

About Laura
FOUNDER & CEO
Dr. Laura Bush is committed to transforming the world through mission-driven books. In 2012, she founded Peacock Proud Press, an independent book publishing company that empowers authors to change the world with their words. With a PhD in English from Arizona State University and 30+ years of teaching people how to write, Laura has guided hundreds of sought-after speakers, successful entrepreneurs, corporate and community leaders, and memoirists to write and publish high-quality, nonfiction books.
Laura’s own book, Faithful Transgressions in the American West: Six Twentieth-Century Mormon Women’s Autobiographical Acts (Utah State University Press, 2004) is a ground-breaking work of literary criticism that grew out of her doctoral studies in memoir writing. She has published non-scholarly and scholarly articles in peer-reviewed journals.
Meet the
Peacock Proud Team
Wendy Ledger
EDITOR AND TRANSCRIPTIONIST
Wendy earned a BA in French and English, graduating magna cum laude from Tufts University. She received an MA in creative writing from San Francisco University and taught introductory creative writing there. She has been a transcriptionist since 1989 and has been certified as an editor through the UC Berkeley Extension Professional Sequence in Editing program. Wendy worked for two years as the editor of The Perstorian, an organizational newsletter for the Association of Personal Historians. She edits both fiction and nonfiction. She began working as an editor and transcriber for Peacock Proud Press in 2017 and has edited 25+ books and counting for Peacock Proud Press authors.
Wendy is the author of seven books of fiction—two middle-novels, one talking-cat fantasy series, and a cozy mystery. She lives with her husband and their three cats in the California Gold Country.
Charles Grosel
GHOSTWRITER AND EDITOR
An editor, writer, and poet, Charles Grosel lives in Arizona with his wife, Wendy, and their two dogs. Charles has put over 30 years in writing and publishing, with experience as an editor, writer, ghostwriter, copy editor, proofreader, and teacher. In that time, Charles has written and edited everything from books to blogs. Recently he has concentrated on working one-on-one with clients—sometimes as a ghostwriter, sometimes as an editor—to help them get their stories on the page. Client books include business guides, self-help manuals, and personal memoirs.
Charles has a passion for the sentence and can’t let a bad one go by. He also has an innate feel for how all the elements of good writing—language, rhythm, dialogue, exposition, tone, organization, and dramatic action—work to create the magic of the finished book. In addition to his work with other writers, Charles is a published poet and fiction writer. His chapbook of poems, The Sound of Rain Without Water, came out in 2020.
Dr. Taryn Blanchard
GHOSTWRITER AND EDITOR
Dr. Taryn Blanchard is an anthropologist, researcher, and certified business ghostwriter. She has a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Toronto and over 10 years of professional writing and editing experience. Taryn spent several years in the non-profit sector working on issues of free expression, privacy, and access to information. After stints as a reservist in the Canadian Armed Forces and an intelligence analyst at a private investigation firm, Taryn entered the field of career and workforce development. She ghostwrites for academic, small business, and corporate leaders.
Her own writing can be found in such publications as the Toronto Star, Policy Options, and Careering magazine. Taryn is the co-author of The Canadian Guide to Hiring Veterans and editor of Workforce Architecture magazine.
Jana Linnell
DESIGNER
Jana Linnell has over 25 years of experience working as a graphic designer and artist. Before starting her design career, Jana worked in management for several retail outlets. Upon graduating from the University of Utah with a BFA, she worked for the Salt Lake City Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games of 2002. As a member of the “Look of the Games” department, she designed, managed, and installed graphics for the Salt Lake Ice Center, Olympic and Paralympic Medals Plaza, and the Olympic and Paralympic Athletes Village. Jana also designed the Athlete Medals for the Paralympic Winter Games. After four years with the Olympics, Jana was hired as the Design Manager for the International Department, and then as the Event Design Manager for Stampin’ Up!, a paper-crafting company.
Jana has been designing books for Peacock Proud Press authors since 2019.
Jena Gribble
DESIGNER
Jena Gribble is the founder and Creative Director of Blush Cactus. She’s also a StoryBrand Certified Guide and a Level C Certified Brand Strategist. Jena helps businesses build badass brands that get them out of limbo with marketing that actually works. She is the creative force behind rebranding Peacock Proud Press (one of her favorite projects to date) and now designs book covers and websites for Peacock Proud Press authors.
Jena earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of North Dakota and has 16 years of experience branding and marketing national brands (e.g., Alice’s Table, Maxi-Cosi, Safety 1st), as well as up-and-coming brands (e.g., Wilderness Athlete and The Ideal Life). She’s also a dog mom, wife, and coffee lover with an annoying habit of reading too many books at one time.
Gloria Carmer
Executive Assistant
Gloria Carmer has worked as an Executive Assistant to the Director of Audit at a world class firm. At a previous firm, she trained employees in MS Word and Excel before becoming an SQL programmer who managed the firm’s CRM software. She also owned her own consulting business in the use of MS Office Suite products. At Peacock Proud Press, Gloria performs administrative tasks, manages our database, and assists at in-person events.
Amber White
Virtual Assistant
Amber is a freelance administrative professional with over nine years of experience in marketing, graphic design, copywriting, office management and executive-level leadership across a variety of industries. She graduated with a BA in Literature from UNC Asheville and is very happy to be bringing her love for books to the Peacock Proud Press team.
Most recently, Amber is the founder and host of the podcast, “Now I See: Eye Opening Stories from the Formerly Faithful.” Outside of work and her show, Amber loves to cook, read, and pal around with her senior Beagle, Josie.
What does it mean to be peacock proud?
We aim to ensure that you’ll be “peacock proud” of the book you publish with Peacock Proud Press.


