Laya is a wife, mother and grandmother who lives in the Pacific Northwest. She studied acting and theater at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL before moving with her husband to Oregon to start a family. She was a stay-at-home mother and co-owned a construction company for over twenty years. She returned to school to earn a Master’s Degree in Teaching in 2003. Upon graduation, she taught in the elementary classroom for 10 years. She is currently a substitute teacher as she pursues her writing dreams. Laya is proud to be married to her beloved husband of over 45 years. She is a mother of three grown children and a grandmother to five.

Raised in a Reformed Jewish home, she met her Messiah at the age of twenty-seven. During the past approximately forty years, she pursued an active adventure following Jesus (Yeshua) and learning His ways. The Bible has come alive to her in new ways as she’s examined the linkage between the Old and New Testaments. She also taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. She enjoyed imparting her love for the Lord and His Word to little children.

Over the years, she has taken the opportunity to speak at churches, retreats and parachurch organizations such as Aglow. The topics she has addressed include her personal testimony and the Jewish roots of Christianity. She often includes a Jewish dance or praise dance in her presentations. (She has led several dance troupes and taught dance to children and adults.)

She is a member of Cascade Christian Writers (formerly Oregon Christian Writers) and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She studied online with Jerry Jenkins and Writing Storybooks for Children.