1920s Film poster, from Wikimedia Commons On March 25, 2020, the Wall Street Journal ran an article entitled “Elegant Pajamas That Make Hibernation a Special Occasion.” It would be super-nice if they’d let me read it without subscribing. Pajama Girl. That’s me. PJs at 10:31am. They are nice PJs, tho. No holes, and they’re clean … Continue reading The Waiting Game, Part VII- A Pandemic Lockdown Tale
It's really, really important to me that the cover of my book expresses what the novel is.
In which Liza grapples with choosing a title. Click on bold text for links. Doh. I had to think for a while to come up with a title for this blog post, which is about…choosing titles. For a while I’ve wanted to change the title of my forthcoming historical novel (my publisher agreed) and … Continue reading The Waiting Game Part V: WORKING TITLE
1943 photo. On Facebook, I see a lot of people feeling "blessed," This, I have noticed, often precedes a humble-brag about their gifted children or new vacation house, so I use the word with some reservation. But I am feeling that word these days. On Wednesday, I send off revisions for ETIQUETTE FOR RUNAWAYS to … Continue reading The Waiting Game, Part IV: Pinch me.
My fave (duh) was called "Hooch Through History," which was an entertaining hopscotch through six historical revolutions, and really just an excuse to drink six cocktails. Lots of fun.
We can come up with many defenses when we anticipate rejection. Be it personal or professional, rejection hurts. I was always the type to break up first in dating, because if one does, one controls the outcome to some degree."
Mia Farrow, Rosemary's Baby, 1968. Photo from imdb.com Remember, if you will, that my original premise in this (now lengthy) blog post was that writing and publishing is a waiting game, akin to a pregnancy? Well I’m finally circling back to that. So almost a year and a half had passed since I sent out … Continue reading The Waiting Game, PART II: Labor Pains
Attributed to Marcus Gheereart the Younger , Portrait of a Lady in late 16th century Elizabethan England. (Roughly 1550 to 1600) from Tate.org.uk. [Public domain] If the wait from book deal to physical publishing contract were a pregnancy, I’d have my suitcase packed and waiting at the door by now. My last blog post was … Continue reading The Waiting Game: PART I
Let me say one thing. Well, two things, actually. The first is that I never thought I’d be chosen as a Hawthornden Fellow. But I filled out the application in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, no other applicant could make it in a particular month—January, for instance, or someone might break a leg, or … Continue reading One Sublime Month
Photo from Wikimedia Commons:User:Drozd [Public domain] In print now in Gargoyle Magazine #66. In the early 1980’s it was generally considered safe to hitchhike on Nantucket Island. At least, those of us who had only just graduated college and come for the summer— career-less and broke—found it an economical and efficient mode of transportation. And … Continue reading The story behind “Confab”
The Copperfield Review is an online literary magazine connected to a publisher of Historical Fiction called Copperfield Press. An excerpted chapter from ETIQUETTE FOR RUNAWAYS appears in their Summer 2016 issue. To read the chapter, click here. ( (former title was "The Thin End of the Wedge") more information … Continue reading The Story Behind Chapter Eight
I love to travel. And I always love to come home. I love Paris. I love Paris any time of year (although April can be cold and rainy, and gray.) I will return home tomorrow after sixteen days away. During my stay in Paris, a crazy man in a truck killed a lot of innocent … Continue reading Coming Home
We are all shaped by our experiences—what is inflicted upon us, opportunities we are given, and the things we choose for ourselves. There is choice, and there are also elements variously called “luck,” “fate,” “divine providence,” and “coincidence.” My friend Aggie once told me that she had heard a saying: “Coincidence is God's way of … Continue reading The Story Behind the Story: Mrs. Walker
Since the mid-1980’s, my family has been going to the same resort in Cancun, Mexico, for a week each winter. The place is old school; low rise, with well-manicured grounds, white stucco walls, and red tile roofs. There are lots of retirees, and many families, who re-connect from year to year and … Continue reading The Story Behind the Story: Brainfreeze
La Nuit du Diane by Jan Fabre August 22, 2015 Ekphrasis- a literary description of or commentary on a visual work of art. (Merriam- Webster Dictionary) I had the extreme good fortune of spending a month in Paris this summer. The first week I was there I participated in the Left Bank Writers Retreat, led … Continue reading The story behind the story: The Hunting Museum
Delmar This essay is no longer available to read online, from the March 2015 issue of Bluestem Magazine, so I'll post it below. The story behind the essay: (Update, January 2109- dear Boris passed away this month due to complications from cancer. His passing was peaceful and he … Continue reading Bad Dog
The story behind the story: Scrapbook My story Scrapbook is one of 42 pieces of flash fiction featured in Microchondria II, the literary journal of the Harvard Bookstore. The finished book is in stock. You have your choice of four different cover designs. However, if you don’t want to order the book you can at … Continue reading Scrapbook
liza nash taylor 