Julie Gerstenblatt is a former middle school English teacher who realized that it was time to leave the classroom when a lengthy stint on jury duty felt like the highlight of her career. As a comedy and culture writer for The Huffington Post and a humor columnist for The Scarsdale Inquirer and Scarsdale10583.com, Julie writes with candor about her life, her friends and family, and the particular demands of motherhood and wifedom in modern-day suburbia. She holds a doctorate in Education from Columbia University. She and her husband live with their two children in Scarsdale, New York. Although she would love to live in the city, suburbia is the inspiration for most of her funny ideas, and so she will remain in Westchester until her neighbors kick her out. Lauren Takes Leave is her first novel.