romance

Who said research was boring?

/ Dora Hiers / 2 Comments
My current wip, Rori’s Healing, features llamas, and I thought it might be fun and informative to get some hands-on experience. So Hubby and I loaded Little Man into the car and took a ride to Four Ladies & Me llama farm where owner Michael West was kind enough to show us around their family’s lovely farm. He probably felt like he answered a gazillion questions. He would be right. 

The beautiful animals were curious from the moment we drove up. Llamas tend to be social, and you can’t have just one.



I am so glad we visited. Michael shattered some misconceptions I had from earlier research. Like llamas hum when they’re happy. Not. We heard them hum, but it wasn’t because they were content. He’d called them over, and they came running, expecting food. When he didn’t deliver, they hummed, much like a cow’s moo but softer. Aren’t they handsome fellas?

I came prepared with an extra set of clothes for everybody because my research also revealed that llamas spit. Some do, but mostly at other llamas. They usually only spit at people if they were raised with extensive human handling, like in a petting zoo. These guys behaved themselves, but I did witness an alpaca spitting at a llama.

Llama mamas aren’t typically protective or nurturing, but Peaches here hardly let us get close to her two-day-old baby, which is called a cria. What a doll, right?

Little Man enjoyed hanging out on the farm.

We all had a great time and were sad to see the visit come to an end. Do you think Little Man dreamed about llamas?


Thank you, Michael West and Four Ladies and Me! 

On the Air

/ Dora Hiers / 2 Comments
With Charlotte View Internet Radio
Friday, Oct 5 
starting @ Noon
  
Writers, do you want to know more about the publishing process? 
This interview will cover what publishers and editors expect regarding fiction submissions. Do you know what a query letter is? What to include in the synopsis? 
We’ll talk about preferred manuscript formats, the edit process, and writing styles. Are you a Pantser or Plotter? We’ll offer tips to find the right publisher for you, and if literary agents are relevant. Stop by and discover the tools you need for your journey to publication.
Tune in HERE.

OVER THE EDGE by Mary Connealy ~ My Review

/ Dora Hiers
About the Book:
Seth Kincaid survived a fire in a cave, but he’s never been the same. He was always a reckless youth, but now he’s gone over the edge. He ran off to the Civil War and came back crazier than ever. 

After the war, nearly dead from his injuries, it appears Seth got married. Oh, he’s got a lot of excuses, but his wife isn’t happy to find out Seth doesn’t remember her. Callie has searched, prayed, and worried. Now she’s come to the Kincaid family’s ranch in Colorado to find her lost husband.

Callie isn’t a long-suffering woman. Once she knows her husband is alive, she wants to kill him. She’s not even close to forgiving him for abandoning her.

Then more trouble shows up in the form of a secret Seth’s pa kept for years. The Kincaid brothers might lose their ranch if they can’t sort things out. It’s enough to drive a man insane–but somehow it’s all making Seth see things more clearly. And now that he knows what he wants, no one better stand in his way.

Watch the video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeSzqacHzQM&list=UUOTCh77FT1ZAyg-Mrj97HWw&index=2&feature=plcp
My Review:
Seth Kincaid is crazy. At least that’s what the first two books in the series, In Too Deep and Out of Control, led me to believe. Seth suffers memory loss and traumatic stress from prior injuries and the war, and was heavily medicated. He doesn’t remember much about what happened after the war, including getting married. His wife, Callie, comes looking for him at his brothers’ ranch, and refuses to forgive him until he proves he’s not crazy and not going to leave again.


I enjoyed the transformation of a crazy cowboy into a heroic one, but gun-toting Callie actually demonstrates more heroism in the beginning action of Over the Edge. Love the nice mix of attraction between Callie and Seth, mingled with “how can I possibly love this guy?” in Ms. Connealy‘s typical, sarcastic writing style. I also appreciate the subtle theme threaded through this book: Can a person lose their soul? Are they ever too far gone to be forgiven? Over the Edge is a perfect read for all ages and any time of the day!

Purchase Link: Amazon
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.