Born and raised in Southern California, Lisa grew up with a view of the Pacific Ocean out the front windows of her family home and the California foothills behind. Heritage in the Pacific Northwest eventually proved to be a stronger pull than the mild weather of Southern California, and the family moved to Oregon when Lisa was sixteen.

After completing her undergraduate degree at Oregon State University in 1989, Lisa traveled to Damascus, Syria, on a study tour. She later married Todd Harris, one of the other students from that group in Damascus. Todd and Lisa lived in Jordan during the 1990s, and two of their four children were born in the Middle East. Lisa and her family now live in Oregon. She is currently completing her MFA through the Rainier Writing Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University.