Starting Over...Again by Liz Flaherty

Happy New Year from the Word Wranglers! I hope you've had great holidays.

Have you made your plans for 2025? I've decided against resolutions, goals I might have to walk back, or words I forget along about the middle of March. At this stage of the game, I like who I am, I love my life, and if I have a goal, it's just to be better. 

With myself as judge. 

Although I've never been a person who didn't care what other people thought, sometimes I care too much. I allow other opinions to lead me in ways I might want to reconsider. It might be time for the old dog to learn a new trick or two.

On the less belligerent side of things, I should have three books out this year, although I don't have dates yet. Pieces of Blue will re-release, followed by A Splash of Red and Shades of Green. I am excited about all of them. I'm enjoying the stories from Harper Loch. Stay tuned!

Nan and I are sneaking away for a few days of writing retreat in the next couple of weeks. We're both pretty ready for the trip. Although it has been a mild wintertime so far, it's been such a gloomy one that even though I'm grateful for countless people and places and things, the thankfulness is laced with unremitting gray. 

Our granddaughter got married in December. Our whole family--except for one--was in one place. I've had a lot of good weekends in my life, and the one when Tierney Flaherty married Jeff Patton was easily in the top ten. 

Maybe it was then, and not when I blogged it on Christmas day that I decided to start over, that things were going to be brand new. While I am an inveterate dweller, I am going to try to let go of the things that do harm not only to others but to me. 

When I screw that up, which I most certainly will, I'll forgive myself. 

That's how writers keep writing, isn't it? (See, I knew I'd find a point in this mess!) There are days when our entire word count would not be welcomed by even the computer's trash can icon unless we put them through a shredder icon first. If we spend too much time being mad at ourselves and dwelling on what should be a momentary What makes me think I'm a writer? I suck! we'll never get anything done.

So there we are. Well, I am, anyway. I wrote 323 words today. I won't know until tomorrow if they work. And that's up to me. Even if Nan reads them and says, "What were you thinking?" the choice is mine whether they go or stay. Or whether I just make them better. 

Because, after all, the day is brand new. 

Although I'm not fond of the idea of AI, four of my Harlequin books have been released in audio with AI narration. I've listened to samples of them and...I think they're okay. If you give them a try, let me know what you think!

https://books.apple.com/us/author/liz-flaherty/id490601356?see-all=audio-books

P. S. While I'm talking about me, I have a new website at https://www.lizflaherty.net/. My personal blog, Window Over the Sink, is there now, too. Stop in and join up. Thanks!