romance

Agape for Writers…

/ Dora Hiers / 6 Comments

I so appreciate Sandra Ardoin for inviting me to participate in a writer’s blog hop. Sandy’s blog is always a great source of encouragement to writers, especially her High Five Fridays!! Discovering new blogs and getting to know other writers is the perfect reason to join a blog hop, don’t you think? But I’m following an example of another sweet writer friend and, instead, sharing some “Agape” love to some writers who have meant a lot to me in my life. Sorry, Sandy, for shaking it up a bit. Hope you don’t mind! 

So here we go…

What am I working on?

After cranking out six books in the last sixteen months, I breathed a relieved sigh and scheduled a little decompression time. I stuffed three weeks full of family, travel, and…not so much writing. I used that break to prayerfully consider my journey and reestablish some goals. An idea for a new series simmered, featuring three Kester siblings who vow to save their ranch after their father’s sudden death. It’s my first contemporary western featuring, you guessed it…cowboys!


Roping the Cowboy is the first book in the Kester Ranch series:
Hungry for the coveted VP position in her father’s company, an ambitious oil executive chooses the cowboy’s heart over the contract.

Picture Channing Tatum as hunky hero Fargo Kester who attempts to romance Darby Brewster (Keira Knightly) away from her father’s company and onto the ranch to stay. Have I mentioned lately how much I love being a writer? 🙂

This is my first venture outside the inspirational genre, but it’s still sweet, with the same values and standards as my other books. 

How does my work differ from others in its genre?

My writing tends to veer towards the steamy side of inspy, which might make some people uncomfortable, but I don’t believe romance is all about the bedroom. You don’t need to be embarrassed if your children or grandchildren pick up one of my books and start reading. They won’t find graphic bedroom scenes or vulgar language. They will find stories bursting with passion and depth, and characters who deal with real life issues such as single parenthood, domestic violence, weak self-images, emotional or physical abandonment, and more. 

The major difference between secular and inspirational romance is the faith element. I love creating stories where the faith thread is weaved, natural and seamless throughout the story, framing a theme or message that wraps itself around your heart and remains with you long after you reach “the end.” 

But lately, I’m sensing a call to toss my fishing net farther away from the boat. 🙂

Why do I write what I do?

To me, romance is an integral part of everyday life. It takes on many forms. Whether that’s sharing coffee or lunch with my hubby on our back deck, content to just soak in each other’s company and the natural beauty surrounding us; catching my grandson’s face light up when he sees me arrive at daycare and his tiny hand stretching up to grab mine; that sweet spot in my soul as worship music covers me like a warm blanket; or feeling the warmth of the sun on my back as I walk around the park. God showers me with His love every day. How can I not write about love and hope, grace and forever? How can I not sprinkle my books with messages of forgiveness or that it’s never too late for redemption?

How does my writing process work?

I started my writing career as a total pantser. My goal was to give birth to great characters or an idea and let the story flow organically from there. Since I’ve graduated to contracting on proposal with my publisher, I have forced myself to become a plotter, but that just means I have an initial story concept, like the blurb on the back cover, along with a skeletal outline, including the cute meet and how I want the story to end, but nothing is written in stone. Then, it’s all a matter of planting my tush in the chair and tapping out the story, four hours a day, five days a week.

Maria Bostian


That wraps it up for me. Now, to share some AGAPE love for writers who have blessed my life. Say hello to Maria Bostian > 

She’s a Life Safety Educator for the City of Kannapolis Fire Department and- who knew? -a writer!  She works at the fire station with my hubby and she always has a smile on her face. Can’t you just see the joy bubbling over? That’s Maria. Her September debut is a children’s safety book about playing with matches and lighters. You can get to know Maria here. Maria will be carrying the blog torch, and be sure to stop by and congratulate her on her contract and her blog debut.

Susan Tuttle

Next, I’d like you to meet someone who has encouraged me tremendously and faithfully… 
<<Susan Tuttle. When I put out the call for influencers for my first book, Journey’s End, Susan immediately responded with a fabulous review. She took a chance on a new writer, and for that, I will be forever grateful. When I asked her to join Seriously Write as a monthly contributor, she didn’t hesitate. She’s an inspiration, a blessing, and a true friend. One day I will meet her face to face and tell her how much she’s meant to me. Susan just completed her first novel, and I’m sure we’ll be hearing wonderful news from her real soon! Be sure to check out her blog, Steps Into An Abundant Life. Her devotions always seem to be just the words I needed to hear on that particular day, and I look forward to her Wednesday quotes and Bookshelf Fridays. 

Sandra Ardoin

And lastly, Sandra Ardoin. >>
Sandy and I met online through ACFW, and imagine my surprise to discover that we lived just a few miles away! Our friendship has evolved over coffee breaks and local ACFW meetings, and I treasure our time together. Since inviting me to join this blog hop, Sandy signed her first contract with Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas for her Christmas novella, The Yuletide Angel! Don’t you just love the title? I can’t wait to read it! Congratulations, Sandy! If you know Sandy, please stop by and offer your congratulations here. Even if you don’t know Sandy, I’m sure she’d be thrilled to hear from you. 

