Lisa von Biela
LightNews LightNews
banner
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
Lisa von Biela
@lisavonbiela.bsky.social
140 followers 270 following 150 posts
Recently retired legal aid attorney, former IT professional (for 25 years), author of THE GENESIS CODE, SCORCHED EARTH, and many other dystopian thrillers, artist (various media), photographer, and player of dulcimer and guitar.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
Lisa von Biela @lisavonbiela.bsky.social · Feb 5
Just published my new book on foreclosure prevention, Don't Say I Didn't Warn You: Homeownership Decisions That Can Cost You Your Home.

And...it's Live! My book on foreclosure prevention and more
gratisdictum.wordpress.com/2025/02/05/a...
And…it’s Live! My book on foreclosure prevention and more
As I mentioned in a prior post, I felt the need to consolidate into book form what I learned in 14 years of foreclosure prevention work. While my work involved resolving foreclosures that had alrea…
gratisdictum.wordpress.com
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
What's up with my current WIP? Another entry in my sporadic blog:

lisavonbiela.com/2026/10/08/i...

#amwriting #thrillers #publishing #writinglife #dystopian
Interesting anniversaries, plus an update on my current work-in-progress
Yeah, again it’s been a while since I posted. And I still don’t know how people get the time/motivation to post regularly, let alone frequently! I noticed several of my writing-related …
lisavonbiela.com
October 8, 2026 at 6:03 PM
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
First draft done--a progress report on my current dystopian work-in-progress:

lisavonbiela.com/2026/07/22/i...

#dystopian #amwriting #amreading #writinglife #thriller #suspense
Into the next phase on my current novel-in-progress…
Yes, it’s been a while since I posted anything. I do not know how people blog daily/hourly/whatever. Last time I posted about the WIP (work-in-progress), it was at around 17,000 words and thi…
lisavonbiela.com
July 22, 2026 at 7:13 PM
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
Yay, just finished the first draft of my latest novel! Still a lot of work to do, but a satisfying milestone, nonetheless!
June 16, 2026 at 6:50 PM
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
Opening paragraphs of my most recent novel, Ravenna's Road. It was a fun challenge to write this one in first person/present. Available wherever you prefer to get your books--as are my ten previous titles. :) My work ranges from medical thrillers to near-future dystopia.

#thriller #suspense
Text image exerpt from first page of Ravenna's Road
June 16, 2026 at 3:42 PM
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
My latest rant--things to think about before co-purchasing a home. Is it an answer to the problem of high housing costs--or a new way to get into a financial mess?

gratisdictum.wordpress.com/2026/06/04/h...

#realestate #property #homeownership
Home co-ownership and the like–hold on a minute!
I’m all for creative solutions to tough problems. But not at the expense of creating a newer, tougher problem! I heard a snippet about home co-ownership today and cringed. The tough problem i…
gratisdictum.wordpress.com
June 4, 2026 at 8:56 PM
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
Hard to believe, I've been a published novelist for 13 years as of today! I'm currently at work on my 12th fiction title...(yeah, I've written a nonfiction book on foreclosure prevention, too).

lisavonbiela.com/2026/05/02/t...

#crossroadpress #fiction #dystopia #novel
The Genesis Code, 13 years old today!
Hard to believe my debut novel, The Genesis Code, came out 13 years ago today. I embarked on writing it around 2004ish. Took me 2 years or so to finish. I’d written short stories. Genesis was…
lisavonbiela.com
May 2, 2026 at 9:11 PM
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
Property taxes and "Nextdoor experts", a new blog posting: gratisdictum.wordpress.com/2026/04/27/t...

#realestate #foreclosure #personalfinance
This Made Me So Mad…
I belong to my local Nextdoor, mainly for local service provider recommendations, local crime and safety info, things like that. Even those sorts of posts are often fraught with toxins. I particula…
gratisdictum.wordpress.com
April 27, 2026 at 7:56 PM
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
A little about my reasons for writing and publishing this book, and where to find it...

gratisdictum.wordpress.com/2026/02/13/w...

