Lori Van
Pelt, daughter of the late Carl W. "Bud" and
Irene L. Van Pelt of Banner County, Nebraska, began writing during her
high school years. Her English teacher submitted one of her poems to the
National Poetry Press without telling Lori. When the poem was published,
the teacher, Beverley Edens, read it aloud to the class. Mrs. Edens has
since been able to share in the honors and recognition that Lori has received throughout
her writing career. She remains one of Lori's dearest
friends.
Lori attended Nebraska Western
College in Scottsbluff, Nebraska graduating in 1981 with an Associate of
Applied Science degree in business. Prior to graduation, she started
work at the Banner County Bank in Harrisburg, Nebraska beginning as
receptionist and eventually earning the title of Assistant Vice
President. While working in Harrisburg, she occasionally wrote feature
articles for the Western Nebraska Observer (Kimball, Nebraska). Her
father passed away in 1983 and her mother in 1988. After her mother
died, Lori moved from the family wheat farm/cattle ranch in Banner
County to Scottsbluff where she worked briefly at the First State Bank.
In 1990, Lori decided to complete
her bachelor's degree in business and moved to Laramie, Wyoming to
attend the University of Wyoming. She continued writing, and had several
articles published in the AlumNews while there. In 1993, she graduated
with honors, earning a Bachelor's of Science in Finance. However, she
still loved writing and accepted a position as a staff writer for the
Saratoga Sun (Saratoga, Wyoming) following graduation. She married
Eugene Walck, Jr. in September 1993 and continues to live with him on
his family's cattle ranch near Saratoga.
In 1994, Lori became a full time
free-lance writer. She writes regularly for the Western Writers of
America Roundup Magazine and for the WREN magazine. Her 2003 "Historic
Trails" Series for the WREN earned the magazine a prestigious Maggie
Award from the Western Publications Association in 2004 for Best
Consumer Series. Lori's award-winning articles have also appeared in a
variety of regional and national magazines including Wild West, True
West, Pilot Getaways , WOLA Journal, Annals of Wyoming, Persimmon Hill,
Private Pilot, Art of the West, ByLine, Western Horseman, The Fence
Post, and Old West. Her work has also been featured in various Wyoming
newspapers, including the Casper Star-Tribune, Wyoming Tribune-Eagle,
and the Rawlins Daily Times. Her essay, "Cattle Kate: Homesteader or
Cattle Thief?" in the book WILD WOMEN OF THE OLD WEST (Fulcrum 2003) was
selected as a 2004 Spur Finalist in the Best Short Nonfiction
Category.
Her first nonfiction book, DREAMERS AND SCHEMERS,
(High Plains Press, 1999)
was first in a series profiling Wyoming's historical
characters. The second volume in that series, CAPITAL CHARACTERS OF OLD
CHEYENNE, is forthcoming. Lori has also completed a biography of
aviatrix Amelia Earhart, one of the premier titles in the American
Heroes series from Forge Publishing, entitled, AMELIA EARHART: THE SKY'S
NO LIMIT. The book is scheduled for release in March 2005.
Lori's short fiction has appeared in
four anthologies, AMERICAN WEST, edited by Loren D. Estleman (Forge
2001); WHITE HATS and BLACK HATS edited by Robert J. Randisi (Berkley
2002 and 2003); and HOT BISCUITS,
edited by Max Evans and Candy Moulton (University
of New Mexico Press, 2002.) Her own short fiction collection, entitled,
AT FRONTIER'S EDGE, is scheduled for fall 2005 release from the
University of New Mexico Press. Her short story, "Death Track," included
in her collection, was a prize winner in the 2003 Art Affair Western
Short Story Competition. "River Watch," which appears in AMERICAN WEST
and in Lori's own collection, was selected as one of eight contemporary
westerns from a field of 100 for the Great Writers Series, sponsored by
The Met Theatre, Autry Museum, and Word Theatre and performed by actress
Wendie Malick at the Autry Museum in Los Angeles in June 2004. Other
authors selected for the special Autry readings included Elmer Kelton, Johnny D. Boggs, Mike Blakely, Miles Swarthout, Lenore
Carroll, Brian Garfield, and Sandy Whiting.
Lori is an active member of Western Writers of America and
currently serves as a member of the Marketing and Hall of Fame
committees. Lori enjoys music and sings whenever she can, often with
fellow musicians W. C. Jameson,
Mike Blakely, and others at
WWA conventions. She also plays the piano and is learning to play the
guitar.