I am an experienced educator, but now I channel my journey into writing, using my books to transform personal challenges into powerful storytelling.
About Me
Lori Vollandt
If I’ve spent my life working to prevent violence—why am I writing stories about women
who fight back? That question is at the heart of this series, and of my journey as a writer.
For over three decades, I dedicated myself to promoting healthy relationships, non-violence, and social-emotional well-being in schools. I spent 15 years teaching high school in
Downtown Los Angeles, working directly with students navigating trauma, injustice, and
systemic neglect. After receiving both my Master’s and Doctorate in Education from UCLA, I moved into a leadership role at the district level. It was there that I became a systems
thinker—focused on equity, access, and the deep work of social justice in education.
I served on the board of Peace Over Violence, represented California in the National
Campaign to Stop Violence, and helped bring Sandy Hook Promise programs into Los
Angeles schools. My work has always centered on creating environments where young
people—especially young women—feel seen, safe, and empowered.
After retiring from public education, I experienced betrayal—deeply personal and
professionally devastating. What happened was not just unethical, but fully sanctioned by
the law. I watched as systems protected the powerful and abandoned the people they were supposed to serve. I felt silenced. I felt enraged. And, for a long time, I didn’t know what to do with my feelings.
So I turned to storytelling—not as a distraction, but as a form of rebellion and healing.
My Projects
These books are my reckoning. They are not revenge fantasies. They are resistance narratives. These women take lives—but with precision, not chaos. They dismantle the men who harm others by turning arrogance into their Achilles’ heel. These are men who never imagined women could be powerful enough to pose a credible threat—until it’s too late. The
violence in these stories is calculated, quiet, and poetic in its justice.
They are inspired by the power, intelligence, and courage of real women—those who resist in silence and in fire. The enslaved Black women who spied for the Union Army. The women of the French Resistance. The girls in Iran who remove their hijabs in protest. Malala, who refused to be silenced after being shot for speaking out. This is a global sisterhood, and I am simply adding my voice.
I still believe in change. I still believe in the next generation. I see young women rising—bold, brilliant, unafraid. I see emotionally grounded men who stand beside them, not above them. That gives me hope.
My stories are shaped by the sharp logic of Sherlock Holmes, the momentum of The Bourne Identity, the justice-fueled grit of Kill Bill, and the moral clarity of Robin Hood. These women don’t wait to be saved. They save each other—and they do it with surgical precision.
“They tried to bury us. They didn’t know we were seeds.”
—Mexican proverb
This is my truth. And I write so others might recognize theirs—and know they are never alone.
