Liz Flaherty's Blog, page 59

Out of darkness by Amy Brown

Please make Amy Brown welcome at the Window. I saw this post on Facebook and asked--maybe begged a little--if I could use it. It's a little ragged, a little raw, and some of it's hard to read, but its message is important and I thank her for sharing it. - Liz
So I am going to say some things, some may be offended. Some may cheer. But bear with me because it's something I want to say. It's a book, so if you don't want to read, I won't be offended if you scroll on by.
Jason and I have had a 17-ye...

On Writing Beginnings ~ @AuthorKristina Knight

I just put a novella to bed. Novellas aren't my favorite thing to write, mostly because I seem to forget, in the beginning stages, that novellas don't need enough conflict to fill up a full-length, 80,000 word book. So I get to what would be the approximate mid-point of a full-length book and realize I'm supposed to be wrapping up the resolution. Then it's back to the story board to figure out what I've done.

Nine times out of ten, it's that conflict thing. Instead of giving my characters a ni...

...just the perfect blendship... by Debby Myers

Please welcome my friend Debby Myers back to the Window today. I love her subject and have been adding up my own best friends ever since I first read her post. Thanks to all of them, to you for reading, and to Debby for writing.
“Friendship," said Christopher Robin, "is a very comforting thing to have.” ― A.A. Milne
From the time we begin making friends, we usually find a “best” friend. As adults, I’m pretty certain we all have a bestie or two or three. I consider my husband, my mom,...

The promises we make... by Joe DeRozier

As the last pieces of turkey, a mouthful of potatoes and what is believed to be the last remnants of dressing are festering in your fridge until they are mercifully thrown to their final resting place, we start our stressful journey towards Christmas.
Each year we promise ourselves that the next Christmas will be better...
We'll spend more time with family.
We'll pick out the perfect gifts.
We won't let uncle Steve get on our nerves after his fifth glass of eggnog.   We'll go out and a...

Out of season, out of time by Liz Flaherty

Duane and I were talking the other day about the ages of people I write. I said until a certain point, I always wrote about my own age or a little older. My first completed "book" was about a girl who was 10 when the story started, like I was, although she aged considerably as the story went on. With the romance field being what it is, I obviously don't write about people in their 60s now, but my newest H & H are mid-40s. We'll see how that holds up.

So, I told Duane (we were in the car--h...

Writers as Public Speakers

Writing is a very solitary business. Margaret Atwood said, "Writing is alone, but I don't think it's lonely. Ask any writer if they feel lonely when they're writing their book and I think they'll say no." We sit in our little garrets and create worlds and characters all by ourselves. Some writers go out on book tours, but most of us don't. We simply tell our stories and hope people are noticing them, but please, don't notice us.

Tonight, I'm going to go speak to a book club and I gotta confess...

Proactive Like a Tree by Joe Scheidler

Welcome back, Joe Scheidler! 
Nov 8, 2018
There is a groundhog in the cover crop today.  We've been seeing him for a few weeks now, generally around the noon, feasting on the newly emerged radish and cereal rye.  I suspect this activity will come to an abrupt end if the weather forecast holds; snow tomorrow, followed by unseasonable cold.  Today the hog is working beyond his usual hours, laying on fat in preparation for the long winter’s sleep.  He apparently knows the...

Days 19-25

Not keeping up very well here. I hope you're seeing these on Facebook and that your Thanksgiving Day (and all your gratitudes) were wonderful.

Day 19 of 30. I wrote this once, but it disappeared, which leads me to think maybe it wasn't very good to start with... Today, I'm thankful for journeys.For trips, because I've seen such wonderful things and beautiful places and met such great people.For the mom journey, the marriage journey, the nana journey, the friends journey, the author journey, be...

#Free days for LIES AND SOLACE!

LIES AND SOLACE will be FREE 
November 23 - 27, 2018!

She can’t live with one more lie. He can’t tell the truth.

Harper Lindquist is convinced she’s found the answer to her financial prayers. Unless she pours cash into crumbling Solace Lake Lodge, she’ll lose her family’s legacy. Her would-be savior arrives in the middle of a Minnesota blizzard and she’s determined to prove to her reluctant, and trapped, financier the lodge is a sound investment. But Harper isn’t completely honest with...

Turkey, joy, and a small glass of beer

Yikes, it snuck up on me. I have a repeat here from this week's Peru Indiana Today. We're having family celebrations this week and hope you are, too. Quite honestly, I'm not sure when I wrote this, so if you've read it too recently to like reading it again, my apologies. The greatest gifts...the greatest reasons for Thanksgiving...are the people in our lives, and I'm so grateful for Aunt Nellie. She gave more richness to my life than I can ever explain.“Let us be grateful to the people w...