Meet Lara—mother, storyteller, book-worm.

I’m a single mom to three little wildlings (two of which are twins) learning to braid my theology and the stories I read together.

I’m a writer and learner at heart—always trying to find time to scribble down a few words or read a book. My desire in writing is to help women develop solid theology they can put into practice—in the mundane, the rugged terrain, and joyful moments.

I grew up writing and weaving stories—stories of chasing wild horses, children with mystical powers, and worlds unlike ours. But then as I grew up, I thought I had to outgrow fairytales, too. I left those stories behind, stuffed in a blue tote bin where light could not stain or shed its brilliance on them. I had to write only inspirational articles and how-tos that told people what to think and believe.

Yet as I cradled little children in my arms and read stories to them, and the scorching fires of suffering charred me, I turned to stories for life, and my love was rekindled. Now, I want to help you rekindle that child-like heart that loves the fairytales and stories and show you how they can impact your faith as well.

I strive for a quiet life of truth, beauty, and goodness all centred on God’s infallible Word.

I live in a small community in Nova Scotia, Canada. I’ve always lived in quaint communities, traveled dirt roads, and lived encased by trees by the water. I have a little boy and a set of twin boys who followed him. I think of them as hobbits as they run around barefoot in any terrain or weather and adore their second breakfast. Though you’ll find many of my words here, I’m actually quite quiet until you get to know me.

I like to think too much before I speak, and I often erase messages many times before I actually send them and keep articles hidden in documents long before I publish them. I prefer a small group over a large one. Strangely, I always thought I’d grow up and live in a bustling city with a professional office job, but I’ve found out I much prefer my home in the middle of nowhere as a writing, stay-at-home mom.

If you were to step inside my home, you’d find cars and trucks scattered about and little ones flinging food as I try to read them poetry or a lovely quote I just found.

What to Expect

I’m beyond grateful that you’ve allowed me a space in your inbox. As a gift of my gratitude, you can have access to my Resource Library, where I share a thorough and regularly updated list of the best fiction (by genre), nonfiction (by subject), small businesses, and online publications I’ve come across. Sign up with your email and I’ll send the password straight to your inbox.

You won’t have to worry about missing anything. Every new edition of the newsletter goes directly to your inbox.

Each month, you can expect a newsletter from me on the last Friday where I share my favourite links—whether poetry, short stories, articles, or a new artist I discovered, along with reviews of the books I read that month and a list of my latest articles.

Since I’m no longer on social media, I also have a bi-weekly newsletter for paid subscribers where I reflect on a piece of classic literature that’s formed and changed me.

My Books

A Mother Held: A Collection of Essays on Motherhood and Anxiety

Is God sovereign over every minute that ticks by, the orchestrator of every event—even the horrors we cry out to him about? If he is… can he actually be good too? This question haunts each of us, especially mothers as we not only consider our own lives but the lives our tiny children. Can we trust God to care for us and our helpless babies just as much as we do, especially when he allows the waves the bash the world as they do?

When Lara became a mother, she thought she was losing her mind—literally. As she faced paranoia, panic attacks, intrusive thoughts, and obsessive compulsions, she viewed her life as the chaotic mess of a person pushed away by God and held under his stern gaze. She believed in God, but feared that he viewed her a burdensome child with too many problems. As she sought to care for her infants through various valleys of suffering, she struggled to trust God’s mighty hand that turned the tides of her life.

In this collection of creative essays, Lara never strives to answer the “why?” to our cries, but displays the sovereignty and goodness of our Heavenly Father, both when our greatest joys and worst of fears come true. In each story, Lara leads her reader through her battle with anxiety and the early days of motherhood—not to show the world her own perseverance or to draw their pity, but to cast their gaze to the One who carried her through it all.

PURCHASE A MOTHER HELD

The Painted Fairytale: A YA Contemporary Fantasy Novel

Seventeen-year-old Wren Devine refuses to share her art with anyone

other than her parents and her sister (who died three years prior). But when her mother submits her artwork to a mentorship program, and she gets accepted, Wren is forced to display her artwork for the eccentric Professor Hayes. Despite her fears, Wren hopes this mentorship will finally make her as worthy as her sister. But this mentorship is about more than painting.

Wren soon learns that she holds a magical ability to turn her paintings into portals to travel to not only other places in the world, but to another world entirely. An eerie children’s book in the professor’s classroom reveals a wicked pirate with a vengeance who has her eye on Stefan Branson, a former student of Professor Hayes.

As all four of these lives intersect, it becomes apparent that everyone has a secret—some more deadly than others. The longer these secrets brew, the more deadly and heavy they become, and possibly lead to never seeing her former, earthly realm again. Wren must not only learn to release the shadow of her beloved sister but step boldly into her own world.

PURCHASE THE PAINTED FAIRYTALE