,
2026 Reading Challenge
Laura Lane McNeal
16 ratings | 1 review | avg rating:5.00

Laura Lane’s Year In Books

year in books
Laura Lane’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Laura Lane’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
Go to Laura Lane’s 2025 Year in Books

Laura Lane McNeal’s Followers (397)

member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo

Add New
Videos

DOLLBABY Trailer
Add a comment

More videos…

Laura Lane’s Bookshelves

to-read (10)
currently-reading (0)
read (16)

Laura Lane’s Friends (275)

Bookish...
Bookish Girl
5,538 books | 235 friends

Olivia
Olivia
1,152 books | 108 friends

Heidi L...
Heidi Lynn’s BookReviews
1,566 books | 2,146 friends

Amy Morgan
Amy Morgan
3,456 books | 206 friends

Lisa
Lisa
2,966 books | 98 friends

BreeAdo...
BreeAdoresReading
2,191 books | 320 friends

Suzanne
Suzanne
606 books | 570 friends

Danny M...
Danny Musgrove
1,353 books | 177 friends

More friends…

Laura Lane McNeal

Goodreads Author


Born
New Orleans, The United States
Website

Twitter
llmcneal

Genre
Fiction, Historical Fiction, Classics

Influences
Eudora Welty, Zore Neale Hurston, Ernest Gaines, Barbara Kingsolver, K ...more

Member Since
July 2012

URL



After receiving two undergraduate degrees from Southern Methodist University (a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Business Administration), she went on to earn an MBA from Tulane University. She spent most of her career in advertising, working for firms in New York and Dallas, before returning to New Orleans where she started her own marketing consulting firm and became a free-lance writer as well as a decorative artist. In 2005, when the devastation of Hurricane Katrina left her with having to rebuild her life, Laura seized the opportunity to fulfill her lifetime dream of becoming a writer. She hasn’t stopped since.

Laura resides in New Orleans and is married with two sons. DOLLBABY is her first published novel. She is presently work ...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Laura Lane McNeal questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

What are you currently working on?
Laura Lane McNeal I'm working on a novel that starts in 1927, the day of the Great Flood. The book spans several years and is about a family who moves into an old house…moreI'm working on a novel that starts in 1927, the day of the Great Flood. The book spans several years and is about a family who moves into an old house on River Road in Louisiaana that has no electricity and no running water, the Depression hits and no one has a job. Estranged family members start showing up to live in the house. Huey Long becomes governor and Big Oil is moving in to change the landscape. The story weaves the ambitions and struggles of these family members together to reveal what matters most. (less)
flag
I absolutely loved your novel, it reminded me of growing up in New Orleans.My question is how do you develop a novel, do you start with the characters, setting or plot? I know this is your first novel but curious to see what your writing techinique is.
Laura Lane McNeal
This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)
flag
See all 11 answers from Laura Lane McNeal…

Combine Editions

Average rating: 3.95 · 16,243 ratings · 2,076 reviews · 1 distinct work • Similar authors
Doll-baby
3.95 avg rating — 16,243 ratings — published 2014 — 18 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

10 posts
Laura Lane McNeal's Blog

Cover2CoverMom says DOLLBABY is one of her faves for 2016!

Thank you Amanda at Cover2CoverMom for such a lovely and heartfelt review of DOLLBABY! She says in part:

I loved this novel from start to finish, you could even say I loved it from cover to cover. I am going to venture to say this is going to be one of my favorite novels of 2016!

For the full review click here:

https://cover2covermom.wordpress.com/... Read more of this blog post »
2 likes ·   •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on March 21, 2016 10:50 • Tags: 5starreviews, dollbaby, lauralanemcneal
View all 10 posts »

