About Me
L.B. Schulman (“Lisa”) is the author of two books for young adults: LEAGUE OF STRAYS (2012, Abrams) and the award-winning novel, STOLEN SECRETS (2017, Boyds Mills Press). Lisa was recently the Regional Advisor for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) in the San Francisco Bay Area region, helping fellow creatives achieve their dreams of publication. She is a recurring judge for the National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. She is also an award-winning Toastmaster. Lisa currently tutors and teaches students around the world on Zoom in both creative writing, plotting, and public speaking.
L.B.’s my pen name, originating ever so creatively from my first name, Lisa, and my middle name, Beth. I have to admit, having a pseudonym with initials makes me feel rather (pronounced rawther, a la Mary Poppins) elegant and distinguished, two qualities not normally associated with me. I’m actually rawther goofy and theatrical. Anyway, one day, I went to a writer conference where I met a talented picture book author named…drum roll…Lisa Shulman. Excuse me? That’s my name! Well, minus the letter “c.” I knew I needed a masterful moniker to avoid confusion, so that’s why I joined the Initial Club along with E.L., J.K., D.H, T.S., and J.D….Hey, how about Quiz Time? Can you attach last names to them all? If so, you get the L.B Literati Award.
Authors like words. You can skip past this part, unless you want to write a report on me or you find me infinitely fascinating.
I began writing when I was a wee one, back in the days of typewriters that now go for obscene prices at antique shops. In the sixth grade, I started a band, The Survivors, offering original songs with heart-warming patriotic themes. In high school, my favorite class was, surprise, Creative Writing. My most memorable essay was a satirical look at the hot new trend of colored mascaras. In college, I abandoned my pursuit of a theater major when I discovered a little problem: Lack of talent. I graduated with a degree in screenwriting. I’ve only written one screenplay since, but hey, it clawed its way to the semifinals of the Page International Screenwriting Contest, ending up in the top 25 out of 400 entries in the family-genre category. On the book front, LEAGUE OF STRAYS was the first novel I ever wrote. Before you hate me for my insta-success, let me tell you how many thousands of revisions it took before an editor was willing to take a chance on it. Ten years of edits, no joke. My next book, STOLEN SECRETS, only took six years. An improvement.
Could there be such a thing as writing genes? Fact: I am the granddaughter of Darrell Huff. If you are a math geek, a college professor, or taken a statistics course, you may well be familiar with his most famous book. Believe it or not, this book, written in 1954, is still popular. Just checked…it’s currently #25 in math-related audible books. When I was 26, my grandpa hired me to edit a new book, providing me with a salary that could last long enough for me to find a few more jobs writing articles. Without gramps, I might never have been able to pursue this low paying, but highly-coveted, career.
Teaching Time
In addition to writing, I’ve realized how much I love teaching! I started a (Covid ) business in 2020, and now I work full-time privately tutoring students, teaching classes via Zoom all around the world, and running creative writing camps in the summer. I also teach public speaking since I am a long-time Toastmaster. Many of my students, but not all, are children and teens who can’t deny the spark of the written word.
Me Now
I grew up in Annapolis, Maryland, followed by decades in Northern California. I now live in beautiful Colorado. One day, I will split time between the U.S. and Italy (putting it out in the Universe.) I have two amazing, grown daughters and a new Ocicat kitten named Sashimi. His sister, Kitara, visits often. We are a big, happy family. Okay, yes, I have an Instagram page for them. Ocikitties_Catalog. Well, I couldn’t keep all this cuteness to myself, could I?
Thanks for stopping by. Any more questions, just ask. I am an open book.
L.B.