“I’ve always been a reader, and I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I grew up in a small town in southern Minnesota. I loved dolls as a kid, but I didn’t play with them the same way other girls did. I wasn’t interested in dressing them up; I used them to act out elaborate narratives I made up. This was probably the start of my writing career.”

Dori has published magazine stories, educational materials, plays, book reviews, characters for a board game, and more than 42 books for kids. She’s been nominated for children’s choice awards in 19 different states, and Buddy Files: Case of the Lost Boy won the Edgar Award for the best juvenile mystery published in 2010. 

Dori and her husband and live in Kirkland, Washington with a very large dog named Mouse. They have two boys (Ben and Andy) that live nearby. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, playing the mandolin, teaching her dog new tricks, Zumba, hiking, coffee with friends, and a good game of Scrabble!