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 1,000 Mile Walk on the Beach: One Woman’s Trek of the Perimeter of Lake Michigan, 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.

Loreen’s novella, Atlanta, [ORDER from Great Lakes Authors] was released in June 2011 by Main Street Rag Publishing.

Loreen is currently working on a novel, Tumor Board, set in the medical world.