Meg Waite Clayton

Author of the international bestsellers The Postmistress of Paris, The Last Train to London, and 6 other novels

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If You AREN'T Being Rejected, Perhaps You Aren't Creative Enough

I just came across a rejection letter from the Museum of Art, politely declining the donation of a painting by an artist. The letter is dated October 18, 1956, and the reason stated is “severely limited gallery and storage space.”
The artist is no less than … Andy Warhol. The painting was titled “Shoe.”
His paintings went on to sell for as much as $100 million.
And just in case you’re thinking this was his early work and perhaps not quite up to snuff, rest assured that MOMA eventually found room for not just a single “Shoe,” but for 18 of them – and a total of 137 works by Warhol.
Keep writing – or whatever you do to express yourself creatively. If you don’t believe in yourself, how can you expect anyone else to? – Meg

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Meg Waite Clayton


Meg Waite Clayton is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of nine novels, including the forthcoming TYPEWRITER BEACH (Harper, July 1, 2025), the Good Morning America Buzz pick and New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice THE POSTMISTRESS OF PARIS, the National Jewish Book Award finalist THE LAST TRAIN TO LONDON, the Langum-Prize honored THE RACE FOR PARIS, and THE WEDNESDAY SISTERS, one of Entertainment Weekly’s 25 Essential Best Friend Novels of all time. Her novels have been published in 23 languages. She has also written more than 100 pieces for major newspapers, magazines, and public radio, mentors in the OpEd Project, and is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and the California bar. megwaiteclayton.com