Two Local Women in Midst of Career Change to Novelists

Almost every day, two women sit in the same booth of the same Panera restaurant doing the same thing—typing away on their laptops.

The Panera in Edgewater is often an unofficial office for people who telecommute or work from home, but for Lea Nolan and Laura Kaye, the local bakery and coffee shop is where they delve into worlds filled with vampires, magicians and star-crossed lovers. 

Years ago, both women were settled into “normal” jobs—Nolan, a research analyst from Edgewater, and Kaye, a college professor from Annapolis. But after the two read the Twilight saga, their lives changed. Now almost every day, Kaye and Nolan sit across from each other in Panera writing their own novels, ranging from teen fantasy to adult-themed paranormal romance.

“I never thought I’d be in a coffee shop every day,” said Nolan, who spent 15 years working in Washington, DC.

Between the two of them, the local authors have been published numerous times through several publishers including Harlequin, Entangled and others. Kaye has had her work published nine times and recently agreed to a four-book deal with HarperCollins. Nolan, too, has been published and her newest book, Conjure, was released on Oct. 23. 

Read more about the two local novelists in Patch's feature on the duo.