Lisbeth Thom, a native of Vandalia, Illinois, has lived in Georgia for the past twenty-two years. She graduated summa cum laude from Georgia State University with a B.A. in English-Creative Writing. Lisbeth is married and lives in Savannah, GA. “Row Away From the Rocks” a complex family drama, is her first novel. She is currently working on a second novel, “Tessa and Claudine: A Story of Two Sisters.”

Lisbeth began her professional writing career in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. She wrote numerous human interest articles for The Milwaukee Journal and has also published essay articles, short stories, and poetry in publications such as: The Georgia Journal, The Catholic Digest, Ideals Magazine, Catalyst, Home Life Magazine, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Lisbeth often writes about women and their relationships. Her short story "Don't Take the First Casserole," was a fiction selection for "Building Bridges, "The 2008 San Francisco Writers Conference Anthology." In addition to her novels, Lisbeth is currently working on a memoir entitled, "One Woman's Journey," and a nonfiction book related to her hospice patients.

She has been invited to be a guest author/speaker for several groups and can be contacted to speak about her novel, visit book clubs to discuss her work and/or give a beginning-writer workshop. (See contact link for more information)

Interview: Frequently Asked Questions

Is Row Away From the Rocks based on a real life experience?

The story line in my novel is fiction, but it is emotionally autobiographical. I took care of my mother when she was dying of lung cancer, and so many of the emotions Carrie experiences while caring for Gram come from that period of my life.

What inspired you to write your novel?

Almost all of my writing starts with a strong emotion. Anger is the emotion that got me going with “Row Away From the Rocks.” While caring for my mother I became angry because the doctors didn’t think she was sick enough for hospice care. They were wrong. She died without ever getting any assistance. As a caregiver, I felt abandoned by the medical community. So, I wrote about it, using a fictional framework.

Did you simply sit down and pour the words onto the page?

No. First, I wrote and published poems on the subject of caregiving and then a short story. After that, the idea of writing a novel dealing with this same issue ran back and forth inside my head until I felt I had to do it. I wrote and rewrote the first three chapters, trying out different points of view. Once I started going to Rosemary Daniell’s Zona Rosa writing workshops, I continued on, setting firm goals, and completed my novel. After it was finished, I worked hard at finding a publisher.

What message are you trying to convey in Row Away From the Rocks?

I wrote my novel for the caretakers of the world. It is my hope my story serves as a wake-up call to doctors who turn away from patients who want to die without treatment, which results in insufficient end-of-life care for the dying and enormous frustration for caretakers. I'd like for Row Away From the Rocks to become required reading for nursing, gerontology, and pre-med students, who would benefit from a better understanding of the caretaker's point of view.