Laurie Seidler

Bewildering Stories biography

to Bewildering Stories bibliography

Laurie Seidler lives in San Jose, California. Formerly a wire service reporter and editor based in Sydney, Australia, she recently turned to writing fiction. She has had stories accepted at In Posse Review, Hobart, The Shore Magazine and Laughter Loaf and is a past winner of the Writer’s Digest Online Chronicle competition. She is, of course, writing a book and in search of an agent.

[Laurie adds:]

I was born and raised in New York City and I haven’t been able to get used to California’s car culture. I’ve lived in San Jose for eight years and although I have some wonderful friends here, I still feel like an alien from waaay out of town. In contrast, I felt an immediate affinity with Sydney and spent seven wonderful years there. My husband is Australian so, fortunately, I get back every couple of years.

I have only one party trick: I read uncannily fast. Combine that with having grown up an only child in an academic family and you produce my house, a 1950s bungalow filled to the rafters with books. Squashed in its nooks and crannies are children of various sizes, one of which is mine, a bemused husband who is constantly tripping over half-open novels and a dog who looks like Tintin’s Snowy.

Do I have any favorite authors? How long do you have? I read a little of everything and a lot of fiction. Longtime favorites include Shirley Jackson, Gary Paulsen, John Cheever, Diana Gabaldon, Michael Chabon, Ursula Le Guin, Laurie Colwin, Anne Lamott... the list is endless.

My latest book is about people dealing with loss and risking second chances. It’s currently looking for a home. I’m working on a “novel in short stories,” a collection of linked pieces about two very different childhood friends. Three of the stories have been picked up in ’zines.

The winning Writer’s Digest item (I love writing that phrase) was an essay in praise of IBM Selectric typewriters. I like it but I wouldn’t say it’s my absolute favorite. My favorite is usually the piece I’ve just finished working on, until I’ve finished working on something else.

[Editor’s note: This just in: Laurie has started a new literary website, VerbSap. Very good-looking and definitely worth frequenting!]