Penny Lauer

I am a wife, a mother, a grammy, a sister, aunt, friend, advocate, and at long last, a writer. I am the author of Bottled Butterfly and Skipping Stones In my former life, I was also a high school English teacher, a sales and marketing trainer, a Pan Am flight attendant, and a fundraiser for various arts and community organizations.

My greatest sources of strength and creativity are nature and children. Put me outside anywhere, and I am uplifted; give me opportunities to witness the resiliency, simplicity, openness, and the ability to forgive that young children have, and I am renewed.

It has been, and continues to be, an incredible journey. I knew that I loved to write, but I had no idea how much I would enjoy talking about writing and the issues I tackle. And so I am a writer and a motivational speaker. The best thing about both – outside of being able to “speak my mind” on paper and in front of small or large groups – is meeting so many wonderful people in towns and cities clear across the country who have read my books and been touched by them. I’ve learned that we are all, regardless of cultural or geographical backgrounds, very much the same, with similar heartaches, goals, dreams, loves, disappointments, ambitions, frailties – all those things that I want to continue to write about.

I do a lot to keep myself entertained and involved, but none of what I do fulfills me like writing does.

And here I am.