Tucson Festival of Books

Lori Hellis


            Lori Hellis is a retired attorney and author. She began her legal career as a family and criminal lawyer in 1992. She was both a prosecutor and a fierce public defender representing adults and juveniles. During her 27 years of practice, she represented several thousand clients.

Lori holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Portland in Portland, Oregon, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. She has a Doctor of Law degree from Lewis and Clark Northwestern School of Law in Portland, Oregon, and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Oregon State University. She retired from law practice to devote time to writing. She is the author of The No-Nonsense Guide to Divorce, published by Rowman and Littlefield, and Children of Darkness and Light, published by Pegasus Books.

Lori served 20 years in the Air National Guard and has been a passionate advocate for children, victims of domestic violence, and veterans.

Lori lives in Redmond, Oregon, with her husband, three dogs, and three cats, where she is a podcast junkie and a maker of quilts. She has one adult daughter who has always been proud that her mother wore combat boots.

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Communities: Military Veteran


Scheduled events:
Ripped from the Headlines
You've seen the headlines. In this session, we will learn more about the real crimes of Willy Falcon, Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell, and the Highway Serial Killers, from the people who studied them beyond the headlines.

Integrated Learning Center Room 130 (Seats 143, Wheelchair accessible)  View this venue on the Festival map
Sat, Mar 15, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
True Crime
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - Integrated Learning Center (following presentation)  View this venue on the Festival map

Panelists: T.J. English, Frank Figliuzzi, Lori Hellis
Moderator: Mort Rosenblum
Murder in the Family
Can family drive you to kill? Three writers discuss how they threaded back together the stories of real-life crimes. The authors sifted through evidence and witness testimony to uncover the generational dynamics, social factors, and family systems that contributed to true stories of murder within families.

Integrated Learning Center Room 130 (Seats 143, Wheelchair accessible)  View this venue on the Festival map
Sun, Mar 16, 10:00 am - 11:00 am
True Crime
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - Integrated Learning Center (following presentation)  View this venue on the Festival map

Panelists: Lisa Belkin, Lori Hellis, James Overmyer
Moderator: Sheryl Kornman

Book:
Children of Darkness and Light
Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell: A Story of Murderous Faith
True Crime
Pegasus Books
September 2024
ISBN 9781639367108
320 pages