A Friend of Michelle

Kirby Lindsay Laney has been crafting stories since infancy. Her imaginary friends had complex back stories and lived transformational lives of intrigue and romance. At age 12, she decided to become a writer when she found her dream of playing piano in a smoke-filled bar thwarted by her inability to play. A former bookstore owner, Kirby still prefers to crawl into fiction whenever she can, even after she finally learned to play the piano. She is grateful to Adrian, her husband, who keeps her fed and occasionally turned towards the sun during her most intense periods of writing. She also credits her grandparents, and mother, who influenced her distinctive storytelling style with their telling, and re-tellings, of family stories. Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Kirby has lived in Toledo, Ohio; Fredericksburg, Virgina; and Colima, Mexico. She now resides in the bustling community of Chamberlain, South Dakota, in the center of the nation, and on the shores of the Missouri River - where no one ever asks her to surf.