What We Do...
Lawley Publishing is dedicated to producing clean, uplifting, inspiring children’s literature that enhances natural curiosity, empowers imagination, and ignites the magic of childhood. We strive to connect with children on a fun and fundamental level through producing books they love to read, relate with, and can grow from.
We diligently seek out artists—both authors and illustrators—who create magic through word and art and are also committed to enriching children through top-notch literature. We work to stretch the boundaries of traditional publishing by allowing more author involvement throughout the publishing process. And, instead of only accepting polished gems, we see the potential diamonds and go above and beyond to support and work hand-in-hand with our authors to create masterpieces.
We at Lawley promise an author and artist experience unlike most in the industry and to provide books parents can trust and children will love.
Our Story...
Carrie and Lara first connected through a shared fascination with fairies. One thing led to another, and pretty soon they had the spark of an idea. That spark powered their collective imagination, and what started small became a wonderful partnership, an incredible adventure story, and the beginning of their very own world: Poppenohna Land.
If you ask them, they’ll tell you that every step since their meeting has been guided by inspiration. And that’s probably true, but it's their talents, determination, and love for children that fuel them. That’s why efforts at producing empowering, clean literature for children is such a driving force behind everything Lawley does.
The simple question “What if?” started them on this grand adventure . . . wait until you see where it leads to next!
Our Staff...
Stephanie Morris
Marketing Consultant
​Stephanie Morris graduated in advertising from Brigham Young University, where she developed a love for graphic design and a knack for writing anything from slogans to website content to full-length novels. She has worked in marketing in a variety of capacities ever since then and even aided multiple small businesses in their advertising efforts just for fun. Stephanie has also served on the board of directors for the American Night Writers Association, an international writing organization, for the past three years, most recently as the Conference Chair for their annual conference. She lives in Gilbert, Arizona (crazy, I know), where she beats the heat by writing—passionately, practicing yoga—devotedly, making (and, of course, eating) chocolate chip cookies—meticulously, laughing with her humorous husband—repeatedly, and hanging at the pool with her kids—non-embarrassingly. She is ecstatic to be part of the Lawley Publishing family and promoting one of her passions: books!
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Shawna Della Cerra
Educational Consultant
Shawna lives in Gilbert, Arizona with her six-year-old son, and believes that one can never be overdressed for any occasion. Though Shawna has various cell phone cases, she can’t pass up the opportunity to add to her collection of vintage telephones. Shawna’s favorite things include spending time with her son, vacationing at her family cabin, and decorating her home for the holidays. After fifteen years of teaching second and third grade, along with seven years as a reading coach, Shawna currently supports K-6 teachers at two schools within the Gilbert Public School District as an instructional coach. Shawna has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Arizona State University and a master’s in Curriculum Development from Northern Arizona University. She also holds various certificates and endorsements, including K-12 Reading Specialist, School Library Media Specialist, Structured English Immersion, and Early Childhood. Shawna is a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership and is looking forward to graduating with her EdD from Northern Arizona University in May of 2021. From a struggling reader as a child to soon-to-be Dr. Della Cerra, Shawna is hopeful her life-long learning will continue supporting children, as well as parents and educators in their literacy development and instruction.
Kaeti Spanbauer
Marketing Assistant
Kaeti Spanbauer has a passion for marketing, public relations, social media management, and photography. When she’s not working, you can find her spending time with her loving husband. Together they love to travel, longboard, and cook delicious food. Kaeti also loves to learn and try new things, and is currently taking on the challenge of learning a new language. She finds it a joy to be part of the Lawley team and have the privilege to promote wonderful books for children.
Zale McGee
Acquisitions Manager/Staff Photographer
Born and raised in Arizona, Zale McGee lives in Mesa with her husband and three lively children. She is the owner of Zale Amaya Photography. Forever an artist at heart, she enjoys working with natural light to capture the beauty of the moment. Her photography journey began in high school and has developed into a flourishing photography business with a focus on individual and family portraits. When she’s not behind the camera, she can be found teaching High Fitness classes, spending time with her family, or snuggling up with a good book. She loves taking newborn pictures of Lawley Publishing’s new books, and we love sharing them with her. https://zaleamayaphotography.wixsite.com/zaphoto
Sky Nuttall
Editor
Sky Nuttall is a passionate and meticulous professional editor. She is a desert-loving Arizonian transplant that has a keen eye for grammar. Sky and her husband frequently tease that she is the one person in about a million who gets giddy about grammar and secretly notices every editing error in social media posts, texts, emails, and even greeting cards. Sky loves language and thoroughly enjoys her career in editing. She is passionate about helping authors reach their publication goals by providing them with quality editing and feedback on their books. Sky enjoys interacting with authors all over the globe as they collaborate and work together to make their publication the very best that it can be. She is a continual learner and works hard to keep her skills sharp and up to date in order to provide authors with the very best editing and style experience. Sky loves spending time with her husband and three littles and has quite the weakness when it comes to cookies. She loves photography and kayaking the Salt River with her family.
Debbie Despain
Editor
Debbie lives with her husband and kids in Gilbert, Arizona, and has an unnatural obsession for Harry Potter, Diet Coke, chocolate, and Hawaii. Her writing experience includes eight novels, award-winning short stories, and freelance work for various publications before she switched over to editing. It has become a great love of hers! Debbie has experience editing nearly every genre and loves to help her clients perfect their beloved story into a masterpiece.
Chris Lewis
Copy Editor
Chris just has an eye for words that look wrong or out of place. A former journalist and newspaper editor, Chris has since been working in the music industry for the last thirty-four years. He is happy to have this opportunity to use his editing skills again for these terrific children's stories. Chris lives in Gilbert, AZ (this seems like a theme) with his wife of twenty-one years and two daughters (seventeen and nineteen). He loves to travel (especially cruises), spend time with friends (playing Canasta), and anything sports-related. He is a native New Yorker, a graduate of Arizona State University (B.A. Human Communication), and Grand Chorus Manager (and member of the Tenor 2 section) of the East Valley Millennial Choir.