In 1961 Lisa was born in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine. She currently lives with her husband in Connecticut where she teaches at Eastern Connecticut State University.

Lisa has a Ph. D. from Binghamton University.

An associate professor of English at Eastern Connecticut State University, Lisa is also a visiting associate professor at the Hollins University Graduate Program in Children's Literature. In 2006 Lisa was the recipient of the Fulbright Scholarship with which she journeyed to Thailand in order to teach and consult in children's literature at Mahasarakham University.

Lisa was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 2006. She chronicled her experiences teaching and traveling through Thailand at her wikispace.

Picture Books

• The Hickory Chair (an ALA Notable Book)

Novels

• Ash: A Novel (an ALA Best Book for Young Adults)
• I Walk in Dread: the Diary of Deliverance Trembly, Witness to the Salem Witch Trials (Dear America series)
• Grass and Sky

Anthologies

• Don't Cramp My Style: Stories About That Time of the Month
• Dirty Laundry
• Soul Searching: Thirteen Stories About Faith and Belief