Let’s start with the peacock
Over centuries, the peacock has been associated with royalty, beauty, charisma, and elegance, symbolizing many things in a variety of cultures.
Ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians, for example, believed that seeing a peacock was a gift from the gods and meant you were destined for good fortune. The peacock is India’s national bird. Many families display peacock feathers as symbols of prosperity and health. Hindus and Buddhists also worship the peacock as sacred. In Chinese culture, peacocks are viewed as a supernatural Phoenix associated with rebirth and rejuvenation. Similarly, in some Christian traditions, peacocks are thought to be birds that God has blessed to never decay, even after it dies.
Flannery O’Connor, one of the finest American short story writers of the twentieth century, owned 50+ peacocks on her farm in Milledgeville, Georgia. She wrote a profound and hilarious essay about “The King of the Birds.” Throughout her stories, the peacock’s display of its remarkable plumage symbolizes the transfiguration of Christ. In other cases, it symbolizes the magnificent universe with its infinite stars and planets.
For us, the regal peacock ultimately represents that moment when you stand just a little taller because your dream of writing a quality book has been fulfilled. It’s that moment when your words—your book—become immortal.
When we say you’ll be peacock proud of your book…
WE’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT BEING ARROGANT, BETTER-THAN, HAUGHTY, OR HIGH FALUTIN’.
We’re talking about the kind of pride that happens as a result of a well-earned accomplishment and well-deserved recognition for writing a book that people actually want to buy, read, and recommend.


Publishing a book with Peacock Proud Press
MEANS you’ve created an engaging, high quality book with a laser-focused message and valuable content.
Going through the writing, editing, and/or publishing process with us will show you what you’re made of—and the greatness you have to offer. As a result, your own personal transformation is like rocket fuel for your self-confidence, empowering you to share your message widely and change people’s lives for good.
We’re peacock proud of our authors
Given all that, it probably won’t surprise you that we’re peacock proud of our authors and their books. We look forward to being peacock proud of yours, too!
Free download
5 Things Every Author Needs to Know
to Write and Publish a Bad@ss Book

