About Leanna
Born in the desert and raised in the mountains of southern California, I enjoyed an idyllic childhood. Not that it was without challenges, but I had supportive parents who encouraged me to pursue my interests and fostered a love for knowledge and reading. My dad gifted me a set of The Chronicles of Narnia when I was ten, and I entered a world where anything was possible.
My interests have always been eclectic, both in my choice of reading material and in my studies. In 2003, I graduated with a BA in Secondary Education with a focus on Math and History. I taught in a Christian school for two years before joining the United States Air Force where I studied linguistics. It was during that time I met the love of my life, Stephen Zimmerman.
Fast forward many years, and I enjoy homeschooling our four wonderful children. I’m a “second generation” homeschooler—my parents homeschooled me—so homeschooling my own children was only natural. Many of my friends were homeschooling for the first time, and I wanted to encourage and support them, so I started my blog: Navigating Homeschooling.
Writing has always been a passion of mine. I’ve written several short stories and poems for my blog. In 2024, I published my debut novel, THE QUEEN AND THE SHADOW WITCH. Currently, I am reworking an earlier fantasy project into an epic trilogy and also writing a science-fantasy series for teens with my son as a co-author. My novels are written with both teens and adults in mind, but filled with the wonder and imagination I loved so much in my childhood favorites. If I could define my stories by one theme, it would be “finding hope in darkness.”
