Twilight - Come Over To Writers' Rest Blog!

What's behind all the vampires cropping up everywhere these days? The Twilight Saga, the True Blood series, The Vampire Diaries . . . all these stories, TV shows, and movies feature well-dressed vampires so cool, your kid might like to join them. Check The Writers Rest blog at Writers' Rest and read Katy King's article, "Vampires: A Love Affair." Post a comment and become a follower for more reviews and articles.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Rejection! :-( And A Nice Letter

My editor at Barbour received the following email today about my novel collection, Chesapeake Weddings:

I am currently reading Cecelia Dowdy's Chesapeake Weddings. This book is an inspiration and allows us to put ourselves into these situations while also keeping God as the main focus of the novels.


I also received a rejection today! Blah! I haven't been under contract in almost two years and it's starting to bother me, but, I'm not one to give up! Here's what the rejection said:
Dear Cecelia,
Thank you so much for your patience as we read your project, Gabriel's Pride. While the story has some interesting elements, I'm afraid this story doesn't quite work for our line. Unfortunately, the romantic conflict between the hero and heroine is not as compelling as it needed to be.

We're sorry to disappoint you on this project. We would be happy to look at any other projects you may be working on suited for our line. Thank you for thinking of us.
Best,
signed by the editor.

So, there, you have it! Another rejection! Whew! I'm tired of these!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

In Every Heartbeat By Kim Vogel Sawyer

In Every Heartbeat by Kim Vogel Sawyer

As three friends who grew up in the same orphanage head off to college together, they each harbor a cherished dream. Libby wishes to become a famous journalist, Pete plans to study to become a minister, and Bennett wants to join a fraternity and have as much fun as possible. But as tensions rise around the world on the brink of World War I, the friends' differing aspirations and opinions begin to divide them, as well. And when Libby makes a shocking discovery about Pete's family, will it drive a final wedge between the friends or bond them in ways they never anticipated?

I've read several books by this author and this is the first title that I've read by K. Sawyer that didn't have Mennonite main characters.

The country is on the brink of war, and in this historical novel, three friends who have been raised in the same orphanage manage to go to college via scholarship. All three of them have differing aspirations. Petey, the most holy of the group, aspires to be a pastor. However, he does have self-doubts about his life. Pete has a peg leg, and he hates the way it impacts how others treat him. He doesn't like being different from other people. He has a secret crush on his good friend Libby, but, Libby can't see herself in a relationship with Petey, who's almost like a brother to her.

Bennett wants to join a fraternity and initially it appears that God and religion don't seem to be important in Bennett's life. He does a few shenanigans, prompted by fraternity brothers, in order to get their approval.

Libby needs a job and when she unexpectedly purchases a magazine one day, she finds short romance stories on the printed pages. Can she make a living writing these short pieces? She needs spending money since her scholarship doesn't include funds to purchase personal items.

This book uses a fresh setting that you normally don't see in historical novels. I thought it was interesting that this book was set on a college campus and as I read it I thought about the old saying, "Times change but people don't." The children on this college campus remind me of the way young people acted when I was in college back in the eighties. I thought their dreams, aspirations and actions were pretty accurate for a younger crowd.

Getting on my soapbox about my personal feelings about school settings:
I think I found the school setting appealing, too, because I've had a re-occurring dream, over the past seven or eight years about school. The dream usually takes place on a college campus, but, occasionally, my dream includes a high school setting. I'm not sure why I keep dreaming about school. The dream pops up a few times a year...a little weird, and I suppose I'm trying to work through something in my life.

You should consider this novel if you want a vivid picture of college life back in 1914.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Blogging Over At Writers' Rest!

I'm blogging over at Writers' Rest today about the movie Inception! Come on over!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

An Inconvenient Friend By Rhonda McKnight

An Inconvenient Friend by Rhonda McKnight

Samaria Jacobs is a deceitful, yet captivating diva who will do anything to win the heart of her married lover. Will she get her man or destroy herself and everyone else in the process?

