Also writes historical romance as Melody Thomas Multipublished author Laura Renken is a romance industry RIO Dorothy Parker Reviewer's Choice Award finalist, Golden Heart finalist, Maggie finalist, and a winner of the prestigious Holt Medallion for her novels. She is a wordsmith, a creator of dreams, and a passionate believer in happy endings. A product of thirteen schools and twenty-two moves stretching across the United States and Europe, she is a self-proclaimed gypsy, whose passion for writing developed at an early age while living overseas where she acquired an appreciation for historical intrigue. She graduated with a degree in criminal justice from the University of Oklahoma. Laura lives near Chicago where she writes full time.