Lori L. Lake (born February 9, 1960) is an American writer of fiction, mainly about lesbian protagonists. She is also an editor, writing instructor, and former publisher.

Lake was born in Portland, Oregon, the oldest of five daughters, and spent her early years with her family in Seattle and Portland, then lived with an aunt and uncle in Tigard, Oregon, during her teen years and graduated from Tigard High School in 1978.^[1] She graduated from Portland's Lewis and Clark College in 1983 with a double major in English and Political Science and moved to the Twin Cities with her partner shortly after. She attended Saint Paul's Hamline University where she studied with Carol Bly and in 1989 received a Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies with an emphasis on Literature and Ethics. After working in Saint Paul in county government for nearly two decades, she quit in 2003 to work on writing and teaching. In 2009 Lake returned to her hometown in Oregon after a breakup with her partner of 27 years.^[2]

Her work includes The Gun Series police novels, The Public Eye Mystery Series, four standalone drama/romances, two short story collections, the Lambda Literary finalist anthology The Milk of Human Kindness, and the World War II novel Snow Moon Rising, which won the 2007 Ann Bannon Popular Choice Award, a Goldie from the Golden Crown Literary Society, and The Alice B Readers Award.^[3] In concert with fellow writer/editor Jessie Chandler, Lake also won a 2016 Golden Crown Literary Award for the anthology Lesbians on the Loose: Crime Writers on the Lam.^[4]

In recent years, Lake has become a mentor and coach to many young and aspiring writers, especially through her work at The Loft Literary Center,^[5] the Portland Lesbian Writers Group,^[6] and the Oregon Writers Colony,^[7] and in her work as an organizer of writing retreats or as program director of literary conferences, particularly for the Golden Crown Literary Society^[8] from which she received the Directors' Award in 2012 for her co-founding the organization and coordinating conferences and events from 2004 to 2012. Lake also commenced publishing the work of others in 2014 upon opening Launch Point Press^[9] in Portland, Oregon. Citing time constraints, Lake sold Launch Point Press to new owners who assumed ownership in January, 2023, leaving Lake time to write once more.^[10]

In 2023, Lake collaborated in creating a new nonprofit lesbian literary organization called Opus Literary Alliance for which she is currently on the Board serving as the Co-Director of Education & Programming with Kim Dyke.^[11] Lake is also a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Oregon Writers Colony, Portland Lesbian Writers Group, Willamette Writers, and the Golden Crown Literary Society, and she serves as administrator for The Alice B Readers Award.