The story starts at Altoona High School in 2000. Laura Bossi is an AP (advanced placement) and honors student with a passion for the arts. 

“When I was a student, being honors/AP didn’t afford a lot of leeway for the creative arts,” Bossi said. “The few art-related classes I squeezed in were definitely where I was happiest.  I loved the time I got to spend in the ceramics lab, which led to me doing several independent study classes at Dickinson College in wheelwork pottery and raku firing.… During study time and every lunch, I could usually be found in the school library, where I was either writing or drawing.  I also had a tendency to get reprimanded in class for drawing.  I think one teacher even brought it up during parent-teacher conferences.  That was always kind of hilarious to me because they were all classes I had A’s in.”

After high school, Bossi went on to pursue her education at three colleges. 

“I sort of became a professional student for a while,” Bossi said. “I don’t say that as a bad thing; I’m a life-long learner and pursued my education at three very different institutions.  Round number one was Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa where I received my BA in East Asian/Japanese Studies, which included a semester abroad in Nagoya, Japan.  Round number two included three Professional Degree Certificates in Footwear Design, Technology and CAD/CAM from Leicester College in England.  For round number three, I attended DigiPen Institute of Technology, the game industry’s school, out in Redmond, Wa, where I worked on my BFAA (Bachelor of Fine Arts and Animation).”

Although Bossi is an author and graphic designer, from 2006 – 2014 she owned a company as well. 

“I owned my own sneaker company, Onmyodo Footwear,” Bossi said. “All the design work was based on Japanese imagery, and we had full sales-floor booths at quite a few anime conventions.  We even had our shoes on several Japanese bands which was pretty cool.  I managed all the design, sales and marketing.  We survived the big economic collapse in 2008, but the toll on the footwear industry eventually forced us to close the door. I keep the memory alive with a designated section on my portfolio where you can view all the shoes and related Onmyodo work.”

In 2006, Bossi also worked as a graphic designer. 

“During the Onmyodo years, I was also an in-house graphic designer for a medical device company where I was basically their public ‘face’ for nearly a decade,” Bossi said. “I created everything from their trade show booths and marketing materials to the website and even the user interface for the device itself.” 

In 2014, Bossi made the switch to freelance work, including private art commissions or graphic design.

“Some clients are pretty specific about what they’re after while others give me almost full creative control,” Bossi said. “I also sell my personal art at local shows/markets and via my webstore.  I’d like to say that being a published author is a job, but it’s more like a really expensive hobby that takes up more time than my paid work.” 

Bossi is currently writing a book series entitled “The Enpirion Project.” However, she never planned on being an author. 

“Becoming an author was a whole other thing and definitely nothing that I planned.  During my time at DigiPen, I had a week-long series of incredibly vivid dreams that would eventually become The Enpirion Project.  It turned into an absolute obsession and took up basically all of my non-school related work time,” Bossi said. 

Bossi didn’t just want to write. She wanted to include her art as well. 

“I was constantly sketching the characters and the world that I’d been introduced to (art school is the one place you don’t get yelled at for drawing in class),” Bossi said. “After a while, I began to listen to the story I was being told and to write it down.  Being an artist at heart, there was no way a book was going to happen without art being somehow involved.  Over a thousand drawings later, I’ve got two published books and the third in the trilogy is coming out soon.  All of the books contain over 200 illustrations and multiple paintings. The first book has won two awards.” 

“The Enpirion Project” has more to it than what meets the eye. 

“ The Enpirion Project is high fantasy.  But, while a fantasy setting is the backdrop, the story itself is very character driven and focuses on a lot of different issues from mental health to interpersonal relationships, things that everyone can relate to and connect with on some level,” Bossi said.  “As I mentioned, they’re all illustrated and the artwork is fully integrated into the text, which is designed around it.  The books are also LGBT+ and have received a lot of praise for the normalizing of the main characters’ relationship.”

Bossi has two messages she hopes her works convey to readers. 

“One of the main things that my books hopefully convey is that it’s OK to not be OK,” Bossi said.  “Everyone has their story and something they’re working through.  Those things affect us, and they affect those around us.  Check in with people, offer them support and compassion without judgment, even if you can’t understand what they’re going through.  Sometimes just having someone tell you ‘I’m here’ is enough. The other message that I hope my books get across is acceptance. It’s so important to celebrate our differences and uniqueness.”

Throughout her career, Bossi has faced many challenges. 

“Over the years, I’ve navigated a lot of challenging situations covering a pretty wide range of issues,” Bossi said. “I dealt with Chinese business trips using a translator and had to work my way through misogyny and discrimination as a 20-something ‘kid’ trying to do business.  One of the most enraging situations, funny enough, was an executive telling me they needed trade show materials as soon as possible, designed from scratch, at 5 p.m. on a Friday.” 

However, none of these difficulties are the biggest challenge Bossi has faced. 

“I think probably my biggest challenge was in getting my first book published,” Bossi said. “Saying I got industry pushback is putting it mildly. I spent nearly two years trying to find an agent to represent me and trying to get a publishing house to pick me up, all without success.  I have a folder that I jokingly refer to as the ‘Folder of Shame’ that’s nothing but rejection letters, over 50 of them. And while some of them are copy/paste generic;, some of them are pretty vicious and personal.  The one common thread though was that no one would touch me because the book was illustrated.  It took a lot of stubbornness and willpower to not get depressed and give up.  My ‘favorite’ rejection letter told me that if I wanted to be taken seriously as a writer, I should remove the artwork because only children’s books were illustrated.  Way to insult the entire graphic novel and comic industry.”  

This letter was the catalyst for the next part of Bossi’s journey. 

“That letter wound up being the final straw and drove me to research self-publishing which was the route I eventually pursued,” Bossi said. “ I still keep that thing hanging on my wall as a reminder to never give up.  I would absolutely love to have a traditional house pick me up, but I would never change my decision to self-publish, which allowed me to retain full creative freedom and really define what the books are.”

Although she has many things to feel proud of, Bossi is most proud of her books. 

“The years it has taken and the amount of work to bring them to life has been crazy,” Bossi said. “I’ve been working on them, in one way or another, since 2015.  Between the book illustrations, concept work, random drawings and paintings, etc., there are well over a thousand pieces of art.  Dealing with the marketing, building the website, actually writing the story and designing the physical books and putting them together, doing shows and events.  It’s been a massive labor of love.”

Although she is most proud of her books, Bossi is also proud of Onmyo. 

“Onmyodo will always be near and dear to my heart, “Bossi said. “I can’t even explain the feeling when the factory sent over the very first sample shoes based on my designs and we opened that box. I did everything, from designing the soles and inserts to the uppers… those babies were 100% me. Seeing your designs come to life is pretty indescribable.”

Science teacher Paula Irwin is a neighbor and friend of Bossi. 

“[Laura] She is really smart,” Irwin said. “She is very unique, kind of eccentric and obviously very artistically talented…She’s very well rounded. [Bossi] has had some health problems, but despite all  that she still manages to be very creative and put forth effort in her various projects.”

It hasn’t always been easy for Bossi, but she has never given up being grateful and spreading positivity.

“I’ve managed to go through a lot of what I’ve talked about with a pretty debilitating health condition,” Bossi said. “And I’d encourage anyone who also suffers from any sort of chronic condition to not let it stand in your way and hurt your dreams.  I know how hard it can be to remain positive and motivated, but it’s so important to try to find the joy in what you have and what you can do when you put your mind to it.  And always be grateful, especially for the little things.”