rss
Laura Lane’s Recent Updates

Laura Lane McNeal rated a book it was amazing
Stealing Athena by Karen Essex
Stealing Athena
by Karen Essex (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Jul 16, 2025 01:17PM  ·   ·  preview book
Laura Lane McNeal rated a book it was amazing
Leonardo's Swans by Karen Essex
Leonardo's Swans
by Karen Essex (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Jul 16, 2025 01:17PM  · 
Laura Lane McNeal rated a book it was amazing
Run, Darling by Karen Essex
Run, Darling
by Karen Essex (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Jul 16, 2025 01:16PM  · 
Laura Lane McNeal has read
Leonardo's Swans by Karen Essex
Leonardo's Swans
by Karen Essex (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Jul 16, 2025 01:16PM  · 
Laura Lane McNeal has read
Run, Darling by Karen Essex
Run, Darling
by Karen Essex (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Jul 16, 2025 01:16PM  · 
Laura Lane McNeal and 1 other person liked Laura Lane’s status update
Laura Lane McNeal Laura Lane McNeal wants to read The Palace at the End of the Sea (Theo Sterling, #1)
Jun 15, 2025 04:31PM  ·  preview book
Laura Lane McNeal wants to read
The Palace at the End of the Sea by Simon Tolkien
The Palace at the End of the Sea (Theo Sterling, #1)
by Simon Tolkien
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Jun 14, 2025 05:07AM  · 2 likes ·   ·  preview book
Laura Lane McNeal rated a book it was amazing
The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry
The Story She Left Behind
by Patti Callahan Henry (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Patti Callahan Henry captures the heartbreak of losing a mother due to mysterious circumstances, the search for the truth, and the reckoning that comes with discovery. Highly recommend!
Jan 19, 2025 04:49PM  · 2 likes ·   · see review ·  preview book
Laura Lane McNeal and 1 other person liked Laura Lane’s status update
Laura Lane McNeal Laura Lane McNeal has read The Story She Left Behind
Jan 19, 2025 04:49PM  ·  preview book
Laura Lane McNeal has read
The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry
The Story She Left Behind
by Patti Callahan Henry (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Jan 15, 2025 03:28PM  · 2 likes ·   ·  preview book
More of Laura Lane's books…
Quotes by Laura Lane McNeal  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“You got to dance, even when there ain't no music.”
― Laura Lane McNeal
8 likes
Like

“Those called penny bags. Each of them got a brand-new penny on the bottom. The light reflecting off the penny supposed to confuse the flies, so they don’t come around and bother the food, although every time I see a fly, they confused enough already. Know what I mean?” Queenie chuckled.”
― Laura Lane McNeal, Dollbaby
5 likes
Like

“New Orleans was like that. A live-and-let-live attitude was ingrained into the fabric of the city; no one cared who you were or what you looked like - you had a place, and everyone respected that.”
― Laura Lane McNeal, Doll-baby
tags: new-orleans
5 likes
Like

Polls

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
Goodreads Choice ...: October Additional Read Nomination ***CLOSED*** 35 87 Aug 30, 2014 02:55AM  
Fiction Fanatics: October Nominations - GENERAL 14 45 Aug 30, 2014 10:40PM  
The Seasonal Read...: This topic has been closed to new comments. Completed Tasks: Do Not Delete Posts 2625 600 Aug 31, 2014 08:59PM  
Around the World ...: Beverly 2014 USA Roadtrip Challenge 34 86 Oct 03, 2014 12:46PM  
Fiction Fanatics: January Genre - 2014 Goodreads Choice Award Nominees 13 37 Nov 25, 2014 02:50PM  
2026 Reading Chal...: Odessa's 35 Books for 2015 1 16 Jan 01, 2015 12:45AM  
The Life of a Boo...: Odessa's 2015 Individual Reading Goal 8 27 Jan 02, 2015 11:10AM  
A Million More Pages: This topic has been closed to new comments. January Gryffindor House Game 225 153 Feb 02, 2015 11:45AM  
The Reading Chall...: Vickie's Book Challenges Organizer (Maybe) 15 40 Feb 07, 2015 12:25PM  
Goodreads Choice ...: Sarah's Ultimate Challenge 1 48 Feb 23, 2015 03:54PM  

Laura Lane’s Quotes

“Sometimes thou seem'st not as thyself alone, But as the meaning of all things that are.”
― Dante Gabriel Rossetti
887 likes
Like

“I never change, I simply become more myself.”
― Joyce Carol Oates, Solstice
4085 likes
Like

“Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold.”
― Zelda Fitzgerald
tags: love
9447 likes
Like

“You got to dance, even when there ain't no music.”
― Laura Lane McNeal
8 likes
Like

“America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans.
Everywhere else is Cleveland.”
― Tennessee Williams
tags: new-orleans
227 likes
Like

recent posts
Laura Lane’s Groups

31471 THE Group for Authors! — 12954 members — last activity 19 hours, 19 min ago
This is a group for authors to discuss their craft, as well as publishing and book marketing.
575477 AMERICAN HISTORICAL NOVELS — 1160 members — last activity Mar 21, 2024 03:40AM
American Historical Novels is hosted weekly by your favorite authors. This is NOT a reading group, but a place to discover great, new fiction. There w ...more

Laura Lane’s Friend Comments

No comments have been added yet.