We recently connected with Laura Gaisie and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Laura thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

The kindest thing anyone has ever done for me was to show up for my book signings and events as a self-published first-time author. Back in 2018, I published my first novel, Twelve Mondays, and I was so excited to complete and publish the book that I told everyone who would listen, mostly coworkers and friends, about my accomplishment. Wanting to have the complete experience, I contacted my local Barnes & Noble bookstore and scheduled an author signing event as a local author. The turnout was warm and what I considered a success, but the biggest reward from this experience was how many of my coworkers, neighbors, and other people I’d met in passing at a grocery store or convenience store attended just to say hello and encourage me. At that moment, it wasn’t about how many books I sold, but more about making connections and having people to share the moment with.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am an author and storyteller by nature. As a young girl, I would create stories and songs from my dreams at night, which was so much fun. As an adult, I work in the nonprofit sector as a grants specialist for a multi-million dollar organization and as a CEO of a nonprofit, Authors Inside, which my partner and I co-founded while he was incarcerated. It started in 2017, with a personal goal for me to finally complete a novel I started at the age of 20.

By the time I completed the novel, the story quickly developed into a multi-book series and I found an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and inner peace when the book was published. My joy spread like wildfire, leading to my husband wanting to write and share his story, as well as close friends and other incarcerated individuals who were affiliates of my husband. As I continued to work on my 2nd and third books, I started to get multiple requests to help others write, which led to my book coaching program, The Writing Room.

I love writing, but I also find great joy in helping others write and publish their books. This led to the creation of my two publishing companies, Purple Pearls Publishing where I help women write and publish their memoirs, and Authors Inside where we encourage individuals with lived experience with incarceration to write to promote hope, healing, and reform. The theme in all my writings and the work I do with others helping them to write is writing is therapeutic, and there is value in sharing your story, your unique voice with the world because everyone has a story to tell, and there is an author inside of each of us.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

As an artist or creative, I’m always looking for ways of personal expression, whether it be from acrylic painting, or writing fiction. I especially enjoy writing fiction because it allows me space to imagine an alternate world, personality, or situations that can be liberating and communicative in a way I may not otherwise be able to express myself being an introvert. With writing, depending on the day and your mood, you can write a beautiful tale of how a docile character grows into an over-coming protagonist or play devil’s advocate with an antagonist whose only mission in life is to destroy your main character, which is something every one of us can relate to on some level.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Along my creative journey, I have made several attempts to quit my day job as they say. I have yet to secure enough funds to work as a creative full-time, however, I have found ways to incorporate my creative ideas into the workplace. It takes thinking outside of the box. I worked for many years as a mental health advocate, struggling to free myself and open up possibilities for creative work. Eventually, I ended up hiring a professional resume writer to showcase my accomplishments and talents as a writer to potential employers, and within weeks of uploading my revised resume to LinkedIn, a talent scout located me to apply for a position as a grant writer. I’m pleased with the outcome, for now.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lauragaisie.com
• Instagram: @lauragaisie
• Facebook: LauraGaisie
• Linkedin: Laura Gaisie, M.P.A.
• Youtube: @mslgaisie