Liz Flaherty's Blog, page 35

Theo, Last Man Standing, Book Nine by Suzanne Winslow

Theo (Last Man Standing-Book 9) started out as a whim—a chance to write a novella in a series with fourteen other romance authors. Theo is an airline pilot living in Rancho Bernardo, a suburb of San Diego. His character gave me the opportunity to explore ideas I’ve had in the back of my mind for a long time. My husband was a commercial airline pilot for twenty years. I’ve visited my parents in Southern California for twenty-five years. I could build my characters and setting around what I know. ...

Potholders and Memories by Liz Flaherty

My friend Karen had a pretty potholder at church that someone had made for her from Christmas fabric, and I thought, What a great idea! I could do that between other projects. When I was a kid, Mom had one of those looms where you used circles of fabric--usually cut from the tops of worn-out socks--to make potholders that were both ugly and indestructible. Once you gave one to your grandmother, she couldn't ever throw it away. 
While I have never been above mediocre as a cook--and sometimes medio...

My Quiet New York by Anna Taylor Sweringen

Being a native New Yorker the roar and rush that is the normal pace of the city ran in me from sunrise to sunset. I took for granted how the city never sleeps, even if I rarely took advantage of the attractions that draw most tourists there like the Chrysler Building and Radio City Music Hall.
Yet amid the famous and infamous pace attributed to NYC, the city gave me a soul-satisfying quiet that kept me anchored in what was important to me. I think that’s why my favorite song from the musical Hami...

"Rich as wine, the sunset flashes..."

Rich as wine, the sunset flashesRound the tilted world, and dashesUp the sloping west and splashesRed foam over sky and sea —Till my dream of Autumn, palingIn the splendor all-prevailing,Like a sallow leaf goes sailingDown the silence solemnly.From "A Dream of Autumn" by James Whitcomb Riley

I saw a picture of Coaches Bob Bridge and Tim DuBois on Facebook this morning, sitting on a bench at the edge of North Miami's football field. A cluster of footballs lay on the ground beneath the bench. There...

Meant to Be on BookBub by Nan Reinhardt

My friend Nan Reinhardt has a BookBub deal going on. If you haven't read her River's Edge series yet, this is a good, free way to get a start! I lifted the paragraph below from her website, which is a fun place to visit all by itself.

Meant to Be, Book 2 in the Four Irish Brothers Winery series with Tule Publishing was accepted for a BookBub Feature Deal. It started yesterday and wowzers! We’ve already hit #2 on the Amazon bestseller list and #1 in three other categories. I’m excited and happy be...

Come Rejoicing by Liz Flaherty

Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,
Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve;
Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

I have nothing to say today. Actually, I do. I have plenty. There are times, I admit, that I wish I wrote a political column--not one where I just get political sometimes, but a real political one.

But that's not going to happen. I don't know enough--and yes, that should be a stopper--and my skin is way too thin--...

The Power of Great Opening Lines by Randy Overbeck

Today, everything must move in a blur. Downloads can’t be fast; they need to be instantaneous. Calling friends on the cell takes too long and is so yesterday. Just text them. If they care, they’ll text back. If it can’t be squeezed into a tweet, it isn’t worth sharing. And don’t get me started on Tik-Tok. The average view is thirteen seconds! Really? Tik-tok-ers have just few seconds to catch viewers’ eyes…or else they’ll be swiping on to the next one.

I’m not sure who’s to blame but that’s the r...

Hold Fast to Dreams by Liz Flaherty

This came mostly from 2019. The past week or two, I've been buying school supplies here and there, worrying about Covid in the schools, about how kids are bullied, teachers are bullied, and pubic education is under constant fire from the same people who are holding the fire extinguishers behind their backs and saying "Gotcha!" 

Am I biased? You bet. I have kids who teach and a grandson still in middle school. I'm afraid for the students who may not get what they need in the future, whose school c...

Giving MS A Place by Debby Myers

Debby Myers brings a special voice to the Window. Her experiences and her writing voice educate and inform as well as--not to be shallow about it--keep us interested. She's a thespian and a circus performer as well as a reluctant voice for Mental Sclerosis.  Welcome her please. Hold your applause till the end, but by all means, let her hear it.
My birthday is this month. From the time I was old enough to remember, it’s been hot outside on my birthday. I used to love it – I could tan, go hang out a...

Dresses or Pants? by Liz Flaherty

Since I got out of high school and it was no longer a requirement to wear a dress every day, I have always worn pants. As a yoyo dieter whose size varies every single year of my life, the kind of tops worn with said pants varies, but...yes, always pants. 
I wore jeans for a long, long time. They were comfortable and warm in the winter, comfortable and not hot in the summer. I went from tapered Levis to bell bottoms (where I stayed until I was the only person in a 50-mile radius still wearing them...