Samaria has her sights set on Gregory Preston. A successful surgeon, he has just the bankroll she needs to keep her in the lifestyle that her credit card debt has helped her grow accustomed to. He's married, but Samaria would never let a little thing like that get in her way.

Samaria joins New Mercies Christian Church to get close to Gregory's wife. If she gets to know Angelina Preston, she can become like her in more than just looks, and really work her way into Greg's heart.

Angelina's life is filled with a successful career and busy ministry work, but something's just not right with her marriage. Late nights, early meetings, lipstick- and perfume-stained shirts have her suspicious that Greg is doing a little more operating than she'd like. But does she have the strength to confront the only man she's ever loved and risk losing him to the other woman?

Just when Samaria thinks she's got it all figured out, she finds herself drawn to Angelina's kindness. Will she be able to carry out her plan after she finds herself yearning for the one thing she's never had. . .the friendship of a woman?

This book was a page turner! I read it in one day! Samaria is having an affair with surgeon Gregory Preston. She's determined that she'll be the next Mrs. Preston and she doesn't care what it takes to get the wifely title that she feels she deserves. To follow through with her plan, she joins the church where Greg's wife, Angelina, worships. The women's group shuns Samaria, but Angelina develops a mentoring friendship with the troubled woman. Samaria thinks she looks like a younger version of Angelina, and that in a matter of time, Greg will want to replace his older wife with the younger version.

Angelina is dealing with major drama in her marriage and her faith is extremely tested. She suspects her husband is having an affair, and both Greg and Angelina are still coming to terms with a tragic event that happened in recent years. Can they get over their pain and move on and try to salvage their marriage?

I thought this book moved quickly and as you start reading, you won't want to stop. I spent last Friday reading this title and I do think Rhonda touches on some subjects that you don't see often in Christian fiction. The book was vivid and real, and teaches us to really rely on our faith when life gets us down. I know it's hard to rely on God when things get rough, and this novel is an excellent example of how we need to trust in the Lord no matter what kind of trouble we may have. Also, it shows that God can be tricky...Samaria wanted to get close to Angelina to hurt her...but she ends up growing closer to the woman she initially wanted to hate.

If you want a quick, interesting, page-turning and inspiring read then this book is for you!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Clean Water And Other Things

Photo use courtesy of photographer Filomena Scalise

I went to a woman's conference at my church yesterday and the event focused on the needs of millions of children around the world. I've been seeing this need mentioned on a few other blogs, too. Over 2 million deaths per year are caused by unsafe drinking water. Over a billion people don't have access to clean water - they sometimes have to travel a long way to get their water and the water that they do get is full of parasites and it's just dirty! Causelife is an organization that's trying to provide clean drinking water to people around the world. Take a look at their site and consider donating if you're able. I did give at yesterday's women's conference.

I'm not sure if this young man, Brian Garcia's, testimony will be of interest to the readers of this blog. This man's story resonated with me because of my background with the Jehovah's Witnesses. Feel free to watch the video here. I really enjoyed watching this so wanted to mention it to you.

I can't get the Giants/Nephilim out of my mind. I've already blogged about them twice, and I keep thinking about those giant grapes!

One blog reader commented that the fruits and vegetables were much bigger a long time ago and that I needed to study archeological anthropology to come across this fact. I think I'll do that and see what I can find! I'll let you know what I come across!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

It Takes Two Men To Carry One Cluster Of Grapes?

Photo use courtesy of photographer Suat Eman.

Numbers 13:23-25
23 Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs. 24 The place was called the Valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the men of Israel cut down there. 25 And they returned from spying out the land after forty days.

If you read my blog post last Wednesday, you'll see that I was talking about the Giants/Nephilim in the Bible. A few verses before the verse that I quoted in Numbers, you'll see that the spies that Moses sent out were to bring him samples of the food that was growing in the land of Canaan (also known as the land of milk and honey). They went to Hebron and cut down one cluster of grapes and two men had to carry this one cluster on a pole between them! Can you imagine how huge those grapes were? Plus, this is where the Giants were living, too. I'll bet those grapes were as big or bigger than the apples that we eat today!

