The inquisitive one, having taken some vacation time off work, ran to Nashville, hung around in honky-tonks for a couple days, and then ran back home to the DC area.

Now, at 11am on the last day of the mini vacation, the i.o. relaxed into a bouncy red movie theatre seat, in a venue just outside DC.

The i.o. tapped the phone to turn on Silent mode. The i.o. also turned on Airplane mode, just in case, as well as Do Not Disturb Under Any Circumstances Okay Please? mode.

Then, due to the i.o.’s persisting nervousness about interrupting the other patrons’ moviegoing experience, the i.o. turned on No Alarms for the Next 651 Hours mode, Do Not Self-Destruct mode, Send All Calls From Mom Directly to Jail Without Passing Go mode, and If Your Significant Other Tries to Contact You in a Dire Emergency Tell Them to Go Screw Themselves mode.

Still nervous about the phone, the i.o. watched the film.

Without interruption!

When the credits stopped rolling, and as the music languished upon its final chords, the inquisitive one, feeling queasy about, and overwhelmed by, the contents of the film, stumbled outside into the sunlight. Next, the i.o. stumbled into a coffeeshop and sat with a caffeinated beverage. For the next 30 minutes, the i.o., while sipping, methodically dismantled all the phone restrictions.

That was when a text, an email, and a voicemail started blaring from the speaker and flashing on the screen, all at once!

The inquisitive one clutched the phone in disbelief. So this is the information the phone had been concealing from the i.o., all that time in the movie theatre? That the inquisitive one no longer had a job, an income, benefits, weird coworkers, or a never-used cubicle labeled “The Inquisitive One” in fancy gold lettering?

Feeling queasy about, and overwhelmed by, the contents of the film and the loss of the job, the i.o., who had merrily run from home to the theatre, stumbled home.

A Note to Blog Readers About My Career Change

Dear Blog Readers,

Last week, due to federal budget cuts, I was laid off from my job as Policy Technical Writer. I was a contractor to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Office of the Chief Information Officer.

I assume this is the universe’s way of informing me that I should move into being a full-time freelance author, book editor, and blogger.

I am working on an autobiographical novel on the intersection between philosophy and psychology—and a secret I kept for over 30 years. Now that I no longer have a day job, I should have time to complete this novel by mid-2026.

If all goes well, I will continue writing blog posts for the discerning reader about the best modern books. I will continue to speak at various events on topics such as writing, poetry, memoir, books, leadership, and Shakespeare. And I will have availability to assist clients as a developmental editor, copyeditor, and WordPress designer.

Many of you, especially those in the DC area, are facing precarious financial times. That being said—if it is feasible for you—I need your help. Piecing together a career as an author and freelancer is not easy. If you enjoy reading this blog, and if it helps you in some way, please consider showing your support. Below is a list of ways you can help. Doing any of these things is a positive action that says, “Yes! I’m a fan of Liza and her writing, and I want her to be able to continue putting it out into the world!”:

1. Join Patreon. (This is the #1 best way to show your support!) For just $4-8 a month, get bonus articles every week. Patreon is a platform where fans support their favorite creators. Learn which modern books I didn’t feature on the blog, and why not. Get tips on understanding great classic books. Get behind-the-scenes insights on my author life (such as what film I saw last week!). Click here to become a Patron and support my career as an author and blogger.
2. Buy my book. Two Novembers, a sequence of candid and humorous love sonnets, has a five-star average on Amazon. It’s available at all bookstores, including Bookshop, Beltway Editions, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kramers, and Politics & Prose.
3. Hire me for book editing. I have availability to take a few book editing clients. I can assist with novels, short stories, nonfiction books, memoirs, and poetry. I do developmental editing (from the broad outlining and shaping of a book down to the flow and voice of the sentences and paragraphs) and copyediting (line-level correction of errors in grammar, spelling, word usage, etc.). Contact me to inquire about rates.
4. Hire me for WordPress support. I have availability to help a few writers, artists, small business owners, or small organizations create, revamp, or optimize a WordPress website. Note that I’m not a developer, so I can’t do custom coding in PHP or JavaScript. However, I have expertise in coding in HTML & CSS, installing and customizing a theme, making alterations on the back end, adding features like contact forms and newsletters and popups, facilitating regular backups, and ensuring security and anti-spam functionality. I can even help you learn to maintain your website on your own. Contact me to inquire about rates.
5. Buy any book from Bookshop. Click this link and buy any book in the entire Bookshop catalog. As long as you see my name in the upper left corner of your screen, your purchase supports my career.
6. Make a one-time donation. Sometimes people don’t want to join Patreon because they don’t like the monthly auto-pay format. One way to get around this is to join Patreon and then quit immediately; this will result in a one-time donation. Or, you can contact me to inquire about donating through Zelle, PayPal, or Venmo.

If you can’t do any of these things, I definitely understand. I’m accepting kind messages as support as well! Many of you have already pledged support in various ways, and for this I am deeply grateful. Thank you!! Sending my love and best wishes to all.

—Liza