Lisa's Journal

A Reminder to Be Kind

Posted at Nov 21, 2013 5:00 am in George Saunders, kindess, Thankful Thursdays

This Thankful Thursday, I’m linking to a beautiful speech about kindness by George Saunders. He says so eloquently the things I’m learning as I get older. Like Mr.

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Dreams Do Come True: First Book Contract

Posted at Nov 18, 2013 6:00 am in Cue the Happy Dance: Latest News about My Books, Entangled, first book contract, Liz Pelletier, Nicole Resciniti, persistence

Today I’m thrilled to share the news that every writer dreams of: my first book contract for my young adult novel HOW TO DROP A CLASS AND FALL IN LOVE.

The past few

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Loss and Light

Posted at Nov 14, 2013 5:00 am in gratitude, loss, thankful, Thankful Thursdays, Thursday

“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” – Willie Nelson

Years ago, I kept a gratitude journal and it made a profound difference in my attitude and how I viewed my life. Recently

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Might as Well Face It, I’m Addicted to Books…

Posted at Oct 9, 2013 7:38 am in book addiction, books, Books That Kept Me Up All Night, Judy Blume, Laura Ingalls Wilder, reading, reading addiction, Window to My World

My name is Lisa, and I have a problem. I’ve been addicted to books since childhood. I started out thinking I’d read just one or two. A little Beverly Cleary here, some Laura Ingalls Wilder there. A dash of

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Recharging the Writer’s Brain

Posted at Sep 18, 2013 8:19 am in between drafts, books and wine, Random Musings on Writing, recharging batteries

I recently finished another manuscript and sent it off to my critique group for vilification, er, constructive criticism. Of course, as soon as I hit “send” I started tweaking it even more, then told myself to cease

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Revisions R Us

Posted at Sep 8, 2013 9:52 am in critique groups, critique partners, Random Musings on Writing, revising, revisions

Recently, when I did my, ‘Yay, I just finished a first draft” self-congratulatory dance, my son said, “Way to go, Mom. You finished another book. When will it be published?”

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Off the Grid

Posted at Sep 3, 2013 10:51 pm in off the grid, reading, social media, Window to My World

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I spent the long holiday weekend “off the grid,” something I haven’t done for a long time. I teased my teenager about how he’d survive a few days unplugged, but honestly I was the one in social media withdrawal. I’m the one hooked on Twitter and Facebook, not to mention

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Musical Muses: Phoenix in Concert

Posted at Aug 11, 2013 1:57 pm in Movies, Music and Magic, Oh My!, musical muse, novel playlist, Phoenix concert, writing and music

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Like a lot of authors, I’m inspired by music and make it an integral part of my creative process. I create playlists for my novels and find that certain artists really capture the mood(s) of my characters. Listening to songs that represent scenes or characters is a great way to

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