UNGER, Lisa 1970-

PERSONAL:

Born 1970, in CT; married. Education: New School for Social Research, graduated.

ADDRESSES:

Home—FL. E-mail—lisa@lisaunger.com.

CAREER:

Full-time writer. Has worked in publishing.

WRITINGS:

Beautiful Lies (novel), Shaye Areheart Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Sliver of Truth (novel), Shaye Areheart Books (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Lisa Unger was born in Connecticut, but her family moved often, and by the time they finally settled in New Jersey she had lived in such diverse locations as Brooklyn, England, and Holland. Unger relied heavily upon her own imagination for entertainment, often preferring it to reality, and began to write stories at a young age. After completing university, she worked in publishing to keep herself close to the world of books while writing in her spare time. When she eventually quit her job and moved to Florida with her husband, she was ready to send a manuscript to a number of agents. Her first novel, Beautiful Lies, tells the story of Ridley Jones, a New York freelancer who, after a heroic act thrusts her into the public eye, receives a faded photo of a couple with a little girl and a note asking whether she is the person's daughter. Along with the help of her new neighbor Jake, Ridley attempts to determine if her own parents are telling the truth when they insist she is theirs by birth, or if the familiar-looking woman in the photo could really be her mother. A contributor to Publishers Weekly wrote: "The premise—that there is a dark side to the safe haven law—is deep as well as clever, and Unger plays it out thrillingly." Booklist critic Jenny McLarrin felt that "Unger takes readers on a pulse-pounding ride through the Big Apple in this outstanding debut."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 1, 2006, Jenny McLarrin, review of Beautiful Lies, p. 74.

Cosmopolitan, June, 2006, "Six Juicy Beach Books," review of Beautiful Lies, p. 282.

Publishers Weekly, January 2, 2006, review of Beautiful Lies, p. 31.

ONLINE

Lisa Unger Home page,http://www.lisaunger.com (October 10, 2006).*