Lori L. Lake

Lori L. Lake (born February 9, 1960) is an Oregon writer, teacher, speaker, and author of mystery, drama, romance, and general fiction, most of which is about lesbian protagonists. Her work includes The Gun Series police quadrology, The Public Eye Mystery Series, four standalone drama/romances, two short story collections, the Lambda Literary finalist anthology The Milk of Human Kindness, and the World War II novel Snow Moon Rising, which won the 2007 Ann Bannon Popular Choice Award, a Golden Crown Literary Award, and The Alice B Readers Award. Lake teaches fiction writing, most recently at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis and for the Oregon Writers Colony. She frequently gives talks about the craft of writing, serves as a coach to many up-and-coming writers, and is a founding mother of The Golden Crown Literary Society.

Lake was born in Portland, Oregon, the oldest of five daughters, and spent her early years with her family in Seattle and Portland, then lived with an aunt and uncle in Tigard, Oregon, during her teen years. She graduated from Portland's Lewis and Clark College in 1983 with a double major in English and Political Science and moved to the Twin Cities shortly after. She attended Hamline University where she studied with Carol Bly and received a Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies with an emphasis on Literature and Ethics in 1989. She resided in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area until August 2009 when she moved back to Oregon. She now lives in Portland.

In recent years, Lake has become a mentor and coach to many young and aspiring writers, especially through her work at The Loft Literary Center and the Oregon Writers Colony and in her work as an organizer of writing retreats or program director of literary conferences, particularly for the Oregon Writers Colony and for the Golden Crown Literary Society. She is currently on the Board at the Oregon Writers Colony where she serves as head of the Governance Committee.

Novels

• Gun Shy: Book 1 in The Gun Series (2001)
• Ricochet in Time (2001)
• Under the Gun: Book 2 in The Gun Series (2002)
• Different Dress (2003)
• Have Gun We’ll Travel: Book 3 in The Gun Series (2005)
• Snow Moon Rising (2006)
• Like Lovers Do (2011)
• Buyer's Remorse: Book 1 in The Public Eye Series (2011)
• A Very Public Eye: Book 2 in The Public Eye Series (2012)
• Jump The Gun: Book 4 in The Gun Series (2013)
• Eight Dates: A Romance (2014)
• Adventures Unlimited (forthcoming, 2016)
• Gunpoint: Book 5 in the Gun Series (forthcoming, 2017)

Short story collections

• Stepping Out: Short Stories (2004)
• Shimmer & Other Stories (2007)

Nonfiction

• Sparking Creativity: Words of Wisdom to Inspire Your Writing Craft—Book One in The Writer's Odyssey Series (forthcoming, 2016)
• Mapping Your Novel’s Journey: Plot, Structure, and Perspective—Book Two in The Writer's Odyssey Series (forthcoming, 2017)

Anthologies

• The Milk of Human Kindness: Lesbian Authors Write about Mothers & Daughters (2004)
• Romance For Life (2006)
• Lesbians on the Loose: Crime Writers on the Lam (May 2015)
• Time's Rainbow: Writing Ourselves Back Into American History - Volume I (forthcoming, 2016)
• Time's Rainbow: Writing Ourselves Back Into World History - Volume II (forthcoming, 2017)

Story Contributions to Anthologies

• "Take Me Out" in Silence of the Loons (2005)
• "Paige" in Best Lesbian Romance (2006)
• "Jumping Over My Head" in Toe to Toe: Standing Tall and Proud (2008)
• "Den of Iniquity" in Once Upon A Crime (2009)
• "The Penthouse Birthday" in Women in Uniform: Medics & Soldiers & Cops, Oh My! (2010)
• "Den of Iniquity" in Women of the Mean Streets: Lesbian Noir (2011)
• "A Darker Side of Green" in Writes of Spring (2012)
• "An Age Old Solution" in Minnesota Crime Wave Presents Fifteen Tales of Murder, Mayhem & Suspense (2012)
• "An Age Old Solution" in Lesbians on the Loose: Crime Writers on the Lam (2015)
• "Bayard" in Time's Rainbow: Writing Ourselves Back Into History (forthcoming, 2015)

• 2016 - Golden Crown Literary Award Winner - Fiction Anthology Category co-edited with Jessie Chandler: Lesbians on the Loose: Crime Writers on the Lam
• 2014 - Rainbow Award Winner - Best Comedic Romance: Eight Dates
• 2014 - Rainbow Award Runner-Up - Best Overall Lesbian Novel: Eight Dates
• 2014 - Rainbow Award Winner - Best Comedic Romance: Eight Dates
• 2014 - Golden Crown Literary Award Finalist - Mystery/Thriller Category: Jump The Gun: Book 4 in The Gun Series
• 2013 - Rainbow Award First Runner-Up - Best Lesbian Mystery/Thriller: Jump The Gun: Book 4 in The Gun Series
• 2013 - Golden Crown Literary Award Finalist - Mystery/Thriller Category: A Very Public Eye: Book 2 in The Public Eye Mystery Series
• 2013 - Ann Bannon Popular Choice Award Finalist - A Very Public Eye: Book 2 in The Public Eye Mystery Series
• 2012 - Golden Crown Literary Award Winner - Mystery/Thriller Category: Buyer's Remorse: Book 1 in The Public Eye Mystery Series
• 2011 - Golden Crown Literary Society's Directors' Award - For service to the GCLS 2004-2011
• 2011 - USA Best Books 2011 Awards Finalist - Like Lovers Do
• 2007 - Golden Crown Literary Award Winner - Best Dramatic Fiction: Snow Moon Rising
• 2007 - Ann Bannon Popular Choice Award - Snow Moon Rising
• 2007 - Alice B Readers Award - Snow Moon Rising
• 2007 - LJ Maas Memorial Mentoring Award
• 2007 - Lesbian Fiction Readers Choice Award - Snow Moon Rising
• 2007 - Golden Crown Literary Award Finalist - Anthology Category: Romance For Life
• 2007 - Lesbian Fiction Readers Choice Award - Romance For Life
• 2006 - Golden Crown Literary Award Finalist - Mystery/Thriller Category: Have Gun We'll Travel
• 2005 - Lambda Literary Award Finalist - Anthology Category: The Milk of Human Kindness