Where He Leads...

Autumn is my favorite time of year! I enjoy all those plump pumpkins spilling over the steps of front porches, cheering for the Carolina Panthers, the sound of dried leaves crackling under my shoes, and hanging out with my family. And when the first scent of burning firewood drifts in on a brisk breeze, I know it’s time to pull out the sweaters and kiss summer farewell.

Other than the occasional allergy flare, season changes are easy for me. I’m always ready for the next one, eager to switch my shorts for long pants and vice versa. Other changes are not so simple or painless. Like sacrifices that need to be made for the sake of time. Or saying goodbye, leaving a sweet place of fellowship and friendship, because of a change in direction.

A new year is almost upon us. A fresh slate. A chance for new beginnings. But, just like the Israelites poised on the verge of entering the Promised Land, it’s also a chance to look back and give thanks for God’s blessings, His protection and provision.

We don't always like to look backwards, do we? Usually that means staring at our mistakes, our glaring failures, our regrets.

But that’s also how we realize God's goodness, His leading and guidance, and a time to reflect on His intervention and protection.

Where He led, the Israelites followed. Where He leads, I will follow.

I've been doing a lot of soul searching lately, especially in regards to my writing. God's prompting me to dig deep and try new things, to release my dreams and fears to Him, to spread my wings and soar over unfamiliar waters, to reach out and love more.

What does that mean? I don't know exactly, but I trust God. If He points to a road and says, "Go that way. I want you to meet somebody," (Acts 8:26-40), who am I to argue? I'll try not to allow fear or doubt to squelch that giant swell of anticipation that's building and rising for the journey ahead. Where He leads, I will follow.

Who does God want me to connect with this year? 

Who does God want you to meet?

When I look back over the last few years, I see how God poured out love and encouragement through my friends here at Seriously Write. How He shaped and crafted me into the writer I am today through the gracious writers who so willingly shared their talent and experiences.

With a heavy but grateful heart, I say goodbye to my sweet friends at Seriously Write today with this, my last regular post. You are some of my greatest blessings. Wishing you all a glorious Thanksgiving, continued growth in your writing, and a refreshing of your spirit in 2016!

"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake." Ps 23:1-3 NIV

Dora Hiers is a multi-published author of Heart Racing, God-Gracing romances. She’s a member of RWA and her local chapter, Carolina Romance Writers. Connect with her on Seriously Write, Fiction Faith & Foodies, Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.

When You Need to Recharge by Dora Hiers

Dora Hiers

Struggling to find a job? Feeling stomped on by co-workers? Going through marital problems? Family discord. Rebellious children. Financial challenges. Medical issues. Or maybe you just lost a precious family member or friend. All while trying to write.

You name it, and we’ve probably all faced it at some point. Pressure gains momentum as a culmination of events and issues take turns with their punches. Or it could be one major incident that knocks us until we’re staggering backward like a fighter in a boxing ring, squeezing the breath from our lungs until our vision blurs, the voices around us fading into oblivion. And words? They tumble through our head, round and round, but no coherent strings make their way onto the page.

We each handle stress differently. Some people thrive on it. Others tug the blanket back over their head and sleep. I tend to...

Run! Not run away because that doesn’t solve any problems. But run to the mountains. 

Peace speaks to my soul here. Whispers that everything’s going to be all right, that life is more than writing and books. That God is in control and that He’s infinitely greater than anything I'm facing. Being here brings God more into focus, and the pressure lifts. I can breathe deep again, liberated from the chains of worry that squeeze my chest.

If we can’t break away for a weekend, this is where I run…

Sometimes all I can manage is this...

Not quite the same, but it’s nice to escape my desk and the mountain of tasks demanding my attention and slip away for a few minutes.

This year has been crazy busy. Long hours hunched over my laptop, trying to keep the momentum going with my current work-in-progress and the extra writing related to market five books. You know how, at times, events just keep piling on your calendar until suddenly you've lost control? That was me this year, somewhere about April. I definitely needed a recharge, so we headed for the mountains over a long weekend.

How do you handle stress? Are you a "runner?" Where do you go to recharge?
I'll be in and out of Internet service for the next couple of weeks (recharging! :) ), but will check back and respond to all comments when I return. Wishing you a glorious weekend!

He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him,

whose thoughts turn often to the Lord! ~Isaiah 26:3 TLB

He's my yesterday, my tomorrow, my today.

He's my redeemer, my hiding place, my refuge.

He's the grace who covers a multitude of wrongs, the beauty in my ugly, the bridge to forever.

He's the restorer of my soul, the quiet in my storm, the still water of perfect peace.

He's my champion, my hero, my rock.

He's the sweet spot in my day, my reason for being,

my very next breath. ~Dora Hiers

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Deputy City Manager Burk Harmon has always been the strong one for his family, but recently those responsibilities have dwindled. When Lacie Heatherton, Assistant Director for Parks and Recreation, ropes him into a city-sponsored trip to the mountains with fifty seniors, Burk has two things on his mind: considering a possible promotion and wooing Lacie past friendship and into a future. Lacie has emotional scars and a thirteen-year-old daughter to remind her that men can be cruel and unforgiving. Can Burk convince Lacie to relax her "no dating" policy or will he surrender his dreams of family and love?

Dora Hiers is a multi-published author of Heart Racing, God-Gracing romances. She’s a member of RWA and her local chapter, Carolina Romance Writers. Connect with her on Seriously Write, Fiction Faith & Foodies, Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.

Twitter 101 by Dora Hiers

Dora Hiers

Last month, I shared WhatHappened to All My Peoples?, and a friend suggested that I offer a brief introduction to Twitter. While I definitely don’t claim to be a Twitter expert, my experience might help someone find value in the social media site that I use most, even over Facebook and Pinterest. Twitter doesn't absorb much time and has the potential to be far reaching.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Keep it short. Twitter embraces brevity with tweets limited to 140 characters or less. Less, if you'd like people to share your posts or retweet (RT). 

Sharing = happy Tweeters. To share, just click RT (the two arrows that form a square). You have the option of just RT'ing or adding your thoughts with Quote Tweet. Generally, if someone RT’s something of mine, I pay it forward and RT something of theirs versus replying with a" thanks.” A favorite (star) means someone likes your tweet or they're saving it to read later.

RT = Retweet

Star = Favorite

Make every character count. So that you're not wasting valuable real estate, you can shorten links by using tools like bitly or ow.ly. Programs like Hootsuite allow you to schedule your tweets, but the original tweet needs to be even shorter than 140 characters or you'll get an error message.

Include visuals. Just like with every other social media site, pictures play a big role here as well. 

Hashtags rule. Much like Instagram, hashtags are popular on Twitter. I joke around that I think in #hashtags. See? lol. A hashtag is just a conversation, topic or phrase such as #amwriting or #amediting. Google to find hashtags, check to see what’s trending, or jump right in with something fun and unique!

Be strategic for maximum return on investment. Include names/tags and hashtags. For example, for a workshop at a local library, I tagged the library system who then retweeted along with a reader’s group. That day 61k+ tweeters saw my name and profile. Not a bad return for the one minute it took to compose the tweet, right?

Follow = friends. Twitter users follow other tweeters, rather than friend them. Following someone doesn't obligate them to follow you back. Twitter also prompts you with suggestions of who to follow. You might want to click on a profile first and check their tweets. Do you want to follow someone who tweets the daily max of 2400? (I can’t even imagine!) Do you want to follow someone whose only interaction is through Facebook or whose tweets are all “buy my product?” 

Be aware of spammers. Potential spammers include eggheads (no profile picture) and tweets by someone with no followers. If you get a message like “somebody’s spreading nasty rumors about you,” don’t open the link.

Lists save time. As your Twitter account grows, lists are helpful to manage the people you follow, and lists can be public or private. Some ideas for lists might include friends, family, news, celebrities, etc. If you pull those special people into a list, you will always catch their updates.

Sound off. Did I miss a topic you’d like to see covered?

Did this post give you the courage to give Twitter a try?

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Deputy City Manager Burk Harmon has always been the strong one for his family, but recently those responsibilities have dwindled. When Lacie Heatherton, Assistant Director for Parks and Recreation, ropes him into a city-sponsored trip to the mountains with fifty seniors, Burk has two things on his mind: considering a possible promotion and wooing Lacie past friendship and into a future. Lacie has emotional scars and a thirteen-year-old daughter to remind her that men can be cruel and unforgiving. Can Burk convince Lacie to relax her "no dating" policy or will he surrender his dreams of family and love?

Dora Hiers is a multi-published author of Heart Racing, God-Gracing romances. She’s a member of RWA and her local chapter, Carolina Romance Writers. Connect with her on Seriously Write, Fiction Faith & Foodies, Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.

What Happened to All My Twitter Peoples? by Dora Hiers

Dora Hiers

Our four-year-old grandson calls his daycare friends "his peoples." His accent is so cute with that North Carolina twang, that I admit to asking him about his "peoples" every time I pick him up from daycare just to hear him say it. :)

Whenever we talk about his "peoples," my mind wanders to my "peoples" or my friends all over the world on social media. In case you didn't know, I'm a big fan of Twitter. I appreciate that Twitter allows follows without the obligatory follow back. Also, the 140 character limit and the list option makes for quick scrolling at different intervals throughout the day. It doesn't gobble huge chunks of my time like Facebook.

Recently, I was using JustUnfollow.com (now Crowdfireapp.com) to purge followers who immediately unfollow me or folks I follow who choose not to follow back for whatever reason. But, I must confess that I have never cleaned out my "inactive" followers, those people who haven't been active on twitter for three months or more.

Yowza! I probably spent an hour "unfollowing" and I was nowhere near the bottom of the list. Crazy.

Some didn't surprise me. Maybe they just decided that Twitter was one more distraction they didn't need, or they'd only tweeted a few times and Twitter just wasn't for them. But what did surprise me was the number of inactive users who had ten or twenty thousand or more followers.

What happened to all my Twitter peoples? 

Image Courtesy of Pixabay

You know how much time you invest to build relationships on social media. Why would someone abandon a Twitter account with such an impressive platform, especially after working so hard to accumulate thousands of tweets and tens of thousands of followers? I could only conclude that something traumatic happened in their lives, whether it was death, illness, or job loss, and eventually I stumbled onto one whose profile indicated that he'd passed away. This process made me sad, and I found myself praying over the profiles.

I learned a few things that day.

What happened to all my peoples? I care about my online connections, but at some point, it becomes impossible to keep up with all of them. Reach out, pray, and let it go. And that brings me to the next point...

You can't be everywhere. Sure, you can try. But if you're like me, the more social media sites I'm on, the more overwhelmed I am. I really only maintain a bio on Google+ and LinkedIn, but that doesn't stop the notifications from bogging down my inbox. Invites to connect and being added to someone's circles just sets off my internal panic button. I'm rethinking this whole "be everywhere" philosophy. Would I be better off concentrating on just a couple sites? I think so. I may eventually deactivate my accounts.

Keep it clean. You're allowed to follow 2k people before a follower/following ratio kicks in. Once that happens, you won't be able to follow more people until more people follow you. Yes, I know, it's a vicious cycle. But Twitter sets it up to prevent aggressive spammers. Since doing this, I scheduled a few hours each month to update and purge my twitter account to accommodate that ratio.

How do you feel about Twitter?
How often do you purge your inactive followers or have you put that off like me? 
What's your favorite social media hangout?

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Burn survivor Savvy McCord doesn't blame her best friend for running away. She can't even look at her scars without wincing. When Beck's disappearing act spans years, she relinquishes dreams of love and marriage. Unable to face Savvy's expectations of happily-ever-after, Beck Harmon deserts her, far away from the rumors that he's just like his father. When the wanderer returns, dreams of forever blossom in Savvy's heart, but she worries he'll leave again. Can Beck convince Savvy that her true beauty comes from her inner strength and faith? Will his idea to help burn victims regain their self-confidence restore Savvy's trust in him? Will love be what the wanderer needs to find peace for his hurting soul?

Dora Hiers is a multi-published author of Heart Racing, God-Gracing romances. She’s a member of RWA and her local chapter, Carolina Romance Writers. Connect with her on Seriously Write, Fiction Faith & Foodies, Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.

Answers to Your Self-Pub Questions by Tammy Doherty

Dora here. Heidi’s taking a well-deserved blogging break today. Waving to Heidi! So today I lined up one of my favorite encouragers to step in during Heidi’s absence. This precious lady blesses me with a kind word just when I need it most and faithfully shares my exciting posts on social media. I’d love to meet her face-to-face and chat for hours over a latte one day. Join me in welcoming Tammy Doherty! Recently, her self-published inspirational romantic suspense novels have exploded to the top of Amazon’s charts, so I asked her to answer some questions about the process. Feel free to pop in with your own. :)

Tammy Doherty

Where did you upload your books? How challenging was the formatting/uploading process?

I started with Smashwords, a free service. They pay a nice royalty but not as much as Amazon KDP. Also, you can’t sell to Amazon through Smashwords. Some Indie authors go through B&N directly (as well as Amazon KDP) and only use a distributor like Smashwords for all the other outlets. Formatting was not as horrendous as many dread. Smashwords offers a free download that goes over the whole process step by step, and Amazon offers self-help guides.

Your daughter did a fabulous job designing She's Mine, but did you use a cover designer for the others? Was the design process difficult?

Xulon Press did the covers of my first three novels. For She’s Mine I “shopped” around for images and was able to get what I needed for under $30! The trees and sunset sky are my own photo. I really wanted the print and eBook covers to be the same. Many authors don’t do this because the eBook cover is typically viewed as a thumbnail and details can be lost. For eBooks, a jpeg is all you need (there are size recommendations) but for CreateSpace the cover needs to be the exact size the book is to be when it’s printed. There are templates for the common sizes (and I recommend choosing one of the sizes CreateSpace offers – don’t be oddball, people won’t be attracted to it).

It takes a great deal of artistic talent to design a book cover with a good eye for balance and composition, but you also have to consider the images and colors in relation to the genre and tone of the book. It’s possible to get a good quality cover for a very reasonable amount of money (like $100-$120). Personally, I don’t recommend using “stock” template covers offered by CreateSpace because then your book will not be unique.

Did you hire an editor or depend on beta readers?

I did not hire an editor or depend on beta readers. However, my Scribes partners were invaluable with their extensive critiques of She’s Mine. The beauty of eBooks is that you can make minor corrections anytime, and with any major corrections, Amazon notifies purchasers and gives them the option of downloading the updated version.

What about pricing or marketing strategies that have worked well? Which venue sells best for you?

For the print versions, I have very little control. Xulon set the price for the first three. With She’s Mine I set the price so long as it is the minimum that Amazon dictates. This allows me to set a more reasonable price for print books, and I am in complete control over eBooks. I researched big publishers and small press. The big names have eBooks that are priced at what I used to pay for print books. I didn’t like that idea. I finally chose a price that seems reasonable to imply quality without being too much for the average reader.

With KDP Select, an author has two promotional options (only one can be used in each 3 month Select period). With the Kindle Countdown promotion, you can set a low price and have it slowly go back up to regular, or just have it low for a 1 week period. I chose to do 99¢ for an entire week then I snagged an ad with ENT (eReader News Today). Money well spent! In April, I did a short-run 99¢ promo on my third novel, Celtic Knot. The thing that really made a difference in sales was putting my first novel at perma-free status. Prior to making Celtic Cross perma-free, I had all 3 of my novels at 99¢ with minimal sales. I made Celtic Cross free and changed Claddaugh to $1.99 and Celtic Knot to $2.99. In the first month of perma-free, there were over 12,000 downloads on Amazon alone. Yes – twelve thousand!! And sales of the other two rose noticeably as well. Sales for all three continue at what I consider to be respectable rates.

Do you need a publisher name to self-pub?

No. Many authors use a publisher name but I think that’s just so it doesn’t look so obviously indie-published. Perhaps one day I could become Naultag Publishing but I’ll have to think more about that. There are, perhaps, tax considerations. Someone in one of the groups I belong to mentioned something about filing income taxes as an “S” corporation or something like that. For now, I’m going to stick with just being me.

What are the differences between e-book and print copies?

The world truly seems to have embraced eBooks and those sales are far greater than print books. I like having mine available both ways as I still have many fans who prefer or only read print.

Anything else you’d like to add?

The only thing I would add is that this is not a journey to be attempted alone. First and foremost, I credit God with any and all successes I have. Joining ACFW helped me tremendously, especially joining my regional loop. Also the Christian Indie Authors group on Facebook is a fantastic resource and place of encouragement. Develop a web presence – for me it’s on Facebook – and grow your fan base (you can do this even before your books are published). Have people you can brainstorm & talk with, who will commiserate with you and shout to the world every little (and big) success you have. Writing is solitary but you don’t have to go it alone!

Dora here. Care to share your experiences as well? We'd love to hear!

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Math teacher Caitlin Harrington never wanted to get married so it's just not fair that the first guy she dates—ever—turns out to be a creep. She takes a new job in the quiet New England town of Naultag, Massachusetts, where she grew up. But now someone is leaving menacing notes on her front door. Could it be her ex-boyfriend, stalking her? Firefighter Sean Taggart would like a marriage as perfect as his parents'—someday. Though Caitlin is attractive, he isn't willing to risk his heart on someone so aloof and cold. And possibly insane. When he learns the truth, Sean wants to help, if she’ll let him. Can he save Caitlin before the stalker turns to murder?

Tammy Doherty lives in central Massachusetts with her husband and two kids. She pours her love of small town New England into this first in the Mystique of Naultag series. Tammy is a founding member of Grace Awards and has served as a lead judge each year. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Edgy Christian Fiction Lovers. Her first book, "Celtic Cross" is on Amazon Kindle's top 10 list of Christian Fiction (romance/Western). When not writing, Tammy works on the family's farm, Inishowen Farms, growing and selling perennial plants. She is a veterinary technician by training and still works in that field, selling supplies to veterinarians.

Step Out of Your Comfort Zone by Dora Hiers

Hi everybody! Terri and I are swapping spots again today. She'll be back on Thursday, July 23. Meanwhile, I hope you're encouraged and inspired to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone! :)




It may come as a surprise to you, but I’m a routine kinda gal. I eat the same cereal for breakfast and wake up and go to bed every day about the same time. Wait staff from our favorite restaurants don’t bother asking for my order; they just confirm it. I write only from my quiet office and take breaks in regular intervals. Interruptions throw me off kilter, and it takes a while to regain my balance.

But being a writer is slowly eroding my routine. That, or my husband is. :)

He’s always testing the boundaries of my comfort zone. He prodded me to write my first book and encouraged this shy introvert to join a writers group. When our local librarian invited me to address their readers, hubby rattled off a list of possible topics and practically shoved me into the public speaking arena when I would have been perfectly content to hide out in the obscurity of my office, pecking away at my laptop. Eventually, readers would find my stories, right?

Now, he’s at it again. Prodding me to expand my horizons. Travel. Food. Where does it stop?

Three years ago, he convinced me that a European cruise was cheaper than some of our US vacations, and we’ve cruised there every year since. We’ve craned our necks to stare up at the Eiffel Tower, climbed the Colosseum in Rome, and explored ancient walled cities in Tuscany and volcanoes in Iceland. We devoured pizza in Belfast, gobbled down granitas and cannoli’s in Sicily, guzzled espresso in Barcelona, and tasted authentic fish and chips in London.

And you know what? I actually enjoyed it. Not necessarily every new meal or city, but the experience. He doesn’t have to sell me on it anymore. When he mentions a cruise, I’m totally on board. :)

We all need someone like that, don’t we? A friend or spouse to push us to achieve more, to reach for our dreams, to fill a hole with something that we’re passionate about, or to force us to face our fears. For me, it's usually fear of the unknown.

What are you afraid of? 

Join that writers group. Attend a writers conference. Write the story that's burning in your heart. Submit it to publishers or agents. What's the worst that could happen? Is a rejection letter really that bad? Conversely, what's the best that could happen? A published book? Landing your dream agent?

Embrace life. Surround yourself with people who love you enough to shove you out of your comfort zone. Give your dreams wings to become reality and discover yourself.

Just wait until hubby starts messing with my bedtime. Or leaving brochures for Antarctica on the kitchen counter… :)

Who shoves you out of your comfort zone? 

Name your fear. How did you try to overcome it?

“Risk, then, is not just part of life. It is life. The place between your comfort zone and your dream is where life takes place. It's the high-anxiety zone, but it's also where you discover who you are.” ~Nick Vujicic

Purchase Link

Burn survivor Savvy McCord doesn't blame her best friend for running away. She can't even look at her scars without wincing. When Beck's disappearing act spans years, she relinquishes dreams of love and marriage. Unable to face Savvy's expectations of happily-ever-after, Beck Harmon deserts her, far away from the rumors that he's just like his father. When the wanderer returns, dreams of forever blossom in Savvy's heart, but she worries he'll leave again. Can Beck convince Savvy that her true beauty comes from her inner strength and faith? Will his idea to help burn victims regain their self-confidence restore Savvy's trust in him? Will love be what the wanderer needs to find peace for his hurting soul?

Dora Hiers

Dora Hiers is a multi-published author of Heart Racing, God-Gracing romances. She’s a member of RWA and her local chapter, Carolina Romance Writers. Connect with her on Seriously Write, Fiction Faith & Foodies, Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.

Shut it down! by Dora Hiers

I know, I know. I'm not Terri. lol. Hi everybody! Terri and I are swapping spots today. Look for her post on Thursday, June 25, and you got me today. :)

"Once upon a time..." in the Land of Nascarville lived a persistent writer who was enjoying happily ever after with her Prince Charming. She cranked out inspirational romances by day and dreamed of one day seeing her name on the cover of one of the many novels she blazed through in the evenings, sometimes two, three books a week with nary a blink.

Then, one day her dream came true. Oh, glorious day, that morning when she woke to find the email in her inbox. "We want your book!"

Suddenly, her workdays lingered into evenings. So immersed in learning the publishing lingo, diving into the world of social media, creating memes (what in heaven's name is a meme?), and writing blog posts, the books stacked up on her kindle with not so much as a sync to load.

She crawled through books at a snail's pace, dwindling to less than two books a month. Not so the list of books she wanted to read. Oh no, that list grew and grew, until it rivaled Jack's beanstalk. Many evenings the laptop replaced the kindle that used to perch on her thighs.

Items from her to-do list ricocheted in her head, refusing to shut down. Edits. Galleys. Memes. Social Media. Marketing. Publicity. Finding a home for her latest series, and ideas for the next, the characters crying out to come to life.

When she finally sank into her recliner most nights, she dusted off her kindle and caressed the cover, longing to fire it up, but a dozen items on that list jockeyed for position. Book? Blog post? Design a meme? Catch up on social media? So much to do, so much to do, but what to do first, and when?

She stole a glance at her prince, hoping for advice, but his head was bent over a laptop, too. :)

Does this hit home for you? In this age of constant connectivity with tablets and smartphones where immediate responses are expected, do you find it challenging to "shut it down?" Do you turn off the light in your office and lock the door or shut down the laptop and refuse to fire it back up until morning? And writers thrive on ideas. How do you turn off the "idea light bulb" for a time? Do you use a particular toggle to switch from "live streaming" to "on demand?" Leave a comment. I'd love to know!

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; 

establish the work of our hands, yes, establish the work of our hands. ~Ps 90:17

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Still stinging from the publicity surrounding her father's death, social phobic Rori Harmon prefers the solitude of her animal sanctuary, accepting that marriage isn’t in her future. Racecar Driver Graham Decker refuses to be wrangled into a relationship by another money-hungry female. On a philanthropy mission, he arrives just in time to assist Rori with a llama birthing, but his appearance thrusts her into the media spotlight again. Has Graham found a woman who doesn't care how deep his wallet extends? Has Rori finally met a man who will stick around when times get tough? Is healing for a hurting heart finally within Rori's reach?

Dora Hiers is a multi-published author of Heart Racing, God-Gracing romances. She’s a member of RWA and her local chapter, Carolina Romance Writers. Connect with her on Seriously Write, her personal blog, Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.

Expect Favor by Dora Hiers

Recently hubby and I were blessed to hear Christian Success Coach Dr. Dave Martin speak at our church. With thought-provoking concepts and stand-up-comic-belly-laugh humor, he preached an entire sermon focused on one verse with the acronym DARE.

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! (Eph 3:20 The Message)

Hang with me. I promise not to summarize the entire sermon or go into all of the letters, just E.

EXPECT favor. 

As in…expect favor from God, the Creator of the entire world. Who filled it with a sun that lights our days and warms our backs, and makes it rise and set without us ever having to lift a finger. He created seas that roar, rivers that trickle, and mountains that surge to the heavens. He crafted man from dust and woman from man and gifts us with precious little souls with miniature toes and fingers, exact replicas of their mommies and daddies. He’s amazing, right? He’s able to do infinitely more than we can ever imagine, but --

Do we really expect Him to?

Martin’s philosophy is that when we recognize and celebrate His involvement with the little things, we'll begin to see an increase in the bigger things. Cool, huh? 

Exactly two mornings later, I was immersed in writing and my son asked me to pick up our sick granddaughter from school. My first thought was my word count just got kicked to the curb.

My second? Expect favor.

Oops. Can I have a do-over?

Thank You, God—

·      for a job that allows me the flexibility to do things for my sons and grandkidlets.

·      for the few minutes of undivided attention with my teenage granddaughter, where she feels free to share what’s on her heart. Whether that’s about boys, friends or homework, thank You that she still likes to chat with her Meme.

·      that my son and his family live within a five minute drive of our house.

·      that even though I didn’t reach my daily word count, my weekly goal was right on target and my overall word count was ahead of projection.

·      for the break in routine, something You know I find challenging.

Whoa! Major attitude shift, right? Later that evening, I wasn’t stressed that I didn’t accomplish as much as I’d hoped. God is more than able to take my little and multiply as He pleases.

Expecting favor is not a one-time deal. It’s a lifestyle. It’s waking up and marveling over what miracle God will reveal today. It’s looking for the good in every circumstance, it’s treasuring the gift of the moment, it’s discovering nuggets of joy in the simple and mundane.

Expecting favor in my writing means praying over my stories and characters, asking God for His words to cascade down from heaven, to flow like a waterfall through my brain to my heart and then out my fingertips. It's savoring that first cup of java while the sun rises over my back deck or in front of a glowing fireplace, just me and Him. It’s rejoicing over every idea that percolates, every word that flows onto the page, every story that comes to life, whether or not it makes it to print. It’s appreciating that tingle of anticipation as my fingers poise across the keyboard, that jolt when a scene comes together in my head while my dog's dragging me around the park, or that satisfied sigh after writing a particularly emotional scene or finally arriving at THE END.

Maybe you’ve been doing this writing gig for a long time, and that mountain of rejection letters has buried your tiny seed of hope. Ask God to move the mountain and then expect His favor!

How about you? Can you see areas in your writing where you might adopt this expect favor attitude? Do you live every day expecting favor?

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Still stinging from the publicity surrounding her father's death, social phobic Rori Harmon prefers the solitude of her animal sanctuary, accepting that marriage isn’t in her future. Racecar Driver Graham Decker refuses to be wrangled into a relationship by another money-hungry female. On a philanthropy mission, he arrives just in time to assist Rori with a llama birthing, but his appearance thrusts her into the media spotlight again. Has Graham found a woman who doesn't care how deep his wallet extends? Has Rori finally met a man who will stick around when times get tough? Is healing for a hurting heart finally within Rori's reach?

Dora Hiers

Dora Hiers is a multi-published author of Heart Racing, God-Gracing romances. She’s a member of RWA and her local chapter, Carolina Romance Writers. Connect with her on Seriously Write, Fiction Faith & Foodies, Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.