Liz Tyner - Liz's Latest

Cooking - Antique Style

4/21/2019

This kitchen from the early 1800's appealed to me, although it would be difficult to be a cook when water had to be carried, and without air conditioning.I can remember being in a warm house during canning season.

It seems that as soon as air conditioning arrived on the scene, people stopped canning.

I'm sure the two women who worked in this one would have applauded a more convenient way of preparing food. This kitchen fed many people, and the women were extremely skilled at what they did. After all, working at a job day after day—without a day off—would encourage proficiency. And tiredness.

I have a smaller version of the pot on the left, and once used a pan similar to the one in the middle. The only comment I have about it is—when they're full, they're heavy!I

Bows, Arrows, and Bellona

4/20/2019

Some of my favorite things about the book, spoilers included.

Bellona is a woman who asks to be paid in weapons.
She's terrified on the inside but ready to protect herself with her bow and arrows.
The duke's mother tosses him out of his house, and well, it's his mom so he leaves.
The duke's mother does have melancholia and throws herself down the stairs, gets up, dusts herself off and goes on with life. And in my opinion, puts that bad day, and her grief, behind her.
Bellona getting to the top of the stairs.
A scene in which a knife goes awry, but the duke recovers.
The duke, waiting, in bed, for his hand to stop bleeding.
Bellona's uppity chin.

Look, for a limited time, at Walmart:
Or:
https://tinyurl.com/y2d9ry7m

Bellona's Back!

4/13/2019

Bellona's back!

The story of a Grecian archer who accidentally stabs a duke has been on the Wal-Mart shelves in the US for a few weeks.

It was fun writing the story. I acted out the stabbing scene in an attempt for accuracy. The other participant applied the ketchup for color—without my knowledge, and that gave me a jolt.

My own experience with a bow and arrows has been limited. However, once in the darkness, I did dislodge a bow—with arrows in the quiver—from its resting place. I ended up with a very small slice from the broadhead—which is the tip of the arrow.

Still standing in darkness, I never felt the cut, but suddenly realized my skin was burning.

I was fortunate.

Forbidden to the Duke:
https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335467683_forbidden-to-the-duke.html (limited time)

Or ebook:
https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335467683_forbidden-to-the-duke.html

Accents—Beauties That are a Beast to Alter

3/15/2019

My husband claims I talk to myself when writing. That hardly surprises me as I am more comfortable being alone while I write so my characters may speak freely and aloud.

He also claims I speak in a British accent. A bad British accent.

My London borne character needed to say a word in French, so no wonder it didn't sound quite right..

That any accent I speak doesn't sound authentic shouldn't surprise me as I don't do the Oklahoma accent well either and I've lived in the state all my life.

"Where are you from?" I've been asked. It took me quite some time to realize that occasionally people were trying to place my accent.

We're all as unique as our fingerprints, and in some ways, having an accent can help us bond. It's a part of who we are—a bit of the fabric of our life. When you're meeting someone for the first time, it lets you know that you and the other person may have different histories. It gives you a conversation starter so that you both can compare and contrast your experiences.

Vive la difference.

Photos From My World

2/13/2019

Happy Valentine's Day! Hope everyone has a romantic dinner out with a loved one. Or, if dining alone, orders dessert for two.

Friendship and Trust

2/9/2019

When Barrett carries Annie over the threshold in To Win a Wallflower, they're not married, or betrothed or even having a romantic encounter. But they are about to share a brief conversation that is a bonding moment.

True friendship is a bond between two people that goes deeper than a casual encounter that you can walk away from without thinking about.

True friendship remains inside you, and years later you can return to it and the friendship picks resumes where you left off.

I'm wondered if the bond is generated by shared life experience and trust. Since trust should never be given lightly, perhaps it is no surprise that it can be hard to build deep friendships.

I heard that in a lifetime, you may only have a handful of true friends. Instead of feeling sadness that we only have a few soulmates that we will connect with, it's pretty amazing that we can make connections that remain in our hearts long after the footsteps of the other person have faded away.

Inspired by the Sliding Watch

2/2/2019

One of the fun parts of writing is the research. But the research isn't just about the specifics of birds and flowers, but about the specifics of humans. Charles Dickens supposedly kept a mirror in his office so he could make faces and improve his descriptions.

At a stoplight, I remember seeing a watch slide down the wrist of a man on a motorcycle and I was fascinated by the movement.

So how did that translate into my novel?

Falling in love with a shadow, a whisper of husky voice or laughter softer than silk, was impossible.

But when he saw the flash of a wrist move in the hallway beyond the door, saw the bracelet slide and heard the innocence, he didn't care that he hadn't believed in love until that moment. —To Win a Wallflower

Zane Grey...I need to read Zane Again

1/26/2019

I discovered a book by Zane Grey when I was in high school. Oh, I couldn't read enough of her. Her? That's what I thought. Then I discovered Zane was a man's name. A male. I had been certain those westerns I'd been reading had been written by a woman.

A few other surprises were in store. I thought they were written by a contemporary author. Like Louis L'Amour. But then I discovered Zane had died in 1939. And he was a dentist. He even looked a little like Harrison Ford to me, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

I could get over the fact that he'd died long before I was born. I could get over the fact that he was a dentist, and probably didn't wear a cowboy hat to work.

But a man?

I wanted those westerns to have been written by a woman. A woman who liked the old west and enjoyed writing.

But then I read his biography and discovered that his wife had a great deal to do with his stories. In fact, once when she was out of the country, he'd sent in a manuscript, and they'd sent it back, dissatisfied.

I was vindicated.

And the icing on the cake for me was that his first name was Pearl.

The Threshold of Romance Weddings

1/20/2019

When writing the To Win A Wallflower scene in which Annie has to step over the threshold, I felt I knew where the tradition of a groom carrying a bride through the doorway of the house originated..

Imagine you’re an innocent new bride, sheltered, and you hardly know your husband. The doorway would loom in front of you like a cavernous opening leading you to a world of marriage you’d never before experienced.

That first step would be a hard one.

How much easier for the groom to sweep you into his arms, hold you close to his heart, and take that first step with you.

I didn’t research to see if I was correct, because if I’m not, I don’t want to know.

Leather Knee Boots

1/14/2019

At a historical site, I once saw a man's boots in a glass case. That stuck in my memory, and I realized part of the reason I like historical romance novels is that sneakers were not yet on the scene.

The photo of the left is of a women with modern riding footwear. They meet with my approval, of course, even though I'm not sure they're actually boots.

The buckled shoes of yesterday don't interest me as much as the boots, and I tend to feel sorry for the heroes of the past who had to buckle their shoes.

But I never feel sorry for a hero or heroine who has a nice pair of boots to slip on.