Lisa J. Flickinger's Blog

Sit awhile a read my interview with Toni Shiloh author of Returning Home. You'll be sure to learn some things you didn't know before! 

Happy Monday, Reader Friends!

Today I’m kicking off the week with an interview with the lovely Lisa J. Flickinger. She’s stopped by to talk about her historical novel, Fool’s Notion? Have you read it? If not, now’s a good time to learn more. Grab a cup of tea (or coffee) and meet Lisa!

Interview

Toni: Welcome, Lisa! Thank you for stopping by Soulfully Romantic today. It seems Fool’s Notion is ripe with romance! Where did you get the idea for this story?

Lisa: When I was in grade four, my family drove eighteen hundred miles to California. We visited Knott’s Berry Farm and one of their displays was an interactive map of the Oregon Trail. I was fascinated by the miniature covered wagons (I have one in my TV room). From then on, I loved the idea of pioneering. As an author, the idea of a young woman making her way across the country was too hard to resist.

Toni: I used to love the Oregon Trail video game.  This takes place along the Missouri River. How did you do research for this historical time frame?

Lisa: I immersed myself in the 1880’s by reading women’s diaries, studying historical books, contacting libraries about the time period, and watching applicable movies.

Toni: Diaries?! That had to be interesting. Okay, mules are a focus in this book. Have you ever ridden one? Petted one? Owned one?!

Lisa: I’ve petted quite a few as our former neighbors raised prize winning mules. My own brief stint as a cowgirl ended when I was trampled by my horse and suffered a broken shoulder blade. During the writing of Fool’s Notion, I shared pots of tea with and interviewed the owners of Windy Ridge Farms to learn the nuances of mule’s behavior.

Toni: Ouch! What are three elements that are always present in your writing and why?

Lisa: Good question! I like to put an element of hope in our Lord in every novel so the reader has something they can take away for their “real lives”. Humor to lighten up difficult issues has also become more important in my writing. A gorgeous guy! Who doesn’t’ need more of those in their life?

Toni: Good elements! What is your favorite…
Animal?

Lisa: Black Lab – the most loyal pet ever.

Toni: Aww, labs are adorable! Body of water?

Lisa: Gull Lake – a beautiful lake we love to fish on.

Toni: Nice! Romance movie?

Lisa: Legends of the Fall – I think I need to watch it again.

Toni: I don’t think I’ve seen it. Era?

Lisa: The late eighteen hundreds – if only I could go back in time.

Toni:  And last but not least, what are you currently working on?

Lisa: I’m currently working on a story set in a late eighteen hundreds (of course) about a logging camp and a young woman named Isabelle who’s struggling with the after affects of a violent incident. She forms a friendship with a new-to–the-faith logger who is struggling with his own secrets from the past.

Linda Shenton Matchett, author of the new release Under Fire, spent some time sitting on the porch with me for an author interview. Come and join us!

Linda: Thanks for joining me today. Your latest book, Fool’s Notion is a story of a woman on the Oregon/California Trail with a pack string of mules. What made you decide to write this story?

Lisa: When I was eight years old, my family went on vacation to California and visited Knott’s Berry Farm. I remember vividly a miniature display of covered wagons on the Oregon Trail. At that moment I fell in love with the idea of pioneering.

LM: How did you decide which time period to set Fool’s Notion in?

Lisa: I use Borax detergent for “keeping my whites white” and there is a picture of a mule team on the box. When I researched the Borax “rush” I discovered it began in 1882. I picked 1883 as the year for my heroine, Alda, to have a reason to cross the country with her mules.

LM: Fascinating! I love hearing about those kinds of serendipitous inspirations. What do you do to prepare yourself for writing? For example do you listen to music or set up in a specific place?

Lisa: I don’t do anything special to prepare, I generally only write at my desk, in my office. Sounds of any kind disturb my creative process ;)

LM: Writers are often people who grew up as voracious readers. Who was your favorite author when you were a child?

Lisa: I’m definitely a voracious reader and I’m pretty sure I read through all the chapter books for kids in our local library. My aunt started me on Nancy Drew mysteries, by author Carolyn Keene, from there I moved onto the Bobbsey Twins, Trixie Belden …

LM: Yep - those were some of my favorites too! So, you live in a gorgeous area of the world, one many people would visit on holiday. If money were no object, what is your idea of the ultimate vacation?

