L.A. Kuehlke has been a writer for most of her life. Even as a child, her friends would listen to her stories at recess. “I’ve had stories all my life, inside of me, just begging to be told,” Kuehlke explains. Her favorite memory is watching Little House on the Prairie and wanting to grow up to be just like Laura Ingalls Wilder—and she did.
Kuehlke is a teacher and a writer living in New Jersey, in a quiet suburban town not unlike her main character, Miranda Reid, and is inspired by people who have a genuine heart for others, and who want to make a positive impact in this world. She is moved by the works of Charlotte Bronte and Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Kuehlke re-reads these works often for their depth of character and rich description of time and place.
Like many writers, the obstacle of time is always a factor, from teaching full-time to managing the daily routine of life—Kuehlke has found a system that works for her. “I spend each day writing, even if it’s for only thirty minutes so that my momentum isn’t lost,” she adds.
Kuehlke’s characters have many unique gifts, yet she feels she doesn’t possess any of these. However, just as a portrait painter always leaves a little of him/herself in a painting, she says, “My life experiences always find their way into what I write, one way or another. Though my life has not paralleled those of my characters exactly, people who know me personally will see little pieces of me reflected in each of my characters.”
The publication of Pursuit represents the realization of a life-long dream for Kuehlke and, while she had many people who believed in her along the way, there were also those that dismissed her ideas. “Overcoming their negativity and staying true to what I believe in was definitely a challenge.”
With her focus on and dedication to her craft, readers everywhere will be sure to enjoy Pursuit—the latest novel from L.A. Kuehlke.
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