Peggy Jaeger's Blog, page 71

A visit from my #author friend, Liz Flaherty

I love when my author friends come to visit me. Today, I’ve got multi-published, best-selling author, Liz Flaherty, joining me and she’s telling me all about a re-release of one of her backlist books. She’s updated the story a bit to modernize it just hair and I’m excited to share it with you.

Here’s Liz…

I’ve been married for a long time. I’ve fallen in love over and over during the 51-plus years of our marriage. Always with the same guy and often with a different one who looks like him but…really, did he just say that? We’ve stayed married, never living apart or even doing any bedroom-door-slamming or sleeping on the couch. I’ve never either asked or ordered him to leave and he’s never driven away with any intent of not returning.

It has not always been nearly as easy as that sounds.

In A Soft Place to Fall, Early and Nash were married for a long time, too. She got pregnant while she was still in high school and they got married when she was 16 and he was 18. They both worked nearly all the time and got Nash through medical school and raised four children. Thirty years after they got married, they’re living in a pretty gated community in Lexington, Kentucky, enjoying grandbabies and freedom from debt and…

And maybe not enjoying anything at all. At least, Nash isn’t.

Divorced and in search of herself, Early moves back to the Ridge in rural Kentucky. She takes care of Nash’s father after he has heart surgery, of her mother when she breaks her ankle, and…finally…of herself, too. As she builds a quilt shop named A Soft Place to Fall, she also creates a life for herself.

But then there’s Nash.

A Soft Place to Fall was first released in 2013. Nine years later, with a few changes, it still feels relevant. I hope you find it so, too.

Early McGrath doesn’t want freedom from her thirty-year marriage to Nash, but when it’s forced upon her, she does the only thing she knows to do – she goes home to the Ridge to reinvent herself.

Only what is someone who’s spent her life taking care of other people supposed to do when no one needs her anymore? Even as the threads of her life unravel, she finds new ones – reconnecting with the church of her childhood, building the quilt shop that has been a long-time dream, and forging a new friendship with her former husband.

The definition of freedom changes when it’s combined with faith, and through it all perhaps Early and Nash can find a Soft Place to Fall.

Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/3yexr8jz

D2D: https://books2read.com/u/bW57yx

USA Today bestselling author Liz Flaherty started writing in the fourth grade when her Aunt Gladys allowed her to use her portable Royal typewriter. The truth was that her aunt would have let her do anything to get her out of her hair, but the typewriter and the stories it could produce caught on, and Liz never again had a day without a what if… in it.

She and Duane, her husband of at least forever, live in a farmhouse in central Indiana, sharing grown children, spoiled cats, and their grandkids, the Magnificent Seven. (Don’t get her started on them—you’ll be here all day.) To find out more about her, stop by http://lizflaherty.net/ or any of the other places she hangs around by visiting linktr.ee/LizFlaherty

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#tuesdayTeaser A Snippet from DEATH BETWEEN THE PAGES #preorder #murder #Mystery #comingsoon

I am super stoked to let you all know I have a release date of 2.1.2023 for my short story collection DEATH BETWEEN THE PAGES: A Short Story Collection about Death.

The book was reproduced from Kindle Vella. I had such a great response to it from the Vella readers that when the opportunity presented itself, I decided to release it on Kindle. It will also be available in KU after the release date.

The book is a collection of fictional short stories I’ve written over the years ( mostly in the 1990s) when I was obsessed with serial killers and all things murder related, LOL. A long way from the lighthearted romance I write these days.

A cheating husband.
A group of widows.
A priest.
A landlady.
A spider.
What do they all have in common?
Death.

and here’s the cover:

And here’s a little snippet from one of the stories, THE TUESDAY NIGHT MEETING.

“You probably don’t remember my late husband, Major Plowright. I believe he passed when you were just a baby. Well, my dear, if there was ever a tougher man in the world to live with, I’d be sore-pressed to believe it. I truly feel the moment he was brought into the world a military angel crossed his path and predestined him for a soldier’s life. His mother told me after we’d been married for about a year that even as a child, everything had to be precision perfect in his world. He tolerated no fools, silliness or any kind of good-natured fun. I didn’t realize this when I married him, mind you. I know now I fell in love with his spit and polish exterior and superior manner. I never could resist a good-lookin’ man in a uniform.”

A few well-knowing chuckles escaped throughout the room.

“Well, married life was kind of sweet for a while. I got used to his ranting and raving about precision and cleanliness and order. But when the Major was forced to retire at a very early age, well, it all changed. He changed. Nothing I did was ever good enough. I was plum worn out with three babies and a big house to care for, and he never helped a lick with anything. One day he came home from his club and my youngest had spilled his juice all over the kitchen floor. I was just about to clean it up, but the Major didn’t let me. He stormed into the room, saw the mess, and started screaming and hollering so loud I thought my little Jimmy’s diapers were gonna fall off. When I tried to explain about the mess, he smacked me across the face. Knocked me clear across the kitchen with one felled swoop of the back of his hand. I was so stunned I didn’t see the next one coming. He was raving about me being an inadequate wife and mother and that he was going to teach me a lesson I’d never forget. He was right about it, too. I never forgot that first beating. Or all the others he gave me after. I do believe he came to enjoy it when he struck me down. I’d see a gleam in his eyes, kind of like the one I’d seen when he was in the throes of passion, whenever he hit me.”

