Laurie Woodford
Author of laugh-out-loud stories from the heart
A bit about me
After teaching college English in the U.S., China, and South Korea and earning an MFA in creative writing a bit later in life (frost on the pumpkin,y’all), I am now a full-time author, writing workshop facilitator, and lover of all furry creatures (my husband included).
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My hope for readers is that my books crack open their hearts and make them laugh so hard that their faces hurt (in a good way).
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I'm originally from upstate New York (Go, Rochester!), and now live in the outskirts of Austin, Texas (and I do love my truck) where I'm beyond lucky to get to spend loads of time with my awesome daughter and son-in-law, my adorable agility dog, and my amazing husband, Bruce.
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Anita Farleigh Unpacks
A fasten-your-seatbelt, laugh-out-loud romcom
Free-spirited English professor, Anita Farleigh, thinks she has it all — her ambitious boyfriend, Zach, and a teaching career that actually pays her to travel. Then, ten days before Christmas, Anita returns home from a work trip in Shanghai to discover that Zach has dumped her for a domestic goddess with enough faux fur ottomans to fill a Hobby Lobby showroom.
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On one of the worst days of her life, a hungover, disheveled Anita shows up for a routine doctor's appointment and meets Oscar, a medical professional who just happens to be compassionate, funny, and absurdly handsome. When Oscar keeps showing up in her life, Anita can't deny their chemistry (Is it her fault that Oscar fills out his scrubs in exactly the right places?). Or their terrible timing (It'd be wrong to fall for someone so soon after a bad breakup. Right?). Neither can she ignore her emerging desire for stability as steadfast Oscar challenges her habit of living with one foot out the door.
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When a remorseful Zach reappears, wanting to woo back his world traveler, Anita must decide whether to follow familiar flight patterns or finally open her heart and make a safe landing.
Overflowing with swoons
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"What an absolutely delightful read! I wasn't sure what to expect coming into this but I was so impressed. The characters come alive and are understandable. Anita is absolutely compelling as a character and Oscar is swoon worthy 💙 loved this book."
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~ Becca, 5 stars
What readers are saying...
"...sweet, swoony and totally charming with great characters. I really appreciate how much time the author took to introduce the main character and her life. Anita is a survivor and has had an enormous amount of setbacks yet she keeps coming back and trying her best. The romance was wonderful, developed very slowly and so sweet. I was entertained, laughed and got a bit teary with the epilogue."
~ Meg, 5 stars
"This is a true rom-com, filled with plenty of heart and silliness and joy. I was rooting for Anita from page one and quickly fell in love with Oscar as well. The secondary stories and characters were engaging, too, and brought me into Anita's family and life in an engrossing way. This story is both unique and relatable, and I had a smile on my face the entire time I was reading it!”
~ Kate, 5 stars
Unsettled: a memoir
​At the age of forty-nine, Laurie Woodford rents out her house, packs two suitcases, and leaves her life in upstate New York to relocate to Seoul, South Korea. What begins as an opportunity to teach college English in Asia, evolves into a four-year nomadic adventure. Join Laurie as she works and volunteers across the globe spoon-feeding orphans in Ethiopia, walking shelter dogs in Peru, milking 350 goats in Fuerteventura, and getting lost in Mexico, all the while navigating dating at midlife.
Buy now!
"​Woodford’s account of her four-year-long adventure traveling the world is enthralling. Each undertaking is described with equal parts hilarity and the utmost honesty. For the author, this book is not so much a story of finding herself as it is a story of searching for home, something every reader will find fulfilling."
~ Janice, 5 stars
What readers are saying...
"Woodford's memoir is a funny, heartfelt, and punchy tromp through her mid-life adventures...Woodford delivers her accounts of each location with vivid, compelling detail, leaving the reader feeling as though we are right there beside her, laughing along with her moments of discomfort as she navigates language barriers and cultural differences."
~ Amy, 5 stars
"Uproarious, keenly observant and a reflective page-turner, Unsettled is essentially the chronicles of Laurie Woodford's adventurous journey through countries, cultures and life, in search of love, the true meaning of home and self.
It's her version of a hilariously decadent Eat, Pray, Love and if you are ever planning to write a memoir, you better have lived a life like Woodford. Because that's the new standard I will be judging biographies and memoirs by."
~ Aesthete Nerd, 5 stars