Liz Flaherty's Blog, page 163

The voices...yikes...the voices!

As a writer, I always have voices in my head. Characters appear and talk to me. They want me to tell their stories, and I want to, so very much. However, one dilemma for me as a writer is that often, the people talking in my head aren’t the characters in the book I’m currently working on.
That’s been my problem lately. I’m staying with my Grandboy this week while his parents are on working vacation/second honeymoon. I didn’t take any editing gigs during this time because I’d planned to write...

Desert Heat or Desert Cold?

I love this book. I generally write about cowboys and the ladies who love them, but this one is about a guest ranch owner...

I can't give this book away...literally.

Here's the blurb:


Mallory James’ missing father’s body is discovered in an unused cabin on an Arizona guest ranch. He leaves her half a treasure map. Will tracing it bring much needed closure? 
Beleaguered resort owner Mike Malone discovers half a treasure map, and desperate, he pockets it. Doing so goes against his moral code…...

How do you measure success? Or do you?

          Do you have anything that signifies success to you? Do you buy yourself something sometimes with royalties or advance checks? Did you sell or indie-publish your first book and hold it in your hands and cry and think It doesn’t get any better than this? Did you quit your day job as soon as it was feasible and write full time? Do you have contest wins or placements or printed-out good reviews that you remind yourself of when the voices inside your he...

But I'm Supposed to Love You!

I'm reading a character who's beautiful, spunky, and desired. She's also a sneaky, conniving, manipulative, liar. She's the heroine of the story. What's worse? I wrote her.


I can't figure out what's going on here. I thought I was supposed to love the heroines in my stories. This one is really unlikeable and I can't change her. Every time I try, she comes across as... wrong. Her being nice is all wrong. At least it is for now. The story isn't finished yet, so I'm hoping she'll become a be...

Writing Lesson One

Leaving your job is scary. It's even scarier when you tell people you're going to work on your book. Either they give you a hearty, "Well, that's good!" or "Good for you!" But most of the time, you get a bewildered, "Well, that's nice. I guess."

My good friends and close colleagues know that I'm a writer working toward publication. And are supportive of me.

This week I showed a newer co-worker and fellow writer--let's call her Felicity-- the letter that I received from the agent that I am dilig...

Jannine Gallant's AN UNCERTAIN DESTINY - FREE

An Uncertain Destiny ~ FREE Through June 27th!
If you love old-school historical romances with all the drama and flare…have I got a deal for you! My latest release, An Uncertain Destiny , is free for a few days only on Amazon, so get your copy while it’s hot!
The story pits love against loyalty as Nicholas battles his conscience while Megan fights just to survive. Set during the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692, historical figures rub shoulders with fictional characters in this epic saga.
Blurb:
Ha...

My Touchstone

 
[image error] This is my wrist, palm face up. I wear these two bracelets constantly In bed, in the shower, at the pool. Everywhere. Nothing particularly special to look at. Certainly not an expensive tennis bracelet. Both were under $20. Then why am I showing them, you ask?
The orange one is from my daughter. She wears an identical one. It means we’re connected, close. I only have to look at it and I smile. The bright color reminds me of her personality—bright, pretty, cheery.  She recently...

As for me, I like nice.

"This book is so bad, so horrible, so nauseating and phoney [sic] that it's amazing." From a review of Bridges of Madison County.

"That's all they have, 50 friends? Did her BFF Oprah show up? How about the brown nosing Clintons? What Hillary actually missed a photo op?" A comment on People's article about Katie Couric and John Molner's wedding.

I read stories on the Internet most mornings. Since I’m not a TV watcher, this is how I learn most of what I know about the news. Not just the war-crime...

Begin Again

I've been spending a lot of time in my head lately. I think that happens when you're going through a major life adjustment. I have only 14 working days left at my day/night job in retail management. 14 days!

It's kind of amazing in a way. And scary as hell in another way.

Sometimes I feel like I'm in a Meg Ryan movie.

In You've Got Mail, Jean Stapleton's Birdie tells Kathleen,

"...You are daring to imagine that you could have a different life. Oh, I know it doesn’t feel like that. You f...

Hidden Pieces

The Wranglers are excited to welcome bestselling author Holly Jacobs to the round corral today. 
Even though I write fiction, there are always pieces of me—of my experiences, my hometown, my passions, my beliefs—that end up in my books.  Sometimes those pieces are hidden.  They’re buried in the story and only those closest to me see them.  Sometimes they’re not so much—or if they are hidden, they’re hidden in plain sight.
For instance, this month’s release, Just One Thing,...