
Hiya, Blog Readers!
It’s been a hot minute . . . (Good lord, I hate that phrase; is it just me? Maybe it’s just me. Sorry, I’m sure it’s a lovely phrase. It makes me think of cinnamon rolls. But I don’t like pastries all that much, so) . . . since I’ve written to you with updates about my author life. (Unless you’re a Patron who receives my Friday articles, in which case you’re surely sick of me by now. In a good way, naturally!) This blog post is a roundup of random, various, and sundry updates about LizaAchillesLand.
A book club discussion of Two Novembers
The Ellevate Network, Washington DC chapter, has a new book club for 2025 called “Women & Words.” Each month, this book club features female DC-area authors and their books. My book, Two Novembers: A Memoir of Love βnβ Sex in Sonnets, is their March selection.
I will be leading the book discussion, and you are invited! On Monday, March 31, 2025, at 7-9pm, we will convene at Busboys and Poets on K Street (walkable from Gallery Place / Chinatown Metro). We’ll chat about my modern Shakespearean love sonnets. And you can ask me questions about my poetry, my writing process, and my love life! (However, I reserve the right not to answer. That’s one of the prerogatives of every author that god beams down, straight from the heavens, at midnight on the publication date.)
Ellevate’s mission is “creating a world where everyone belongs by helping women who challenge the status quo thrive at work.” This book club event is open to adults of all genders and ages.
Tickets are $5. Click here to reserve your spot. Hope to see you there!
The best way to read Two Novembers? In sequential order
I’ve heard from some folks that they’ve been skipping around as they read Two Novembers. While writing and publishing the book, it never occurred to me that people might do that. I’m very much a beginning-to-end reader, even with poetry and short story collections intended to be sampled and dabbled in, and even when the author grants permission to skip around in their introduction.
I don’t want to dictate how people read my book. However, please be aware that the sonnets go in chronological order and tell a story. It’s the true story of one year of my life. The story begins in one November and ends in the following November. The book has a complete narrative arc. If you skip around, that’s fine, but be aware that you will hardly understand half of it that way.
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So the best way to read Two Novembers is to start at the beginning and turn the pages in order, until you get to the end. That’s why this type of poetry collection is called a “sonnet sequence.” Each poem is given a number, indicating its place in the sequence. (But definitely no shade on any outside-the-box, rebel readers out there!)
You can buy Two Novembers at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Beltway Editions, Bookshop, Politics & Prose, or, as they say, wherever books are sold. (Although, let’s be honest, you might not find it at your neighbor’s yard sale.) It’s also available in some public libraries.
A Valentine’s Day sale on Etsy
I’m running my biggest sale ever on Liza Achilles Gifts, in celebration of Valentine’s Day. Now through February 14, 2025, get 40% off. That’s a huge discount! For a huge expression of love! Shipping to any U.S. address is always free at Liza Achilles Gifts. Shop Liza Achilles Gifts on Etsy.
Silent Book Club is an option for “Benefits with Friends”
I’m proud to be a longtime Silent Book Club organizer and host. There’s nothing like it for meeting smart, goodhearted, bookish friends and for getting some personal reading done, without any requirements for what you choose to read.
I have exciting news for seniors who like to read and make bookish friends. Some health insurance plans are paying people ages 65+ to engage in social activities. It’s like a gym membership benefit, except it’s for strengthening friendships instead of muscles.
This is being branded, wittily enough, as “Benefits with Friends.” Silent Book Club is an official option for this program. Seniors with a qualifying health plan can receive $50 annually, plus $20 every three months, just for being a Silent Book Club attendee.
If you’d like to join the program, first find a Silent Book Club chapter near you. Here’s a map that shows all the chapters in the world. (There are more than 1,500 of them!)
Then, visit GrouperGroups.com/SilentBookClub to find out whether you’re eligible and sign up.
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Autobiographical novel news
I’m writing a novel. It’s an autobiographical novel, which means that I’m fictionalizing my real life. It’s more or less a memoir, with some made-up stuff thrown in. Another term for this type of writing is “autofiction.” Famous writers of autofiction include Marcel Proust, Chris Kraus, Karl Ove KnausgΓ₯rd, Sheila Heti, and Rachel Cusk.
My novel’s setting will span my entire life so far, from my earliest memories up to the present day—though not necessarily in that order, despite what I explained earlier about the importance of sequence in my first book. That being said, even though my novel skips around in time, I will still intend for you to read it starting on page 1 and progressing in numerical page order to the end.
My novel’s focus is an unusual experience I had in life that I’m not ready to share publicly. I will share it eventually. Just not yet, please god don’t make me share it yet, lol. . . .
I recently finished a chapter that can stand alone as a short story. It’s chapter 7 of the novel. I’ve submitted it, with its own short story title, for possible publication. If it is accepted, I will be forced to let you know where you can read it. (That’s one of the obligations of every author that god beams down, straight from the heavens, at midnight on the publication date.) And then my secret will be out. Until then, all I want to say is that I’m determined to finish this book within the next year and a half—or at least get damn close.
I’m not sure exactly how this is going to happen. The logistics of this are tricky, is all I’ll say here. And I’ll add, the best way you can help me reach my goal is by joining any paid tier on Patreon. Patreon is a platform where fans support creators and artists. Here’s where you can join Patreon to support the manifestation of my novel!
You’ll get rewards in return. For example, you can learn what books I didn’t feature on the blog, and why not. You can also learn about my behind-the-scenes author life, stuff I put behind a paywall because I don’t want to share it publicly. (You know you secretly want that. . . !)
An important proclamation on cinnamon rolls
According to Wiktionary, the very clear and understandable definition of the phrase that reminds me of cinnamon rolls is as follows:
Noun
hot minute (plural hot minutes)
- A long period of time.
- An extremely short period of time; moment.
- An unspecified period of time; while.
I told you the definition was clear and understandable. . . .
What have YOU been up to in the last hot minute?
Featured in this post: Two Novembers by Liza Achilles. Buy it now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Beltway Editions, Bookshop, Politics & Prose, or your favorite local bookstore. Buy a signed copy at Etsy.
So, is dude blasting a copy of “Two Novembers” out of his bullhorn, or is he using his bullhorn to repel a violent attack from a copy of “Two Novembers?”
Good question, I’m glad you asked. Clearly, both are happening at once. It’s like the scene with Harry Potter and Voldemort in the final book. May the best wizard win.