When Things Break by Liz Flaherty

Sometimes things break. Even things we love and count on can be broken by neglect, by wear, by the elements. And every time it happens, a little part of us breaks with them. 

I have a favorite tree, the cottonwood that sits in the side yard outside my office window--the one beside my desk. The tree is beyond the clothesline, nearer the field than the garage that houses the office. The tree has gone from healthy-sapling-size to huge, as cottonwoods do, in the years we've lived in this house. It has been struck by lightning more than once, so that its center trunk looks...well, as if it's been struck by lightning, but the tree is both home and playground to a plethora of squirrels and birds. Rabbits are all over the place, looking up. Deer wander around under the tree--unless they know they have an audience. Watching the animals cavorting around and hearing the birds shouting in the process lends brightness to the dimmest of days.

I am an optimist, a positive-thinker, a cup-more-than-half-full girl, but even at that, I have to acknowledge that there are a lot of dim days. Or, at least, dim hours. Being a writer, while it has been one of the greatest joys and satisfactions in my life, has also contributed greatly to that dimness. Speaking of things broken. 

The wind blew hard here last week, as it often does in March and April. More of the center trunk of the tree came down either from that or another lightning strike. A big part of it. I worry that the tree won't be able to survive nature's latest onslaught, that squirrels were hurt. Although they're still out there, fluffy tails flying. 

My husband wants to cut the tree down. Its core is dead. Cottonwoods are junk trees. But it sits far from the house so that it won't damage property even if it does come down. It hurts no one. It provides succor--how's that for a writer's word?--to both the animals and to the writer watching from the window. "Not yet," I say. 

This then is what we do when, as aging writers, our work isn't always welcomed in the publishing arena, the venue we've loved for so long and worked so hard to remain a part of. Sometimes parts of us get broken by changes we can't control. We flinch and swear and think about quitting because another piece of the center trunk has hit the ground hard. But we still have words, ideas, scenes we need to write, don't we?

On my tree--she's a girl; did I mention that?--the leaves still come back in the spring and the squirrels and the birds are still in the branches, the rabbits and the deer still gambol around. 

They bring brightness, just as we do. And joy, just as we do. And knowledge about other things, just as we do. It's the just as we do that I'm thinking about. Once again, quitting's not an option. 

Not yet. 

****

Early McGrath doesn't want freedom from her thirty-year marriage to Nash, but when it's forced upon her, she does the only thing she knows to do - she goes home to the Ridge to reinvent herself.


Only what is someone who's spent her life taking care of other people supposed to do when no one needs her anymore? Even as the threads of her life unravel, she finds new ones - reconnecting with the church of her childhood, building the quilt shop that has been a long-time dream, and forging a new friendship with her former husband.

The definition of freedom changes when it's combined with faith, and through it all perhaps Early and Nash can find a Soft Place to Fall.

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The End...Sort Of @Liz Flaherty

I've had a most excellent writing week. I got the black moment out of the way--have I mentioned I hate writing black moments? Because, yes, I also hate conflict. But, anyway, I got it written. My normal writing days are about 500 words anymore, but this week they ran between 1000 and 1200 words, which made me happy. Very happy--I will finish the book in the next few days. 

And then comes the hard part.

I'll have to write a synopsis, because I've written this without a contract and I didn't plot so much as the first page, so I had virtually no clue what was going to happen. I have been surprised at every turn. The thing is, I hate synopses. I'd write a whole book for someone if they'd just write my synopsis, blurb, and tagline.

Yeah, whether I find a publisher or do it myself, I'll have to do the blurb and tagline, too.

And reread and revise and revise and take out 475 justs, 550 looks, and at least 272 weak verbs. That's after I find at least 50 percent of the typos. 

I'll have to figure out, again, where I'm going to submit the manuscript. I'll have to thicken my skin for the sure-to-come rejections. I'll have to decide whether to go ahead and start on Ellie's story...I had a great idea yesterday morning...or should I wait? Maybe I should just take the summer off. 

Like that's going to happen. 

I remember writing about the day you write "The End" being the best day of a writer's life, except for the one when where the page starts with "Chapter One." I was wrong.

They're all good days. 

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?


Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/2s3rcznk

Bet You Didn't Know . . . Some Commonly Misprounced Words!

Hello, and welcome again to SMART GIRLS READ ROMANCE. Mispronouncing words is more common than you think. I found several lists of the most mispronounced words in the English language and you might be surprised by those at the top. See if you know how to pronounce the following.

GIF
A computer graphic image; an acronym for Graphics Interchange Format.

How you pronounce it: Is it “giff” with a hard g or “jiff” with a soft one? Steve Wilhite says it’s “jiff” ... and he should know, since he developed GIFs for Compuserve. He chose to pronounce it that way because it sounded like Jif, the peanut butter brand. Now when you see the word, think of peanut butter and you'll recall how to pronounce it.

Mischievous
Correct Pronounciation [MIS-chuh-vus]
Incorrect Pronounciation [.Mmis-CHEE-vee-us]

Literary scholars discovered many people still say it incorrectly. They all fell prey to the “let’s add an i in there and make it four syllables” syndrome, making the word “mis-CHEE-vee-us.” This mispronunciation also lends itself to spelling errors. When people add the extra syllable, they often also add that i when they spell it, writing it “mischievious.”

Niche: A shallow recess in wall for a sculpture or other decorative object; a place or position suitable or appropriate for a person or thing; a market segment.

Correct: The preferred pronunciation was the one used since the seventeenth century ― a soft, long e “Neesh” like the 14-century French word meaning recess for a dog, or kennel. Incorrect "Nitch". Most people super-anglicize it and say “nitch.”

Here's a few more common mispronounced words:

Do say: affidavit | Don't say: affidavid
Even if your lawyer's name is David, he issues affidavits.

Do say: cardsharp | Don't say: card shark
You may be surprised to hear that card shark isn’t a phrase. Its mispronunciation from cardsharp over the years, however, has led to card shark being more popular in America than the original phrase.

Do say: espresso | Don't say: expresso
While I can't express my love for espresso enough, this word was borrowed from Italian well after the Latin prefix ex- had developed into the es- prefix.

* * *
Hope you learned how to pronounce some of the most commonly mispronounced words in the English language. Course, there are hundreds more! 

Let us know you visited! In the comment section tell us one of the commonly mispronounced words you've come across. We'd love to hear from you.

If you haven't read my time travel/paranormal novel, Where the Rain Is Made, I'd love to tell you about it. While I wrote it some time ago, I think it's a book that's timeless. If you like paranormal, time travel and/or suspense, I think you'd love the story of Meko and Cesca. 

About the Book:

Nominated for Bookie Award by Authors After Dark. Nominated for Best Romance of the Year.

The time travelers chant:

"I walk alone on the edge of time, traveling far and near.
Born of the sun, kissed by the wind, the call of the raven screams in my ear."

A decadent-looking savage has captured Francesca DuVall and her brother Marsh. These days, she spends every waking moment planning escape from the brutal Dog Soldiers' camp.

Ethan Gray is a curator at a national museum . . . until he travels through time to help his beloved People. In the Cheyenne world he’s known as Meko, leader of the most revered and fearsome tribe of the plains.

Two cultures and two hearts battle. Violence and death haunt their troubled roads, but when kindred souls collide, love prevails against the greatest odds. From the windswept plains of Colorado to the placid life of a curator, their love is fueled by passion and kindled by destiny.

RAVES For Where the Rain Is Made:

"Diablo delivered an awe-inspiring novel that made me appreciate the Native American and their way of life. Where the Rain Is Made is a definite keeper that everyone should read. You'll be hooked immediately!" 4.5 Stars, Manic Readers ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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"An incredible read and stays with you even when not reading. There were times the description was done so well it made this reviewer a touch jealous as well as quite happy to enjoy it."  4.5 Wings, Classic Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"This book will remain on my shelf for years to come and be revisited often :) I cringed, flinched, sighed and shed a tear. Any story that can do that has my vote all the way. Ms. Diablo, I look forward to seeing more from you in the future."  9 out of 10, Seriously Reviewed ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Thanks so much for stopping by today! Please drop by again to see either This Week's Word or more mispronounced words. 

Have a great week!

 

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