Guest Author - Liz Flaherty
JC: First of all, I'd like to thank Liz for appearing on my blog today. I've put the three challenge questions to her and she's answered them brilliantly. Also, Liz is sharing her first women's fiction title, THE GIRLS OF TONSIL LAKE!
LF: Thank you so much for having me, J. C. I really had to think about these questions!
JC: You bet! I love hosting authors from different genres! everyone has a different angle on things. Speaking of which, if you could be any animal, other than a human, what would it be and why?
LF: I’m so boring, but the truth is I’d be a cat. Not a dramatically beautiful or pedigreed cat, just a house cat the kids dragged home who sheds on the furniture, sleeps for hours on the rocking chair, and is there for comfort when you’re down.
JC: There's something beautiful in the simplicity of cat life. I often look at my dog (who's asleep on my feet and snoring right now) and think, "what a life!"
Next question: If you had to run out of your house in the middle of the night and could only grab one thing (assuming all pets and family are safe), what would it be and why?
LF: My laptop. There are many things in life that do mean a lot to me, but as long as family and pets are safe, my laptop is the rest of who I am. I’m not sure how to make that sound even remotely sensible, but there it is.
JC: Completely! Aside from my family and pets, I'd probably grab the laptop, too. It has all our family photos on it. Or it did. Maybe I should grab the external hard drive I back everything onto instead!
Last question: If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
LF: I admit, I had to study on this one, because as scattered as my mind is, it just doesn’t go there. I think I would want to have the power of tongues, where I could communicate in virtually every language there was. President Obama said this is what he would want, and I agree. I admit you might hear some things about yourself you wouldn’t like. (I worked in a town with a large Hispanic population and I used to cringe inside when customers would speak Spanish and aim sideways glances and pointed fingers in my direction. What had I done to offend?) But it would give you an opportunity to protect yourself and other simply by being able to understand.
JC: I think that would be an AWESOME superpower! I'm totally jealous that I didn't think of it!
Now tell us about your book!
LF: I am so excited about THE GIRLS OF TONSIL LAKE. It is my very first women’s fiction title. I also love the cover. Isn’t it dishy? I’m a fan of NO people on covers, but I really like all the girls on this one.
Four women whose differences only deepen the friendship forged in a needy childhood…
They were four little girls living in ramshackle trailers beside a lake in rural Indiana. They shared everything from dreams to measles to boyfriends to more dreams. As they grew up, everything in their lives changed—except their friendship. Through weddings and divorces, births and deaths, one terrible secret has kept them close despite all the anger, betrayal, and pain.
Now, forty years later, facing illness, divorce, career challenges, and even addiction, the women come together once again for a bittersweet month on an island in Maine. Staring down their fifties, they must consider the choices life is offering them now and face the pain of what happened long ago.
Secrets are revealed and truths uncovered, but will their time together cement their lifelong friendship—or drive them apart forever?
Excerpt:
I wanted Andie to come to New York, but she didn’t feel up to it. I felt a little shudder go through me when she said that. Andie’s always been so strong, and she’s cancer-free, so I found it startling and frightening when she admitted to feeling less than wonderful. But, as Let There Be Hope shows, cancer changes one in sometimes indefinable ways. Maybe this is one of those changes.
Mark and I visited some islands off the Maine coast once, in our early days. I was so enthralled that he bought me a house on one of them, a little strip of green called, appropriately enough, Hope Island. It reminds me of Bennett’s Island, the fictitious utopia of Elisabeth Ogilvie’s books, except that Hope has all the mod cons.
I love to go there. It’s a place I can be myself with little regard to what anyone else thinks. I sit in my bathrobe on the wraparound porch of the Victorian horror that is my house and drink coffee with Lucas Bishop, our neighbor. I read Jean’s books without worrying that someone will see the covers.
I’ve never taken anyone else—it was Mark’s and my private getaway—but I wouldn’t mind if it was Andie who was there. Or Jean and even Suzanne. Andie and I could work on her book. Jean could cook and keep house since she’s so crazy about doing that, and maybe even spin out one of her romances placed on an island. And Suzanne could...do our hair or something.
