Liz Flaherty's Blog, page 159

Cowboys a'comin'!

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A week or so ago, I talked about how a good friend had pitched the idea of a mixed box set. It's an interesting idea, and one I'm not opposed to if it comes to pass.
But in the meantime, I asked six friends, all western writers, or ones who wanted to try to write one, to join me in a boxed set. I was delighted when all accepted. I couldn't have found a better group of people to work with. The incredible Kim Killion designed our cover. Isn't he purty???

We release SEPTEMBER 8th!!! Watch for us...

After the party

My high school graduating class had a party at our house last night. Not that many of us were there--which was disappointing--but the ones who came wanted to be there. We laughed, we talked,we remembered--with varying degrees of accuracy--class trips and other events. We didn't sing the school song or hash over old grievances. What we did--and maybe I'm looking at this with my usual Pollyanna-ness--was celebrate our differences.

Ours was a small class from a small school in a small community i...

The Story Behind the Story of The Christmas Promise by guest Melinda Curtis

At the beginning of summer, I was asked to participate in a holiday anthology with 13 other sweet romance writers. Last year, I would have jumped up and down for joy. This year, I have 6 writing projects on the table and had deadlines that couldn’t be adjusted. Call me Crazy, I agreed. Only one problem besides squeezing it in the schedule: I needed an idea.
At the time, my friend, Kim, was in Ecuador researching a new cocoa product (translation: she wanted to create a new chocolate snack organ...

Another Random Day

Some people have throwback Thursday, I tend to have random Thursday about once a month or so. Today is one of those days when the thoughts in my head are too many to siphon down to just one. 

I woke up this morning in a domesticated frame of mind. So far, I've baked banana cupcakes when are like banana muffins with buttercream frosting. But they are good. 

My comfort t.v. show when doing domestic activities is Ally McBeal. Right now I'm watching the episodes leading up to Bi...

A Place To Go

I've lived and visited a lot of places in my life. I grew up in Missouri and can tell you about minute differences you'll find from the Boot Heel to the Rural Centers and the Cities. I've lived in Nebraska and Ohio and can probably answer a lot of trivia about both. Have visited Colorado, Florida, Texas and Louisiana. Grand Cayman, Belize, Honduras, Mexico (three times), Jamaica. Every place I've visited has left some kind of imprint on my life, from admiring a Jamaican sunset over the Caribb...

A Leap of Genre?

A few days ago a friend put out the idea of publishing a boxed set. Nothing unusual there. A lot of authors are doing it these days. Take a quick look on Amazon and you can find any number of boxed sets filled with cowboys, military men ... even a few with ghosts.


But my friend's idea was different.


She suggested a mixed set. A little bit of everything. Historical. Contemporary. Suspense. All  together like a tin of mixed nuts.


The response was much like the idea itself: mixed.


But it...

I'm reading Courtney Milan--how about you?

Being in exactly the same position as Shawn was on Friday, I'm here to say I have nothing to say. So...what are you reading these days?
I'm reading a new-to-me author, Courtney Milan. I recommended her to my daughter because Kari will read anything Regency or thereabouts, and Ms. Milan had a book on Bookbub or somewhere really cheap. "Give her a try," I told Kari, knowing my teacher daughter reads all summer long--which isn't very long these days, but that's her story, not mine. "Thanks a lot,...

Totally Blank

Yep, that's me. For the last few days, I been completely blank. My imagination has been dry. I've started many stories, one is more than half done, but I can't finish any of them. None of my characters want to come out to play.

Yes, this has happened before. And I'm sure it will pass. But, right now, my well has run dry. Maybe I'm trying too hard. Maybe I'm not trying hard enough. I remember the good old days, when I could crank out a chapter a day. Some of them were good, some not so much. Bu...

Help, I need some help, pleeease....help me.

Last Monday I forgot my phone at home when I went to Barnes and Noble to write. I also didn't have a watch on.

So--essentially I had no distractions and nothing to track the time. Fortunately I didn't have any plans for the rest of the day.

Especially because I spent almost four hours there and wrote nine pages. Nine pages!

For me, that's quite the accomplishment.

Apparently if I don't allow myself to be distracted, I can be quite productive.

Have I done it since?

Uhm. No. 

I think for the most...

Where is Your Joy?

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said, "A joy shared is a joy doubled."

I like that quote. A lot. I think because I like to see people happy...and when someone around me is happy, it makes me happy. Happy. Happy. Happy.

Writing gives me a lot of joy, even when the writing is ... slow. Or when I cut out more than I've added in (which happened just last week). I act of putting words on paper, even bad words, and telling a story in a way that only I can tell it is...inspiring. And exciting. A lot i...