Sandy and Susan have already shared some writer love, but how about you? How can you encourage your favorite writer? Find a way to spread the love…

Annoying or Divine? You choose…

/ Dora Hiers / 2 Comments

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks. I just wrapped up my Christmas novella, Christmas in the Rink, and behold! Edits for two other books, Beck’s Peace and Burk’s Surrender, arrived in my inbox within seconds of each other. 


I expected Beck’s Peace, but I was rather surprised to receive both books. Since I’m fairly single-minded, I don’t usually bounce back and forth between books, especially when they feature identical twin heroes, Beck and Burk. Hello! Anybody see a problem here? Although these twin heroes, polar opposites, were so much fun to write, it was torture keeping them straight. I was afraid that somewhere along the way Burk would end up romancing Beck’s heroine or vice versa.

Typically, I stop whatever I’m working on to dig into edits, but last weekend, we expected our house to be bursting-at-the-seams with family. My parents were coming, and it was the last opportunity to visit with them before they made the trek back to AK for the summer. Also, several of  our male family members were excited about heading to the NASCAR race in Martinsville, and our house made the perfect landing spot for all.

So what to do? Clean and shop for a full house or work on edits for two books?

For me, the decision wasn’t too hard. Family takes precedence, and I had ten days to turn in the edits. But what if I was backed up against a tight deadline and losing a couple days in my schedule really mattered? 

Well, don’t you know that very same weekend our awesome pastor preached on…divine interruptions. Kinda timely, don’t you think? I won’t go into details of the message, but later that week God really hammered me with this particular passage (and it wasn’t even part of the sermon!). 

Do I consider the interruptions in my daily work schedule as God-appointed? Or am I more exasperated that I’m not reaching my word count goal? Ouch.


Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying schedules and daily goals are a bad thing. After all, God prefers organization over chaos. (1 Cor 14:33) But, since God sees the big forever picture, His plans for my day might be a bit different than mine, and if I’m praying for God to direct my path, shouldn’t I be open to the opportunities he plants in front of me? 

You know how amazing God is? He stretched my time as only He can do, allowing me to accomplish all the tasks, and my editor received the edits way ahead of schedule.

What about you? Do you tend to get frustrated or annoyed with interruptions? Or do you treat them as the divine encounters they might be?

God, help me to acknowledge that You order my day, not me, and to recognize these interruptions as divine appointments. Fill me with Your joy, and allow me to be a beacon for You.

Plots and Pans by Kelly Eileen Hake

/ Dora Hiers
Pre-order here

About the book~

Order dictates Tucker Carmichael’s life—his orders. On a cattle drive, a moment’s hesitation can mean death. The Chisholm Trail is dirty, dangerous, and no place for women. After years at school, Jessalyn Culpepper has come home and is determined to show everyone that a woman can manage everything from cooking to cattle—whether they like it or not! Tucker tries to manage his partner’s headstrong sister, horrified when she wants to join the cattle drive. But when they need a chuck wagon cook, Jessalyn seems the only solution. Will God stir up love along a trail filled with their Plots and Pans?


This book releases on April 1, 2014, but you can pre-order here.


Sharing my thoughts~

This was the first book I’ve read by Kelly Eileen Hake and published by Shiloh Run Press. I was curious about the new line after reading the Publisher’s Weekly article dated 1/7/14, “Shiloh Run Press will provide a new category umbrella for Barbour’s successful original full-length fiction line.”

Jessalyn (Jess) Culpepper grew up on the Bar None ranch, but her daddy sent her overseas to finishing school, hoping the headmistress could offer what the ranch could not: a female’s touch. Tucker Carmichael feels responsible for Jess after promising her daddy on his deathbed that he’d look out for her. Of course, he’d made that promise while she was safely ensconced at boarding school on the other side of the world. Now that she’s back on the ranch, keeping that promise isn’t so easy. Especially since Jess is headstrong and stubborn, and harbors a deep desire to belong. I could easily relate to Jess and Tucker, but I would have found their romance to be more believable with less sparring and definitely with more physical tension.

Some people maintained that prayer required knees on the ground and eyes screwed tight against distraction. But the way he saw it, God made man for company, and he could talk while riding. If anything, working in tandem with another of God’s creatures out in the open, breathing fresh air and drinking in the seemingly endless expanse of the sky strengthened his connection with the Creator.~Tucker

Gentle spiritual nuggets like this trickled throughout the story, seamless and natural, and deeper issues made me pause and reflect.


“…when you stop looking for what you have in common with other people, it’s the first step to not seeing them as people a’tal.” ~Aunt Desta, a former slave

The slang tended to weigh the story down a bit in places, but all in all, Plots and Pans is a solid read and a great taste of what’s to come with Shiloh Run Press. If you enjoy clean, historical romance with strong characters and a gentle spiritual thread, you’ll want to scoop this one up.

Disclaimer: Sending a big thank you to Shiloh Run Press/Barbour Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of reviewing this book. I received a free copy of Plots and Pans in exchange for my fair and unbiased review. This opinion is my own, and I received no compensation.