Laura Pedersen

Laura Pedersen is an American author and playwright. She worked at American Stock Exchange before writing her first book, Play Money.

Early life and education
Pedersen is the only child of John and Ellen Pedersen. She grew up in Amherst, New York, and secured a 4-year BS degree in Finance at New York University's Stern School of Business in New York City in 1987. She worked as a clerk at the American Stock Exchange when she was 18, and had a seat on the exchange at age 20, at that time the youngest person to do so. She received an honorary doctorate degree from Canisius College in 2013.

Career
In 1991 Pedersen and F. Peter Model wrote a book, Play Money, about her time at the American Stock Exchange. She was a columnist for The New York Times from 1995 to 2002. In 2001–2002 she hosted a finance show, Your Money & Your Life, on the Oxygen channel. She has authored numerous books in both fiction and non-fiction categories. Pedersen is currently the President of The Authors Guild Foundation.

Non-fiction books

 * Play Money (1991)
 * Buffalo Gal: A Memoir (2008) ISBN 1555916929
 * Buffalo Unbound: A Celebration (2010) ISBN 1555917356
 * Planes, Trains, And Auto-Rickshaws: A Journey Through Modern India (2012) ISBN 155591618X
 * Life In New York: How I Learned To Love Squeegee Men, Token Suckers, Trash Twister, and Subway Sharks (2015) ISBN 1936218151
 * A Theory of Everything Else: Essays (2020) ISBN 9781631527371
 * It's Come to This: A Pandemic Diary (2021) ISBN 9781736736203

Fiction books

 * Going Away Party (2001) ISBN 1586540106
 * Beginner's Luck (Book One in The Hallie Palmer Series) (2003)
 * Last Call (2003) ISBN 0345461916
 * Heart's Desire (Book Two in The Hallie Palmer Series) (2005) ISBN 0345479556
 * The Big Shuffle (Book Three in The Hallie Palmer Series) (2006) ISBN 0345479564
 * Best Bet (Book Four in The Hallie Palmer Series) (2009) ISBN 1440170177
 * Fool's Mate (2011) ISBN 1463652887

Short story

 * The Sweetest Hours (2006) ISBN 1419616897

Children's books

 * Unplugged: Ella Gets Her Family Back (2012) ISBN 9780884483373
 * Ava's Adventure (2014) ISBN 9780884483885
 * Wanda's Better Way (2017) ISBN 9781682750148
 * Dana Digs In (2020) ISBN 9798638193270

Dramas

 * For Heaven's Sake!
 * A Dozen Perfect Moments
 * Living Arrangements
 * This Will All Be Yours
 * The Brightness of Heaven
 * Community Service
 * Second Acts
 * A Child's Christmas in Buffalo
 * A Tale of Two Blizzards