Liz Flaherty's Blog, page 92

Another season, another reason...

It is quiet in here this morning. It's still dark outside. It's my favorite time of day, working and waiting for the sun to come up. I'm at my most productive then, writing the words that have held themselves back over the weekend. Usually I have my Monday post finished by Sunday night, but last night at 11:00, I was muttering that I hadn't even started it.

So here I am.

Sunny Holtzlander and Kelly MakinWe lost a friend Friday. A smart funny woman who left us much too young. Her nickname was Su...

Distractions

Part of my kitchen has been taken out and soon all of it will be!Yes, this is the current state of my kitchen. It kind of matches the current state of my mind – somewhat messed up and pretty cluttered. No wait, that’s my living room. And the spare bedroom. We had to put the stuff from the kitchen somewhere. We’re beginning a total kitchen reno and our home has been thrown into chaos.

The mess has moved into my living room. And into the spare bedroom.This is just one more distraction in my life...

Pity Party: No Gifts Required

Happy Friday! This week has been a bit extreme where the weather and my emotional status are concerned.

Wait, did I say "week?" Ugh, I think this whole year so far can be labeled an emotional roller coaster from where I stand. And unfortunately, I'm at the low-point right now. The good news: this means I have an uphill crest and an exhilarating thrill coming (hopefully soon). The bad news: the upward climb is a little more exhausting than just being able to throw my hands in the air and y...

When Inspiration Hits

by Margie Senechal 

Sometimes we need a kick in the butt to get us off the bench and into the game. Even if it's the game of writing. Or maybe especially IF it's the game of writing.

Yesterday, I bought two new writing tools.

New pens. Bic Gelocity pens, to be exact. And oh, how pretty! New pens are probably my most favorite things. And I love the way these flow and the way my words flow with them.

And then at Barnes and Noble, I saw this notebook clutch. Oooo...pretty pages...

Initially I g...

Favorite West Wing Moments ~ @AuthorKristina Knight

I've been binge-watching The West Wing since...well, just before Christmas. I watched it during its original series run, of course, and I loved it, but it's grown on me over the past couple of years. I like the snappy dialogue, of course, and I love the characterization of President Jed Bartlett as a man who is trying to do his best...but falls short of it many times.

I like to think the men who have sat in the Oval Office, in the real world, are doing their best and falling short. Sometimes I...

It's All About the Lists . . .

So, Liz started us off and now I'm chiming in with the list thing. (I even considered stealing her cool graphic, but I found one of my own, compliments of Google Images and www.stevenjameskeathley.etsy.com, who has some awesome journals in his etsy store.) It's always fun and a great way to do a blog when you're really not feeling it. I'm not feeling it today, so here goes my list:
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or SnapChat? And why?Your first kiss, when and where?Writers: What's the first thin...

Making a list...

When all else fails--and it's definitely failing me today--I go for a list. We've done heroines, heroes, books, movies, TV shows. I think maybe I should have made a list of the lists... So I'm making one up. Feel free to borrow it if you like, but better yet, give us your answers.

What book did everyone else seem to love but you just couldn't connect with?What do you like most about yourself?What do you like least about yourself?Looking back at 18 (and if you don't have to look back, I don't w...

The Important People

A graveyard in Grignon, France. I took the picture on a trip to France in 2014.I’m getting to the point in my life where losses are inevitable. Last week one of my cousins passed away. It was sudden and totally unexpected and came as a shock to all of us.

On this side of my family, my mother’s side, there were fourteen of us grandchildren. We all grew up on farms relatively close to each other. I knew all my cousins well, but because of the age differences between the older group, to which my...

We are Unicorns

This past weekend, my RWA writer’s group welcomed Eloisa James’s PA, Kim Castillo, to speak to us about what she does.  Yes, some of us *cough! cough!* might have been hoping to snag a little residual mojo by being near a woman who works so closely with such a successful author. And all of us were thrilled with the goodie bags of swag Kim brought us. What I gained from Kim’s presentation were of a much more personal nature, and one in particular I want to talk about today.

 Writers...

A Little Advice

by Margie Senechal

I've been thinking a lot about writing lately. Probably more thinking than the actual doing. Although I have done some writing, just not as much as I'd like.

So, I'm here to offer some advice I received recently.

For Christmas, KB got Lauren Graham's--she of Gilmore Girls fame--autobiography, I'm Talking As Fast As I Can.
While reading it, she stopped, found me, and made me read the segment titled The Kitchen Timer. I just want to say, your procrastination must be pretty bad w...