How did Lisa’s kid lit adventures begin? Lisa A. Healy majored in communications at the University of Michigan while interning as a radio producer and cable news reporter. Along the way, she was amazed by the number of people who had no idea how to pronounce her last name. Luckow (Lou-ko) became Luck-out, Lou-cow, and Luck-ow. Who would think a syllable as lucky as luck and one as ouchie as ow formed these misfit combinations? Somewhere in her college years, someone decided it was easier to stick to Lisa Luck until she married a Healy several years later.
Lisa launched her career in film writing before she became a family lifestyle columnist, magazine editor, book author, SCBWI member and photographer of practically everything in sight, including the legendary Betty White. Now, she’s turning her luck into picture book fiction and nonfiction adventures at www.lisaahealy.com.
Where did Last Minute Lisa come from? Back in her high school years, Lisa won a club’s lightbulb award for quick, creative thinking. Years later, she found that raising three children required a lot of the same. She coined the Last Minute Lisa phrase with her family. To this day, they still hear her say, “If you click your heels, anything is possible,” just like Dorothy did in the land of Oz.
Check www.lisaahealy.com often to learn more from her interviews with authors, illustrators and industry experts who share their hero’s journey. And watch how Last Minute Lisa translates lessons from children’s literature into lifestyle how-to’s and food for thought.
Check back often.
Illustration by Gabrielle Healy. See more at www.gabriellehealy.com
