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Loreen Niewenhuis grew up in Michigan and has lived there most of her life. She pursued a life of science, getting a Bachelor, then Master of Science degrees. She worked in various aspects of that world including a hospital laboratory, basic animal research, and a bone marrow transplant group.
While taking a break from this work to raise her young sons, Loreen began writing fiction. This evolved into a passion and she returned to school to get her MFA from Spalding University.
In 2009, her short story collection, Scar Tissue, was a finalist for the Flannery O’Connor Award.
From the time she was a young girl climbing sand dunes and splashing in its cool waters, Loreen has felt connected and drawn to Lake Michigan. She decided to explore the lake fully by walking around it. The fascinating account of her journey, A 1000-MILE WALK ON THE BEACH, was released in March 2011 by Crickhollow Books. It is available wherever books are sold, or you may use the link here to order from one of Loreen's favorite indie bookstores.
ATLANTA, a novella, was also released in 2011.
Loreen is currently working on a novel, TUMOR BOARD, set in the medical world.
Reviewed by Alice DiNizo for Readers' Favorite
Atlanta is a novella that might be missed but absolutely should not be overlooked. Its believable characters' lives all intertwine in a heartbreaking way. The story opens with janitor Bruce, a damaged soul going about his nighttime job. He pays Janine, an undercover Atlantic policewoman, to hold his hand for five minutes just for comfort. Janine lives with Paul, another sadly damaged creature, but Janine is Chantel's lover. Paul is just her roommate. Chantel, owner of a pet shop, is Bruce's sister. There are other characters in Atlanta, such as the dreadful, greedy Lorraine who pretends to be a good foster parent but actually keeps a little boy in horrid conditions in her basement. Giselle, who owns a beauty school, is a much nicer being as she tries to raise her young son while her former husband makes life difficult. Their lives collide and change, sometimes for the better, sometimes not.
Atlanta is a well-written novella about the ups and downs in people's lives. Some, like Giselle, just go on with life, doing the best she's able with her young son and the puppy he loves. Others, like Janine, are forced into a life they hate by family. And others, like Chantel and Bruce, settle in and accept what they have. Atlanta is not a depressing story for it tells of lives lived out, and the reader will understand this. The characters are all real; the way all the lives touch each other is totally believable. A great little story that should be read by many.