Lisa: I have traveled to quite a few beautiful places in the world like Thailand, Philippines, Italy, and Switzerland, but my current wish list is to visit Ireland and Scotland. I would love to take a car tour and stay at B&B’s so we could stop and take in any sight we wished to.

LM: What is the quirkiest thing you’ve ever done?

Lisa:  Hmmm, quirky. Perhaps think I could write a novel. Seriously though, I once washed the feet of street people in the Philippines on a downtown boulevard with a mission team. It was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life.   

LM: What is your next project?

Lisa: I’m writing a story of a young woman with a secret child in the late 1800’s who’s living in a rough and tumble logging town along the Rockies. She meets a new pastor with his own secrets and the two of them attempt to form a relationship under difficult circumstances.

LM: Thanks so much for stopping by!

Lisa: Thanks for letting me join you!

Greetings Friends,

It's my pleasure to introduce to you Miss Alda Lealand and Mr. Preston Cordell Sweet III. Finally, Fool's Notion has been released in eBook! The soft cover is to follow in October. This is what one reader had to say:

             "A story of a daughter finding love from the father above, it's a must read story for historical lovers.  I couldn't put it down and read it straight thru, I found another new author and will read her other books."
                                                                               - Amazon Reader Review

Here's the back cover copy:

Missouri Mules are the best there is and Alda had grown to love the creatures as she worked side by side with her pa on their farm along the banks of the Missouri River. Her pa would be hopping mad when he realized his wife and daughter had colluded behind his back to sell a pack string. It didn’t matter that they were trying to save the farm.

Alda had struck out on her own to drive the team over fifteen hundred miles. By day three, her lead mule Bessie had refused to take one more step. It was a good thing the handsome cowboy Cord had stopped by to lend a hand or Alda might still be sitting in the dust.

Now the man needed to move on so she could continue her journey. Judging by the spark in Cord’s eye … it just might take some convincing.
 

Let me know if you would like a soft cover copy. The cost will be $20.00 including shipping.

Thanks so much for your support and interest in my writing!

Sincerely, 

Lisa J. Flickinger

Fool’s Notion cover reveal! After much deliberation in choosing and then sending back and forth with the publisher, (who did a great job, thank you Cynthia) I’m pleased to present the cover for my upcoming novel Fool’s Notion. What do you think?

If you remember, one of my readers, Jodi, won the opportunity to choose a name for my next novel. She chose the name Cordell Sweet for a buff, military type who was the hero in the novel I was writing at the time. I abandoned (for now) that project and began Fool’s Notion on the inspiration of a story someone told me several years ago and the Borax detergent box found in my laundry room.

Cordell Sweet worked perfectly for the handsome cowboy with long, smoky lashes who helps the heroine Alda — whether she wants him too, or not. Thanks Jodi!

Here’s the back cover copy:

Missouri Mules are the best there is and Alda had grown to love the creatures as she worked side by side with her pa on their farm along the banks of the Missouri River. Her pa would be hopping mad when he realized his wife and daughter had colluded behind his back to sell a pack string. It didn’t matter that they were trying to save the farm.

Alda had struck out on her own to drive the team over fifteen hundred miles. By day three, her lead mule Bessie had refused to take one more step. It was a good thing the handsome cowboy Cord had stopped by to lend a hand or Alda might still be sitting in the dust.

Now the man needed to move on so she could continue her journey. Judging by the spark in Cord’s eye … it just might take some convincing.

I’m still working on the edits, but the eBook will probably release this week and then I’ll be working toward getting the paperbacks printed. Such a learning curve!

Well done Sadie and Sophie! I loved the unique way the Cuffe sisters wove the tale of Hansel and Gretel through an 1880’s frontier town.

Dear, plump Gretel, an avid baker, finds herself ousted from her brother’s affections by his newly betrothed. The miserable woman’s plans for the siblings jointly owned bakery include giving Gretel away in marriage as a prize for a town sporting event. We commiserate with Gretel as she must explore the depths of her brother Hansel’s betrayal in agreeing with his intended’s plans. Gretel’s soul searching also stirs up the siblings’ mystical past and causes Gretel and her brother to face questions they have tried to ignore for years. Were they abandoned by their father and step mother? Were they really held captive by an evil witch who lived in a delicious cottage in the woods?

Further complicating matters for Gretel, a strapping young man, Jake Wilde, has fallen for her … and her delicious baking. Jake’s persistent in his understanding and kindness toward poor, wounded Gretel. I found myself rooting for Jake and his pursuit of true love and yet anxious about how the future would unfold for Gretel.

