inspiration

JOURNEY’S EMBRACE coming March 1st!

/ Dora Hiers / 2 Comments

He heard water running in the shower. Now what? He glanced around the room, his gaze stopping at her bedside table. Curiosity made him investigate. A raggedy stuffed doll with red stringy hair sat plopped against the lamp. Cell phone charger. A picture frame.

Who did she want to see when morning dawned? Who was the last person on her mind when she turned out the light at night?

He picked up the frame and stared at a picture of the three of them. Dane, Steven and Sage, at her college graduation. He smiled. Humbled, yet gratified, at the same time. She pictured them the same way he did.

As family.

“Why should I leave my house?” Her quiet words from behind surprised him.

He fumbled with the picture frame and settled it back on the table. He hadn’t heard the door open or the water stop. He turned around, gulped.

Dane’s shoulder length hair framed her face and rosy cheeks shimmered with goodness. Wearing jeans and a turquoise shirt that hugged her figure, she reminded him about what was good in life. Wholesome, outdoorsy.

It made him think about campfires and roasting marshmallows, about cooler temperatures and football games, about the spectacular colors and beauty of fall. How leaves fall from the sky to make room for new green buds in the spring. Seasons. And how life changed. How she’d grown from a pesky kid into a beautiful woman.

Dane made him forget the ugliness in the world.

But only for a minute.



After an injury forces Deputy U.S. Marshal Sage Michaelson off duty, he heads to his hometown with two things on his mind: recuperating and reevaluating, but Sage can’t refuse his best friend’s plea to keep a protective eye on his little sister after someone ransacks her house. But Delaney’s not so little anymore—and definitely not the young “Dane” Sage remembers. 


Flight Medic Delaney Hunt has loved Sage forever. But, he’s all about control and order while she embraces life and takes risks. As much as the idea appeals to her, she doesn’t need Sage looking over her shoulder. But when things go wrong and she finds herself hanging by her fingertips, who does she call to rescue her?
Will Delaney ever be the woman Sage wants by his side? Can Sage learn to live by grace, recognizing that God is in control? Can they overcome their fears to embrace life together?


Coming March 1, 2013
White Rose Publishing.

If you would like to read and post a review of  Journey’s Embrace on Amazon, Goodreads, and/or your blog, please contact me at 
Dora (at) DoraHiers (dot) com. 
I have a few pdf review copies available. 

WEDNESDAY’S CHILD by Clare Revell ~ My Review

/ Dora Hiers

About the book: Liam Page, school teacher and ex-missionary, is a man with a secret agenda. Revenge. But when he says it with flowers, and accidentally drenches a woman who just happens to be the school’s landscape architect, he may have found a light in his darkness.

After an abusive relationship, Jacqui Dorne prefers work to men. It’s safer. But Liam Page with his boyish charm and wounded soul, manages to change her preferences. Has God led her to Liam to help him heal?

When their growing relationship is marred by the reappearance of Jacqui’s ex-boyfriend, they find themselves suddenly embroiled in a series of dangerous events which leads them to Africa and has them fighting for both love and life.

My review:
Liam wrestles with God over his wife’s murder, and the theme “Why do bad things happen to good people?” permeates the book. He’s bitter and wants revenge, and the heroine reminds him of the Truth he walked away from after his wife’s death.

After reading both Monday’s Child & Tuesday’s Child by Clare Revell, I couldn’t wait to dig into Wednesday’s Child and wasn’t disappointed. Wednesday’s Child started with an emotionally intense scene like the other two books based on the popular nursery rhyme, but unlike the others, I feel this story veered mostly towards romance until midway through the book before the suspense really kicked in. That’s OK with me because I enjoy both inspirational romance and romantic suspense. 

I enjoy this author’s no nonsense writing style combined with a wry sense of humor and strong heroes/heroines. You don’t have to read this book in order, although once you read Wednesday’s Child, you’ll want to go back and pick up the first two.

Purchase Link

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my fair and unbiased review.

Build it right!

/ Dora Hiers

Housewarming: Celebrate success, Hold a Housewarming Party, Consider and pray about your next project.

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.” (Ps 100:4-5 NIV)


Celebrate success.
It’s done! After months of waiting, watching, crying, whining, wringing your hands and praying, you can finally move in to your new house. Yay! You offer a thanksgiving prayer, shake the builder’s hand, and then get to work moving in furniture, unpacking boxes, and settling things in place. When it’s presentable, you invite friends and family for a housewarming party.

What do you do when you type “The End” on your story?  

Offer a thanksgiving prayer. Celebrate. Go out for a special dinner. Visit the spa. Meet a friend for coffee. Whatever you do to celebrate victories and accomplishments. 

Hold a housewarming party. 
Typing “the end” doesn’t mean the project is finished. In the writing industry, the end is really the beginning. Your next step is to submit your completed and polished work, whether it’s directly to the publisher or to an agent. Show it off! But be warned…just as friends and family will praise and criticize certain elements of your house, expect the same from agents, publishers and readers.

Consider and pray about your next project. 
Who better than the Creator of the Universe to approach for ideas and inspiration? Chat with God. Praise Him. Worship at His feet. 

God has such an imagination and a sense of humor. Ask Him for a spark, just a speck of sand, from His creative well and open your mind to His possibilities. 

Where can you find ideas? 
• Scour newspapers, magazines, and books 
• Soak up your favorite television shows 
• Browse through news articles and local news sites 
• Wade through files and notes, research online 
• Dreams. (OK, I hear you laughing here, but don’t discount the idea. My opening scene for Journey’s Embrace actually came to me in a dream.)
• Consider life experiences: weddings, funerals, jobs, family issues, hobbies, etc. 

“In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places (homes). If it were not so, I would have told you; for I am going away to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:2 AMP)


I’m so thankful for the Master Builder and His creative well. 

What about you? Do you incorporate God’s blueprint in your writing?


Thank you for joining me on this Build it right! journey.