#foreclosure #personalfinance #homeownership
Where to find “Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You: Homeownership Decisions That Can Cost You Your House”
This is the book I *had* to write–even knowing people likely won’t *want* to read it. I had recently retired from 14 years of foreclosure prevention practice in a legal aid setting. My …
gratisdictum.wordpress.com
February 13, 2026 at 6:51 PM
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
My novel, Down the Brink, pub'd 2018, was way more prescient than I imagined. Check out this 2018 blurb (the link to the sample chapter isn't current, tho). Down the Brink is available wherever you get books, & also in audiobook:
www.seattlereviewofbooks.com/notes/2018/0...

#dystopia #novel #scary
Read a sample from the dark thriller Down the Brink, by The Seattle Review of Books
A column from the Notes section of the Seattle Review of Books
www.seattlereviewofbooks.com
February 6, 2026 at 9:08 PM
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
Ravenna faces many dangers on her way to freedom--will she make it to safety?

lisavonbiela.com/2026/02/04/w...

#dystopian #novel #suspense #femaleprotagonist
What’s up with the mysterious red X’s painted on abandoned farmhouses and barns?
In several key scenes in Ravenna’s Road, Ravenna encounters mysterious hand-painted red X’s. Early on, she stops for some much-needed rest at an abandoned farmhouse. A red X is painted …
lisavonbiela.com
February 4, 2026 at 10:41 PM
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
My latest rant...
gratisdictum.wordpress.com/2026/02/03/t...

#fraud #consumerprotection #probate #legislation
The World would be a better place if: one of my pet peeves
One of my pet peeves is when people use their minds to innovate for fraudulent or harmful purposes. I fantasize about how much better the world could be if people like that put their cleverness and…
gratisdictum.wordpress.com
February 3, 2026 at 8:38 PM
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
Some foreclosures just can't be prevented. But many can be--by making/avoiding certain choices. In my book, I explain the how and why of it all in practical terms.

Amazon (eBook and paperback): a.co/d/9lYve2D
Also available in eBook on B&N: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dont-say-i...

#foreclosure
Amazon.com: Don't Say I Didn't Warn You: Homeownership Decisions That Can Cost You Your House eBook : von Biela, Lisa: Kindle Store
Don't Say I Didn't Warn You: Homeownership Decisions That Can Cost You Your House - Kindle edition by von Biela, Lisa. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use fe...
a.co
January 27, 2026 at 7:18 PM
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
Ah, Ravenna. She's a planner, like me. But she's a whole lot more daring than I am! Keeps getting into and out of trouble...

lisavonbiela.com/2025/10/30/w...

#dystopia #dystopian #fiction #suspense #thriller #novel #adventure #femaleprotagonist #roadtrip #escape #jeopardy #carchase #desert
What would Ravenna do?
Ravenna, the main/POV character (indeed, the entire book is written in her voice, first person) in my latest novel, Ravenna’s Road, has a soft spot. And that soft spot keeps getting her into …
lisavonbiela.com
January 20, 2026 at 9:14 PM
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
14 years of real-world experience in foreclosure prevention:

gratisdictum.wordpress.com/2025/07/03/p...

#mortgage #foreclosure #realestate #financialliteracy #personalfinance
Practical Ways to Avoid Setting Yourself up for Future Foreclosure
I’ve always believed an ounce of prevention was worth a pound–perhaps more–of cure. In pretty much everything. The same holds true for foreclosure and related homeownership issues…
gratisdictum.wordpress.com
January 15, 2026 at 10:00 PM
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
What happens to the best laid plans? Ask Ravenna. She plans her escape oh-so-carefully, takes off on a cross-country car trip--& encounters no end of trouble along the way to what she thought was safety! Universal link below (to find at your preferred book source).

books2read.com/u/b5PXKO?for...
Cover for Ravenna's Road, by David Dodd, Crossroad Press. Image of an abandoned wooden barn, unkempt fields, and a threatening orange sky with clouds.
January 6, 2026 at 8:22 PM
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
My latest home equity rant, concerning HEIs. Beware...

gratisdictum.wordpress.com/2025/12/17/u...

#foreclosure #hei #homeequity #mortgage #finance #personalfinance
Unlock your home’s value with no monthly payments!
Wow! Point appears to think that I was born yesterday. They sent me a “pre-approved” offer (with a lot of fine print) for a nice six-figure wad of money.  Yep, they sent me a Home Equit…
gratisdictum.wordpress.com
December 17, 2025 at 6:50 PM
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
Goth Crow, my latest work up on Redbubble:

www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/1762...

