Romance Gem Liz Flaherty Is Bringing Color To Our World With LIFE'S TOO SHORT FOR WHITE WALLS

Good morning, all! What crazy weather have you got cooking today? We've had a little bit of everything lately--rain, snow, hail, high winds... Well, luckily we have books to distract us from such things. I speaking of books, (see that smooth segue?) today the wonderful Liz Flaherty is joining us with her new release, LIFE'S TOO SHORT FOR WHITE WALLS. We'll find out more about that, but first, let's get to know Liz better.

[Make sure to enter her giveaway below!]

When did your love for writing start?

I always said it started when I was nine and my aunt let me type on her portable Royal typewriter. I created a terrible story in which I misspelled consciousness. However, it has lately come to me that in the first grade, I felt a story in my Dick and Jane reader ended incorrectly and that my ending would have been much better. I still think it would have been, so, to answer the question, I was six.

What is something you struggle with when you write?

I struggle most with freshness. Since I like the sound of my own voice—gasp!—I think I don’t try to improve it or change it up. While I like it to be recognizable by readers, I truly fear Good grief, all her books are alike! Syndrome. (It’s a real thing—I just made it up.)

Where do you live? Where would you love to live?

I live in the cornfields of central Indiana, five or six miles from where I grew up. I love it here, politics aside (way aside.) That being said, on my first trip to Vermont after our youngest kids moved there, I knew I was home. I’m convinced it’s where I was meant to live, but someone took a wrong turn somewhere. If I had no one but myself to consider, I would move there tomorrow. However, I like having people besides myself to consider, so it’s not happening.

If you owned a CB radio what would your "handle" be?

I used to have one! Prior to cell phones, I had a CB because I drove 20-some miles to work and my husband worried less if I was “online.” My handle, since I was a postal worker, was Letter Lady.

What was the last song you listened to in your digital library?

“Sweet Baby James.” I love James Taylor. A lot.

What one thing (modern convenience) could you not live without?

No question about it—the computer. I’ve written 20-some books. Without the computer, I undoubtedly would have stopped midway through the first one. Oh, I would have a ton of handwritten manuscripts under the bed, but even in the last century, I don’t think there was an editor alive who’d have welcomed them. 😊

Thanks for sharing yourself with us, Liz! Now let's find out more about LIFE'S TOO SHORT FOR WHITE WALLS...

I worry a lot about my stories sounding alike, my heroines being paper-doll-cutouts of each other. I’m afraid I’ve written too many heroes with dimples in their left cheeks. Do I have too many people with crooked grins, one raised eyebrow, or a shrug that somehow defines their personalities?

I hope not, but a few of the things that are the same from book to book are starting over, new beginnings, home, friendships, tenderness. And I’m good with that.

They are there in Life’s Too Short for White Walls, when forty-something Joss Murphy and Ezra McIntire find themselves in the same place, but searching for different things. They know a few things about themselves by now—Joss is determined she will have color wherever she goes and Ez is committed to always being one step ahead of things that are dangerous or hurtful to anyone around him. 

Blurb ~

Still reeling from her divorce, Joss Murphy flees to Banjo Bend, Kentucky, where she'd been safe and happy as a child. The family farm is now a campground. Weary and discouraged, she talks owner Ezra McIntire into renting her a not-quite-ready cabin.

With PTSD keeping him company, Ez thrives on the seclusion of the campground. The redhead in Cabin Three adds suggestions to his improvement plans, urging color and vibrancy where there was none.

Neither is looking for love, yet the attraction they share is undeniable. Can the comfort of campfires, hayrides, and sweet kisses bring these two lost souls together?

Excerpt ~

Joss stopped under the canopy of trees that led back to the campground, opening her car window so she could breathe in the scent of early autumn. It was a hard thing for a person as busy as she’d always been to stare the future in the face with no idea what she was going to do with it. She would give herself time to decide, time to take more deep breaths and get over the feeling of dread that seemed to accompany her everywhere. Although she didn’t have enough money to last forever, it would carry her for a while.

She looked up at the trees, noting that the colors of the leaves were already changing and that the air smelled different—it wasn’t just the day’s lack of humidity. It was, she supposed, the scent of things dying, but she wasn’t going to think of it that way. To her, it was going to be all about starting over. Starting new in this beloved place that still felt like home.

