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. 😊
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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 ~
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:
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://www.facebook.com/lizkflaherty
https://twitter.com/LizFlaherty1
Newsletter signup: http://eepurl.com/df7dhP
Giveaway ~
