About Me

Formal Bio:

Lisa Gerlits (she/her) is the author of three middle grade novels: A Many Feathered Thing, an Oregon Spirit Book Award winner; Rewilding, (Red Chair Press, fall 2025); and The Children’s Opera, (Apples & Honey Press, 2026). She lives in her hometown of Silverton, Oregon with her Dutch husband, three kids, one cat, and a shifting number of chickens. Lisa enjoys gorging on berries, walking behind waterfalls, and painting murals. Also soup.

Fun Facts:

• I am an oldest child with two younger siblings whom I shepherded through childhood with grace and the benefit of my wisdom . . . maybe I was also a teeny bit bossy.
• I grew up with a ton of extra siblings because my family hosted foster kids and my mother ran a daycare. The only place to be alone was the bathroom, where I practiced humble acceptance speeches in the gold-veined mirror.
• As a kid, I wrote and illustrated stories. One was called “The Orange and Green Blob,” in which Rachel and Michelle finally escape from (you guessed it) the terrible orange and green blob by hiding in a coffin.
• My favorite sandwich as a kid was peanut butter and dill pickle. Seriously, it’s delicious.
• Other things I love: the clack of a typewriter, hand-writing letters, haiku, birdwatching, the smell of popcorn, the sound of a cello, getting my hands dirty, puzzles (all kinds), moving water, shadows, stories.
• I speak Dutch, which is the language spoken in the Netherlands (not Denmark; they speak Danish).
• Different jobs I’ve had: goatherd, weaver, tutor, art teacher, drama coach, baker, muralist, face-painter, locations assistant.
• A massage therapist once told me I have fairy princess feet and that’s the story I’m sticking with.
• I used to think my greatest fear was quicksand. But then, at 46 years old, I discovered a great fear of heights when I tried to do a high ropes course with my daughter and got stuck hugging a tree and hyperventilating 12 ft off the ground. I had to be rescued and coaxed down. As soon as my feet were on the ground, I looked up and thought, “It’s really not all that high. What did I make such a fuss about?” I tried again, and my breath stopped after two steps. I saved myself this time and decided to stay on the kiddie ropes (3 ft off the ground). Some fears do not need conquering.
• I don’t like to eat cake (I know, what a weirdo), but I do like to make elaborate cakes for other people. Gummy bears skiing down a mountain? Rainbow unicorn layer cake? Strawberry Pistachio Swiss Roll? Oreo M&M ice cream cake? Don’t you wish you lived at my house?