Laurel Anne Hill, award-winning author and former underground storage tank operator, began writing before she could read. As a young child, her older sister would write down the stories Hill told. Throughout childhood and high school, Hill submitted essays, short stories, and other pieces of writing to contests. She won enough to gain recognition in her hometown of San Francisco and was featured in the newspapers and on television. With her contest winnings and earnings from a minimum-wage job, Hill was able to put herself through college. After graduating, she drifted further and further away from her writing, and went years without putting a story down on paper. It wasn’t until a serious illness in 1991 that Hill decided she couldn’t waste another moment, and began writing again. She’s now published over 30 short stories, short non-fiction pieces, and two books, and has garnered multiple awards and honors.