A Gift in This Time of Trial! Because the current crisis can be disheartening, I would be very happy if you were to read my story "The Dancing Mice and the Giants of Flanders", a hopepunky, fairy-tale-esque, and ultimately uplifting fantasy story suitable for all ages (it can be read aloud to children as young as five, although read it for yourself first to make sure it's right for your little listeners). I am making it available absolutely free of charge or obligation (you don't have to enter an email address or anything) — just click and download! (For more free stories to read, head over to the Creative work page!) Why not subscribe to Laura's newsletter? Not just news, but recipes, musings on the writing craft, miscellaneous adventures and observations, and! The latest installment of a new serial: an action-packed and somewhat uncanny adventure tale titled "The Iron Goddess"! Laura E. Goodin is a writer of science fiction, fantasy, old-fashioned adventure, humor, plays, libretti, poetry, and academic research. Her work has been published and/or performed on three continents, and plenty more projects are in the works. Her latest novel is Mud and Glass, which combines riotous adventure, a fond satire of academic life, and a stirring manifesto of resistance against a nascent totalitarian regime. "Mud and Glass is a glorious comedic romp, scything through the sententiousness of the academic world while showcasing modesty, courage and cleverness as virtues. I've not read comedy this clever since Jasper Fforde." — Russell Kirkpatrick, author of the acclaimed science-fiction trilogies Fire of Heaven and Husk Her first novel is the rip-snorting adventure After the Bloodwood Staff, which critics have called "a rousing, rollicking adventure", "a great Christmas read", and "utter respite from all the doom and gloom bombarding us all from the interwebs in recent months". Laura is interested not only in the wondrous and sublime that form the core of speculative fiction, but in how music, drama, and other performance arts can incorporate a bit of surreality, unreality, and hyperreality. Encountering strangeness and wonder in unexpected places and unexpected ways is what she finds most intriguing and exciting about being a writer. For information about editing services, click here.