Laura Catherine Brown is a writer and visual artist. She started writing because reading saved her life, providing an escape from chaos and a glimpse into infinite realms. Now, she creates her own imaginary worlds full of characters caught in dilemmas that disrupt their complacency. Her short stories have been published in numerous literary journals. Her first novel Quickening (Random House) was a Barnes & Noble Discover pick and her second novel Made By Mary (C&R Press) received an Independent Publisher Silver Medal award. The gift of residencies at several artists’ colonies enabled her to complete those novels. In 2019, with three other writers, she cofounded Rowland Writers Retreat, a fully funded residency for women writers, to pay the gift forward. She tries to practice gratitude and looks for the funny in any sad situation. The words of Samuel Beckett have become her mantra: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” She’s lucky to have a fantastic husband and family, and many wonderful friends, all of whom make life worth living and failing worth trying.