Lori R. Lopez is an award-winning author and poet of Horror, Speculative and Literary Fiction, Fantasy and more. She is also an artist, musician, songwriter, actress, filmmaker, tree-hugger, activist, vegan, and animal-lover. Lori roamed graveyards as a kid and conducted funerals for dead birds, squirrels, insects and spiders. Her offbeat books include The Dark Mister Snark, Leery Lane, An Ill Wind Blows, The Room At The End Of The Hall, Darkverse: The Shadow Hours, Odds & Ends, The Strange Tail Of Oddzilla, The Fairy Fly, the Poetic Reflections Book Series, and The Witchhunt.
A member of the Horror Writers Association (HWA), Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA), and Lewis Carroll Society Of North America (LCSNA), Lori has been nominated for an Elgin Award, a Finalist in the Kindle Book Awards, and received multiple top honors from other competitions including the Royal Dragonfly Book Awards and San Diego Book Awards for prose, poetry, and artwork. Five of her poems were nominated for Rhysling Awards.
Stories and verse have appeared in Weirdbook, The Horror Zine, The Sirens Call, Space & Time Magazine, Spectral Realms, JOURN-E, Impspired, Bewildering Stories, Oddball Magazine, Terror Tract, Altered Reality Magazine, and anthologies such as California Screamin’ (the Foreword Poem), HWA Poetry Showcase Volumes (II, III, V and VI), Journals Of Horror, Grey Matter Monsters, Dead Harvest, Fearful Fathoms I, Terror Train I and II, Cellar Door III: Animals (Editor’s Choice Award winner), Trickster’s Treats #3, Speculations III (Weird Poets Society), Undead Legacy, Bones II, Ghosts: Revenge, Mirages: Tales From Authors Of The Macabre, Darlings Of Decay, Masters Of Horror: Damned If You Don’t, and In Darkness We Play.
Do you enjoy quirkiness? Peculiar art? Absurd nonsense? New words? Humorous offbeat characters and tales? Fantastical creatures and poetic narration? Dark and light verse? Speculative Fiction with Horror, Suspense, Comedy, Science Fiction, Fantasy, or other genres blended to a mad concoction? Then you’re in the right place! Peek at the wonders and weirdos. Watch where you stand and step . . . be careful of the oddities roaming about. There are quite a few, which strangely means a lot, not a little. I hope you enjoy your visit to my Page. It’s really very nice here. There is Basket-Weaving on Tuesdays, and Thumb Twiddling on the weekends. Visitor Hours are indefinite, and the walls are pleasantly padded for your protection.
Lori & Mister Snark!
I wear a lot of hats, literally and otherwise. I write and illustrate books for many ages, from adults down to little kids, primarily Speculative Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy, often containing humor. The list includes novels, short story collections, poetry collections, storybooks and more in both print and E-book formats. Some of my favorite themes are conservation, anti-bullying, peace, the rights of animals and children. I’ve recently become vegan, after being a vegetarian before it was fashionable in most of the U.S. (it is now, you just might not know it). For years I was the only vegetarian I knew.
My stories and verse have been published in numerous anthologies, magazines, and on websites including Hellnotes.com and Halloween Forevermore. I have been interviewed and featured on various sites, among them Horror Addicts and Promote Horror.com for Women In Horror Month 2015.
I wrote many songs in the Eighties and Nineties. In 2015 my sons and I formed a band called The Fairyflies to finally start recording and releasing them. We have also been working together on video and film projects. You can see our author readings, improv films, music videos and more on our Films Page. Also on or linked to the Fairy Fly Entertainment YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/fairyflyent
My Inklings
A whirlwind of ambitious (eccentric) notions, fixated with being original, I consider myself a born jester and have known since very small my destiny would be to create and entertain. During the journey I developed a strong sense of who I am as an artistic individual and have endeavored to stand up for my principles in all things, creative and otherwise. I’ve learned that failure more than success can help shape who we are . . . but success is living on our terms as much as possible, and not giving up. According to that, I’m a success! (According to fame or fortune, I am still confused for Anonymous. The writer, not the group of hackers.)
