Singer 02 - Long Time No See (46 page)

Susan, the budding author, at about ten months of age. “Note the toothless smile,” Isaacs says. “Perhaps I’d not yet developed my ironic sensibility?”

Susan’s uncle, Herbert Isaacs Nova, a bomber pilot, named his B-26 for his niece in celebration of her birth, which was December 7, the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. This is one of the reasons she feels such a connection to World War II—and returns to it a few times in her novels.

“Cowgirl—such a practical ambition for a girl from Brooklyn!” says Isaacs.

Susan and Elkan Abramowitz on their wedding day. Susan says, “Marrying Elkan was the smartest decision of my life.”

Susan and Elkan’s son, Andy (now a lawyer), with the dog Susan calls “the noblest collie since Lassie.”

Susan with her daughter, Elizabeth (now a philosopher), in the early days.

Family vacation circa 1987. According to Susan, she is “98 percent sure we’re at Versailles.”

Susan (right) with Ethel Merman and Liz Smith at the launch of her second novel,
Close Relations
(1980).

The
Compromising Positions
film wrap party. From left to right: Susan Isaacs, Joe Mantegna, Frank Perry, Deborah Rush, Josh Mostel, and Anne De Salvo.

Susan and Elkan at the Tetons during one of their great vacations in Wyoming.

Susan’s mom and dad. She calls them “charming, bright, and warmhearted.”

Susan’s scene with Shelley Long in
Hello Again
. She wrote herself a role in the film—and actually got to play it!

Susan Isaacs signing books at the annual Book Expo. She is pictured with her publicist, Jane Beirn, and her late editor, Larry Ashmead.