Sunday, April 17, 2022

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

7 comments:

Liz Flaherty said...

Thanks for having me here today, Mary. Two of the best things about promotion are getting to visit gorgeous websites and being reminded of many friends the writing community has.

Nan said...

Great interview! Love your CB handle!! ;-)

Bonnie Edwards said...

Lovely interview and excerpt...I just pre-ordered. Looking forward to reading and reviewing!

MJ Schiller said...

So glad to have you, Liz! Visit us any time!

MJ Schiller said...

Thanks for joining us, Nan, and taking the time to comment! I hope your week has gotten off to a good start!

MJ Schiller said...

So glad you stopped in, Bonnie! And a belated happy Easter! :)

Liz Flaherty said...

Thanks, Bonnie!