Laura Knoy
Writer. Speaker. Moderator.
Award-Winning Journalist
Call or stop by your local bookstore to pre-order your copy or click below to hear from me when my novel is available to purchase.
Based on a True Story
The Heroine, Sarah and her husband, Max
It's a dramatic family saga spanning the World Wars, based on a true story that unfolds in a unique, little-known region with a complex past: Alsace, France.
Photos courtesy of Brigitte Aumont.
Sarah and her children
"This is a wonderful story of endurance and bravery, combining detailed history and a very engaging and involving human story. I've so enjoyed spending time with these characters and their story. Laura has skillfully and creatively accomplished an amazing feat. I feel so privileged to have had an early look."
~ Margaret Porter, author of a dozen works of historical fiction, including The Limits of Limelight, Beautiful Invention and A Pledge of Better Times.
Sarah's sons
"WOW. This is a great story. Excellent characters and the landscape portrayed is beautiful. The writing is so tight and concise, reflecting Laura’s many years in journalism. She knows how to cut to the meaning, how to tell a story, but also get to the damn point. I loved this book. It belongs out in the world."
~ Duncan Craig, published author and co-founder and partner at the digital marketing agency Raka.
Alsace, France
"This is a really powerful tale and I LOVE Laura’s writing! I look forward to seeing The Shopkeeper of Alsace in print!"
~ Nicoletta Gullace, Associate professor of European History at the University of New Hampshire and author of The Blood of our Sons: Men, Women and the Renegotiation of British Citizenship during the Great War.
Attend a Book Event
Upcoming Events
| Title | Date | Day | Location | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authors On Main at the BNH Stage with Gibson's Bookstore | 12 Nov 2025 | Wednesday | 16 South Main Street, Concord, NH, USA | Buy Now |
| Beliveau Arts Series at St. Anselm College with the Franco-American Centre | 17 Nov 2025 | Monday | 100 St Anselm Dr, Manchester, NH 03102 | Buy Now |
| Lit at the Lounge at the Portsmouth Music Hall | 18 Nov 2025 | Tuesday | 28 Chestnut Street Portsmouth, NH 03801 | Buy Now |
| Authors at the Pope with White Birch Books at the Pope Memorial Library | 20 Nov 2025 | Thursday | 2568 White Mountain Hwy North Conway, NH USA 03860 | Buy Now |
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Blog
The Story Behind the Story of "The Shopkeeper of Alsace." Part 1.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how stories come to us. Sometimes, they arrive fully told, from prologue to The End, in one complete waterfall. Sometimes they reach out to us hesitantly, in little pieces…a photograph, a memory, a question…. breadcrumbs put on our path, but it’s up to us to notice them. My forthcoming novel,The Shopkeeper of Alsace, came to me in breadcrumbs. The first dropped before me in the mid-1980s, when I was an exchange student in Strasbourg, France. That’s the capital of Alsace, an eastern province right on the Rhine River and the German border.
Deep Underground: Inside the Infamous Maginot Line
I've long been fascinated by this chain of more than two dozen fortified bunkers built along the border between France and Germany, built to protect France from German invasion after World War I. the Maginot Line was a massive military miscalculation. In the spring of 1940, Germany simply went around it, through Belgium and into Northern France.
Traveling up the Hudson River with the Marquis de Lafayette!
He was a French aristocrat, who from a young age was drawn to the ideals of The Enlightenment: liberty, constitutional government, and the separation of church and state. The American colonies’ fight for independence appealed to him deeply, and he provided ships, men, money, and materiel to the American cause.
A NH writer ahead of her time: Sarah Josepha Hale
Sarah Josepha Hale was an author, poet, magazine editor, and activist, born in 1788. Her work had enormous national impact despite the times, when society strictly limited “acceptable” roles for women.
Meeting America's Favorite Fighting Frenchman: My Encounter with Revolutionary War Hero, the Marquis de Lafayette
Meeting America's Favorite Fighting Frenchman: My Encounter with Revolutionary War Hero, Marquis de Lafayette
7 New Podcast Literary Spotlights: ReadLocalNH is Championing Granite State Creativity with SNHU & NH Writers Project
This winter, my podcast, ReadLocalNH, will help broaden your booklist even more, with seven additional episodes, featuring winners of the 2023 New Hampshire Writers Project Literary Awards. Helped by three wonderful interns at Southern New Hampshire University, I’ll introduce you to novelists, poets, non-fiction writers, children’s authors and more – who work right here in the Granite State.
An Overlooked World War II Memorial Can Be Found In Manchester, New Hampshire
In 1948, French citizens filled forty-nine railroad cars with tens of thousands of gifts, to show their gratitude for American assistance during World War Two, and for the relief aid that came after.
How, why, and when to listen to ReadLocalNH, a Podcast for Readers
My motto for my podcast for readers is "expand your literary horizons by reading from your own backyard."
Holocaust Remembrance Day, April 18th, 2023
On Holocaust Remembrance Day, we must all commit ourselves to this: Never Again.
Shop Local, Eat Local...Read Local.
ReadLocalNH: The threads of an idea for a podcast began weaving themselves together in the spring of 2022.
broaden your literary horizons by reading in your own backyard
LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE
Revisit NHPR's "The Exchange"
It was work that I loved doing and I know it deeply mattered to my audience. My team was great: three talented, caring producers and a manager who always supported me. All that, plus: I met so many amazing guests who shared their stories, their talents, their ideas with me, live on-the-air.
But I had to say good-bye to the news business. I had a new adventure to begin. It was time to take a different approach toward contributing to my state and the wider society .
So here’s just a taste of what I’ve been up to since I left…
Two major projects focused on mental health and wellness.
A strategic, statewide, community discussion series about civic strength.
Keynote speeches, talks, panel moderating for a dozen different events.
ReadLocalNH: A podcastthat celebrates New Hampshire's authors, local bookstores and their dedicated readers.
And of course…my own novel!
NHPR Host for 25 years!
Here are some of my favorite titles from local authors:
The Concord Theatre by Paul Brogan The Limits of Limelight by Margaret Porter The Children's Secret by Virginia MacGregor Point of Graves by J. Dennis Robinson Pauper Auction by Mary Kronerwetter In Her Boots by KJ Dell'Antonia
I am an experienced keynote speaker, moderator, narrator, voiceover professional, interviewer and host. As a community leader and award-winning journalist with years of engaging in meaningful dialogue with world-wide experts, I love to collaborate on a variety of initiatives.
Work With Me
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Community
Join my Facebook Community to share stories, ideas, and events happening around the Granite State and beyond. Stay up-to-date on my podcast ReadLocalNH, my novel, special events, and community initiatives. See you there!
Follow MeFor information on my writing, speaking, moderating and of course, my podcast: ReadLocalNH, connect on LinkedIn. (photo by Margaret Porter)
ConnectFollow me on Instagram and join the community conversation on local authors, indie booksellers, readers and beyond! (photo by Sarah Jane Knoy)
Follow MeContact Me
- Concord, NH, USA
- +1-6038922015
- laurajknoy@gmail.com
- 7 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Please email me to discuss my services or with inquiries about my book. Join my mailing list! Listen to my podcast #ReadLocalNH Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn