About Me

I’m Laura Lee Anderson, a writer, actor, urban youth mentor, wife, and mother from Pittsburgh, PA.

My YA contemporary novel, Song of Summer, was picked up by Bloomsbury Spark for publication in spring of 2015. Many thanks to my wonderful agent, Uwe Stender, at TriadaUS! You can read more about Song of Summer here.

I began freelance editing in 2015, when it became apparent to my friends and critique partners that I have an ear for prose, an eye for plot, and a strong grasp on query letters. Since then, I have helped dozens of authors achieve their traditional and self-publishing goals.

I grew up in the small town of Westfield, NY (the setting of Song of Summer) and, after graduating from Westfield Academy and Central School, got my BA in Theatre Performance with a minor in music from Huntington University in Huntington, IN. After meeting my soon-to-be husband at a summer stock theatre in Ohio, I moved to Pittsburgh, PA, where I waitressed at Eat-n-Park, acted at theatres all over the city, and lived with my 86-year-old Great Aunt Dot.

After we married, my husband joined me in Pittsburgh and started working with the Urban Impact Foundation, where we created a summer Shakespeare program for at-risk urban youth.

I started writing Young Adult fiction in 2011, “winning” NaNoWriMo with a (still spectacular) novel about a girl who bleeds acid. It didn’t sell to any agents but it gave me the confidence I needed to keep writing. I continued acting, barista-ing, writing, and stage managing Shakes until fall of 2013, when my first son was born. Now I have four kids, and I stay at home with them full time, writing and freelance editing during naps and after bedtimes. Feel free to contact me to say hello!