sara laughs

Just a brief entry today, mostly to answer a question somebody asked me at the writers conference I just attended in Gig Harbor. This person wondered if the name of this website (which is also the name of my corporate entity; I’ve been a teeny tiny little S-corp for a good while) has to do with a bible story. Apparently there is such a story in the bible, with a Sara, who laughs.

The answer is, no. Absolutely, no. Nothing to do with the bible, or anything religious. I am firmly, unapologetically agnostic, and on the few occasions I consult the bible is has to do with research for something I’m writing. Agnostic, if that word has you worried, only means that I acknowledge my own limitations. I see no evidence of any kind of higher power, but admit the possibility exists, if only because the universe is so large and (for the moment at least) unknowable. I do believe, very strongly, in the separation of church and state. I believe in freedom of religion and (very specifically) in freedom from religion. I choose the latter. If that’s clear, now, I’ll tell you where the name SaraLaughs does come from:

I had to come up with a corporate name, back when the first novel came out oh so long ago now, and I didn’t want to use SaraDonati, Inc. Why? I dunno. It just didn’t sound right or feel right. So I was thinking about Sara as a kind of alterego and it occured to me that she’s always laughing when I consult her. The name popped into my head, and from there jumped onto paper, and thus you have SaraLaughs, Inc. and saralaughs.com

So I’m back home, as I said, and I see quite a few comments are waiting for me. I’ll try to answer most or all of them tomorrow.