The story is written in first person, which is hard to do well, yet the authors accomplished it. The smattering of time-period words along with a lexicon makes the tale realistic and engaging. I will be reading more of the Cuffe sisters’ work in the future!  

Birds and Breadcrumbs, along with my novella, Ella, and four other fairytale redo’s are available for the great price of only $5.15 on Amazon.

Beauty and the Beast by Teresa Ives Lilly from the Love Everlasting Series was released in February of 2017 and continues to be a consistent seller. Teresa hails from Texas, not far from the destructive path of Hurricane Harvey and has spent time in the last week collecting money and supplies to make up hygiene packs and deliver them to shelters for those who have had to leave their homes because of the flooding. Way to go, Teresa!

Her story of Beauty and the Beast was a quaint tale about a young woman named Izzy and a miserable man named Griffin. Izzy’s irresponsible father left her alone when he went on a fruitless quest for gold. Starving, he stumbles into Griffin’s store, steals food and eats it before falling ill.

Griffin, deeply scarred both emotionally and physically from a battle over a lost love, insists Izzy’s father work in the store to repay his debt. Her father is not well enough and so he sends for his daughter to work off the debt and care for him until he recovers.

As they work together, Izzy sees the kind and generous side to Griffin he keeps hidden from the rest of the rowdy town. She falls in love with him while bringing order to his neglected store. Griffin must decide if he will let love enter his heart once more or continue to hide behind his ghastly scars.

The story was fun and entertaining and carried several allusions to Disney’s well loved Beauty and the Beast. Teresa has written many inspirational romances and her skill in weaving a delightful plot with likeable characters makes you want to read more of her work.

Greetings Friends,

Last blog I said I would review a couple of the other tales in the Love Everlasting boxed set which includes my own Ella:

Charity and the Seven Sisters by Joi Copeland

A fun and amusing story of a young woman who flees the designs of a cruel stepmother and finds herself in cowboy country. Charity is a great cook and ends up helping the six sisters who remain at home to run a dining establishment. The sisters are engaging characters with traits like the seven dwarves and brought a chuckle to my lips in several paragraphs. And we can’t forget the brave hero who falls in love with Charity even though he’s suffering with a great loss. Rhett rides in at the final moment to rescue Charity  from none other than …

Magic of the Swan by Amber Stockton

A beautiful cover similar to Ella and based on the lesser known fairytale of the Swan Princess. Elenora defies her parents and attends a magic show where she encounters the evil Cravatta, a magician with a grudge against her rich father. She’s kidnapped and must participate in the magician’s nightly shows dressed in a beautiful swan costume. The race is on for Elenora’s childhood friend Trevor to discover her whereabouts and free her from the evil magician’s clutches. Trevor discovers his friendship with Elenora has matured into love as he seeks to find her and desires to see their two empires be united by marriage.

Looking forward to reading the other stories!

Greetings friends,

I’m pleased to announce the Love Everlasting series from Forget Me Not Romances (of which my novella Ella is a part) has been released. Six fairytale redos for only $5.15! I just picked up my copy (I read them on my computer) and will let you know what I think over the coming weeks.

CHARITY AND THE SEVEN SISTERS
Tragedy can bring them together or tear them apart…..

Charity Watson lost her mother at an early age. Growing up in Boston with only her father, servants, and maid, Eliza, she learned how to take care of a house, cook, and clean. When tragedy strikes and she is left an orphan, she must flee the only home she’d ever known in order to save her own life and live with Eliza’s six sisters in Hope, Montana. Will she flee danger and be free to live life as she once knew or will danger catch up to her?

Rhett Lincoln loved Montana and everything his father left him on the biggest ranch in Hope, Montana. Upon returning home, he finds the one person he loves the most on the brink of death. His life turns upside down until he realizes his need for a wife. Will he find love in Hope, Montana?

BIRDS AND BREADCRUMBS
Hansel and Gretel Sweetser live a happy life, except for that unfortunate time of incarceration and near-ingestion in the witch’s gingerbread house. But that was twenty years ago, and no one believes them anyway.

If you’ve ever wondered what happened to that little boy and girl after the gingerbread house encounter, here’s what you’ve been missing. Birds and Bread Crumbs is the “rest of the story”—a grown-up Midwestern American fairy tale with just enough magic to make you believe in happily-ever-after again.

MERMAID'S SONG
At last, the much anticipated 50th book by Darlene Franklin!