I am a person who cares deeply about the world, about Nature and Humanity, about the past and present as well as the future of our planet. Much of my work, whatever the medium, has been dedicated to improving our social and ecological environment. A lifelong animal-lover, I became a Vegetarian at age fifteen and believed it easier to say no when offered alcohol, tobacco, and drugs than to damage my health. It made me proud when both sons decided to become Vegetarian as well in Two Thousand Nine. My oldest son Noél turned Vegan in Twenty Twelve; my younger son and I officially joined him as Vegans in Twenty Fifteen. I am an advocate of peace, justice, conservation, and helping those in need including victims of abuse. Some of my heroes are Doris Day, Princess Diana, Steve Irwin, Mackenzie Phillips, Angela Shelton, and Geri Small-Graham. Also my sons Noél and Rafael Lopez. Noél for his talents, intellect, creativity, and emotions. Rafael for his talents, imagination, kindness, and courage. He is a shining example of a hero.
I love books, music, and films. I also love my sons. It means so much that they share my creative interests, as well as my concerns about animals and the planet. I always want to be as positive an example for them as they are for me. I tried to put my children first and homeschooled them Grades K through 12. Over the years my creativity has been expressed by penning ballads, verse and poetic prose; painting; nurturing and supporting the talents of my sons. At last we are able to combine our talents to present a variety of projects to the world. I have waited a long time for such an opportunity.
In 2009 I became active as an advocate against abuse. Being a survivor myself, I was inspired to join “We Support Mackenzie Phillips’ Decision To Speak Out Against Abuse” on Facebook, then Angela Shelton’s “Army Of Angels”. It changed my life to meet other survivors and listen to their stories. I believe that speaking up and speaking out is the best form of healing, the best way to prevent such tragedies from flourishing in silence and the dark.
Descriptive Drivel
“I wish I didn’t hear
That strange noise in the cellar.
Ignorance is bliss.”
— Lori R. Lopez, “Poetic Reflections: Horror Haiku”, published in DARKVERSE: THE SHADOW HOURS
“Pay heed what you do. A single gesture of warmth or sympathy can endure forever. Harsh words or deeds are equivalent to knife wounds, slicing deep and never healing completely.”
— Lori R. Lopez, “Headcase” from the horror collection ODDS AND ENDS
“Sometimes it takes a fantastical experience to appreciate the mundane and down-to-earth, the humbler aspects of existence.”
— Lori R. Lopez, AN ILL WIND BLOWS
“Our lives are defined in part by what books we read.”
— Lori R. Lopez, THE FAIRY FLY
“If you choose your friends for the wrong reasons, you will have the wrong friends.”
— Lori R. Lopez, “Headcase” from the horror collection ODDS AND ENDS
“Setting out to cross the grizzled forest, shivering and shaken, my spirit downtrodden, I had given up all hope but for the seed of a sanguine blossom that was submerged inside. It is every bit as impossible to completely kill a dream, an aspiration, as it is to thoroughly abolish love. Always a spark will linger, however weak and ailing and neglected. And so I harbored that feeble grain of hope, without my knowledge; without my consent. It existed.”
— Lori R. Lopez, AN ILL WIND BLOWS
“The center of a road can be a solitary line to walk. We’re taught as children to choose sides.”
— Lori R. Lopez, THE WITCHHUNT
“While seeking his place in the world, he was kicked out of Welcome for being odd.”
— Lori R. Lopez, THE STRANGE TAIL OF ODDZILLA
“The heart will find its solace and comfort; its substitutes for happiness.”
— Lori R. Lopez, THE ROOM AT THE END OF THE HALL
“It seems to me, as Societies wane and grow, Governments transition, a system that builds Libraries to foster knowledge and love for books cannot be all bad. Maybe it still has a future.”
— Lori R. Lopez, THE ROOM AT THE END OF THE HALL
“Personally, I demand imperfection! It saves me a lot of time and trouble. Trying to be perfect in an imperfect world is like swimming against a tsunami. You really shouldn’t try that!”
— Lori R. Lopez, “Poetic Reflections: Imperfect”, quoted in THE FAIRY FLY
“Be yourself!” the wasp advised. “Don’t try to be anybody else because chances are, someone else’s skin won’t fit. That goes double for exoskeletons or carapaces, which are less elasticky.”
— Lori R. Lopez, THE FAIRY FLY
“To be creative, a genius, you have to let yourself go a little insane.”
— Lori R. Lopez
“It seems that when I try to write Nonsense I do it badly, but when I don’t try to write it, the nonsense flows.”
