A graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, Laurie Button is an award-winning journalist raised in both Eastern Iowa and the beautiful Iowa Great Lakes Region. She has received recognition for her writing, photography, and design skills on the local, state, and national levels. In 1995, she was awarded the Colorado Press Association’s “Shining Star Award” as the best all-around journalist in the Estes Park Trail-Gazette’s (Colorado) circulation class. Laurie is known for her ability to weave compelling true-to-life stories by drawing readers into three-dimensional settings and engaging characters through dynamic, heartfelt dialogue. Today, Laurie is retired and lives with her husband, Joel, in Estes Park with three feisty cats, two spoiled miniature horses, a decade-old clown fish, and their beloved Leonberger puppy Boji. They have called Buttonbelly Farm home for more than thirty years. Joel and Laurie have two grown sons and four wonderful grandchildren.