Laura Martín Ramos

Hi there! It’s time to talk a bit about myself—and though it might surprise you, I’m not very good at it. I was born on April 30, 1991, in Madrid. I grew up in a small town called Algete and had a happy childhood; I really can't complain. When I was eleven, I moved to the province of Guadalajara, to a town known as El Casar. That’s when my life changed. I’ve never really talked about it, but it was incredibly hard to leave behind my lifelong friends—even though the two towns were only 20 kilometers apart. Socializing has always been a struggle for me; I was very shy and wasn't good at striking up nice conversations. I attended the public high school I.E.S. Campiña Alta. My first two years there were absolute hell. Like many of you reading this, I was bullied. I spent two years keeping my head down in class and hiding in the library, while my teachers—despite knowing what was going on—did nothing. I started writing when I was fourteen, if I recall correctly. One summer —after the bullying caused me to neglect my studies and fail my classes— I was grounded at home, forbidden from going out or using the internet. Since I never told my family about the harassment, they assumed my poor grades were due to laziness or rebellion. Boredom drove me to open up the word processor of the time and start writing. In fact, I won a literary contest at my high school and placed second in another competition I entered in Buendía, a town in Cuenca. After high school, I enrolled at METRÓPOLIS, a performing arts, visual arts, and design school in Madrid. I studied there for several years; first, I took Advertising Graphic Design. The following year, I studied Professional Drawing, Illustration, and Comic Art. Naturally, I tried to make a career out of it, but it proved impossible. I reinvented myself and pursued various VET—in hospitality and as a leisure and recreation leader. Yet, I never quite found my place (like many others, I imagine). I always felt most at ease when writing. But, as happens to us all, I had to grow up. My dream of publishing this story was tucked away in a drawer—until now. So, thank you for letting me into your life through my book. Thank you so much!