I did some more research about the Giant people that appear in the Old Testament. The Nephilim mentioned in Genesis were killed in the big flood that God caused to wipe out every living thing on the earth with the exception of the inhabitants of Noah's Ark.

The people that Moses's spies saw when gathering the grapes, the Giants/Nephilim, were descendants of a man named Anak. Anak was a Raphaite. The Anakites or Rephaim were Giants that are mentioned in the Old Testament several times. It appears that they finally died off because there is a scripture Deuteronomy 3:11 which states:
11 (Only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaites. His bed was made of iron and was more than thirteen feet long and six feet wide.

As I think about it further, and as I mentioned yesterday, I'm assuming the Fallen Angels appeared again sometime after the flood and infiltrated the bloodline of Anak somehow?

If you are interested, here are all of the scripture references of the Anakites, Nephilim, and Raphaim. Look them up if you want:
Genesis 6:1-4
Genesis 14:5
Genesis 15:20
Numbers 13
Numbers 13:33
Deuteronomy 2:11
Deuteronomy 2:10-11,20
Deuteronomy 2:18-21
Deuteronomy 3:11,13
Joshua 12:4
Joshua 13:12
Joshua 15:8
Joshua 15:13
Joshua 17:15
Joshua 18:16
2 Samuel 5:11,22
2 Samuel 23:13
1 Chronicles 11:15
1 Chronicles 14:9
1 Chronicles 20:4

Most of the scriptures just give these giant people a brief mention. I'm assuming all were evil people like the Nephilim mentioned in Genesis, especially since Moses's spies were told to get rid of the different people living in the land of Canaan, which included these Giants! I got most of this research from Wikipedia, so, use at your own risk! I did look up all of the scriptures but this is NOT a subject matter in which I'm an expert! If I have any facts that are wrong, then feel free to correct me! I'm willing to learn!

What do you think about all of this? Can you imagine living in a land with these gigantic people with gigantic clusters of grapes? Almost makes me feel like I'm not on this earth when I read about it because the concept is so foreign. I'll bet God's earth looked a LOT different back in those days!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Giants On The Earth - Who Were The Nephilim?

Genesis 6:1-4
1 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.
3 And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

Numbers 13:31-33 - 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants[d] (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

Some translations use the word Nephilim instead of giant. Who were these gigantic people? Some teach that they were the offspring of fallen angels - these angels lusted after human women and they had intercourse with them and the women bore these huge, wicked children. Who knows? From the little bit of research that I was able to do, it appears that the term Sons of God is interpreted a couple of ways and that makes it debatable about the paternity of these huge creatures.

I've always thought the Nephilim were the offspring from fallen angels. Why? I guess because they were so huge, much larger than regular humans, coupled with the fact that it appears they were wicked, too. I also read that the Nephilim pop up again in the book of Numbers, so I've provided that scripture, too. So, it's possible that the Sons of God appeared again and did the same thing again with human women? The Nephilim mentioned in Genesis were killed during the flood, so the scriptures can't be talking about the same group of giants?

I just try to imagine how large these people were...were they twice the size of regular humans, maybe three times larger than the average human? The ones in Numbers state that the regular people were like grasshoppers compared to these giant people! Grasshoppers?? Reminds me of Gulliver's Travels or Jack And The Beanstalk!

I'm just sitting here, trying to imagine what they would have looked like, giants stomping upon the earth, doing all sorts of wicked things to people. Frightening thoughts I'm having, but, just makes me stop and wonder, makes me wish I had a vivid snapshot of the way the world was back then...

Do you think the Nephilim/Giants were the offspring of fallen angels? This inquiring mind wants to know!

Oh, before I forget, I wanted to mention that I'll be blogging occasionally with my author friend, Molly Noble Bull, as well as a few other women, over at Writers' Rest. I'll still be maintaining my regular blog, too.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Editorial Services?

Photo use courtesy of photographer Suat Eman

Lately, I've been hearing about writers, both published and unpublished, getting their work professionally edited before submitting to a publisher or agent. I decided to seek out editorial services for this project since I keep getting rejected, and it's a bit of a different book than the category romances that I write.

