A native North Carolinian, Lori K. Tate credits (and sometimes blames) Snow White for getting her into the world of writing. It all began in second grade when she decided to write a play about the brunette princess. When word got out about her side hustle, her classmates began asking for parts. As a preppy nerd with sun-sensor glasses who desperately wanted to be liked, she created characters for everyone because, as we all know, you can never have too many blue birds.
When the time came to perform her masterpiece, everyone walked to the front of the classroom, leaving only desks and chairs for an audience. Her teacher, Mrs. Pugh (for real), made everyone sit down and moved on to the next subject, but Lori never did. For her, writing was everything.
Now with more than 20 years of writing and editing experience (and scars) in the magazine industry, she’s still that snaggletooth second grader eager for her writing to be heard. Sure the sun-sensor glasses are gone, but she’s still preppy, in a boho chic, athleisure sort of way, and she still wants to be liked, even though she finally realizes she can’t be everyone’s cup of tea.
If you do like her, here are some things you should know. She’s an only child, who loves ‘80s music, and is addicted to Purely Elizabeth Granola and Bubly (Cherry and Lime are her favorites). She loves doing small group training at the Y with her tribe, as well as running, reading, dabbling in drawing and being on the water. She did community theatre for years before having children, and now her favorite role of all time is being a mom, even though navigating tweendom is crazy hard and often maddening. Oh and two more things, Al Gore bear hugged her when she met him at a party in New York City, and she adores Dolly Parton.
Lori lives in Cornelius, North Carolina with her husband, John, who is Renaissance-like in his ability to do almost anything. Seriously, he can fix cars, play saxophone, cook, waterski like a boss and his Neil Diamond impression is legend, but most importantly he makes Lori laugh. Their 11-year-old twins, Graydon and Margot, inherited their parents’ love of laughter (and sarcasm) and manage to do awesome things all the time. So do Jefferson and Hamilton, their family’s tabby cats, and Sunny, quite possibly the world’s perfect dog.
Though all of this sounds great, life is not always a rainbow of Skittles for Lori (or anyone else for that matter), and she owns that just like she owns a sweet collection of purses. As someone who has experienced the ups and downs of depression and anxiety since middle school, Lori has learned to look for the good in every day (no matter how small) and wants to help others do the same. That’s why she started Winks of Goodness, and that’s why she’s glad you’re here.
Photography by Deborah Young of Deborah Young Photography in Cornelius, and my magical make-up is by my bestie, Katrina Barringer of Timeless Rejuvenation in Concord.