I know y'all already know Liz, but I really wanted to talk to her about THE HEALING SUMMER, which released just a couple of weeks ago. The book is the story of Steven Elliot--you may remember him from ONE MORE SUMMER. He's Grace's brother. ONE MORE SUMMER is my all-time favorite of Liz's books, so a trip back to Peacock, Tennessee, was a treat!
NAN: Liz, your new book, The
Healing Summer, is just out and I have to tell you, it’s one of my favorite
new books this year. Can you talk a little about the book’s genesis?
LIZ:
Its beginning actually came about several years before I actually wrote the
book, because it started where One More Summer ended. Just as in real
time, time had passed in Peacock, Tennessee, too. Wounds had…well, not healed,
but gotten better. Authors don’t have favorite books—it’s not allowed! 😊—but
they do have ones with stronger holds on their hearts. When One More Summer’s
hold wouldn’t let go, The Healing Summer happened.
NAN: One of the best things about
your writing is how real your characters are. I love that Carol is a hairdresser
when so many romance novels have heroines who are “high-powered…” well, you can
fill in the blank. Did you have to do some research for Carol?
LIZ:
Well, I did and I didn’t. I already knew her—and loved her—from One More
Summer; the shop was already there. I’ve gone to the same beauty salon for
about 10 years. I’ve had the same stylist—hey, Denee!—and it’s one of my
favorite businesses in our small town. Most of the back-and-forth from Carol’s
Clip Joint started from a conversation in Hairtique, and I mined it
shamelessly—all the while laughing a lot and having my natural blond hair
made…more natural.
NAN: One More Summer is one of my
very favorite novels—it’s a comfort read for me, so I love going back to
Peacock, Tennessee. What was it like for you to make the trip back in The
Healing Summer?
LIZ:
At the risk of sounding hopelessly sappy, it was like going home. I’d spent so
much time and so much heart there that going back to write Carol’s story was a
warm and comfortable place to be. Getting to see the people from the first book
and to accompany them on more of their journey was like a gift. I guess it was
from me to me, but somehow Peacock and its stories have lives of their own,
separate from me. I loved being invited back.
NAN: Steven is a little bit of a
lost soul in One More Summer and actually not my favorite character, but
I love how he’s grown and developed in The Healing Summer. Talk to me
about his arc and tell me, is it hard for you to write male characters?
LIZ:
It is hard for me to write men, which you knew before you asked such a
mean question. 😊
My thought processes and my vocabulary just don’t lean that way. Truthfully,
too, Steven does have a startling capacity for being a pain. But there’s such a
big heart in there and he’s been hurt so much, and he carries off a ponytail so
well that I just have to love him. I always worry about people I write being
too much alike, but I don’t think I’ve ever written another Steven.
NAN: Do you think you’ll be going
back to Peacock again in another book? Any character nudging you to tell their
story?
LIZ:
You know, there is another story. I didn’t mean for there to be, but sometimes
that’s the best kind. It’s still percolating, and I’m not sure I have the
writing time to do it justice, but I want to know what Reese does when she
grows up.
NAN: What’s coming up next?
Anything in the works that you’re ready to talk about?
LIZ:
My next Christmas Town story, A Place to Hang Her Heart, will be part of
an anthology in February—we switched up holidays—plus we’re releasing last
year’s stories in two anthologies. If you missed them, they’ll be coming soon!
NAN: A few quickies here:
NAN: Best money you ever spent as a
writer?
LIZ: Every writing
retreat I’ve ever been on.
NAN: Favorite season to write about?
LIZ: I don’t have one, really. I
like all of them.
NAN: Trip you’re longing to take?
LIZ: Duh. Prince Edward Island.
NAN: One book that always makes you
cry?
LIZ: I don’t recall titles, but there
are scenes… When a dog died in a Kristan Higgins book. When the heroine talked
about her husband’s illness and death in a Pamela Morsi one. When a hero has
wept in nearly any book. In The Healing Summer, I cried over Miranda every
time I had to talk about her. I’m a fan of crying over books. I still sob when
Beth dies in Little Women.
NAN: So glad you
could take the time to talk to us, Liz, and I hope y'all head to your nearest
book retailer and grab your copy of THE HEALING SUMMER. It’s amazing!
LIZ: Thanks for interviewing me, Nan.
It was fun!
Buy Links
Retired from the post office and married to Duane for…a really
long time, USA Today bestselling author Liz Flaherty has had a heart-shaped
adult life, populated with kids and grands and wonderful friends. She admits
she can be boring, but hopes her curiosity about everyone and everything around
her keeps her from it. She likes traveling and quilting and reading. And she
loves writing.
Social Media Links:
Email: lizkflaherty@gmail.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizkflaherty/
Nice interview. Love getting a little behind the scenes info from an author.
ReplyDeleteMe, too, Janie! It's always fun to find out what an author was thinking while they wrote their story.
DeleteIt was fun to do, too!
DeleteNice post.
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Loved getting a little more insight to Liz! Great post.
ReplyDeleteSo anxious to see the next interviews!
DeleteIt was fun!!
Deletewhat a fun interview! :)
ReplyDeleteIt WAS fun. Looking forward to tomorrow.
DeleteI loved your interview, ladies. It was great getting your thought processes about your writing and your books.
ReplyDeleteI'm anxious to hear about yours!
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