Laurie Van Dermark fell in love with literature in high school under the guidance of an AP English teacher. Her love only grew during her time at a liberal arts college. In 2000, she was invited to travel with a group of humanitarians to Chimbote, Peru, where she learned about the social and political misdoings that contribute to poverty. Since then, she has returned for several visits, and has publically spoken about the poor in this area. She has two children, both adopted from Guatemala. They live in a small community outside of Birmingham, Alabama.