About

Lori L. MacLaughlin is a native Vermonter who traces her love of fantasy adventure to Tolkien and Terry Brooks, finding The Lord of the Rings and The Sword of Shannara series particularly inspirational.  Her earliest imaginings began while she was growing up on her parents’ dairy farm, and they soon blossomed into full-fledged novels, if only in her head.  Then one day, her mother suggested she write down her stories, and she soon discovered what joy such an endeavor could be.

Lori has been many things over the years – tree climber, dairy farmer, clothing salesperson, kids’ shoe fitter, retail manager, medical transcriptionist, private pilot, traveler, wife and mother, Boston Red Sox and New York Giants fan, muscle car enthusiast and NASCAR fan, and a lover of all things Scottish and Irish.  She discovered in her travels that Maine has gorgeous sunrises, cruises make her seasick, and Scotland is the most beautiful place on Earth.

When Lori’s not writing (or working), she can be found curled up somewhere dreaming up more story ideas or reading or listening to music, taking long walks in the countryside, or spending time with her kids.  She lives with her family in Vermont.

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From The Liebster Award!, 11 random facts: the good, the bad, and the strange:

1: I’ve flown a Cessna 152 single engine plane.
2. I’m arachnophobic.
3. I’m a morning person.
4: I’ve always wanted to live in a castle.
5: I’m not superstitious.
6: I like to build Legos.
7: I love swords and keys.
8: I can’t stand rap music.
9: My first car was a black Pontiac Trans Am.
10: I love flower gardens.
11: My favorite stuffed animals are dragons.

From The Versatile Blogger Award!, 7 more random facts:

1. I’ve kissed the Blarney Stone.
2. I once sang as part of a backup chorus group for Judy Collins.
3. One of my favorite pastimes as a kid was climbing trees.
4. I love to do jigsaw puzzles.
5. My favorite dessert is butterscotch pudding pie with homemade graham cracker crust and whipped cream.
6. My favorite song is Come Sail Away by Styx.
7. I believe in fairies.

From a second Liebster Award!, another 11 random facts:

1: I’m my own handyman. I had a great teacher: my Dad.
2. I love to draw maps to go with my stories.
3. Spring is my favorite season.
4: I tend to be a hermit and enjoy doing things by myself.
5: My favorite breed of dog is a little black Scottish terrier.
6: I once bartered with the natives for an amber necklace and bracelet in the Dominican Republic.
7: I love the sound of rain on the roof at night.
8: One of my favorite books when I was learning to read was The Large and Growly Bear.
9: I used to love watching The A-Team on TV.
10: I’ve taken computers apart and successfully installed new components.
11: I think dusting is the worst household chore ever.

© Lori L. MacLaughlin and Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams, 2014-2022

44 thoughts on “About”

  2. I’ve been to Scotland many, many times, but sadly they keep sending me back to the states. Regardless, from the first moment I stepped off the plane in Glasgow, I swear I thought, “I’m home.”
    I look forward to reading many more of your tales, Lori. Cheers!

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  5. Hi Lori – i saw your comment on the A to Z post today and thought your fictional characters was an interesting theme. I’m also doing the post-Challenge road trip to meet bloggers I missed during the Challenge. I read several of your character posts and enjoyed them all. You really put a lot of effort into your April Challenge! I will be back to didcover more 🙂

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  10. Hi Lori, I think your site’s got beautiful design and such interesting pieces, so I’m following! 🙂
    I really enjoy your posts and look forward to your next.
    Feel free to check out my writing about publishing: publishinginsights.org
    Sherry

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  11. I read a variety of books, but fantasy is my favourite genre. It’s also what inspired me to want to tell my own stories, although writing never came particularly naturally to me so I had to discover other ways of sharing my ideas. I’d love to check out some of your work sometime. 😀

    When I was younger I loved going to castles and had this ambition to try and visit and buy the guidebook to as many as I could. It’d be very cool to live in a castle. Scotland is a beautiful country. I like going to Fort William, near Ben Nevis. Wales around Snowdon is really nice too (I have some pictures at https://www.flickr.com/photos/115638066@N07/sets/72157645295234543/ if you’re interested). I just love that sort of scenery. Never been to Ireland though, but it’s on my list of things I’d like to do :P.

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    • You have some lovely photos there! I love castles. I drove through Wales when I vacationed in Britain many years ago and visited Conwy, Caernarfon, Chepstow, and Bodelwyddan. I went to some in Scotland, too — Edinburgh, Culzean, Cawdor, Blair, Balmoral. Drove through Fort William and the Ben Nevis area. Just beautiful!

      I’m looking for people to do advance reviews of my book. If you’re interested, I’d be happy to send you an eARC in whatever format works for you — mobi, epub, or pdf. Just let me know through the contact page. 🙂

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      • Thanks. Yeah, Conwy and Caernarfon are two places I love to visit. I’ve been to a few places in Scotland, but that was when I was quite young so I don’t remember all of it. I’ve been to Fort William the most. I remember visiting Eilean Donan – the castle in the film Highlander. It’s all really spectacular.

        Well I’m not sure how good I’ll be at writing you a review, but I can take a look and have a go if you like.

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  16. Hiya. I am very fortunate to live in Scotland and am very proud to be Scottish. I agree Scotland is def most beautiful place on earth. I am very lucky. My view from my bedroom window is of the beautfiful Ochil hills and behind them the Nevis range which is covered at snow at the moment. I live in Falkirk which has the now Iconic Kelpies in our newly created Helix park. Have u seen a picture of them? They are amazing! I really love your blog. I like writing short stories and love English lessons. I will def enjoy following your blog. Have a great day 😃

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  18. I’m also a big fan of fantasy, especially Tolkien. Fantasy is the one genre that allows me to connect with the imagination of my childhood. How wonderful it is to escape to a place of wonder and magic! I’m looking forward to reading your work!! 🙂

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  23. Hi Lori. I laughed reading through your Liebster lists – too much in common! Maybe it’s a fantasy thing – the love of Tolkien, castles, dragons, faeries, Scotland, rain on metal roofs, etc. etc. etc. So glad to have connected. 🙂

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  25. Hello.

    I am jealous about this: My first car was a black Pontiac Trans Am. Wow. when young I dreamed about Dodge Challenger, but it never came true. Anyway, I have driven on German highway at the speed of 242km/h or 150.4mi/h. Now I have a small car BMW. Here couple couple of photos about it and reindeers:

    Reindeers1 are cute

    Have a great day!

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    • Dodge Challengers are beautiful cars. I wouldn’t mind having one of those. That must be fun being able to drive on a highway with no speed limit. I drove on one of the M highways once when I visited Britain, got up to around 90 mph. Can’t drive like that in the USA without getting a speeding ticket.

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