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The Donut Lady, Los Angeles Times Kids’ Reading Page, 2000

 “One of my favorite people in the entire world was my Great Aunt Boody. She showed me that some grown-ups actually liked to play! Boody spent hours playing games with my brother and me-- Monopoly and Blackjack were their favorites. But the board game, Clue, was the most exciting. Boody had a special, who-done-it-knack for discovering whether it was Mrs. Scarlet with a rope in the Dining Room or Mr. Green with a lead pipe in the kitchen. No matter how badly I wanted to win, seeing Boody solve the mystery somehow made everything right in the world.

In her golden years, Boody’s passion for sweets lead her to a new career and to new friends at a job at Winchell’s Donut House. Back in the 1940s, Boody and her husband ran a drive-thru sandwich shop called The Maid Rite. Sandwiches sold for a quarter and a slice of homemade pie for fifteen cents!  Winchell’s became her home away from home until the age of 75.

Watching Boody make donuts was a thrill. She added flour and sugar into the mixing machine that spun the powdery mixture into a thick, white batter. Boody stretched the dough out onto metal sheets and cut circular shapes with a round tool. To fill the jelly donuts, she poured the red, sticky filling into the jelly machine, stuck a donut onto a prong and pulled down the lever. I loved watching the red glop squirt into the dough! These trips to Winchell’s were one of the highlights of my childhood.  An added bonus was the dozen donuts Boody brought as a gift every time she came to see us. Of course, jellies were our favorites!

These sweet memories were inspiration for "The Donut Lady.�

(Where stories come from)
Lori finds inspiration for her stories in the most unusual places.  Important people and animals in her life have often guided her to write some of her favorites. Here are a few “behind the scenes� facts.