L. E. Dudley (Laurie), a North Carolina native, is a children's writer and the author of the heartwarming junior novel series, The Unicorn Shore. She is the proud wife of a career Army man, and together they have lived all over the world with their three children.

Laurie believes books, especially fiction, have great power in helping children process challenging situations. She has witnessed it not only in the lives of her own children, who experienced the loss of friendships and a lack of stability because of frequent moves, but also in the classroom during her time as a Kindergarten teacher.

She is passionate about raising children with a love for reading, as well as the important role books have in strengthening the loving bond between child and caregiver. No matter what is happening in a child's world, reading together creates stability and a sense of connection.

Bringing her own fantastical worlds to life to share with children everywhere has been a lifelong dream.

Laurie lives wherever the Army has currently sent her family, along with their little doodle dog, Lily, and their smooshy-face black cat, Pepper. She has a degree in journalism, a master's degree in trauma counseling, and 2 years of postgraduate study in neuroscience with a focus on neuroplasticity and Polyvagal Theory. She is deeply interested in how reading can calm the brain's stress response while fostering new healthy neural pathways that help children process and recover from traumatic experiences.

Laurie is a full member of The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and also writes middle-grade fiction under the pen name T. K. Wilder.