Rebecca Laffar-Smith

Summary

Rebecca Laffar-Smith lives with her young adult children and their service animal pup. She also lives with chronic pain, mental illness, and neurodiversity. Those lived experiences drive her to write young adult sci-fi and fantasy novels that star diverse characters. As a presenter and coach, Rebecca loves to write and speak about the challenges of living with disability. She also loves to chat about all things writing related! Her books and talks inspire people to experience possibility and discover wonder. Check out her TEDx Talk!

Biography

Rebecca Laffar-Smith is a bestselling Y.A. science fiction and fantasy author who helps readers escape reality and experience possibility. She also writes children's books under the name Bec J. Smith. She is a strong advocate for early childhood literacy, support for children with language and literacy difficulties such as dyslexia, acceptance and support for neurodiversity, and awareness of mental health challenges particularly in teenagers and young adults.

Rebecca loves presenting workshops for children, teens, and adults and has a range of workshops, talks, and presentations on writing, publishing, literacy, disability, and mental health. She’s an advocate, coach, and mentor for fellow writers and plays an active role in the community as an events coordinator and community host of Writing Around Western Australia.

Relevant qualifications

Member of the Australian Society of Authors
Member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
Member of the Children's Book Council of Australia
Member of the Alliance of Independent Authors
Founder of Writing Around Western Australia
25+ Years Industry Experience in Writing and Publishing

Recent experience

Writers Write Mentorship [Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale Library Services] Fortnightly Saturdays 2024
Kids Can Make Picture Books [Town of Port Hedland & surrounds] Children's Book Week 2019 - Booked to present for the full week.
Social Media for Authors [Society of Women Writers] July 2019 & [Rockingham Writers Centre] June 2019.
Poetry Anthology Winner [Armadale Writers Group] May 2019.
Plot Storming [Rockingham Writers Centre] February 2019.
Kids Can Make Picture Books [Shire of Collie & surrounds] Children's Book Week 2018 - Booked to present for the full week.