I'm an author, content writer, and wife, whose 37-year marriage has encompassed fiery passion, heartache, struggles to pay the bills, great fun, silliness, and true friendship. I'm also a mother and grandmother of three grandchildren, whom I adore, (not a surprise). One of my passions is aquatic and group fitness. I'm an instructor trained in Pilates, Kickboxing, and Aerobic dance.

Born in Denver, Colorado, I spent my formative years in Kansas City, Missouri, moving with my family to the tiny town (about 35o people) of Creighton, Missouri at the age of ten. My fondest childhood memories are of my experiences there. I loved the two-story farmhouse with the creaky floors, the woodstove for heat in the cold winters, the spring-fed well water, the fruit trees, pastures, the muddy pond, huge barn filled with cats, the chicken coop, and the smell of the soil in the fertile vegetable gardens. My best friends were my horse Angel, whom I rode bareback all around town, and my dogs--two Basenjis and a three-footed Collie. It was in this rural town that I officially accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, leading my family to follow, and where we attended the First Christian Church, a true family of disciples of Christ who would give the shirts off their backs, the bread from their tables, and the sweat of their brows to help someone in need. Also, in that countrified setting, I discovered my love for storytelling.

Unfortunately, my family fell upon hard times during the recession of the 1970s. The summer I turned fourteen, we had to sell almost everything, including Angel, but not my Basenjis, and moved to Lancaster, Texas to live with my dad's mother, Grammie. The poor collie was the victim of a tragic accident shortly before the family's move. That year was a tough transition for Me. Though Lancaster was no big city, it was thousands of people larger than Creighton. Texas was a different culture, and the summers were hot. I went from a barefoot kind of girl to wearing flip-flops. Texas grass burrs and sun-baked black-topped roads were brutal on bare feet. Highschool was mentally fulfilling but emotionally and socially turbulent waters for me. Playing french horn in the band, reading voraciously, writing poetry and stories, and church attendance were my passions. 

I graduated from high school at sixteen and traveled to Utah to attend Brigham Young University for a couple of semesters. There I met my best friend Jan. We were both members of a science fiction and fantasy club which became a catalyst to our overactive imaginations. We left college for a crazy adventure in California. We were oblivious to the dangers around us, but by God's grace and protection, we did not become tragic victims of the criminal elements of society. I continued to write. My two greatest inspirations were Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica. I spent much of my free time working on novels based on the characters from these two blockbusters. Unexpectedly, I met my future husband while hitchhiking on Van Nuys Boulevard. It was love at first sight and we have been together since that fateful night, April 4th, 1980. Jan did not like him, and our friendship did not survive my choice to date him, a regret that still haunts me at times. 

Marriage, motherhood, running a business, and other aspects of life became the focus of my time and attention for over thirty years. Writing and story-telling were always my go-to for quiet time and a personal retreat, but it was not until after a very turbulent time in my marriage that I pursued writing as a career. To do so required the sacrifice of time and income, but my sanity and true identity depended on making the transition.

Now, as I transition through another stage of life, content writing is my current day job which has taken me to San Diego and Dublin, Ireland for presentations of co-authored papers. Two of my lifelong travel destinations were Ireland and Scotland, so my business trip to Dublin was a dream come true. While across the Atlantic, I hopped a flight to Edinburgh, Scotland, also an important setting for my first novel, Cries in the Storm, the first volume of The Solomon Passages.

Follow me on my journey through the pages of The Solomon Passages and on the next transition of my life as an author. This is the dawn of a new era in my growth as an author as I share my experiences and life lessons through my characters. Enjoy the ride!

Name: Lori Vidak
Current Member: No
Location: Texas
Joined Channillo: July 2020
Followers: 9   Following: 10
Twitter: @DawnVidak
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