Across the tracks and up a set of cement stairs from Lori's grandmother’s home was Belmont Village, a quaint shopping strip with restaurants, a drug store, a convenience store, and several small businesses. Her grandmother, who lived in the Belmont neighbourhood, always bought lottery tickets at the convenience store and often took Lori and her sister there to buy them each a sugary treat. The neighbourhood for Lori means family and romance, which is why she's set both her young adult and romance series there. 
Lori is also a former competitive dancer, dance teacher, and theatre manager, and was a member of the first Canadian National Tap Team, back in 1996, under the leadership of Bonnie Dyer, with choreographer Mathew Clark. Dance took Lori to competitions all over Southern Ontario, into the US, to Disney World, and to Germany. She has many fond memories of performing with her dance team. 
And that's why she uses dance as a backdrop in many of her stories. 
Oh! And she's also spent a day in Luxembourg, 15 minutes in Switzerland, and she can still do cartwheels.