Reading Lisa Elizabeth’s stories reminds me of when I was small and had a bad belly-ache. Mom would get out the Pepto-Bismol and spoon a dollop of that sickening sweet pink liquid down my throat. You know what? A short while later my belly-ache would be all gone and I’d feel great. If you can get past the sometimes cloying sweetness of Lisa’s writing it can have the same result for you. For Lisa is writing the TG fairy tale in which a young boy grows up surrounded by a positive support system of loving family and friends where the realities of growing up TG never encroach except for small asides from his Dad. This will make the stories unappealing to those that feel pain, fear and even humiliation or degradation is necessary to a TG story. Nor is there any sex or violence. It’s strictly about the clothes and the joys of femininity untainted with erotic or psychological trappings.

There is a trilogy of stories of young John Michael/Lisa Elizabeth ("A Special Holiday," "A ‘Lisa’ New Year," and "Winter Fun") and one that revisits John as a married adult ("Happy Anniversary!"). The other two stories on the site are co-authored with Donna Anne which I will reserve comment on for the moment.

The secret to the appeal of Lisa’s stories isn’t the dressing up or the myriad and wonderfully described details of doing so nor the many outfits worn, though those things in and of themselves appeal to the little girl in most of us. Rather the secret is the sharing of the experience, the ability to enjoy the moment without fear of ridicule that captures the heart. The acceptance of Lisa by those around her in their actions and words is what makes these stories tick. That Lisa is loved as much as John. That Lisa is allowed to be a part of John’s life and treated with the same love and affection by those around her. All this makes even the simplest of childhood activities engrossing because Lisa experiences them from her new perspective.

One of the hardest things to do is write from a child’s perspective without writing childishly. Yet one can’t write as an adult for then it’s the fading light of memories past rather than that first glow of discovery. Lisa walks a fine line here and carries it off well enough to keep the reader interested.

Lisa’s other solo effort finds us back with John Michael much later in life. Married, to a wife who knows and supports Lisa, it attempts to recapture the innocence and joy of young Lisa. However, as Lisa is now embodied in an aging balding hairy hubby, things aren’t quite as simple. Thus the need to locate the story where Lisa can emerge safely, Las Vegas. The same elements that made the trilogy work aren’t quite as successful here but the love and support of the surrounding characters endeavor to make it so. It’s a valiant effort and enjoyable but lacks the charm of the trilogy or perhaps just suffers by comparison. It’s easier as a reader to transport one’s self back to Lisa’s youth than face the mirror and see Lisa now.

The other two stories are co-authored and thus introduce us to two young TG characters. The stories really gain nothing by adding a second TG character, except perhaps to say, "you’re not alone." and allow a place for the co-author to express herself. This smacks too much to me of the adult view of "us against them," that like seeks like and that two boys dressing up is better than one. The only thing is Donnie is like a girl, not like another boy, even one pretending to be a girl. It’s a discordant element in an otherwise nice pair of stories of dressing up and discovery.

If reality has gotten to be too much , clothe yourself in the fairy tale lives of John and Donnie, you won’t regret it, just envy them.

In looking over Lisa Elizabeth's stories, I found that I had read them all. Out of fairness, I felt I should read through them again instead of trusting my memory. Before starting that task, I went to the comments section and was disappointed to find so few comments. There was one exception and that story had garnered six comments.

All of Lisa's stories are of the sweet sentimental variety. There isn't any ridicule or humiliation of the main character. There is love or friendship and caring shown by everyone in each story. Except for one, the stories are of pre-teen children. The exception is about a couple celebrating their twentieth or twentieth plus wedding anniversary. Holidays or events are the center of each story with only Halloween having more than one. Christmas, New Year's, Easter break, the mentioned wedding anniversary and a snowy day that closes school are the settings for the other stories.

Lisa knows the mechanics; she knows how to shape a story. Also she has a good sense of grammar and spelling or good proofreaders or both. The writing is simple yet effective. The descriptions give enough detail to convey the meaning without being wordy. But on the other hand, the descriptions aren't so brief that the reader can't picture the scene or garment. The plot lines are fairly simple and easy for the reader to follow. There are no deep mysteries or tangled mind games for the reader to work through. There is just the curiosity of a young boy finding out how girl's clothes feel and how it is to interact with others his age while dressed as a girl.

John Michael is the main character in four of the stories. He is surrounded by his loving family in three of the stories and with his wife on their second honeymoon in a fourth. Donnie is featured in two stories and along with his family, he has a friend from school. His friend is Jeff Grant of Janet Stickney fame, Lisa asked and Janet allowed the use. All three are in Lisa's seventh story, Easter Break. It is the newest to date and only the first part is posted.

If you are looking for stories that are sweet and sentimental with a simple plot line, I suggest you check Lisa Elizabeth's work.

On the other hand, if you want some sexy scenes, wild changes or humiliation, check a different author.