Wisteria stopped and refreshed herself with a sip of tea.

“Miz Plowright, ma-am. I had no idea,” Cora said.

“Of course not, darlin’. In those days, why, a woman was barely a step above chattel.  Men’s property; bought and sold.”

“What did you do? I mean, did you stay with the Major?”

“For a while. I ran away with the children once, to my mother. But the Major followed me and dragged us all back. The beating I endured that night broke my left arm and two of my ribs.”

“I remember he went around town the next day telling everyone who’d listen that you fell down the front steps because you were rushing off somewhere in a dither,” Molly Kane said.

When Cora gasped, Wisteria patted her hand and said, “You see, Cora. We’ve all lied at one time or another about our bruises.”

“Finish your story, Wisteria,” Mavis commanded.

After taking another sip of tea, she did. “I knew I had to do something about the situation, but what? I couldn’t leave him. He’d shown me how he’d hunt me down and bring me back. Divorce was out of the question in those days. No self-respectin’ woman of the South would ever be seen in divorce court, airing all her dirty personal laundry. I finally figured out I had two options. I could stay and put up with this man I’d grown to fear and hate until he finally succeeded in killing me, or…”

“Or?” Cora prompted.

“Or I could rid myself and the children of him right then and there.”

Cora’s loud intake of air was the one sound in the room. To the question in her eyes,

Wisteria merely inclined her head.

“Yes, my dear. I killed my husband. It was the only way I could survive.”

Intrigued? LOL Preorder here for just #99cents DEATH BETWEEN THE PAGES

#mugMonday 1.9.2023

A theme song from 2016, but relevant right now, too!! My girl Jill gave me this one. Love it sososo much. Persistance is a good word for a word of the year!

A Visit the author Norm Harris; #audiobooks #suspense

So it’s rare when I have a gentleman visit this blog. I’ve had a few – all of them Wild Rose Press authors, and today that trend continues. Fellow Rose Author, Norm Harris consented to an interview and after it he’s telling us about the process by which he had two of his books made into audiobook offerings.

Here’s the interview first… Norm, take it away.

Norm, The Writer…

1. What drives you to write?

When I get an idea for a story I want to put it down in words shortly after.

2. What genre(s) do you write, and why?

The genres are, women’s fiction, military, thriller, suspense, legal, organized crime, science fiction-time travel, paranormal, and espionage. Why, because I am a veteran, have a legal background, read far too many Ian Fleming books, and have seen every James Bond movie many times.

3. What genre(s) do you read, and why?

Unfortunately, I do not have time to read.

4. What’s your writing schedule? Do you write every day?

The last time I wrote was the summer before last. From the beginning of April until the end of August, I wrote three novels. Then it was every day.

5. Give us a glimpse of the surroundings where you write. Separate room? In the kitchen? At the dining room table?

I have a septate room with a large Tv/monitor. I sit in a deeply padded recliner and try not to fall asleep. I bring up Word and have the keyboard on my lap and type away.

6. Are you the kind of writer who needs total quiet to compose, or are you able to filter out the typical sounds of the day and use your tunnel vision?

Because all of my books are derivatives of the stories told in rock music songs I often have music going on.

7. Do you listen to music while you write, and if so, what kind? If not, why not?

Every novel I create is based on the theme of several rock songs.  Brandy and Some Velvet Morning were for the Navy/legal thriller Fruit of the Poisonous Tree, End of the Innocence was one of the base song inspirations for the organized crime legal thriller Arid Sea, Sympathy for the Devil for the espionage paranormal thriller The Girl Who Knew Death. To name a few. I using will mention the song somewhere in the novel, but not always.

8. How did you come up with the plotline/idea for your current book?

For my current audiobook, The Girl Who Knew Death, the plot developed, in part, as a travel log of my experiences in Cario, Moscow, and Paris. I simply retold the setting. I liked the Tv series Lucifer and the song Sympathy for the Devil, the films Meet Joe Black and Death Takes a Holiday. And I got lucky. For the audio I got one of the Lucifer cast members to narrate it for me.

9. Which comes first for you – character or plot? And why?

Because my books are the Spider Green Mystery Thriller Series the character comes first. I come up with a plot and put my protagonist into the plot.

10. What 3 words describe you, the writer?

Creative, funny, and smart.

Norm, The Person

Tell us one unusual thing about yourself – not related to writing!

It would be my dry and warped sense of humor. I am a regular comedy act at work every day.

Who was your first love and what age were you?

I do not recall. I am going to guess my mom on the day I was born?

If you could relive one day, which one would it be? Think GROUNDHOG DAY, the movie for this one – you’ll have to live it over and over and….