I kept hearing about this editorial service on blogs that I read regularly. Since I recognized some of the staff members as former editors at large, commercial CBA houses and some were former agents of large, highly respected literary agencies, I felt comfortable using their services.

I used the manuscript evaluation service and this included a short write-up from the editor who was assigned to me, as well as a forty or fifty minute phone call. I was surprisingly pleased with the outcome of the notes and the phone call. My evaluation was only based upon first three chapters and synopsis, but the editor was able to point out things in my writing that I didn't see myself. I have pages of notes from our conversation and I hope to sell this manuscript someday. I'm not one to give up easily.

Have you ever used a professional editor before submitting your manuscript? If so, who did you use? Were you pleased with your experience?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Lady In Waiting By Susan Meissner

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Susan Meissner

and the book:

Lady In Waiting

WaterBrook Press; Original edition (September 7, 2010)

***Special thanks to Cindy Brovsky of WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House, Inc., for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Susan Meissner has spent her lifetime as a writer, starting with her first poem at the age of four. She is the award-winning author of The Shape of Mercy, White Picket Fences, and many other novels. When she’s not writing, she directs the small groups and connection ministries at her San Diego church. She and her pastor husband are the parents of four young adults.


Visit the author's website.

Product Details:

List Price: $13.99
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: WaterBrook Press; Original edition (September 7, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0307458830
ISBN-13: 978-0307458834

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Jane

Upper West Side, Manhattan

ONE

The mantle clock was exquisite even though its hands rested in silence at twenty minutes past two.

Carved—near as I could tell—from a single piece of mahogany, its glimmering patina looked warm to the touch. Rosebuds etched into the swirls of wood grain flanked the sides like two bronzed bridal bouquets. The clock’s top was rounded and smooth like the draped head of a Madonna. I ran my palm across the polished surface and it was like touching warm water.

Legend was this clock originally belonged to the young wife of a Southampton doctor and that it stopped keeping time in 1912, the very moment the Titanic sank and its owner became a widow. The grieving woman’s only consolation was the clock’s apparent prescience of her husband’s horrible fate and its kinship with the pain that left her inert in sorrow. She never remarried and she never had the clock fixed.

I bought it sight unseen for my great aunt’s antique store, like so many of the items I’d found for the display cases. In the year and half I’d been in charge of the inventory, the best pieces had come from the obscure estate sales that my British friend Emma Downing came upon while tooling around the southeast of England looking for oddities for her costume shop. She found the clock at an estate sale in Felixstowe and the auctioneer, so she told me, had been unimpressed with the clock’s sad history. Emma said he’d read the accompanying note about the clock as if reading the rules for rugby.

My mother watched now as I positioned the clock on the lacquered black mantle that rose above a marble fireplace. She held a lead crystal vase of silk daffodils in her hands.

“It should be ticking.” She frowned. “People will wonder why it’s not ticking.” She set the vase down on the hearth and stepped back. Her heels made a clicking sound on the parquet floor beneath our feet. “You know, you probably would’ve sold it by now if it was working. Did Wilson even look at it? You told me he could fix anything.”

I flicked a wisp of fuzz off the clock’s face. I hadn’t asked the shop’s resident and unofficial repairman to fix it. “It wouldn’t be the same clock if it was fixed.”

“It would be a clock that did what it was supposed to do.” My mother leaned in and straightened one of the daffodil blooms.

“This isn’t just any clock, Mom.” I took a step back too.

My mother folded her arms across the front of her Ann Taylor suit. Pale blue, the color of baby blankets and robins’ eggs. Her signature color. “Look, I get all that about the Titanic and the young widow, but you can’t prove any of it, Jane,” she said. “You could never sell it on that story.”

A flicker of sadness wobbled inside me at the thought of parting with the clock. This happens when you work in retail. Sometimes you have a hard time selling what you bought to sell.

“I’m thinking maybe I’ll keep it.”

