Author: Dora Hiers

One of the most difficult aspects of writing is…

/ Dora Hiers / 8 Comments

For me, one of the most difficult aspects of writing is…wait for it, wait for it…

HOW LONG IT TAKES TO WRITE THE BOOK!

Surprise you? Maybe you expected plotting, or coming up with ideas, or writing a synopsis, or even querying a publisher.

After 17 (really? 17?) completed books, I believe I have conquered all of the above. And I have a bit of an in with my current publisher. 😉

But, logically, you’d also think that the amount of time it takes to write a book wouldn’t be so daunting anymore, right?

Wrong.

Before I started writing, I worked as an auditor for the local school system. My job entailed sifting through records to see that checks and balances were in place and that the school operated with good accounting practices. Every day, or every couple of days, I worked at a different school. The longest audits took a week, maybe two, but those were rare. Basically, every time I wrote the report, I wrapped things up and moved on to the next school.

Not with writing.

A writer’s work is NEVER done.

Besides all the planning, the marketing, the promoting–all those extraneous tasks–the actual writing of a book takes months, sometimes years, depending on several factors such as word count, how much time a writer invests, etc.

one of the most difficult aspects of writing writers Dora Hiers Fiction Faith & Foodies

So, coming from a background where I experienced that sense of accomplishment on a daily basis to working on the same project for months…how do I recondition myself? How do I measure my time and feel satisfied with my progress? I…

  1. set daily word count goals to track my progress in an Excel spreadsheet.
  2. don’t focus on the end date, just what I plan to accomplish each day.
  3. write books with varying lengths, just to shake up my schedule a bit.
  4. discovered my peak writing time and use it. With my body clock, I can pump out double the words in the mornings, but after lunch, my word count and creativity declines drastically. So, I write only in the mornings. Of course, that’s not possible for everyone. The point is to find your peak time and reserve that window for writing, as much as possible.
  5. garner the support of family and friends. My family and friends all know my writing schedule. OK, so I might’ve growled and answered in monosyllables when they called in the morning just to chat. But, hey, I don’t bother them while they’re working, either.

For my writer friends, what’s the most difficult aspect of writing for you?

For my non-writer friends, how do you gauge your work day? How do you measure your satisfaction for a job well-done?

Excited about Eating by Ernie & Dora Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 11 Comments

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to the base of Sugar Mountain and to the Painted Fish Café & Beer Bar in Banner Elk, NC. This casual local restaurant serves salads, sandwiches, and a variety of entrees to satisfy everybody. Dora here. I’m bummed that it was too chilly to sit outside. Can’t beat those views!

Painted Fish Cafe & Beer Bar Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Can’t beat those views!

You know how some restaurants try to cram in as many people by squishing the tables close together? Not here. We appreciated the generous space between tables and the private booths.

Painted Fish Cafe & Beer Bar Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Appreciated the generous space between tables and the private booths.

For my lunch, I started with the soup of the day, a crab chowder. This chowder was great, loaded with potatoes and crabmeat in a creamy sauce. Dora here. We knew that soup was coming before it ever reached the table! lol. Strong scent of crab, but I liked it, even though I’m not a huge seafood fan. Hey, don’t hate! 🙂

Painted Cafe & Beer Bar Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Soup of the Day: Crab Chowder. Loaded with potatoes and plenty of crab.

I followed that up with the special of the day, a fried catfish sandwich served with cole slaw and tartar sauce on a soft bun and house-made chips. This huge sandwich was outstanding! Crispy and lightly breaded, tender and juicy on the inside, and the slaw added just the right crunch to the sandwich. And those chips, they were like waffle chips but were crunchy and had great flavor.

Painted Fish Cafe & Beer Bar Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Fried Catfish Sandwich (special), outstanding! Crispy, tender, huge!

Dora here. A couple of the salads sounded interesting, but the protein up-charge pushed them to almost $20. Too pricey for me! So I opted for the turkey brie sandwich. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Two slices of whole grain bread packed with turkey, cranberries, melted cheese and spinach. Yum! Great flavor, texture and, like Ernie’s sandwich, huge! I’d definitely order this again, but the fried catfish won me over, too. This place might make me into a seafood lover. 🙂

Painted Fish Cafe & Beer Bar Fiction Faith & Foodies Ernie & Dora Hiers

Turkey Brie Sandwich, packed with turkey, cranberry, and spinach. Great flavor, texture, and huge!

What about you? What food doesn’t make your “favorite” list? And has a restaurant ever turned you into a fan of that food?

We rate this restaurant 4 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving great food.

Painted Fish Cafe & Beer Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Excited about Reading: SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE by Jill Weatherholt

/ Dora Hiers / 5 Comments

Today, I’m introducing a sweet online friend.

Jill Weatherholt is the most encouraging, friendliest, kindest, sweetest person I have EVER known. One day I hope to meet her in person. I just know that we’d chat and laugh and that it would feel like we’ve known each other forever.

Jill’s a huge fan of NaNoWriMo. She’s participated the last few years and her debut book, Second Chance Romance, recently released with Harlequin’s Love Inspired line. So, for all my writer friends who are on the fence about writing during what has to be the crazy-busiest month of the year or who have debated entering pitch contests like Harlequin’s So You Think You Can Write contest, go for it! Here’s a little about Second Chance Romance and then let’s chat.

The Cover Story

Jackson Daughtry’s jobs as a paramedic and part-owner of a local café keep him busy—but the single dad’s number one priority is raising his little girl with love and small-town values. And when his business partner’s hotshot lawyer niece comes to town planning to disrupt their lives by moving her aunt away, Jackson has to set Melanie Harper straight. When circumstances force them to work side by side in the coffee shop, Jackson slowly discovers what put the sadness in Melanie’s pretty brown eyes. Now it’ll take all his faith—and a hopeful five-year-old—to show the city gal that she’s already home.

Second Chance Romance Jill Weatherholt Excited about Reading Dora Hiers

Buy on Amazon

 

Let’s Chat

Life has been yanked out from under Melanie Harper, and for the last year she’s slogged through a dark season, burying herself in her job. Jackson Daughtry struggles with trust issues, particularly with the female species. But you can’t help but admire and appreciate the single dad who dotes on his daughter, Rebecca, and is grateful for the support of the generous, compassionate people of Sweet Gum, where friends and neighbors come together to help when times are tough.

I enjoyed witnessing Melanie’s transformation from tightly wound attorney, focused solely on her job and her goal to move her Aunt Phoebe back to DC, to a woman who appreciates the warm and caring residents of the “valley,” including the handsome paramedic who rescued her. And Jackson? He was solid and sturdy in his faith and in his role in life and in his community, and reminded me so much of my own real life hero. 🙂

Country versus city made for some fun sparring, and big city lawyer pitted against small town dad in their battle over what was best for their beloved Phoebe. With a subtle faith element, Second Chance Romance embraces a big life question:

Why do bad things happen to good people?

“Sometimes bad things happen we don’t understand, but God knows…He’ll make it all good in the end.”

A sweet girl, a kind hero, a matchmaking aunt, all collide with a determined lawyer in Second Chance Romance, taking you on a journey that’ll leave a smile on your face when you reach the end.

Something to Ponder: Sometimes, like Melanie, we allow our identity to get so wrapped up in our job/career, that we lose our real selves in the process. How do we retain a sense of self outside our job?

Disclaimer: A free copy of Second Chance Romance was provided to me by the author with no expectation of a review, favorable or otherwise. This review is my fair and unbiased opinion, and other than the free book, I was in no way compensated.