Laurien Papa
Stories about reinvention, love, and the moments that change everything.
Author of Swing State · Creator of the comedy series Unmatched
Co-Founder of The Bridge for Women
About Me
Laurien Papa is a novelist and television creator who tells bold, emotional stories about reinvention, second chances, and the humor found in life's chaos. Her work spans novels, television, and film, blending romance, honesty, and unapologetic truth. Raised in New Jersey and now based in Naples, Florida, Laurien began her storytelling career on stage before studying acting in New York and Florida, including training with Burt Reynolds. Her background in comedy, improv, and film shaped her distinct voice, making it heartfelt, funny, and fearless. Her debut novel, Swing State (Rebeca Books), was released May 11, 2026, and she is currently developing her comedy series Unmatched, filmed in Southwest Florida. Alongside her writing, Laurien is a co-founder of The Bridge for Women, a nonprofit supporting women rebuilding their lives, where she leads a writing workshop helping survivors turn their experiences into stories.
Fun Facts:
- Fueled by strong coffee and 90s rom-coms
- Once played "Dead Woman #3" in a crime reenactment show
- Has eight kids and remembers most of their names
- Motto: "It's never too late to become who you were meant to be."
CURRENT projects
Swing State
Novel · Rebeca Books · 2026
On screen, Jacquie Preston plays the woman everyone wants to be. At home, behind the doors of a West Palm Beach mansion, she's spent years learning to make herself small, managing a husband whose control tightens a little more each year.
All Jacquie does anymore is apologize. For wanting things. For taking up space. For existing too loudly in her own home. Then a single night cracks something open... and for the first time, she lets herself imagine a version of her life she was never supposed to want.
Swing State is a story about marriage and betrayal, reinvention and awakening, about the cost of staying, the danger of leaving, and the moment a woman decides she is allowed to begin again. Inspired by the author's own life, it's the first novel in a series exploring power, desire, and the long road back to oneself...
Order Swing State
Unmatched
Comedy Series · In Development
After a very public fall from grace, former news anchor Elizabeth "Liz" Rossi moves in with her three brothers and reluctantly reenters the modern dating world. Between disastrous first dates, unsolicited family advice, and a bruised ego, Liz begins the messy work of rebuilding her life.
Unmatched is a warm, sharp comedy about midlife reinvention, resilience after betrayal, female friendship, and the absurdity of online dating, where starting over is anything but dignified. Think...I Love Lucy meets Modern Family.
The Bridge
The Bridge
Co-Founder · Southwest Florida
Laurien is a co-founder of The Bridge for Women, a nonprofit offering free, trauma-informed peer support and healing workshops for women leaving or rebuilding after abusive relationships. She leads Words Set Free, a writing workshop where survivors turn their stories into something lasting.
Contact Me: Laurien@Laurienpapa.com
I write about reinvention.
Women standing at the threshold between the life they've been living and the dream. My work moves between the contemporary and the speculative, the intimate and the disruptive, but it always asks the same question: what does it cost to begin again, and what does it cost not to?
I tell stories about strong, flawed, unforgettable women, and the choices they make that change everything.
Send me a message, and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Laurien Papa