“You don’t make a profit by hanging onto the inventory.” My mother whispered this, but I heard her. She intended for me to hear her. This was her way of saying what she wanted to about her aunt’s shop—which she’d inherit when Great Aunt Thea passed—without coming across as interfering.

My mother thinks she tries very hard not to interfere. But it is one of her talents. Interfering when she thinks she’s not. It drives my younger sister Leslie nuts.

“Do you want me to take it back to the store?” I asked.

“No! It’s perfect for this place. I just wish it were ticking.” She nearly pouted.

I reached for the box at my feet that I brought the clock in along with a set of Shakespeare’s works, a pair of pewter candlesticks, and a Wedgwood vase. “You could always get a CD of sound effects and run a loop of a ticking clock,” I joked.

She turned to me, childlike determination in her eyes. “I wonder how hard it would be to find a CD like that!”

“I was kidding, Mom! Look what you have to work with.” I pointed to the simulated stereo system she’d placed into a polished entertainment center behind us. My mother never used real electronics in the houses she staged, although with the clientele she usually worked with—affluent real estate brokers and equally well-off buyers and sellers—she certainly could.

“So I’ll bring in a portable player and hide it in the hearth pillows.” She shrugged and then turned to the adjoining dining room. A gleaming black dining table had been set with white bone china, pale yellow linen napkins, and mounds of fake chicken salad, mauvey rubber grapes, and plastic croissants and petit fours. An arrangement of pussy willows graced the center of the table. “Do you think the pussy willows are too rustic?” she asked.

She wanted me to say yes so I did.

“I think so, too,” she said. “I think we should swap these out for that vase of Gerbera daisies you have on that escritoire in the shop’s front window. I don’t know what I was thinking when I brought these.” She reached for the unlucky pussy willows. “We can put these on the entry table with our business cards.”

She turned to me. “You did bring yours this time, didn’t you? It’s silly for you to go to all this work and then not get any customers out of it.” My mother made her way to the entryway with the pussy willows in her hands and intention in her step. I followed her.

This was only the second house I’d helped her stage, and I didn’t bring business cards the first time because she hadn’t invited me to until we were about to leave. She’d promptly told me then to never go anywhere without business cards. Not even to the ladies room. She’d said it and then waited, like she expected me to take out my BlackBerry and make a note of it.

“I have them right here.” I reached into the front pocket of my capris and pulled out a handful of glossy business cards emblazoned with Amsterdam Avenue Antiques and its logo—three As entwined like a Celtic eternity knot. I handed them to her and she placed them in a silver dish next to her own. Sophia Keller Interior Design and Home Staging. The pussy willows actually looked wonderful against the tall jute-colored wall.

“There. That looks better!” she exclaimed as if reading my thoughts. She turned to survey the main floor of the townhouse. The owners had relocated to the Hamptons and were selling off their Manhattan properties to fund a cushy retirement. Half the décor—the books, the vases, the prints—were on loan from Aunt Thea’s shop. My mother, who’d been staging real estate for two years, brought me in a few months earlier when she discovered a stately home filled with charming and authentic antiques sold faster than the same home filled with reproductions.

“You and Brad should get out of that teensy apartment on the West Side and buy this place. The owners are practically giving it away.”

Her tone suggested she didn’t expect me to respond. I easily let the comment evaporate into the sunbeams caressing us. It was a comment for which I had had no response.

My mother’s gaze swept across the two large rooms she’d furnished and she frowned when her eyes reached the mantle and the silent clock.

“Well, I’ll just have to come back later today,” she spoke into the silence. “It’s being shown first thing in the morning.” She swung back around. “Come on. I’ll take you back.”

We stepped out into the April sunshine and to her Lexus parked across the street along a line of townhouses just like the one we’d left. As we began to drive away, the stillness in the car thickened, and I fished my cell phone out of my purse to see if I’d missed any calls while we were finishing the house. On the drive over I had a purposeful conversation with Emma about a box of old books she found at a jumble sale in Oxfordshire. That lengthy conversation filled the entire commute from the store on the seven-hundred block of Amsterdam to the townhouse on East Ninth, and I found myself wishing I could somehow repeat that providential circumstance. My mother would ask about Brad if the silence continued. There was no missed call, and I started to probe my brain for something to talk about. I suddenly remembered I hadn’t told my mother I’d found a new assistant. I opened my mouth to tell her about Stacy but I was too late.

