Catching Up With … Lisa Cerasoli
Now Publishing Her Second Novel, GH’s Cerasoli Proves She’s Got The Write Stuff

When Lisa Cerasoli (ex-V, GH) checked in with Digest in the 5/12/09 issue, she’d left behind a thriving career in Hollywood several years back to return to her native Michigan and care for her dying father. Shortly after, another family crisis reared its head and, true to form, Cerasoli tackled it with guts and gusto, and turned the experience into her second novel….

Soap Opera Digest: When we spoke a year ago, you’d just published your first book. Now, you’ve completed your second. That’s quite an accomplishment.

Lisa Cerasoli: One book is like, “Yeah, I just ran one marathon and I might or might not run another,” but two books might officially make me an author [laughs].

Digest: Your first book, On The Brink Between Bliss And Insanity, was a fictional piece about one woman’s love life. As Nora Jo Fades Away is non-fiction, and a lot more personal.

Cerasoli: Ah yes, the making of Nora Jo…. We’d been moving Gram up to the house on the weekends for about two years, which was no big deal really, but when her Dementia progressed to the point where she could no longer live on her own, my husband and I thought, “She’s here every weekend anyway. What’s the big deal?” Little did we know that it was, in fact, a very big deal to have her in the house every day. It flipped our house upside down. Like I say on the back of the book cover, our lives instantaneously shifted from Michigan to Mars. It was overwhelming, particularly for me. My family didn’t grow up with my grandmother, so they don’t have that relationship with her.

Digest: For such a sad subject, you inject a lot of dark humor.

Cerasoli: It’s a coping mechanism. Plus, my grandma has naturally been a funny person her entire life, so with the progressive Dementia/Alzheimer’s disease, she’s still funny, but it’s different now. I describe her more as an Archie Bunker-esque kind of funny. She is Archie bunker in drag. She is off-color. She’s brutally honest. But due to her condition, she’s also a hazard to herself and others — accidentally, though. It’s not her fault.
Digest: How has this experience changed your life?

Cerasoli: I recently met with the Alzheimer’s Association, and I’m going to be their keynote speaker at their annual conference here in Michigan. It was funny because when I met with then, they asked about my first book and I’m like, “It’s called On The Brink Of Bliss And Insanity and they stared at me and I said, “I know, that could be the title of my second book, too [laughs].” But really, the first book is like “Bridget Jones’s Diary On Crack” and then I thought, “Actually, that’s how I could describe my second book, too [laughs]!”

Digest: How would you describe the tone of this book?

Cerasoli: Before I got them on-board as my charitable organization, I said, “I want you people to read this because I want to make sure that we are on the same page. I don’t want to have your name affiliated with my book if you think my book is too darkly humorous or too in your face, and thank God, they came to me and said, “You’re a breath of fresh air. Will you speak at our annual conference?”

Digest: What would you like to see come from this?

Cerasoli: My highest hope is that I am putting a face to Alzheimer’s Disease. My grandfather died from it. [Husband] Pete‘s grandmother died from it and we’ve been living for two years with my grandmother who has it, and I think this disease has been brushed under the carpet.

Digest: You stress that a caregiver needs to maintain a personal life.

Cerasoli: We have help now, but there was a period where we could not leave her alone. Somebody had to be in the house at all times and that somebody was usually me. It was getting really emotionally taxing on me so we made and enforced a date night, Pete and I. Sometimes it was romantic and sometimes we’d just go to his sister’s house and watch AMERICAN IDOL [laughs].
Digest: We’ve heard you also have other plans for this book.

Cerasoli: As a matter of fact, I also wrote this as a [TV] pilot proposal. If you’re trying to get a handle on Nora Jo, as I mentioned, think of Nora Jo as Archie Bunker in drag and Lisa as NURSE JACKIE in designer jeans minus the RN degree. It’s at a big production company now. We pitched it. They’re looking at it. I’m very excited about that. It’s got humor and tragedy all rolled into one and anyone who’s dealt with this knows what I’m talking about. The combination makes for great television, and the relevance of this soon-to-be epidemic if something’s not done is the other reason that I thought this is more than just a book.

Digest: Tell us about the launch.

Cerasoli: I’ll be in Los Angeles on April 24-25 for The Los Angeles TimesFestival Of Books, held on the UCLA campus. I’ve e-mailed every person I’ve ever met in my entire life in L.A. to let them know [laughs]. My publication company, Five Star Publication, will actually have three booths there, and I can’t wait. I’ve got a few book signings lined up, and I’d also like to continue speaking at Alzheimer’s conferences, too.

Digest: How do you manage to juggle commitments in both Hollywood and Michigan?

Cerasoli: Most days I don’t do it very well [laughs]. Because the first year was so rough with Gram, I thought, “I’ve got to do something for myself right now. Not that I lost myself but I was exhausted and angry and starting to feel bitter and I didn’t want that. So, I started doing yoga. The lovely Rena Sofer [ex-Eve, MP; ex-Lois, GH] introduced me to yoga. I did it all the time in L.A. with Rena but I got away from it living in Michigan, so I started doing it on my own in my house. Then, I found a wonderful class, so now it’s yoga for me 2-5 days a week, as little or as much I can stand. It’s my one thing to get me through the day. Breathe, baby breathe. It’s done a world of good for my mind.

Digest: So, what’s next?

Cerasoli: The next book is in the works. I have a one hour pilot that I’m working on, and I’m collaborating with a friend and my cousin on another project.

Digest: Now that you’re an author, do you plan to act again?

Cerasoli: I’ll do any TV anywhere, anytime, Tom. I don’t dream about it at night or cry, “Woe is me.” I don’t miss it per se, but man, is it fun. I love writing because that’s intellectually fulfilling and stimulating, but acting is a playground, and who doesn’t want to go outside and play?

Digest: Do you ever catch GH? Sonny’s got four kids since you left in 1999. One’s grown, two are teens and another is a pre-teen.

Cerasoli: I know [laughs]! I try once a month to turn on GH and the last time I did, I didn’t recognize one character. I think they were airing a “young” episode, but I did watch it and I did enjoy it. It’s still GENERAL HOSPITAL.

Digest: Since Jax is having marital problems with Carly, it might be the perfect time for V to come back to Port Charles.

Cerasoli: I couldn’t agree more [laughs].

For more on Cerasoli’s work and appearance schedule, check out www.lisacerasoli.com.