Liz Flaherty's Blog, page 16

Phooey Kerflooey, Perfect Peace, and the Chaos of Camp Ministry by Kristen Joy Wilks

When my three sons were young, they asked me to writeabout our Newfoundland dog, Princess Leia Freyja. Now, I knew that a story forkids had to have adventure and chaos and fun. So, the method of producing chaosthat I chose was a rampaging squirrel.

Our family lives and works at an off-grid Bible campand we have had a number of rampaging squirrels over the years. We’ve hadsquirrels that broke into the house, the camp buildings, the pantry. We’ve hadsquirrels eat food, tear things up, and d...

An Open Letter by Liz Flaherty

It's no surprise to anyone that I have a soft spot for teachers. I've written about it and about them before. I've been angry about teachers' pay ever since I learned how much it was. I am reminded daily of how teachers have affected nearly every aspect of my life. So here is my letter to some of the teachers who've changed my life. 
Dear Mrs. Sullivan:
I was scared to death of you. But you taught me to read and to read well. It is a gift that has gone on giving ever since I was six.
Dear Mrs. Crip...

A Good Week by Liz Flaherty

The weather is weird, isn't it? Sometimes, especially as I'm walking through the snow to get to the office, I wonder if it's the universe's way of telling us to pay attention. Is God muttering about how to wake us up, so he sends things to slow us down and make us think. Maybe even before we fall and break a hip.

I don't know. Makes sense to me, though. 

I hope you've had a good week. I have, although not a productive one. That's one of the things you have to adapt to when you reach a certain age....

A Good Week

The weather is weird, isn't it? Sometimes, especially as I'm walking through the snow to get to the office, I wonder if it's the universe's way of telling us to pay attention. Is God muttering about how to wake us up, so he sends things to slow us down and make us think. Maybe even before we fall and break a hip.

I don't know. Makes sense to me, though. 

I hope you've had a good week. I have, although not a productive one. That's one of the things you have to adapt to when you reach a certain a...

The Uncomfortable Zone by Liz Flaherty

Photo by Sarah LuginbillOn Thursday night, I read three essays at Open Mic at Gallery 15, something I've done a few times before. I made it through all three essays without falling off the stage, bursting into tears, or otherwise embarrassing myself or Duane, who said You can do this at least 10 times before Ron Luginbill introduced me.

The people in the chairs in front of the stage were unfailingly kind, making me almost certain I hadn't subjected them to the longest 12 minutes in their lives. A...

Rock With the Rhythm by M.J. Schiller

Hi, Liz! Thank youfor having me today and entertaining the boys in the band. I think the rockstars that haunt my writing are born from my husband’s and my love formusic, particularly live music. I enjoyed writing my first rock romanceseries—the LOVE AND CHAOS SERIES, centered around the band Just Short ofChaos—so much that I followed it up with my latest series about the bandInsatiable Fire.

This is my third Last Chance Beach Romance. Thefirst two were about the drummer, Levi Cannon, (BE...

Just Sayin' by Liz Flaherty

Thanks to Shannon Conley for giving me the prompt for today's post! 

She shared something from Stephanie Schmick on Facebook about hair stylists that was really good, and there was a line in there that caught my attention.  

"what’s the big deal, you are just a hair stylist..."

Seriously.

When I was young, just a housewife wasn't a pejorative term. It was actually kind of...you know...nice. A housewife took care of her family, her home, whatever got in her way that needed doing. It was a multifacete...

Into the Darkness by Liz Flaherty

Not my tree...It's still dark this Saturday morning. The lights on the office Christmas tree are brightening the room. I think I should take the tree down, and maybe I will, but not yet. For now it makes me mind less that there has been so much grayness in the days, that the news is so dreadful, and that treating people badly is not only expected, it's often met with approval. Even though the days are lengthening, the first hours I spend in the office are with darkness hanging tough outside. 

So,...

A Little of This... by Liz Flaherty

Happy Saturday! I hope you're staying dry and safe. No regular post today. I have writing-type stuff going on, so I'm not writing. How does that work? Not always very well. 
The picture is a Facebook game that shows what I look like as a hippie. Although I'm not sure it looks like me--even me 40 years ago--but I just like it. It's too different from how I look to use it as an author photo, but since you know better anyway...

I'm part of an all-day Facebook celebration today, with lots of authors a...

The Gardner's Secret with Sheila Hansberger

Please welcome Sheila Hansberger, an award-winning author and artist, to the Window today. Sheila resides in California. Her paintings can be found in permanent collections across the USA. Full-color illustrations of her apple-themed artwork are included in the five-star rated paperback, The Better Than Average Apple Cookbook. The Gardener’s Secret is her debut novel. Visit her website at: www.s-hansberger.com.

Thanks for coming today, Sheila! I'm so happy you're here. I love your interview!

What ...