“So what do you hear from Brad?” she asked cheerfully.

“He’s doing fine.” The answer flew out of my mouth as if I’d rehearsed it. She looked away from the traffic ahead, blinked at me, and then turned her attention back to the road. A taxi pulled in front of her, and she laid on the horn, pronouncing a curse on all taxi drivers.

“Idiot.” She turned to me. “How much longer do you think he will stay in New Hampshire?” Her brow was creased. “You aren’t going to try to keep two households going forever, are you?”

I exhaled heavily. “It’s a really good job, Mom. And he likes the change of pace and the new responsibilities. It’s only been two months.”

“Yes, but the inconvenience has to be wearing on you both. It must be quite a hassle maintaining two residences, not to mention the expense, and then all that time away from each other.” She paused but only for a moment. “I just don’t see why he couldn’t have found something similar right here in New York. I mean, don’t all big hospitals have the same jobs in radiology? That’s what your father told me. And he should know.”

“Just because there are similar jobs doesn’t mean there are similar vacancies, Mom.”

She tapped the steering wheel. “Yes, but your father said . . .”

“I know Dad thinks he might’ve been able to help Brad find something on Long Island but Brad wanted this job. And no offense, Mom, but the head of environmental services doesn’t hire radiologists.”

She bristled. I shouldn’t have said it. She would repeat that comment to my dad, not to hurt him but to vent her frustration at not having been able to convince me she was right and I was wrong. But it would hurt him anyway.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” I added. “Don’t tell him I said that, okay? I just really don’t want to rehash this again.”

But she wasn’t done. “Your father has been at that hospital for twenty-seven years. He knows a lot of people.” She emphasized the last four words with a pointed stare in my direction.

“I know he does. That’s really not what I meant. It’s just Brad has always wanted this kind of job. He’s working with cancer patients. This really matters to him.”

“But the job’s in New Hampshire!”

“Well, Connor is in New Hampshire!” It sounded irrelevant even to me to mention the current location of Brad’s and my college-age son. Connor had nothing to do with any of this. And he was an hour away from where Brad was anyway.

“And you are here,” my mother said evenly. “If Brad wanted out of the city, there are plenty of quieter hospitals right around here. And plenty of sick people for that matter.”

There was an undercurrent in her tone, subtle and yet obvious, that assured me we really weren’t talking about sick people and hospitals and the miles between Manhattan and Manchester. It was as if she’d guessed what I’d tried to keep from my parents the last eight weeks.

My husband didn’t want out of the city.

He just wanted out.

I'm about half-way through this book, and here's my dilemma. I'm enjoying the contemporary portion of the book, but, when the story jumps back to the sixteen or seventeen hundreds, I'm not very entertained! I'm not sure why? This comment has nothing to do with the author or the book! I'm sure it's just me! While reading, I discovered that I think I'm just not interested in that time period. The death of the queen, the mourning, the bowing and curtseying, the upper-class people, the court, being submissive/honoring superiors....I just can't get into that timeframe. Now that I think about it, I notice that I usually don't read historicals that have nobility as characters. I didn't really realize that about myself until I read this book.

I've enjoyed Susan's other works like The Shape of Mercy and Blue Heart Blessed. The Shape of Mercy even made my list of Incredibles! I really wanted to enjoy this book as much, and I think I could have if she'd chosen another time and other people in history to focus on! I'll probably end up skimming the historical pieces and just focus on the contemporary part for the remainder of the book.

If you enjoy Susan's other works, then I'm pretty sure you will enjoy this book, too.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Old As Methuselah!

Genesis 5:27 So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died.

