Eliza Knight: On Persistence, Patience, and Perseverance
In this interview, author Eliza Knight discusses researching a decade full of change for her new novel, Lost in the Summer of ’69.
Eliza Knight is an award-winning, USA Today and international bestselling author of dozens of novels. Her latest novel is Lost in the Summer of ‘69. A lifelong history obsessive, Eliza’s love affair with the past began as a young girl when she traipsed the halls of Versailles. She is the creator of the popular historical blog, History Undressed, and host on the History, Books and Wine podcast. Her books have been translated into multiple languages, and most recently, her co-authored title A Day of Fire has been optioned for television. Knight holds an MFA in creative writing from Drexel University and is a creative writing instructor. She lives in the sunshine state with her husband, three daughters, a dog, a crab and a turtle.
In this interview, Eliza discusses researching a decade full of change for her new novel, Lost in the Summer of ’69, her hope for readers, and more.
Name: Eliza Knight
Book title: Lost in the Summer of ’69
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Release date: June 9, 2026
Genre/category: Historical fiction
Previous titles: Confessions of a Grammar Queen, Faithful Companion, Can’t We Be Friends, and more
Elevator pitch: Three generations of women, an unforgettable summer of music, and the epic cross-country road trip they'll never forget.
What prompted you to write this book?
With Lost in the Summer of ’69, all the little pieces started to form in my mind in the late fall of 2024. Following my novel, Confessions of a Grammar Queen, I knew I wanted to write another book that took place in the 60’s, so I started to do some exploratory research about what happened in that decade of change. I came across the summer of 1969, which was filled with not only music festivals, but other changes in the country, including the first year Yale allowed women to matriculate.
I’ve always been fascinated by women’s stories, mothers and daughters, ways we change and empower each other, and I knew I needed to write a generational story. There’s also a thread of exploring stories together and how reading can spark conversation, so you’ll see that in a number of ways. Every novel I write has a little piece of me in it, and that year, there were some personal things going on in my life as well that sparked inspiration and the need to explore—my father-in-law’s battle with Alzheimer’s and my daughter going off to college. As the ideas snowballed, so too did the urgency to write this story.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
The idea for the novel came to me in late fall of 2024. I ruminated over it for a month or so, and then in December on a writing retreat with friends, I hashed out the details on a “Walk and Plot,” one of my favorite ways to brainstorm with writing friends. I pitched it to my editor that week. The novel took about six months to research and edit my draft due to my editor in June of 2025. From there, we had several rounds of edits, copy edits, proofread edits, etc. … My final round of proofing was in early 2026, and the book’s debut into the world in June of 2026! So, from idea to publication was about 20 months or so.
The idea never changed during the writing and editing process, but there were a few structural and character changes. For example, there is a love interest in Eleanor, the grandmother’s story, which had a significant age gap. There is still an age gap, but I decreased it. Not necessarily a change, but for Leanne, Eleanor’s daughter, a housewife, I wasn’t exactly sure how her story would end. When I started to write her chapters, I had two endings, both significantly different. It took writing her chapters until the very end for me to decide which way she would go. I actually think Leanne made that decision herself. And not knowing helped me write her chapters more authentically, since she didn’t know either.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
Every book for me has learning moments. In the research, I learned so much about the creation of rock n’ roll, as well as how the industry changed for women through the decades. I was fascinated too by the change in fashion from 1960 to 1969. I also learned a lot about dementia and Alzheimer’s. I’ve experienced dementia and Alzheimer’s in my own family, and you study what’s needed emotionally and medically for your own family. But to study it more personally from other people’s experiences and to recreate it on the page was eye-opening and heart-wrenching. Leanne’s character was the biggest surprise for me. She started out one way, and ended another, and I really enjoyed watching her flourish.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
When you’re writing a novel, and embodying your characters, some of the things that come out of that experience can surprise you. I was definitely surprised by some of the raw emotions that I felt while writing. Not just the devastation of being diagnosed with a life-altering illness, but the rawness and beauty of a mother and daughter’s relationship, the elation of something new. The intense feelings of love, the fear of change. As writers, we have to experience all of those emotions when writing, and those intense feelings can be unexpected.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
First and foremost, I hope that readers are entertained. But, beyond that, I hope readers feel a genuine connection to the story, the characters, and to the emotions threaded throughout. I hope that that connection sparks conversations. Conversations between mothers and daughters, or with friends about their relationships, their hopes, their dreams, their desires for change or stories they want to share. More than anything, I want my book to be the jumping off point for people to open up. To revisit the music or maybe listen for the first time. To read the books mentioned. To reminisce about the stories that shaped them, and to reflect on not only who they were, but who they’re still becoming.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
There are three things I’ve strived for in my 20 years of this writing career: persistence, patience, and perseverance. We must persist, never give up. Write and read most days of the week. We must have patience, writing a book is a lengthy time commitment, and publication is like climbing Mt. Everest versus a staircase. We must persevere, because there will be naysayers, there will be rejection, there will be people who don’t understand. But we can overcome all of that. Writing is in our souls, and we must believe in ourselves—and other writers. Gather your community of writing friends around you. They will be there to lift you up whether you’re experiencing highs or lows.
