Elizabeth Roper Marcus

I grew up in NYC, the only child of a Macy’s dress buyer and a dentist, a colorful pair but not the easiest parents. After college, I escaped to Boston, where I studied architecture, ran a small firm, and wrote about design, when not traveling to far-flung places with my psychiatrist husband and two rambunctious children. Since the pair couldn’t fight if we traveled on horseback, we often did and were hindered only by my needing a horse easy to stop.

I decided to concentrate on writing in order to pursue the many quirky questions that fascinated me: Why are butterflies called butterflies? Why can’t I recall the taste of wine? Why are first-love memories so potent? Don’t Say a Word!, my first book, is the result of a long struggle to answer a personal question I could not escape, and I hope it will provoke answers to questions you may have about your own life.

My essays have appeared in such venues as The New York Times and The Boston Globe. On my website, www.eLizWrites.com, are essays related to my book. I blog on Psychology Today.