[1] She is also one of the founding members of the blog The Brown Bookshelf, which raises awareness of Black children's book creators and features author and illustrator spotlights.

As a high-school student, Lyons loved the works of Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison and Lorraine Hansberry and set a goal to be an author.

This inspired her to start writing fiction books for children that would feature African-American lead characters.

[3] Three of Lyon's books are Junior Library Guild selections: Ellen's Broom (2012),[4] Dream Builder: The Story of Architect Philip Freelon (2020),[5] and Miles Lewis: King of the Ice (2022).

[6] Lyons has written more than a dozen books for children that focus on aspects of African-American history and culture, including:[1]