Laura Sweeney or Laura G Sweeney, Ed.D. (Atlanta, GA) Born in Asheville, North Carolina (USA), in 1963, Laura G Sweeney attended the North Carolina School of the Arts during high school years. At age 17, she embarked on college education in the fields of visual arts and literature. She studied in Florence and Perugia, Italy, at Middlebury College and at the University for Stranieri. She holds various graduate degrees from Middlebury College(MA), West Virginia University (MA),Nova Southeastern University (EdD) and National University (MFA).Sweeney created visual arts and poetry over a period of several decades until she finally published in both nonfiction and paranormal fiction. Her first complete novella was "Brigid, Keeper of the Celtic Hearth (2011)." Sweeney's visual art inspired her writings.Sweeney's favorite fiction themes include Celtic and Italian mysticism. Much of her writing has been done on site in Ireland and Italy to get a feeling for the setting. She believes the reader needs to separate fiction from reality since the two are distinct. Therefore, authors must have the liberty to explore themes that run counter that which is popular. "It's only fiction, so people should not get upset when it runs counter their own personal beliefs."Laura Sweeney enjoys writing and drawing in a variety of genres, finding it possible to work on nonfiction one day and fiction the next. Artists such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali' and Frida Kahlo have influenced her work. She is particularly fond of Gothic romance.In recent years, she has explored nonfiction writing in the fields of education, art, writing, and the psychopathology of international child abduction. She has recently developed an interest in paradigms and models across the curriculum. Other interests include designing stained glass with artisan, Pierangelo Tosi, for GAEL Glass where they produce Italian stained glass based on the protagonists of books.