Lisa M. Miller was born in the coal region of Northeast Pennsylvania. Her love for mystery and horror began at a young age. She spent countless hours at the library searching for books that made her want to sleep with the lights on, especially anything by Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King or Clive Barker. A framed picture sits on her desk of a nine-year-old girl reading The Ghost Next Door, by the great children’s mystery author, Wylly Folk St. John. It’s a reminder of her early fascination with genres that allow us to face the unknown from the comfort of our reading spaces.
During her years at King’s College, Lisa studied Communications and Criminal Justice. Her goal was to become an investigative reporter. Long before stories of Ted Bundy were a Netflix hit, Lisa’s senior thesis mashed up both areas of her studies with “How the Media Portrays Serial Killers as Celebrities”.
For over two decades, she worked in the broadcast world of television advertising and programming. She enjoyed this field but craved an outlet for creativity. Lisa joined the Pennwriters Group, attended a three-day conference, and submitted writing samples. It was here she received inspiration to pursue her dream of penning her first novel. Renowned writing teacher and author, Leonard Bishop, gave her a signed copy of his book with the inscription, “You’ve got a good beginning going for you…….keep going.” Dare to be a Great Writer: 329 Keys to Powerful Fiction is never far from reach, and she’s been writing ever since.
While her plan to become an investigative reporter did not come to fruition, the experience and knowledge she gained working for NBC and FOX affiliates allowed her to parlay knowledge into her first novel, The Running Path. The debut mystery, set in a local news department, went on to become the 2011 Readers Favorite Award for Mystery.
Lisa still resides in NEPA with her husband, sons and West Highland Terrier. Besides writing, she moved over to the radio side of the media industry and tries to learn as much as possible about the craft beer world. Her husband is co-owner of the popular Breaker Brewing Company.
Her second novel, YA Thriller My Skull Possession, was released from Brother Mockingbird Publishing in October 2019. The book was recognized as Best Young Adult Fiction in the 2020 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards.
