Good Girl

Laura Jensen Walker was always a good girl.

Growing up in the Midwest in the 1960s, she was a polite, straight-A student who respected her elders, went to church on Sunday, and never gave her parents any trouble. She was the poster child for good girls everywhere. Until one fateful night in a fraternity house changed everything.

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About the Book

Laura Jensen Walker was always a good girl. Growing up in the Midwest in the 1960s, she was a polite, straight-A student who respected her elders, went to church on Sunday, and never gave her parents any trouble. Bookworm Laura was the poster child for good girls everywhere. Until one fateful night in a college fraternity house.

A dreamer and optimist who always bounced back quickly from disappointments and hard times, Laura buried the memory of the-thing-that-must-not-be-named. After that awful night, she plunged headlong into life, joining the Air Force and flying a typewriter across Europe in an exciting, death-defying job as a clerk-typist.

This is the journey of a “good-girl-gone-bad-gone-good-again” and her search for belonging and acceptance, with funny and not-so-funny detours through boot camp, Britain, book-burning, breast cancer, and born-again evangelicals. Ultimately, it’s a story of resilience. Victory. And healing.

Details

Author: Laura Jensen Walker
Genres: Memoir, Non-Fiction
Tag: Featured Books
Publisher: The Lab Publishers
Publication Year: 2022
ASIN: B09ZJRKPQZ
ISBN: 9798985940701

“GOOD GIRL is that rare find—a memoir of tough times that is neither harrowing nor saccharine but rather brutally honest, sharply intelligent, courageous, clear-sighted, and even funny. Yes, you will boil with sympathetic rage, but the smooth-as-silk writing turns every page into a pleasure and Laura Walker’s indomitable spirit will make you stand up and cheer.”

– Catriona McPherson, bestselling author of the Dandy Gilver series

“Loved it! My hand was on my heart as I read. This is the best, most honest writing Laura Jensen Walker has ever done.”

– Annette Smith, bestselling author of <em>Whispers of Angels</em>

“Anne Lamott meets Erma Bombeck… Laura Jensen Walker’s page-turning story is an amazing combination of inspiring, hilarious, and heartwarming...”

– The Reverend Jane A. Willan, Senior Pastor of First Church West Hartford and author of the Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn Mystery series

“A marvelous book! A mix of funny, snarky, poignant, self-deprecating, and deadly serious when it needs to be.”

– Becky Johnson, bestselling author/coauthor of more than sixty books

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Laura Jensen Walker

I’ve loved words ever since I read 103 books in Miss Vopelensky’s first-grade class. That’s when I first dreamed of becoming a writer. My dream came true many years later when my first book was published at the age of forty.

I took a decade-long sabbatical from publishing to work for the State of California, but now I’m happily “retired” from the 9-to-5 and writing full-time again. I write in several genres—an author pal dubbed me a genre butterfly. What can I say? The ideas come fast and furious from all directions and when the muse speaks, I listen.

In 2020, my first mystery, the Amazon bestselling, Agatha-nominated Murder Most Sweet released, followed in quick succession by Deadly Delights and Hope, Faith & a Corpse. The Lefty-nominated Death of a Flying Nightingale, set in WWII England, is my historical fiction debut. This book shines a spotlight on an overlooked group of women heroes—The Flying Nightingales—who risked their lives flying into combat zones to evacuate the wounded. I had the great privilege of interviewing the last remaining Flying Nightingale for my foray into historical fiction.

My latest lighthearted mystery, The Alphabet Sleuths features four women of a certain age, and has been described as The Thursday Murder Club meets The Golden Girls. I’m thrilled to say that my second WWII historical, The Postmistress of Puddlington, released in August 2026, and The Pilgrimage of Primrose Honeychurch, my women’s fiction debut, comes out in October. Meanwhile, I’m juggling several new book ideas—more to come!

Laura is represented by Vicky Weber at Creative Media Agency.

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