Born in Boston with the accent to prove it, Risa lived within ten miles of the city for decades until a recent move to the neighboring Ocean State. For many years, Risa worked in a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting active participation in our democracy, with a special focus on voting and elections. Risa’s deep dive into creative writing started with finding three pennies in a neat stack in a completely empty apartment that belonged to her mother. It’s a long story. When not writing, Risa is reading, exercising or doing therapeutic ironing (yes, there is such a thing.)
“An event in my community prompted the idea for this story, Swallowed by a Secret, which I wrote as a mystery. The reader follows 12-year-old Rocky’s journey to learn the truth about how his father died with his friend Olive, a master plotter of plots. They do crack the secret, but I can’t share more without having a spoiler alert, so I’ll leave it at that.
Being part of an extraordinary community of writers on social media and in my critique groups is wonderful. People, especially the other Immortal Works authors, are so supportive of one another and always willing to share helpful information and be cheerleaders.”