HERE'S WHERE YOU CAN BUY LIFE'S TOO SHORT FOR WHITE WALLS:

B & N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lifes-too-short-for-white-walls-liz-flaherty/1140917290?ean=2940160796727

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09QXPBGG2/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i4

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/gb/book/lifes-too-short-for-white-walls/id1606569657

Bio~

Liz Flaherty is rather bewildered by where she’s at in life. She doesn’t feel…er…elderly, but the truth is that she is. The Magnificent Seven grands have grown up on her, her own kids are all now older than she is, and her husband Duane has the same firm hold on her heart he’s always had. And it’s all good.

HERE'S WHERE YOU CAN FIND LIZ:

http://lizflaherty.net/

http://www.facebook.com/lizkflaherty

https://twitter.com/LizFlaherty1

Newsletter signup: http://eepurl.com/df7dhP

Giveaway ~

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Things Could Get Hot in OPERATION CODE NAME: DESERT LOVE by Constance Bretes #RomanceGems

Howdy! To welcome in the weekend we are featuring today my Romance Gem friend Constance Bretes and her OPERATION CODE NAME: DESERT LOVE. And Connie brought friends with her, Len and Clarissa Let's get to know them...

Tell me about yourself? What is your occupation? Why? What are your strengths & weaknesses?

I am Sergeant Major Len Roberts, I’m with the Delta Force. I cannot reveal to you anything more than that.

Well, this is going to be a very short interview then, wink, wink. ;) Let's try this one--what’s your family like and how does your upbringing affect you now?

I don’t know if I can be a good father to any children. I came from an abusive home, and I don’t want to be abusive to my children, if I were to have any. I actually don’t consider my biological father my real father. My real father and inspiration, is General Maason. The man who took me and my sister in when we needed him. If I were to be a father, I’d like to be like him. But I don’t know if I can do it.

Hmm. Tell me a little about Clarissa. How did you two meet? What was your first impression of her?

I’ve known Clarissa all her life. I am best friends with her brother, Terrence. When we were hanging together, we often included Clarissa in with us as she was a tomboy. I also took Clarissa to her Senior Prom. I’ve always been impressed with her, as I stated, she was a tomboy and could play just as hard as we did.

Besides that, what do you like about the her?

Her dedication to the people of Afghanistan and her desire to help young mothers and their babies. She was a very caring humanitarian aid worker.

What is it that you want out of life?

To get out of Afghanistan alive, and with all my limbs.


That would seem like a good goal to have. Thanks for talking with us. Let's give Clarissa the stage now...

Tell me about yourself? What’s your family like and how does your upbringing affect you now?

My father is the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, a 4 star general, and his boss is the President of the United States. My mother died when I was very young. My father brought into our home a young woman named Kaitlin, and her brother, Len Roberts, who is best friends with my brother, after they were severely beaten by their father. Their father tripped over something and fell down the stairs and broke his neck. He died, and my dad brought them over to our home and fed and clothed them. Eventually, my father married Kaitlin. Len and Terrence went into the military together. My life was always surrounded by military and our life was always about law and order.

What is your earliest childhood memory?

Swinging on a swing and having Len push me higher and higher.

Describe your hero. What was your first impression of him and did it change over time?

I’ve been in love with Len since I was about ten years old. I always loved going to places with him and Terrence, and we always did the coolest things like sky diving, rocky mountain climbing, dirt bike riding, volleyball, all things that guys do, I love doing too because I got to be around Len. As I grew up, I learned to love him with teenager eyes, then as a woman. My love never swayed and I always knew in my heart we were to be together.

Aww! That's beautiful! Let's hear more about your story...

Blurb ~

Her best hope for survival is the one man she never wants to see again.

Clarissa Maasen is a humanitarian relief worker who’s stationed in Afghanistan. When she and two of her coworkers are kidnapped by insurgents and held hostage, she can only hope that her father, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will send his best men to rescue them—more specifically, Len Roberts of the Delta Force.

The last time Len saw Clarissa, it did not end on good terms. But he will risk his life to rescue this woman who is never far from his thoughts.

Can he rescue her in time? And will they be able to control the passion erupting between them?



Book release date: April 26, 2021

Bio ~

Constance started writing contemporary romance and romantic suspense fifteen years ago. She was born and raised in Michigan. After working for the State of Michigan for 38 years, she retired. She and her husband moved to Montana and lived in the mountainside of a small town. There, locked in her office overlooking the mountains, was where this story, Operation Code Name: Desert Love, was written. After living in Montana for three years, they moved to Alabama with her cat, Sunny, who owns both her and her husband. Her hobbies include basket weaving, reading mafia romance books, diamond painting, and fiddling at the piano.


Constance’s Website: www.constancebretes.com Reader eMail: cbretes@constancebretes.com

Thank you for joining us, Constance, Len and Clarissa! It was nice having you!