Laurie Smollett Kutscera is an author and illustrator of picture books and middle grade novels. Her middle grade novel, Misadventures of a Magician’s Son, (Clear Fork Press, 2020) and her newest picture book, Maya’s Treasure, (Peter Pauper Press, 2021), were both given warm reviews by Kirkus. She is an active member of SCBWI and is currently working on several projects, including a spooky middle grade mystery. Laurie has travelled the Intracoastal Waterway on a wooden boat from Nantucket to the Virgin Islands. She currently lives on the north shore of Long Island with her musician husband, Nick. When she isn’t writing or drawing, she spends much of her free time chasing after her three-legged rescue doggie, Abby.