Elisabeth Rose / Lisa Lanser Rose
Lisa and Mick. Portrait by Morgan Sophia.
Little Lisa. We lived in west Africa. Everywhere in the world, people asked for my autograph. At four I had to learn to sign, “Shirley Temple.”
In the portrait in pink, that’s Mick looking over my shoulder. We had the picture taken when Mick was working as the first official SleuthFest Writer Support Dog in 2023. He was also working for their Boa Brigade, which is how he ended up in a pink feather boa. It suited him, but most things did.
It’s hard to talk about myself without talking about Mick instead, but I’ll try.
I’ve been a dog-crazy storyteller since pre-school. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a writer, a naturalist like Farley Mowat or Jane Goodall, or a puppeteer at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.
Elisabeth Rose is my legal name, which I also use for literary fiction and nonfiction.
Lisa Lanser Rose is my name on social media and my trick-dog cozy mysteries. Why Lisa? The nickname my parents gave me for “Elisabeth” wasn’t “Liz” or “Beth,” it was “Lisa.” I stuck the name “Lanser” in the middle because it’s my husband’s surname and it made for a distinctive URL. Besides, he’s kind of my sponsor, like Pepsi.
When my dogs haven’t dragged me out of the house to go training or to visit schools, libraries and nursing homes, I’m home, trying to write between Frisbee games.
My Dogs
I’ve had some real-life dazzle dogs in my time. Here are my most recent three. Click on their names to learn more. Pictured from top to bottom they are:
- Roo–Mick’s baby brother
- Mick–the tri-color with the sign of the cross on his forehead
- Maisie–the elegant smooth-coated soul
Click on their names to learn more about them. Their pages are in progress. I try to keep them updated, but border collies are busy dogs!
Wait–this is “About Me,” not my dogs.
Let’s see, I’ve trained dogs since I was eleven years old. I joined 4H and competed in my first obedience trials when I was thirteen.
About the writing side of my life, I have a MA in English Literature and a MFA in Fiction Writing. I worked as a copywriter for an advertising firm, a writing professor at several universities, and a high school teacher in the International Baccalaureate Program. I’ve also directed two college writing centers and co-directed the Other Words Writers Conference.
In 2013 I founded the women writers’ blog co-op The Gloria Sirens. Women need to maintain their creative communities more than ever. You can hang out with us as we discuss how to build your own community on the Wordier Than Thou podcast.
Speaking of podcasts, I was lucky enough to host This Animal Life for a full year. I got to be a real animal geek with my dear friend, author Ann LaBar. I also got to interview so many people who wrote smart books about intelligent creatures.
I discovered that, next to dogs, writers are my favorite animals.
I’m a member of:
- Sisters in Crime
- The Upper Suncoast Dog Training Club
- Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Citizens Association
- Florida West Coast Orchid Society