We would all be together as we are that single night every year when we drive to the lake and pretend we’re facing down our ghosts. I am a little afraid that the day will come that we’ll have to face them down for real.
I wonder if they’d come.
Liz Flaherty:
The Girls of Tonsil Lake is Liz’s eighth book, and it is no less thrilling than the first one was. Retired from the post office, she spends non-writing time sewing, quilting, and doing whatever else she wants to. She and Duane live in the old farmhouse in Indiana they moved to in 1977. They’ve talked about moving, but really…37 years’ worth of stuff? It’s not happening!
She’d love to hear from you at lizkflaherty@gmail.com or please come and see her at:
http://lizflaherty.com
http://www.facebook.com/lizkflaherty
https://twitter.com/LizFlaherty1
http://wordwranglers.blogspot.com/
LF: Thank you so much for having me, J. C. I really had to think about these questions!
JC: You bet! I love hosting authors from different genres! everyone has a different angle on things. Speaking of which, if you could be any animal, other than a human, what would it be and why?
LF: I’m so boring, but the truth is I’d be a cat. Not a dramatically beautiful or pedigreed cat, just a house cat the kids dragged home who sheds on the furniture, sleeps for hours on the rocking chair, and is there for comfort when you’re down.
JC: There's something beautiful in the simplicity of cat life. I often look at my dog (who's asleep on my feet and snoring right now) and think, "what a life!"
Next question: If you had to run out of your house in the middle of the night and could only grab one thing (assuming all pets and family are safe), what would it be and why?
LF: My laptop. There are many things in life that do mean a lot to me, but as long as family and pets are safe, my laptop is the rest of who I am. I’m not sure how to make that sound even remotely sensible, but there it is.
JC: Completely! Aside from my family and pets, I'd probably grab the laptop, too. It has all our family photos on it. Or it did. Maybe I should grab the external hard drive I back everything onto instead!
Last question: If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
LF: I admit, I had to study on this one, because as scattered as my mind is, it just doesn’t go there. I think I would want to have the power of tongues, where I could communicate in virtually every language there was. President Obama said this is what he would want, and I agree. I admit you might hear some things about yourself you wouldn’t like. (I worked in a town with a large Hispanic population and I used to cringe inside when customers would speak Spanish and aim sideways glances and pointed fingers in my direction. What had I done to offend?) But it would give you an opportunity to protect yourself and other simply by being able to understand.
JC: I think that would be an AWESOME superpower! I'm totally jealous that I didn't think of it!
Now tell us about your book!
LF: I am so excited about THE GIRLS OF TONSIL LAKE. It is my very first women’s fiction title. I also love the cover. Isn’t it dishy? I’m a fan of NO people on covers, but I really like all the girls on this one.
Four women whose differences only deepen the friendship forged in a needy childhood…
They were four little girls living in ramshackle trailers beside a lake in rural Indiana. They shared everything from dreams to measles to boyfriends to more dreams. As they grew up, everything in their lives changed—except their friendship. Through weddings and divorces, births and deaths, one terrible secret has kept them close despite all the anger, betrayal, and pain.
Now, forty years later, facing illness, divorce, career challenges, and even addiction, the women come together once again for a bittersweet month on an island in Maine. Staring down their fifties, they must consider the choices life is offering them now and face the pain of what happened long ago.
Secrets are revealed and truths uncovered, but will their time together cement their lifelong friendship—or drive them apart forever?
BUY NOW!
Excerpt:
I wanted Andie to come to New York, but she didn’t feel up to it. I felt a little shudder go through me when she said that. Andie’s always been so strong, and she’s cancer-free, so I found it startling and frightening when she admitted to feeling less than wonderful. But, as Let There Be Hope shows, cancer changes one in sometimes indefinable ways. Maybe this is one of those changes.
Mark and I visited some islands off the Maine coast once, in our early days. I was so enthralled that he bought me a house on one of them, a little strip of green called, appropriately enough, Hope Island. It reminds me of Bennett’s Island, the fictitious utopia of Elisabeth Ogilvie’s books, except that Hope has all the mod cons.
