Lisa Groen's Blog, page 2

Before the Mothers

I’m the author of The Cassatt Sisters: A Novel of Love and Art (October 2025). Escape into Art is a place you’ll find paintings and miscellanea about American Impressionist Mary Cassatt and her circle of artist friends, along with delicious bites from Paris during La Belle Époque, the Beautiful Age.

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I first encountered Mary Cassatt’s art in her fine portraits of mothers and children. This is her oeuvre, the topic she’s most known for. Cassatt seems to understand the work of motherhoo...

The Long Game

I’m the author of The Cassatt Sisters: A Novel of Love and Art (October 2025). Escape into Art is a place you’ll find paintings and miscellanea about American Impressionist Mary Cassatt and her circle of artist friends, along with delicious bites from Paris during La Belle Époque, the Beautiful Age.

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When writing a novel, it’s easier to keep the story alive and moving forward by writing a little every day. But that’s not what I did.

Young Girl Reading by Mary Cassatt

The inkling of Mary...

Postcards from la Belle Époque part trois

I’m the author of The Cassatt Sisters: A Novel of Love and Art (October 2025). Escape into Art is a place you’ll find paintings and miscellanea about American Impressionist Mary Cassatt and her circle of artist friends, along with delicious bites from Paris during La Belle Époque, the Beautiful Age.

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The Cassatt Sisters spans nine years, between 1877 and 1886, and is set in Belle Époque Paris. For the last couple weeks, I’ve been writing about some the changes that took place in Paris...

Postcards from la Belle Époque part deux

I’m the author of The Cassatt Sisters: A Novel of Love and Art (October 2025). Escape into Art is a place you’ll find paintings and miscellanea about American Impressionist Mary Cassatt and her circle of artist friends, along with delicious bites from Paris during La Belle Époque, the Beautiful Age.

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The Cassatt Sisters spans nine years, between 1877 and 1886, close to the beginning of the time known as La Belle Époque or “The Beautiful Age.” I thought it might be fun to capture some ...

Postcards from la Belle Époque

I’m the author of The Cassatt Sisters: A Novel of Love and Art (October 2025). Escape into Art is a place you’ll find paintings and miscellanea about American Impressionist Mary Cassatt and her circle of artist friends, along with delicious bites from Paris during La Belle Époque, the Beautiful Age.

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The setting of a novel—sometimes referred to as another character when rendered well—includes both place and time. The Cassatt Sisters spans nine years, between 1877 and 1886, during la B...

The Commerce of Books and a Favorite Character

I’m the author of The Cassatt Sisters: A Novel of Love and Art (October 2025). Escape into Art is a place you’ll find paintings and miscellanea about American Impressionist Mary Cassatt and her circle of artist friends, along with delicious bites from Paris during La Belle Époque, the Beautiful Age.

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In writing, and perhaps most arts, there are two parts of bringing a work to fruition—creation and commerce. I personally try not to think about the commerce before completing a creative ...

The Close Circle of Mary Cassatt

I’m the author of The Cassatt Sisters: A Novel of Love and Art (October 2025). Escape into Art is a place you’ll find paintings and miscellanea about American Impressionist Mary Cassatt and her circle of artist friends, along with delicious bites from Paris during La Belle Époque, the Beautiful Age.

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When writing a novel about a historical figure like Mary Cassatt, a member of the larger Impressionist collective, it can be difficult to decide who to include as main characters of her s...