Lisa Cerasoli

Lisa Cerasoli left Iron Mountain in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan upon graduating from its one and only school, Iron Mountain High. Michigan State University was her first stop. She tested into Lyman Briggs School of Science, majoring in pre-med. That dream quickly deflated when she realized she's a complete hypochondriac, and the last thing she needed was to feed her neurosis by being around "sick people" all day.Feeling lost, she fled to Arizona for spring break...and didn't get back on the plane to return home. Instead, she applied to Arizona State University. Four years and a few beers later, Lisa got a very practical theater degree and transported herself by way of a Honda Accord (that would be stolen twice by year's end) to the City of Angels.L.A. was pretty good to the girl. She booked her first series, Acapulco Bay, within nine months, then spent two-plus years as a series regular on General Hospital, playing the quirky role of "V." She then booked a string of guest star roles: Oh, Grow Up, Diagnosis Murder, Pensacola, two recurring roles on The Pretender as "Zoe" and Boomtown.In the fall of 2002, Lisa and her manager, Sandra Siegal, met with Ken Atchity of Atchity Entertainment, International about her screenplay, On the Brink of Bliss and Insanity. He said, "Sounds like a novel." Lisa noted that not only did a novel sound like "alotta words," but that she had no idea how to begin writing one. Ken tossed her a book off his shelf with the response, "Here's a novel; do it like that." She went home, blew out three chapters...and was hooked.A few weeks later, Lisa's father was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. She packed a bag, headed back to Iron Mountain and cared for her dad until his death, while completing her first book. Two months later, with Mom, Sherie, as her maid of honor, she married a high school friend, Peter Weaver. He has an amazing son, Brock, 15. Together, they have the lively Jazzlyn Jo, 4. Grandma also lives with them. She's 88 and has progressive dementia. "On the Brink of Bliss and Insanity" made its debut into the world of published fiction in January 2009 with the help of Linda Radke, president of Five Star Publications. In May, it won Honorable Mention at the San Francisco Book Festival. Midwest Book Review just chose it as "A top pick for New Fiction in 2009." And based on a Grey's Anatomy speculation script that received desirable attention at Disney just before the writer's strike, Lisa was hired to write a mainstream romantic comedy that is currently being shopped in the Domestic and International Film markets. She is currently working on the memoir, "As Nora Jo Fades Away," about life with her gran. And she has also written the pilot for television entitled, "Confessions of a Caregiver." It's an offbeat, avante garde dramady that is simply groundbreaking. Show less «