From the author’s website:
About Lisa
With a foot on each coast, Lisa Montanaro is part no-nonsense Italian American New Yorker and part sunny Californian. Lisa has a unique background, having traveled the path of a performer who didn’t want to be a “starving actress” so said no to Broadway, worked as an instructor and interpreter of the Deaf to put herself through law school, and became a lawyer specializing in employment law for 9 years. She then “defected” from the practice of law and started her organizing and productivity business on the heels of the September 11 tragedy.
Writer & Author
Lisa has a life-long love affair with the written word. She has been keeping a journal since she was 8 years old, which she has filled with countless pages of prose and poetry. Lisa is a born storyteller. Whether she is conveying the power of someone’s written words through performing in a play or musical or sharing stories with her audiences as a professional speaker through her presentations, Lisa appreciates the power of story and creativity in all its incarnations.
Lisa writes book club fiction featuring complex characters breaking barriers and fighting to truly be themselves despite obstacles in their way – including the time they live in and societal stigmas. Her nonfiction writing revolves around productivity, life-work balance, branding, writing, and career issues.
Her debut novel, Everything We Thought Was True, a multigenerational Italian-American family drama, released in print and ebook by Red Adept Publishing on January 27, 2025 and the audiobook by Tantor Media released on May 13, 2025. It was awarded First Place in LGBTQ Fiction by the 2024 International Firebird Book Awards, Honorable Mention in General Fiction by the 2025 Los Angeles Book Festival, and a Finalist in LGBTQ Fiction by the 2025 National Indie Excellence Awards. Her chapter, “The Brand Called You! Personal & Professional Branding for Authors,” was featured in Launch Pad: The Countdown to Marketing Your Book, published by Red Penguin Books in 2023. She is also the author of the book, The Ultimate Life Organizer: An Interactive Guide to a Simpler, Less Stressful & More Organized Life, published by Peter Pauper Press in 2011.
An avid reader since childhood, Lisa enjoys reading for business and pleasure. She’s a supporter of authors, the publishing industry, and libraries and bookstores (especially indie ones!). She is actively involved in several collaborative author-reader online groups, virtual book clubs, and the Bookstagram community on Instagram. Her book reviews can be found on Goodreads, Amazon, NetGalley and BookBub. You can also see a sample of the reviews she’s written for some of her favorite reads on the Reading Recommendations.
Lisa has served as the Webinar Host for the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) since spring 2019, and is a passionate member of the Diversity & Inclusion committee. She also serves as the facilitator of the Retro COLAGE group for adult children of LGBTQ parents.
Since 2012, Lisa has been residing in beautiful Northern California with her veterinarian husband, where she is a community theater geek, avid cyclist, dedicated gardener, wine lover, voracious reader, and enjoys spending time spoiling her crazy, but lovable, rescue mutts!
Writer Coach
As a Branding, Business, Mindset & Productivity Coach for writers who is also an author herself, Lisa provides strong support for authors at any stage of their writing career. She helps writers boost confidence and productivity, develop and promote a writer brand, and transition from hobbyist to professional. Visit the Writer Coaching page for more info and to view testimonials from her awesome author clients.
Speaker
They call Lisa a “Pint-sized Powerhouse!” With the stage presence of a performer, the brains of a lawyer, and the heart of a teacher of the deaf—all wrapped up into one to deliver a productive, purposeful, and passionate presentation! Lisa has years of experience as a professional speaker, webinar host, and podcast guest. She’s had the pleasure of serving as the Webinar Host for the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) since spring 2019, and often speaks for writer groups and organizations. See more details on the Speaking page. If you’re looking for a speaker for your writer conference, podcast, book club, or any other writing- or reading-related event, contact Lisa to discuss.
About Lisa’s book Everything We Thought Was True:
A secret that forever shapes a family…
New York, 1983: When an argument erupts during dinner and Teresa Antinori, a typically docile wife and mother, hurls plates filled with pasta e piselli at her husband, Frank – the future of their Italian American family is changed forever. Frank has found a safe harbor with Teresa, but longs to truly be himself, while Teresa struggles with the startling discovery that her husband is gay and living a lie.
Los Angeles 2015: Thirty-two years later, their daughter Lena is still picking up the pieces. When her father calls with unexpected news, it throws her right back into her least favorite place – the past. Lena is torn between supporting her father and her enduring loyalty to her mother, who once demanded secrecy at all costs.
Told in alternating points of view – Frank and Teresa in the past, and Lena in the present – Everything We Thought Was True is the story of a family trying to reconcile their past, understand the secret at the heart of the family’s rupture, and embrace the future. Brimming with love and loss, heartache and hope, this multigenerational family drama weaves a tapestry of identity, healing, and forgiveness.
Perfect for fans of This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel and We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange.
Author visits:
Author visits with Lisa are available via Adventures by the Book here!