and starts to think it might be time to put pleasure before business . It isn't easy being a family. If Tony's going to have a chance with Andrea, he'll have to win over her nephew. And something tells him Nick will be a formidable opponent.
Class Act
Brian O'Bunion, hated or ignored at home and school, feels like disappearing until his classmates actually do, and Brian uncovers the trail of a strange thug bent on revenge.