Meet Lisbeth McCarty

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lisbeth McCarty. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lisbeth, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
For years, I worked as an appellate defense attorney. My cases ranged from marijuana violations to death penalty cases. I often said, “I believe I am against the death penalty, but I have never been tested on that belief. No one I love has ever been on death row or been murdered.” Sadly, in 2007, my belief was tested when my niece, Lauren Barnes, was murdered when she was five months pregnant. Although I understood why Lauren’s mother wanted the killer to get the death penalty, I did not want that penalty to be imposed. I cannot claim that my thinking was due to mercy, however. I knew from having done death penalty work how long the process is, and how miserable the ongoing process is for the surviving family members (known as secondary victims). I was also aware of the exorbitant cost of a death penalty case. Additionally, I wanted the coward who killed my niece to spend a long time being punished.

The coward eventually pled guilty and was sentenced to two counts of first-degree murder (one count for the strangulation of Lauren, and one count for Avery, the five-month-old fetus). Lauren’s mother, my sister, my niece, and I all testified at the sentencing hearing.

Stories about Lauren from the time she was missing through the court proceedings were covered well by both television and newspapers. I had received a beautifully-written letter of sympathy from a prison inmate. I was touched by what he had written. His P.S. at the end of the letter, however, stated, “Give the word, and we will make sure he is taken care of in prison.” I could not even thank the inmate for the main part of the letter lest he consider a simple thank you to be a code for accepting his P.S. offer.

People have asked me how I continued to work in the area of appellate criminal defense law since the murder of my niece. My response is always the same. I don’t work in criminal law to support criminals in any way. I do so to support the U.S. Constitution. And when I support the Constitution for the worse among us, I am also supporting the Constitution for the best among us.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am an award-winning writer, as one of my hobbies is to enter well-respected writing contests. I also love speaking to various author groups about writing. I write three blogs on Substack. These are Writers Write (both a free and a paid subscription are available) and Vegan by Circumstances, a free blog. I am a member of several writing groups. You can find my blogs here: https://lisbeth.substack.com. My author website is: www.lisbethmccarty.com. I also love music and am a member of a local choir.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
My desire to write arose at an early age, then I increased my skills by receiving a Bachelor’s in Journalism (Professional Writing degree) from the University of Oklahoma (OU). I then obtained a J.D., also from OU. For more than 41 years, I was fortunate to have a job reading (trial transcripts) and writing (appellate briefs), which are two of my favorite activities to do. Writing, however, is an equal-opportunity profession. Writing does not care if you have a degree or not. Writing does not care about the color of your skin. Writing does not care how long you have practiced the craft.

The best advice that can be given about writing is to actually write. An anonymous quote states, “Writers Write. Everyone else just talks about it.” For anyone who wants to develop writing skills, actual writing is necessary. After you have something written, you can always join writing critique groups or enter your writing into contests if you want feedback on your work.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
There are so many great books, music, and movies that have played developmental roles in my life that the list is too lengthy to mention them all. I fell in love with reading through the Dick and Jane series, then was delighted by the whimsey of “Pippi Longstocking” by Astrid Lindgren, amazed by the creative silliness of books by Dr. Seuss, and embraced learning from a host of blue-covered biographies of various well-known people. I also like the wisdom of the book of Proverbs in the Bible, and I am currently working on a devotional inspired by Proverbs. When I was young, my mother used to play records quite often. I remember the song, sung by Peggy Lee and written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, called “Is That All There Is?” Various situations are mentioned in the song, followed by the title question. Hearing this helped me to realize that my happiness was not dependent on outer circumstances.

I saw the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” for the first time as an adult. The movie’s message that our life definitely counts, even if we are unaware of how, resonated with me and increased my love of life.

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