Oops and Daisies

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How I, an Elder Millennial, Feel After 3 Days of Riot Fest

September 22, 2026 by Liz SanFilippo Hall Leave a Comment

How I feel after 3 days of Riot Fest

I’m home. I didn’t stray too far from home—after all, I do live in the suburbs of Chicago. But I just took what has become my new annual “mini-vacation” (it counts as annual since it’s been two years in a row, right?) I was at Riot Fest, all three days, yes, even when it rained. And while I’m exhausted, as I texted my friends, it was “SO WORTH IT.”  From a killer lineup on Friday, with Alkaline … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Art & The Creative Process, Cool Experiences, Inspiration, Random musings, Travel Tagged With: creative writer, elder millenial, music, music festival, Riot Fest, writer

Book Review: If You Like Unique Literary Thrillers, Read “All The Colors of the Dark”

September 2, 2026 by Liz SanFilippo Hall Leave a Comment

All The Colors Of The Dark by Chris Whitaker intimidated me, and not just because of its behemoth size, clocking in at nearly 600 pages. I also don’t read many thrillers, because I feel like they often lack the character depth I want in books. But one of the many reasons I love book club (I’m in THREE, if you count my writing group) is that it helps me step out of my “comfort zone” in the books I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Writing & Creativity Tagged With: All the colors of the dark, book recommendation, book review, Bookshop, literary fiction, Liz Reads A Lot, quotes

Join Me on My Personal Writing Journey

August 25, 2026 by Liz SanFilippo Hall

We all have our own writing paths, some more circuitous than others. I know mine has been all over the place (just see part of my “path” here and here).  But since I decided that I am going to be a career author and I’m fully committed to this “identity,” I decided I needed to be a bit more… visible online. After all, how will anyone know about my books unless I talk about them?  I’ve also … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Path to Publication, Writing & Creativity Tagged With: busy moms, creative writing, journaling, publishing, writing craft, writing journey

The Kids Are Back in School! Here’s My Work-From-Home Schedule

August 22, 2026 by Liz SanFilippo Hall

My Work-From-Home Schedule

Sure, it may still be summer, and it's still in the high 80s, but it feels like a new season when the kids go back to school. The house feels “empty.” Routines are changing… and I’m no longer able to wake up at 8 a.m.  Just like the kids need a few days in the classroom to acclimate and get used to their new schedules, I need some adjustment time, too.  My kids returned to school on … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Inspiration, Inspiration, Random musings, Uncategorized, WAHM Life Tagged With: accountability, blogging, coaching, creative writing, guided journals, jenni gritters, journaling, open window lit, publications, work from home, workshops, young adult writing

How Can Anyone Be Bored?

August 13, 2026 by Liz SanFilippo Hall

How can anyone be bored?

When I think of all there is to learn and discover, all the people I have yet to meet, I’m simply OVERWHELMED. So when my kids complain of being bored, I try not to guide them…  I want them to ask questions and go searching for either something to do, learn, explore, see, create, etc., without, no offense, Google.  But I used to think I needed to give them “more tools” so they could handle … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cool Experiences, Life With Kids, Parenting, Random musings Tagged With: boredom, imagination, learning, life with kids, parenting

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Recent Posts

  • How I, an Elder Millennial, Feel After 3 Days of Riot Fest September 22, 2026
  • Book Review: If You Like Unique Literary Thrillers, Read “All The Colors of the Dark” September 2, 2026
  • Join Me on My Personal Writing Journey August 25, 2026
  • The Kids Are Back in School! Here’s My Work-From-Home Schedule August 22, 2026
  • How Can Anyone Be Bored? August 13, 2026

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authorlizsanfilippohall

Multi-genre author. 📚BECOMING CHARLOTTE CORDAY, a YA historical fantasy coming 4/27/2027 from Apprentice House Press

Talk about a walk down memory lane! I’m working on Talk about a walk down memory lane! I’m working on some articles about my forthcoming book, which centers around the life of Charlotte Corday, and decided to look through all my old research. From notes about the French Revolution, to copies of uncirculated material, this is just one binder of my research! 🤯While the book has fantasy elements, like magic and time travel, this research was foundational to my world building. #HistoricalFantasy #Bookstagram #WorldBuilding #WritingProcess
Step five: Reopen the draft… and then open a new d Step five: Reopen the draft… and then open a new doc and create a “new” outline that goes chapter by chapter detailing what needs to be edited in each section. Phew. Sometimes you just need to break the task into smaller parts! 🙌🙌#AmEditing #NewAdultBooks #WritingProcess #AuthorsOfInsta
Blog categories updated! 🙌🙌 As someone who writes Blog categories updated! 🙌🙌 As someone who writes about a LOT of different topics, I was having a hard time fitting my interests “neatly into boxes.” So I redefined my boxes. And yes, there’s a category for random musings, because sometimes I just need the freedom to write about really quirky ideas I’m researching or thinking about. Hop on over to www.OopsAndDaisies.com to see the categories in action! #WritingLife #MessyMiddle #AuthorsOfInsta #OldSchoolBlog
After a weekend of inspiration and being surrounde After a weekend of inspiration and being surrounded by some of my favorite music, I feel like I shouldn’t be surprised that I’m geared up and ready to dive back into my New Adult Contemporary (which is heavily influenced by the music scene of 2005). Here’s what diving back into this story looks like…(BTW, I call it “draft two,” but that’s looking at the work-in-progress as a whole… I’ve revised/rewritten a majority of this book FAR more than twice. But my editing process is a whole other video for another day). #LizsWritingJourney #AmWriting #WritingLife #RiotFest
And it was 100% worth it. @alanis made me feel l And it was 100% worth it. @alanis made me feel like a teen all over again. More thoughts on Riot Fest to come after I get some sleep 🤣#RiotFest #LivingMyBestLife #WritingLife #MusicHangover
Since there’s no simple answer to “what it feels l Since there’s no simple answer to “what it feels like to publish a book 20 years in the making,” I started a new Substack series, where I talk about my history with writing, where the idea for Becoming Charlotte Corday came from, and all the mountains and valleys I experienced in working to get this book out into the world… a book that was sparked by a simple question: who exactly was Charlotte Corday?But before we get to Charlotte Corday, I should begin with a short story about myself: the author… and that means going back to the very beginning.Read part one over on Substack (linked in my bio and story). #LizsWritingJourney #WritingLife #WritingMindset #PublishingABook
How I prepare myself for editing my new adult cont How I prepare myself for editing my new adult contemporary novel that’s set in 2005. 🤣💖🎉🙌#HowIFocus #WritingLife #PunkRock #AmEditing
Dig deep into your “why,” my friends! And my son’s Dig deep into your “why,” my friends! And my son’s reminder about why feedback is important. 😜Btw, my son approves this message. 💖#MomLife #TheThingsKidsSay #WritingLife #CreativeNonfiction
I know, I know… I should just pick one project and I know, I know… I should just pick one project and finish it! But I swear I have a plan. Let me give you a glimpse into what I’m working on and writing this week 💖#LizsWritingJourney #WritingLife #TimeBlocking #WhatImWriting
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