— Lori R. Lopez, THE STRANGE TAIL OF ODDZILLA
“I refuse to compose my prose or verse or lyrics
In an “appropriate” conventional manner —
Pulling words like punches; eliminating the gist,
The soul, the individual creative rhythm of
Writing that makes it unique,
In favor of too-common guidelines,
Formulas, pedantic imitation.
I prefer to let loose and release my inner poet,
My ancient storyteller and minstrel spirit
That lurk beyond the exterior.
This shy-seeming
Lady capable of such grand exquisite
Terrors upon the page,
As well as such awfully humorous quirks.
I could paint a thousand self-portraits,
Pose for a million and one photos in my hats,
And you would never get to the depth of me.
Only the passages I write can truly reveal
A portion of what I am, if not the who.
Perhaps that is best left for my actions to
Describe. What lies within my heart, ah,
That is practically an open book!”
— Lori R. Lopez, from “An Author Selfie”, published in DARKVERSE: THE SHADOW HOURS
“I served the defenseless, the voiceless. Those for whom it was customary to have everything stolen.”
— Lori R. Lopez, THE ROOM AT THE END OF THE HALL
“We can’t comprehend the recklessness, the willful violence. Or know why Humanity has been slow to decipher that animals deserve compassion, respect, the same as children.”
— Lori R. Lopez, THE ROOM AT THE END OF THE HALL
“Poetry is the language of the soul;
Poetic Prose, the language of my heart.
Each line must flow as in a song,
and strike a chord that rings forever.
To me, words are music!”
— Lori R. Lopez
“My books are a word feast.”
— Lori R. Lopez
“I’m the first to admit that I don’t write right.
Now relax and enjoy the show!
The sideshow, that is.”
— Lori R. Lopez
“One’s options in this world are as vast as the horizon, which is technically a circle and thus infinitely broad. Yet we must choose each step we take with utmost caution, for the footprints we leave behind are as important as the path we will follow. They’re part of the same journey — our story.”
— from Dance Of The Chupacabras by Lori R. Lopez
WHAT WILL LORI R. LOPEZ THINK OF NEXT???
It’s impossible to foretell. Could be anything from the bizarre and fantastic to the mythically historic; from memorable and inspiring to horrific and quirkily humorous, Frankenstein-stitched together!
Here’s what she has to say:
In me lurks an innate desire to deviate from the norm. I have spent years developing a style I feel is my own. I am meticulous about editing and rewrite much more than I write. I’m quite passionate about poetic prose, about the balance and flow of each sentence I compose. I am a bit obsessive-compulsive over redundance. And I hold unconventional views that I refuse to compromise, such as the voice of a story should be seen and heard (rather than kept quiet so as not to attract attention). I believe above all in being different! Oh, and I make up words.
Composing letters and words on a page, in my opinion, should be the same as arranging a symphony with notes and measures. I believe strongly that creative writing cannot be confined by a standard doctrine but should break the rules and flow beyond. Those who insist one must only write a certain way are damaging the spectrum and license of literature.
Style and voice should be an author’s choice!
I further believe a writer without a broad vocabulary is like a craftsman without tools. Words are the medium we create in. We should not be restricted to common everyday language when there are terms available from a wealth of tongues, dialects, cultures, and periods. It is up to us to apply them well, as artists stroke paint upon canvas.
Don’t be afraid to read something that can make you stop and think, or to read a passage again.
Some of my very favorite authors are Lewis Carroll, Doctor Seuss, Maurice Sendak, Edgar Allan Poe, The Brothers Grimm, Mother Goose, Victor Hugo, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, Mark Twain, Ray Bradbury, Robert Louis Stevenson, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and William Shakespeare.
Behold the descriptions of my “Abby Normal” tales on the product pages, if you think you can handle something intensely ORIGINAL. But don’t take my word for it — test the waters yourself and I guarantee you’ll be hooked.
(Disclaimer: This warranty does not hold up in a court of law. The author makes no presumptions or assessments as to the mentality, competency, aptitude, intelligence, or literary tastes of the reader.)
Find free short stories, book excerpts, and poetry by this author at our Literature library.
You can find lyrics to released or upcoming songs on our band page: The Fairyflies.
Get Lori’s Books!
Anthologies / Magazines
You can also find some of her stories and poems in anthologies / magazines on Amazon (various titles) and Lulu (Cursed Curiosities).
Related Lori Lopez Links:
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From the author’s mouth: “Thanks for stopping by and be sure to come back. There are plenty of projects to add in future months. My imagination never sleeps.”
