By McKenzie Lynn Tozan
Welcome & Dobro Došli
“Mediterranean & Me” on Substack
I remember the very first time I watched Julie & Julia starring Meryl Streep & Amy Adams, I was so taken by Meryl’s portrayal of Julia Child’s excitement upon entering her Parisian home for the first time. She elegantly twirls her way through the space, ending up in a beautiful, classy, & just so Parisian bedroom with fluffy floral prints.
And then Julia happily flops down on her bed, only to discover that she’s much too tall for her, her feet dangling off the end of the bed.
After living in coastal Croatia for 3 years, I realize that living as an expat, mom of 3 bilingual kids, & freelance writer is a lot like sleeping with feet hanging off of the bed.
The situation is imperfect… but that bedroom is still stunning.
I’ve dealt with culture shock, bureaucracy, language learning troubles, food sensitivities, undiagnosed conditions, family estrangement, & staggering social anxiety… but I’ve lived on a beautiful coast, experienced healing springs & mudbaths, taken up hiking & bike trailing, & started a literary magazine, too. To use a cliché, there can’t be dark without light; there can’t be immersion without some cultural adjustment, & there can’t be beautiful beds without feet dangling off of them (well, maybe you’ve got me there).
poet. writer. editor. reviewer. brand storyteller. budding traveler. photographer.
McKenzie Lynn Tozan
For years, I’ve tried to keep “me” out of bios like this and just focus on my work experience and “what makes me a writer”—but this isn’t Severance. In 2025, I’ve started leaning into all of the things that make me, me, and it’s infiltrated my work in surprising and satisfying ways and made it better. So who am I? I’m a woman who scored highest for engineering on all aptitude tests even though I wanted to be an artist and writer, and I met in the middle by teaching for 9 years, while also finding my way into the publishing industry, first by editing and formatting fascinating and complex dissertations, tutoring in libraries and writing resource centers, and reading from the slush pile for the community’s literary magazine. That started me on the path to where I am 15 years later: now a mom of three, wife of almost 15 years, still very Midwestern at heart, living in coastal Croatia, and learning to embrace my inner Julia Child, Stanley Tucci, and maybe even Gertrude Stein. I love being by the sea, I love spooky things, I miss pumpkin patches, and despite being introverted, I’m a very bubbly person and will inevitably be one of your story’s greatest cheerleaders. And beyond wanting to write a few memorable books of my own in my lifetime and raising three good and kind people, I dream of raising a few chickens, growing a pumpkin patch on the coast, getting scuba certified, swimming with sharks, and serving the community through coastal clean-up, coral reef restoration, and animal rescue, all while inevitably writing poems and stories about it.
Available Now (free!)
The Duplex
A Short Story, Light Horror
Sprawled out across cornfields and a man-made lake the kids say plummets forever, the small town of Cresentstance feels isolated, a little ominous, and anything but small. But with tragedy just behind them and nothing to look forward to, Sonya decides this move to the town will be a good thing. Sonya and her daughter, Maddie, move into an old farmhouse renovated into a duplex, and when she discovers the other half of the house is occupied by another single mother and her son, who is the same age as Maddie, the situation feels like fate. But when Maddie starts to physically change and her new friend exhibits some dark behaviors, Sonya decides staying as far away from their new housemates as possible would be best. That’s until Maddie goes missing in the middle of the night, leading Sonya down dark hallways on the other side of the house where there’s laughing and screaming in the walls, and secrets the rest of the town would rather stay far, far away from.
A perfect short story to read by the light of your creepy Black Flame Candle this fall season—and to get ready for the full collection, What We Find in the Dark, which drops right in time for spooky season.
I have loved my experience with McKenzie Lynn Tozan at Lit Shark Magazine! She read and reviewed my book, ‘A Shared & Sacred Space’ with such passion, insight, and enthusiasm, it was truly remarkable.
If you have the opportunity to work with her on ANY literary project, you won’t be disappointed. Her creativity, thoroughness, and attention to detail are extraordinary and extend far beyond the bounds of the literary magazine landscape.
Eager to Celebrate & Bring Stories to Life
Poet. Writer. Book Reviewer. Brand Storyteller. Budding Traveler. Photographer.
editor & designer for indie authors, poets, lit mags, & small presses
15 Years of Editing, Curation, Design, & Marketing Experience
Since 2010, I’ve served literary magazines, small presses, online publications, and indie authors with submission curation, editing and design, and ultimately, publishing and marketing of works. I love being able to work through such a wide range of tasks and to offer a variety of skills that make books better and allow me to work with them as long as possible.
professional book reviewer & author interviewer
10 Years of Book Reviews & Author Interviews for Major Publications
Since 2010, I’ve reviewed independent and traditionally published titles in fiction, memoir, poetry, and short form, for major publications such as The Rumpus, Green Mountains Review, RHINO, Indie Reader, BookPage, LARB, and others.
I’ve also interviewed a wide range of authors, including The Things They Carried‘s Tim O’Brien, who called my review and interview of his latest, America Fantastica, “one of the most thoughtful reviews of [his] work [he’ll] likely have the pleasure of reading.”
Finally, I’m a loud advocate for banned and challenged books and am currently building a whole separate website called Banned Book Review, where banned and challenged books will be listed, including a synopsis, a thoughtful review, why it’s been banned/challenged and where, and where to still find the book and support the author. It’s a massive and possibly unending project that’s very near and dear to my heart.
published poet
15 Years of Poems Published in Small and Major Literary Magazines, Anthologies, & Exhibits
Since 2010, I’ve published poetry with a variety of small and major literary publications, including Rogue Agent, Whale Road Review, and Emerge Literary Journal, to name a few. My work has also been featured in some unique spaces, like alongside Flo Hatcher’s Box with a Sky Window lithograph at the Kalamazoo Institute of the Arts (KIA) for an eight-month exhibit, and I’ve been nominated poetry honors, honorable mentions, and Best of the Net.
Recently at Lit Shark Magazine
Issue 2 of Lit Shark Magazine: The SHARK WEEK Edition
Our very first SHARK WEEK issue, with a foreword written by Paul Gasek, the Executive Producer of Shark Week in 2016 through 2018
Issue 6 of Lit Shark Magazine: The SHARK DOG Edition
Our one and only (for now?!) SHARK DOG edition, curated specifically to celebrate and support stigmatized animals and identities, in light of the XL Bully Ban. Profits go to organizations who support XL bullies, pit bulls, and similarly challenged dogs.
Lit Shark’s Best Of 2024 Anthology
Every year, Lit Shark selects its 50 favorite pieces they published during the year and invites those 50 writers back to share something new. 50 “old” pieces, 50 “new” pieces, and all the work selected during our Poem of the Month Contests are collected here, guaranteeing a brilliant anthology.
My Writing Blog
Follow Along
New (Dinosaur) Poem: Parking Lot
Happy Friday, friends! I hope you all have some marvelous plans for the weekend. I've been doing client work and going through submissions for Lit Shark Magazine all week, and this weekend, I'm attending the livestream of Mississippi's first-ever banned book festival...
New Poem: Midwestern Breakfast
If a cornfield were a Midwestern ocean—here’s a new little poem by me. Enjoy!
#amwriting #writingpoems #newpoem #poetry #TikTok #ElyseMyers
Your Next YA Graphic Novel Pick Is Sprinkled with Spooks, Awkward Love, and Magic in Balazs Lorinczi’s DOUGHNUTS AND DOOM
Happy Friday, friends! We are officially one week into September, which of course means it's spooky season---which means it's time to break out the pumpkins, the decor, and of course, the spooky reads. First up this season is a graphic novel that was light on the...
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