Laurie Schnebly Campbell

Laurie Schnebly Campbell grew up in a family that discussed psychology around the dinner table, so her favorite part of writing fiction is creating characters with likable, plausible personalities. After six novels, including one that beat out Nora Roberts for "Best Special Edition of the Year," she began sharing her techniques with other writers -- and fell in love with teaching, both online and in person. In fact, she chose her website name so that groups would find it easy to Book Laurie (dot com) for workshops. Laurie spends her weekdays writing for a Phoenix advertising agency. She also enjoys playing with her husband and son, recording for the blind at Talking Books, vacationing in Sedona, the Arizona red-rock town named for her great-grandmother, and working with other writers. "People ask how I find time to do all that," she says, "and I tell them it's easy. I never clean my house!"