I love to go there. It’s a place I can be myself with little regard to what anyone else thinks. I sit in my bathrobe on the wraparound porch of the Victorian horror that is my house and drink coffee with Lucas Bishop, our neighbor. I read Jean’s books without worrying that someone will see the covers.
I’ve never taken anyone else—it was Mark’s and my private getaway—but I wouldn’t mind if it was Andie who was there. Or Jean and even Suzanne. Andie and I could work on her book. Jean could cook and keep house since she’s so crazy about doing that, and maybe even spin out one of her romances placed on an island. And Suzanne could...do our hair or something.
We would all be together as we are that single night every year when we drive to the lake and pretend we’re facing down our ghosts. I am a little afraid that the day will come that we’ll have to face them down for real.
I wonder if they’d come.
BUY NOW!
The Girls of Tonsil Lake is Liz’s eighth book, and it is no less thrilling than the first one was. Retired from the post office, she spends non-writing time sewing, quilting, and doing whatever else she wants to. She and Duane live in the old farmhouse in Indiana they moved to in 1977. They’ve talked about moving, but really…37 years’ worth of stuff? It’s not happening!
She’d love to hear from you at lizkflaherty@gmail.com or please come and see her at:
http://lizflaherty.com
http://www.facebook.com/lizkflaherty
https://twitter.com/LizFlaherty1
http://wordwranglers.blogspot.com/
Thanks for having me, J. C.!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure!
Delete*waves to Liz* You'd made a great cat, but personally I'm glad you're a human author! :D
ReplyDeleteI'm glad she's a human author too!
DeleteLOL. Thanks, ladies!
DeleteI have this book in my TBR collection and hope to get to it soon!
ReplyDeleteThank you! :-)
DeleteI really like the concept for the Girls of Tonsil Lake, Liz. I have it on my TBR list!! As for the gift of tongues--that's a good one! I hadn't thought of that as a superpower before, but it really is. Best of luck with the book. Barb Bettis. (Tweeted/shared)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by to comment Barb! I'd love to speak multiple languages!
DeleteI didn't think of it till I was looking around trying to think of one and it came up on a search. Seemed perfect to me. Thanks for coming by, Barb.
DeleteLiz, This sounds like a great read! I love the idea of th0se young girls sharing the difficult life in a trailer park, upholding each other and staying friends. I think we all have a friend or two like that. Best of luck with the book!
ReplyDeleteHi, Laura. I have friends like that, too, for which I'm very grateful. Thanks for coming by!
DeleteI have some awesome girlfriends as well. Reading stories about the bond between friends always appeals to me and this book is on my TBR list :-)
DeleteGreat interview! I'd like to be a cat, too, assuming I was a happy cat with a family to love me and not a homeless creature. Gotta get this book read!
ReplyDeleteOh, but, D, we're storytellers. We'd have to be the unloved cat w/o a home who found an unloved family and THEN we all lived Happily Ever After!
DeleteMy heart always bleeds when I see the unwanted/unloved pets. Maybe that would be my super power--saving all those fuzzy souls
DeleteGood one, J. C.
DeleteThanks!
DeleteAnybody who's got this on their TBR list...I advise moving it to the top of your list immediately!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Maggie!
DeleteGreat advice! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
DeleteI'm always wishing for super powers, but you have me beat. I've never thought of that one. Loved this post and loved the book. Good luck, Liz!
ReplyDeleteI'm STILL jealous that i didn't think of that super power! Thanks for stopping by and commenting Sandra :-)
DeleteThanks so much, Sandy. I wish I could take credit for thinking up that super power, but I didn't. I'd still love to have it, though!
DeleteWow! Great interview. Gift of tongues....now that would be incredible. Wishing you all the best with your book, too. Thinking I should bump this book to the top of my TBR list.
ReplyDeleteIf only we could wave our magic wands and make super powers come true! Thanks for stopping by and commenting :-)
DeleteHi, Mary. Thank you!
Delete