Lauren majored in English and Psychology for her Bachelor of Arts, which she obtained from the University of Cape Town in 1992. While studying for an Honours' certificate in English Literature at the University of Saskatchewan between 1993 and 1995, Lauren was a scholarship recipient and was twice named to the Dean's List.

In 1996 and 1997, she pursued Masters degrees at the University of Western Ontario, receiving a Masters in Literature and a second Masters in Journalism in 1997. At this point, she became a full-time writer.

Lauren has taught literature at the University of Western Ontario, and journalism at Langara College in BC and community centers for adult education in Richmond, BC and San Antonio, Texas. She has worked as a television reporter for the South African Broadcasting Corporation in Cape Town, South Africa, and as an interviewer for Steven Spielberg's Visual History Foundation, conducting interviews of Holocaust survivors throughout the United States and Canada.

Since 1997, Lauren has been contributing articles on a freelance basis to newspapers and magazines all over the world.