Bio

Lori Gurtman

Lori was born in Long Island, New York. At age seven, her family moved to a small town outside Boston, Massachusetts. With awkward stares from her peers during the first few weeks of school, Lori struggled to find her way in a new community and make friends. The iconic author, Judy Blume, helped her get through this awkward transition.

Devouring book after book, Lori soon realized she wasn’t the only one trying to fit in. Her childhood eventually took a turn for the better, but it was her love of fiction, getting lost inside her favorite characters’ lives that has continued to serve as her ideal escape.

Sitting for hours behind an IBM PC in high school, Lori wrote creative stories for her English classes. Some were good; some were not. Nonetheless, she enjoyed letting her imagination run wild. After graduating with a BA in political science from Tulane University, she moved to New York City, put her love of writing on hold, and went on to earn a master’s degree in teaching social studies with a concentration in history.

Lori spent a few years teaching, and although she enjoyed it, she decided to stay home after the birth of her daughter. Following in similar footsteps from her own childhood, Lori and her husband decided to uproot their family, moving their nine-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son from New Jersey to Aspen, Colorado.

A year later, Lori and a friend started a blog called High on Aspen, sharing with their readers all of their favorite places to eat, shop, and play in town. Lori’s passion for writing had been reignited, and after practicing her new craft for two years, she decided to focus her energies on a full-length novel.

When Lori isn’t writing, she spends her free time reading, hiking, skiing, biking, and hanging with her kids, husband, dog, and friends.