Noble Prescott is drawn to the scene of a shipwreck by a sweet song sung in a language he didn’t understand. The songstress is barely alive, holding onto a piece of the ship’s railing. Her dress wraps around her legs like a mermaid’s tail. How will Justine and Noble overcome the evil woman’s schemes to find their own love everlasting?

ELLA
Ella Goodwin, abandoned by her father and abused by her stepsister, seeks to make sense of her new life as a prisoner in her own home. Squirreled away in the attic, she sews a magnificent gown. All hopes of attending the masked ball are dashed when she’s discovered and her gown is stolen.

Chaos and confusion ensue as Thomas Bailey attempts to extricate himself from the clutches of an obnoxious stepsister. Will he unravel the mystery and learn the true identity of the beautiful woman who has captured his heart?

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
When scar faced, Griffin catches an old miner stealing from his store, he insists the man work off the debt. However, when the man gets too sick to work, Griffin sends for Izzy, whom Griffin thinks is the old man’s wife. When the girl turns out to be the man’s beautiful and kind daughter, Griffin finds himself torn between continuing to wear the façade of a beast, or lowering his defenses and allowing Izzy’s beauty to soften his soul. Can this beauty and this beast find love?

MAGIC OF THE SWAN
Elenora Caldwell and Trevor Davenport had been thrown together since they were children. As the years passed, a deep friendship developed. Heirs to their respective family fortunes, they attempt to find where they fit into life’s grand puzzle. When Elenora’s father dismisses a man from his employ, the man threatens to seek revenge. Charmed and fascinated by a new magician who studied under the Great Houdini, Elenora sneaks out to attend a performance, but ends up a pawn in a vile scheme by the magician to take control of Caldwell Enterprises. In order to save Elenora, Trevor must first defeat Cravatta. How can he match wits with a master illusionist? And could his reunion with Elenora be the key to a brand new life?

People have been asking how my granddaughter is, and I appreciate you doing so. I thought I would give an update:

For those of you who don’t know, in early January of this year our six month old granddaughter Aurelia was diagnosed with transverse-myelitis, an auto immune response that attacks the lining of the nerves in the spinal column. She became paralyzed from the bottom lip down (except for slight movement in one arm) and lost all feeling as well. What a frightening time for her parents and all those who love her!

Since January, she’s trundled down the road to recovery slowly. The doctors warned the family it would not be a fast process, and it hasn’t been compared to the three days it took to become paralyzed in the first place. She’s been able to use her arms and hands for quite a while although she still hasn’t regained all of her fine motor control. She can also bend her legs and last week pulled herself up the stairs for the first time. Core muscles were also affected but she sat up on her own the day after Father’s Day. Internal issues continue to be a struggle, but we hope they will settle down and she will regain all her mobility as she continues to heal.

Aurelia is a trooper and persistent in trying to keep up with her twin sister. I’m so grateful she’s still with us, and I look forward to watching her become the unique person God designed her to be.

“Grandchildren are the crown of grandparents,”

(Prov. 17:6a GWT)

If you hear the following conversation in our vicinity …  

            “Uhhh huhhh huhhh huhhh.” Lisa’s hands shake uncontrollably. “Come here, quick! I think I got one … Matt, please! Aahhhhhhhhhh! Aahhhhhhhhhh! Take it! Take it! I don’t want it!”

            “I’m right here; you’re OK, just settle down.”

            “Aahhhhhhhhh! Just take it!”

            “All right … I’ve got him.”

            “He’s so cute, don’t hurt him.”

We are most likely fishing and I just caught a whopper of a 10oz. perch. If it’s any bigger, I run to the other end of the boat screaming and hand the fishing rod over without polite conversation. Secretly, I think Matt loves the drama. I have tried to stay calm when something is on my line, so far, I have been unsuccessful.

And what’s not to love about the camaraderie of facing white caps on Buck Lake or lightening on Crimson Lake. Why would we resist the adrenaline pumping thrill of pounding hail as we work together to put the cover back on the boat. Why would we choose to miss the intimacy of shared lunches, while wearing wet clothes, in the cab of the truck?  

The adventures of fishing bring a smile to both our lips and corny jokes from Matt’s. It makes us feel more alive, even if the fish aren’t. And the feeling of closeness lasts well into the week. Who needs marriage therapy when you can go fishing?

Are you in need of a marriage tune-up? Feel free to tag along.

 “Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.” (Ecc. 9:9 NASB)