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 that I had supportive parents who encouraged me to pursue my interests and gave me 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 in both what I choose to read 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. Realizing many of my friends were homeschooling for the first time, 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 some short stories and poems, but never seriously pursued publication. With the completion of my first novel: HIDDEN KNIGHT: A NOVEL OF A BEAR, I decided it was time to seek publication. I’m currently writing a second novel. My novels are inspired by my childhood fantasies—and sometimes my own children. Part of me never wanted to “grow up.” I create books written for adults, but with magic, talking animals, and portals to other worlds. There’s too much sorrow and hatred in the “real world,” and my desire is to write books and stories that take adults back to childhood where anything is possible.
