Author Lisa Maggiore always knew she wanted to write, but growing up, she never encountered authors and struggled to see it as a realistic path, especially after giving birth to her oldest daughter and being a single parent at age 20. Still, she never fully let go of her writing dream. While building a 20-year career in social work, she continued to tinker with ideas and stories, keeping that creative spark alive. It wasn’t until her mom was diagnosed with dementia—and Lisa chose to leave her career to help navigate the illness—that she began to more fully step into her life as an author.
I first met Lisa a few years back at a local author fest, where she was sharing the first book in her Ava the Monster Slayer picture book series. My kids adored the book and how Ava found her “superpower” when she went to save her stuffed animal from the scary basement monsters. The book is one of courage and resiliency, and in talking to Lisa, it’s clear that her writing life mirrors those themes. As Lisa reminds us, “Your dream might not arrive when you expect it, but that’s no reason to abandon it.” This belief has become more than just advice; it has shaped her writing life. Through delays, doubt, and detours, she has held steady to the conviction that timing does not define an author’s worth. Instead, persistence gives dreams their power, and in that persistence, Lisa has found both her voice and her path.
How Lisa Maggiore Cultivated Her Writing Skills
Writing can be a lonely and solitary activity, but take a note from Lisa: there’s a huge, wide world out there that’s ready to help you up your writing skills. While Lisa wrote her first Ava the Monster Slayer book during a long commute to work, she realized it needed lots of development. She started networking at writing conferences, joined a critique group where she learned to provide and receive measured feedback, and spent two years fine-tuning the book. 
“Sometimes you have a strong vision, even intuition for why something works, but at other times you’re in the darkness of your mind, searching for a lifeline,” Lisa said. “Revision and feedback can be tough, but often I have found that trying something I didn’t think would work has proven me joyfully wrong.”
For Lisa, that means getting feedback from her husband (he is a tough critic) and her critique group, then working with editors who have helped bring the stories pounding in her head onto the page in a way that matches her vision. A caveat: not all feedback belongs in your story. As Lisa says, “YOU are the captain of your vision, and it takes time to trust what you want to say and how you want to say it. As you move through revision, stay mindful of that balance. The beauty of technology is that you can cut and paste freely without losing the many versions of your story.”
It took Lisa time to discover what process truly works for her, but she has now settled into a rhythm that feels right. She begins with structure: sketching out the beginning, middle, and end, then refines the work as she goes, allowing editing to occur alongside creation. Her characters come to life early, each with a distinct voice that often guides the story’s direction. Much of her thinking about the story is in a pile of notes and scraps of paper in a folder. When she’s ready, she turns to the Pixar “Story Spine” to shape those ideas into something more concrete. Even then, she remains flexible, open to shifting the story based on feedback and instinct.
At the same time, she’s learning to dig deeper within herself, seeking out unexpected turns of phrase and small literary details that surprise her, moments that make her pause and think, “Wow, you really are a writer!” And with writing four to five times a week, a few hours a day, she’s grown not only more confident but quicker at turning thoughts into words on the page.
When it comes to what Lisa writes about, she often draws from real life and themes she’s curious about. For her Ava series, her daughter’s eye condition required bifocals at age 4, and she was inspired to write about a brave girl who wore glasses and brandished a sword, all with her daughter in mind.
Advice For Emerging Writers
With three picture books, an adult novel, and a few published short stories to her name, Lisa has a lot of great advice for writers. Starting with: “Find a critique group that can cheerlead you on.” In fact, she emphasized this point because some groups can be toxic, loaded with jealousy and envy. But a solid writing partner/group that you trust can, quite simply, be life-changing. “They can cheer you on when you’re feeling low and celebrate you when you have big news.”
She also says, “Watch out for the procrastination trap.” Classes, workshops, and conferences can be great, but be mindful of what you invest your time and money in. “Learning new writing techniques and skills is great, but be sure to keep writing. You won’t finish unless you sit down and write!” She does give a shout-out to conferences, virtual as of late, and pitching to agents and editors. It has provided opportunities for further networking and developing new skills while reinforcing others.
Want to learn more but don’t have the funds for classes or conferences? Lisa recommends finding “mentor texts,” books that you can learn from in the genre that you’re writing in. Study how the story is structured, mark it up, analyze the text, and learn from the authors who came before you.
Last but certainly not least: stay true to your vision for the book. Find writing partners, agents, and editors who believe in your story. While feedback is important, it’s also important to stay true to yourself. As Lisa shared, “At a conference, an editor offered to publish Ava the Monster Slayer; A Warrior who Wears Glasses if I removed the main character’s glasses. Because representing girls who wear glasses was essential to me, I declined. It took over a year to find an agent, but she sold my book in two weeks, and Ava kept her glasses!”
What’s Next for Author Lisa Maggiore
As Lisa advises, “Your writing dream might not happen at the moment you expected,” but don’t give up and don’t ever close the door on your creativity and voice.
After taking twelve years to care for her aging mother, Lisa’s mom passed away in September of 2025. Shortly after her mom’s passing, Lisa’s book Ava the Monster Slayer: Sleepover Superheroes was selected as an Illinois Reads Pick for 2026. She took that as yet another sign to keep going (and a small gift from her mom in heaven).
Lisa’s publication career may not have panned out the way she expected or even planned, but her story is a testament to the power of never, ever giving up.
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Grab the Ava the Monster Slayer books by Lisa Maggiore
Find Lisa Maggiore online
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