#artfun #bird #photography #gothic #design
Crow on pixelated red background by lisavonbiela | Redbubble
I got a shot of an American Crow I really liked, but the background was a chaotic mess. So I isolated the crow and made my own background. Looks kinda goth, eh?
www.redbubble.com
November 28, 2025 at 11:11 PM
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
The latest on my novel-in-progress, and my technique compared to how I approached Ravenna's Road...

lisavonbiela.com/2025/11/19/1...

#amwriting #writinglife #amreading #suspense #dystopia #dystopian #fiction #thriller #novel
17,000 words in–and growing fast
OK, so my “outline” for the new book is doing its job and doing it well! I’m already 17,000 words into my first draft in just about 2 weeks. What a lovely, refreshing change from …
lisavonbiela.com
November 19, 2025 at 5:36 PM
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
My latest mortgage-related rant...

gratisdictum.wordpress.com/2025/11/10/d...

#realestate #mortgage #debt #homeownership #investment #finance
Did I hear someone say “50-year mortgages”?
Are you freaking kidding me? I haven’t had a chance to dig into the details on this new fresh hell, but let’s just look at the 50-year term aspect for a moment, shall we? Basically, if …
gratisdictum.wordpress.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:19 PM
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
Some notes on my writing process:

lisavonbiela.com/2025/11/04/w...
#amwriting #amreading #fiction #dystopian #novel #ravenna #author #novelist #thriller #suspense #technique #craft
What does “outline” mean to me?
As I’ve said in other posts, I outline my novels before drafting them. But what do I really mean by “outline”? You might think it’s a quick little set of bullet points. And …
lisavonbiela.com
November 4, 2025 at 5:59 PM
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
A little about Ravenna...
lisavonbiela.com/2025/10/30/w...

#suspense #dystopian #fiction #thriller #action #femaleprotagonists
What would Ravenna do?
Ravenna, the main/POV character (indeed, the entire book is written in her voice, first person) in my latest novel, Ravenna’s Road, has a soft spot. And that soft spot keeps getting her into …
lisavonbiela.com
October 30, 2025 at 5:44 PM
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
And now, in time for Halloween, a few words about zombie mortgages:

gratisdictum.wordpress.com/2025/10/24/z...

#realestate #foreclosure #mortgage #homeownership #finance #investment #lending
Zombies? Did someone say Zombies?!
Yes, it’s Halloween season, but I’m not talking about that kind of zombie. I’m talking about an even scarier kind, the kind that can take your home. —– You may have he…
gratisdictum.wordpress.com
October 24, 2025 at 8:09 PM
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
Wouldn't want to be in Ravenna's shoes, just sayin'...

lisavonbiela.com/2025/10/17/r...

#suspense #dystopian #thriller #fiction #novel
Ravenna’s Road–one helluva road trip
My latest novel, Ravenna’s Road, is out in the wild now. Ravenna tries to escape her untenable situation, and ends up hopping out of the frying pan and right into the fire. Hard to believe Ra…
lisavonbiela.com
October 17, 2025 at 8:17 PM
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
Some thoughts on "Intergenerational Wealth":

gratisdictum.wordpress.com/2025/10/11/w...

#personalfinance #mortgage #foreclosure #finance #homeownership #realestate #equity #wealth
What I Wish People Understood about “Intergenerational Wealth”
You hear the term bandied about: Intergenerational Wealth. You hear about programs to help spur/encourage/enable the building of intergenerational wealth. It’s a valuable thing, to be sure. B…
gratisdictum.wordpress.com
October 11, 2025 at 8:12 PM
lisavonbiela.bsky.social
"Set in the near future of a slowly dying world, RAVENNA'S ROAD is bleak, violent, and utterly chilling...a ticking time bomb of a dystopian thriller."
--Allan Leverone, New York Times bestselling author of FINAL VECTOR
books2read.com/u/b5PXKO?for...
Available now at your favorite digital store!
Ravenna's Road by Lisa von Biela
books2read.com
October 3, 2025 at 7:03 PM