Lori J. Torone loves everything medieval and mythical. She is an adjunct professor of Speech and English and a mom to two teenagers and one small bossy rescue dog. She thinks the best things in life are tea, and independent bookstores, and true love, all of which can break any curse.

Lori was a Staff Writer for Once Upon a Fans (OUAF), the popular fansite for the hit TV show Once Upon a Time, and wrote several essays comparing their characters to their literary counterparts. You can find links to those essays here. She also was Moderator for the OUAF panel at Enchantacon.

Lori writes mythic fantasy and has published works both independently and traditionally (links here). She is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) and Codex, and has attended Futurescapes writing workshop. In 2024 she was a finalist for the Speculative Literature Foundation’s Older Writer’s Grant.

As a middle school ELA teacher for many, many moons, Lori strongly believes in reading aloud to students of any age. Currently she is an adjunct professor in English and Speech and has taught poetry, introductory classes in effective writing and human communication, creative writing, and her favorite, Children’s Literature and Oral Expression, which is a required course for future teachers.

Lori loves Renaissance Faires — jousting is her favorite sport — and lurking in independent bookshops. Her interests include crystals, teas, and essential oils. She loves being cozy in sweaters, shawls, blankets, fuzzy socks, and fingerless gloves (in order to turn the pages of her books).

Lori splits her time between New York City and Ulster County, where she is surrounded by apple orchards. She is a mom to two teenagers and one small bossy rescue dog.