With more than 50 years in the horse industry and 30 in the fire service, my Firehouse Family novels feature horses, firefighting, and mystery in the 1930s!
I was fortunate in 1980 to meet Shaker Heights, Ohio Fire Chief William Pickford, who allowed me to interview firefighters for a nonfiction book I planned to write about the fire service. But I quickly learned that I was an “outsider” at a time when women were not welcome in the firehouse. I had to earn the trust of each firefighter and when I finally became part of their “firehouse family,” I felt as if I’d received a very high honor. Through my novels, I try to show some of the stresses common to all firefighters, no matter where they live or the time period in which they live. These are very special people and I’m proud to be one of them and to be able to tell their stories.
In 2016 I finally published my memoir, “Hey Guys, the Redhead’s Back!” that recounts several years in which I was going through a divorce and how being part of a “firehouse family” gave me insight into myself and enabled me to begin a new chapter in my life. I also have a website focused on Fire Safety in Barns (www.firesafetyinbarns.com). If what I write can save the life of a single animal, or prevent one fire in a barn, I will feel I have “earned my keep.”
Laurie has always lived in northeast Ohio, moving in her teens from a suburb of Cleveland to the Chagrin Valley area. After her marriage in 1966, and the birth of her two children, she and her husband moved to a horse farm where they bred and raised Appaloosa horses. Ten years later, following a divorce, Laurie built a house in Geauga County, which is still rural. Laurie retired from the Highland Hills Fire Department in 2013 with the rank of Lieutenant, but continues to maintain her internationally respected website, www.firesafetyinbarns.com. She no longer has horses at home, but continues to ride and volunteer at Fieldstone Farm Therapeutic Riding Center. You can contact Laurie either through her Fire Safety in Barns website or her award-winning Firehouse Family series website at www.laurieloveman.com.
Buy her books at: Amazon.com OR Amazon.co.uk