Perhaps the day my son K-K graduated from law school;. He worked so hard over the years to achieve it. On that day he was so happy and proud of himself it is not a day to forget.

What’s one thing you love about your significant other?

I don’t have one of those. But I am not opposed to finding one.

If you had to give up one necessary-can’t-live-without-it item, what would it be?

The race car I have owned for the past thirty years.

 If you could sing a song with Jimmy Fallon, what would it be?

You are so Beautiful.

If you could hang out with any literary character from any book penned at any timeline, who would it be, why, and what would you do together?

Ian Fleming inspired my books. My protagonist Faydra Green is the female James Bond. I would ask Ian to review one of my books and I would discuss writing with him while sipping martinis…shaken, not stirred; Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet, shake it over ice, add a thin slice of lemon peel.

I love the Actor’s Studio show on Bravo, so this is my version of it:

Favorite sound

Cha-ching!

Least favorite sound

When the garbage truck backs up beep beep beep.

Best song ever written

Go Your Own Way    Fleetwood Mac and Dirty Paws …Of Monsters and Men and Brady…Looking Glass and Sympathy for the Devil…Stones is the best song ever. 

Worst song ever written

It’s so bad I don’t know it.

Favorite actor and actress

Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. And John Wayne.

Who would you want to be for 1 day and why? ( It can be anyone living or dead)

Biden so I could straighten out some of the things he has screwed up.

What turns you on?

Snickerdoodles

What turns you off?

Idiot drivers

Give me the worst 5 words ever heard on a first date ( here’s mine: “Is that your real hair?”)

“Pick me up at the halfway house.”

What’s your version of a perfect day?

A day when I make it start to finish without a problem occurring.

Audiobook production:

The production of the audiobooks were easier and faster than writing the novels they were produced from. I self-produced Deception Pass and The Girl Who Knew Death using ACX and the Audible/Amazon option. The process included first choosing a contract/royalty option with ADX. Next, a short excerpt is submitted for auditions. Once the auditions are received a narrator is selected. A contract between the producer and narrator is agreed and signed. The narrator’s fees have been agreed upon. I chose a royalty split and an hourly fee for narration. The narrating fee is hourly. It is arrived at by dividing 9,300 into the total manuscript words. If the narrator is charging $100 per hour then the resulting narration fee is the result.

The narrator next delivers a 15-minute sample. When approved, the production begins. When finished, I review the total audio and if satisfied I sign off and the narrator is paid. Amazon and Audible review and approve the audio for sale. Both create a web sales site. Because my e-books and paperbacks had Amazon sales pages the audio was added.

This is a very simple process. One that is much faster than the creation of a novel.

Buy links: amazon

Audible:

Facebook   https://www.facebook.com/norm.harris.3386  

Norm comes from a family of authors and publishers. In 1830 Great grandfather, several times removed, Martin Harris published the first printing of “Book of Mormon.” Later Norm’s son K-K wrote “Drones-Proposed Standards of Liability”, published by the Santa Clara High Technology Law Journal.

With writing and publishing in his veins, Norm created a fictional Spider Green Mystery Thriller Series in both print and audio-book versions. Norm Harris’ first novel debuted on an Amazon bestseller list over ten years ago. It was a one-and-done, but he returned to writing two years ago with a plan to publish the mystery/thriller of days gone by.

Except for time spent in military service, he is a second-generation Seattleite (that’s what they call those who dwell in the shadow of Mt. Rainier), with his legal beagle son, K-K, and five giant tropical fish. Norm’s stories spring from his memories of people who he has met and the places he has visited as he traveled the world. Diversity, inclusion, and equality are foremost in each story.

“Fay is an admirable, tough, brilliant protagonist.” said one reviewer. Said another, “Lt Commander Faydra Green … is a “take no prisoners” protagonist…” While Norm’s agent suggested protagonist Faydra Green reminded her of James Bond.

Thank you for listening and reading and if you enjoyed the stories please consider leaving a review!

#firstlinefriday

I’m starting something new this year on Fridays – I’m going to post the first line from one of my books to bump up my backlist profile.

So here’s the first one from my very first book SKATER’S WALTZ, published in 2015.

I definitely got better the more books I wrote, lol!

#thursdaythought

#wednesdaywisdom 1.4.2023

My mantra for 2023….let go of the small stuff that clutters your life and concentrate on the big picture.

#mugmonday 1.2.2023

Because I’m, you know… a writer! LOL

My 2023 Word of #Inspiration…

Unstoppable.

I will be unstoppable in the pursuit of my writing career for 2023.

More in-person events

More books written and released

A new publishing contract

A new publisher

More reader engagement

Increase social presence

I am, unstoppable.

Photo of the day, day 365

The final picture of my year-long event!!! My favorite Christmas present ( that I bought for myself!!!)

It’s been a long year and as I look back on all the daily photos I’ve put up, I can remember some great times and some sad ones. Here’s hoping 2023 is a better, healthier, richer, and safer year than 2022! Thanks for taking this photographic journey with me!