Liz Flaherty's Blog, page 88

Contests . . . Continued . . .

Liz had a lot of great stuff to say about writing contests yesterday and I thought I'd chime in. I really don't disagree with anything she said, but I will add that judging contests from the viewpoint of a copy editor is tough.

Here's the thing--I judge our RWA chapter's contest every year. Sometimes, it's arduous and other times, I find a lot of satisfaction in the entries because man, some of the writers who enter can really, really write! However, I have to say, in all honesty, that that's...

Contests? Yes or no.

On Facebook last week, author Ilona Fridl said, "I'm wondering seriously if I should keep writing. I got the scores today from one of the contests I entered. The numbers came out below average. I wonder if it's that way in all the contests. I know I have some loyal readers and of that I'm grateful, but this was a major blow to the gut."

I know how she feels, don't you? Many of her friends responded to her post, all encouraging her to not let it get her down. To remember that judging is subject...

It's Finally Finished!

After what seems like months (because it was - mid-March to the end of May) my kitchen reno is finally complete. Halleluiah! No more workmen traipsing in and out of my house, and no more waiting for workmen who don’t show up when they said they would. The painters were the last piece of the puzzle and they did a decent job, but they were messy. I spent a lot of time picking spots of paint off my floors and furniture. Not impressed.

But it’s done. This has been the most extensive reno my husban...

Thoughts from the Road

Today I’m blogging from the road because we took a family vacation to see relatives on the East Coast. Thanks to Facebook, I get to keep up on their lives (and political leanings) more than I would normally would. However, nothing beats the face-to-face time over wine or a good Memorial Day cookout.

The time with these not-immediate-but-much-loved family members naturally makes me think of the odd mish-mash of personalities that comprise a “family.” When my kiddos are bickering with each othe...

In Search Of...

 By Margie Senechal

For the past few years, every time we head to the coast, my sister and I have looked for a waterfall that she happened upon a long time ago. Over the years, this waterfall had become the stuff of legends as we searched to no avail with only Deb's memory to guide us.

Last year we drove on winding roads behind Fort Clatsop. While we didn't find the waterfall, we enjoyed the trip sprinkled with laughter and stories.

So, this year she did some research and found out the name...

#RomBKLove ~ @AuthorKristina Knight's Favorites...

well, some of them, anyway!

For the past couple of weeks, I've been following a hashtag on Twitter - #RomBkLove. Authors and readers are getting together to share some of their favorite things about the romance genre, from favorite authors to books we re-read over and over, to favorite tropes, to least favorite tropes...you get the idea.

Anyway, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite romances. There are more, of course, and some books come on and off the list according to whatever I happen to...

Writing Every Day

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Bumpy Ever After - Enjoying the ride

This is from 2015. I'm kind of spreading our anniversary all over the web in old posts. It surprises me how often I've written about it, although not that surprised that I write about marriage. Being married to Duane is like being a writer, not something I do but what I am. Just like writing, there are good days and bad ones, but not much I'd change at the end of any of those days.
The reason I'm spreading things around a bit is that we've gone away for the weekend just as we did 46 years ago....

Conference Season

I got an email the other day reminding me that the Surrey International Writers Conference opens for registration on June 1, 2017. I attended last October and had a wonderful time that I wrote about here on Word Wranglers. I took in several interesting and informative workshops led by knowledgeable  presenters. I met many interesting writers of all genres from all over North America, and I had a chance to pitch to a couple of well-known agents. I’m tempted to go again this year.

But do I...

"For Ryan" Cover Reveal (forJillian)

For some reason, I’m now deathly afraid of being called a fame-whore…

Instead of talking about myself today, I’m helping a writer peep out with her Cover Reveal. If you follow Jillian Jacobs at all, you know I’m a couple days late to the party. But hey, any chance to give her a shout-out makes me happy.
Jillian Jacobs is one of those writers who strives to bring everyone to the table. Wannabe, Newbie, and even Established… she knows that the author world as a whole benefits when we suppor...