Lisa Mantchev is an American author renowned for her captivating fantasy novels and short stories. She is best known for the Théâtre Illuminata series, a young adult fantasy trilogy that includes the novels Eyes Like Stars, Perchance to Dream, and So Silver Bright. The first book in the series was nominated for the 2009 Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy, as well as the 2010 Mythopoeic Award for Children's Literature. NPR recognized the third book, So Silver Bright, as one of the Top 5 YA Novels of 2011.

Mantchev's short fiction has been featured in notable publications such as Clarkesworld Magazine, Weird Tales, Fantasy Magazine, Strange Horizons, and Faerie Magazine. Her most recent work, the children's picture book Strictly No Elephants, published in October 2015, was included in the CCBC Choices 2016 List and received an NCTE 2016 Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children, Honorable Mention.

With a background in theater and playwriting, Mantchev's creative journey began in first grade, where she stored her early stories in a unicorn-themed Trapper Keeper. Her love for writing and theater grew, leading her to perform in numerous productions and even write, direct, and produce her own children's play by the age of sixteen. She studied theater and playwriting at the University of California, Irvine, later teaching English and developing a Drama After School Program.

Aside from her literary achievements, Lisa Mantchev describes herself as a "temporarily displaced Capricorn" casting spells from an ancient tree in the Pacific Northwest. She lives with her husband, two children, and six pets, balancing her passions for writing, theater, and domestic life.