Liz Flaherty's Blog, page 171

Ride, Cowboy, Ride!

Did you know kids can start rodeoing at 5? Yes, five! In Little Britches Rodeo, kids start that young. They are called Little Wranglers and can participate in these events: Barrel Racing, Goat Tail; Untying, Flag Racing, and Pole Bending.
Junior boys, ages 8-13, ride bulls. From The NLBRA website: The rules for the Senior and Junior Boys’ divisions are virtually the same, except that a Junior Boy is not allowed to wrap the tail of his rope around his hand and is only required to stay on for s...

Happy Holidays. And Endings.

Please welcome my friend and fellow Hoosier Kyra Jacobs to the round corral today. Thanks for coming to start us off on the Christmas season, Kyra!

 Here in the Midwest we’ve just officially stepped into the biggest holiday season of the year. And after everyone’s recoup’ed from gorging ourselves on turkey and stuffing, it’s time to get shopping. And cleaning. And baking. And…reading?
Yep, reading. And maybe some writing, if that’s your persuasion. But definitely reading.
Why? Because in th...

It's Almost Turkey Day!

I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving Day. And I really can't believe that Christmas will be here in four weeks. I say this every year but this year has flown! 

For the past 27 days, I've been taking part in #30DaysOfThanks over of Facebook - it's a meme where, each day, you note something you're thankful for. Some days have been silly, some serious. Most slices of my life - memories of board games we played as kids, memories of people who have touched my life in some way...traditions...

Happy Birthday, Brandi

Happy birthday, Brandi! Twenty-eight years ago today, my only child was born in Jackson, Mississippi. I wanted a daughter and I was blessed to have the best one ever!

Most everyone has a special "book supporter" in their lives. Mine is my daughter. She has read and re-read my manuscripts. When she was young, she would read Mississippi Blues in a perfect southern accent.

Rejections? The first person I called was Brandi. Always loyal, she'd say, "Their loss, Mom."

When Jennifer Lawler contacted m...

Is it stuff or stash or a full place in the heart?

          I try these days to stop myself from accumulating more stuff. We’ve lived in this house 36 years this week. When we moved here, we didn’t have enough furniture or other items to fill it—there were empty spaces everywhere. Even in the kitchen cabinets. It didn’t take long to fill the spaces, though, and every time a kid left home—with all their stuff—it was as though nothing left. Other paraphernalia filled the empty closet, the bare spot under the bed,...

Another Random Morning

I had a blog planned for this morning but woke up with a headache and can't seem to focus, so instead I'm going with a random thought blog.

Turning the channels I just found Desperado:Avalanche Ridge. I know Kristi's jealous that I'm watching Alex McArthur first thing this morning.

The other day I was on the freeway and got behind a truck that said: Construction Truck:Do not follow.

Now I must admit, an entire comedy monologue went through my head. Like:

Is this really a problem? Do people follow...

Moving Forward

I was innocently eating lunch with RadioMan last week. Sandwiches and chit-chat about bebe, talking about our busy weeks. You know, the stuff married people talk about on a non-date date. When I look at the wall and hanging up over our table is a quote from Nora Roberts.

You know know I have the love for Nora. I think I have even more for her now because the quote is...well, so simple, it's kind of stunning. "...if you don't step forward you're always in the same place."

I finished a project I'...

A Second Look

Last year, I was lucky enough to be chosen by then-editor Jennifer Lawler at Crimson Romance to be one of the 24 debut authors who were released on June 4th, 2012. Oh the thrill! The excitement of seeing my name on my very first published book, Wild Horses! I'll never forget it.

I want to be clear, I have no bone to pick with Crimson. To the contrary. I'll be eternally grateful for the chance to be a real, published author.

But... sales weren't what I hoped.

So, after a lot of soul-searching, I...

Historical Fiction Research Settings with guest Ilona Fridl

What does the land look like? How is the town laid out? How do the buildings appear, inside and out? What kind of plants grow there? What kind of animals are around? What is the weather pattern?
To have an authentic visual in your story, you have to study the area you choose to set it in. As things change through the ages, you have to study what was there and what wasn't. For example, if your setting is in London, England in the 1500s, you can have a scene at the Tower of London, but you could...

Really?

I've read a lot of rants about TSTL (too stupid to live) heroines. Okay, I get it. I can't stand them either. Know what I hate even more? TSTL heroes.

 I just watched a movie with the dumbest hero EVER. Here's the gist. Five college friends go to a town to interview the author of a book about a serial killer in his home town. Serial killer stalks students. Hero stabs killer once, drops the knife, and runs. Of course killer isn't dead. He does stupid crap like this throughout the movi...