When you read through Genesis chapter five, you'll notice that people lived much longer than they do nowadays. Why did people live for hundreds and hundreds of years? Had the physical imperfections of man not yet occurred, allowing people to live longer lives? Why do you think people lived for so long back then?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Long Time Coming By Vanessa Miller

Long Time Coming by Vanessa Miller

Faithful Christian Deidre Clark-Morris is a professional career-minded woman with a loving husband and beautiful home, but no children. Kenisha Smalls has lived in poverty her entire life and has three children by three different men. After learning that Kenisha has inoperable cervical cancer, the relationship between these two women becomes a catalyst of hope, leading them both to a place of redemption and healing.

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Abingdon Press (November 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1426707681
ISBN-13: 978-1426707681

Kenisha struggles to raise her three children alone, with little/no help from her children's fathers or her biological family. She is sick of doing everything alone and is stunned when a friendship blossoms with a woman named Deidre, the principal at her son, Jamal's, school.

Kenisha needs help even more now since she's been diagnosed with inoperable cancer. She's dying and before she passes away from this God-given earth, she must find suitable parents for her kids.

Kenisha goes through a lot of drama and turmoil as she goes through the process of having the deadbeat/incarcerated fathers of her children to sign away their parental rights, giving her the freedom to assign adoptive parents to her offspring.

This story also shows how Kenisha struggles to come to terms with her illness as she questions God and salvation. Does heaven really exist, or is it some fantastical place that people liken to fairy tale stories?

Deidre is also struggling with her own problems. Amidst her new friendship with Kenisha, she's still holding on to the guilt of keeping a deep, dark secret from her husband. If he discovers why she hasn't been able to conceive, then her marriage may be over. Deidre and her husband are Christians and they call upon the Lord to help them with their childless plight. Would adoption be the answer that they're seeking?

This book was a really sad tearjerker. I do think the story is powerful and the message is extremely deep! However, if you should decide to read Vanessa's book, be sure to have a box of tissues beside you...you're going to need them.

I'd like to top off this blog post by stating that in spite of the sadness in the story, the ending is bittersweet and will make you smile!

I'd like to thank Abingdon Press for providing the review copy to me. This book will be released November first.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Why Do You Want To Get Published?

I'm wondering why people want to get published? When people find out that I'm an author, there's a good chance they'll say to me, "I've always wanted to write a book." Or they'll say they know a cousin, aunt, uncle, son, daughter, or some other relative who wants to write a book.

I'm wondering if people mistakenly think that when you write a book and get published, you get tons of money and can quit your day job, writing pages and pages of prose everyday?

Or, I wonder if they think they'll be famous and admired, like Stephen King or J.K. Rowling or Stephanie Meyer?

Why did I want to get published, and why do I STILL want to get published? I've been reading books practically all of my life. Reading has given me an enjoyment that surpassess all of my other hobbies. When I was twenty-eight, I was at my lunch break at work and I didn't have anything to read. So I decided to write a book.

I've been writing ever since.

I guess getting published just gives me a jolt of happiness because I've accomplished something that I've admired others doing my entire life. Books and reading have always been a big part of my life and the people represent a community that wasn't really a personal part of my life - meaning, I didn't have direct contact with authors, publishers, etc. I just read and enjoyed the books. Now being a part of the community that has brought me such joy over the years just gives me a feeling of warmth? I guess that's why I want to be published so much. Also, I love just knowing that thousands upon thousands of people have read my books and I've gotten several letters and emails from readers, stating how much they've enjoyed my work! Hearing those words gives me a euphoric feeling and I'm glad that others have enjoyed my books!

I didn't want to get published for financial reasons, that's for sure! Most writers are poor, barely able to make a living, which is why most of us have day jobs or we're living off of our spouses. Initially, I'd thought that writers made about as much as full-time workers. After I became acquainted with the writing community I've found that it's a rarity for writers to make a steady income from their published works.

Now it's your turn. Why do you want to get published? This inquring mind wants to know!

Also, I want to remind everybody that Chesapeake Weddings is now available at Christianbook.com for only $2.79! Do a bit of your Christmas shopping early and purchase multiple copies to use as gifts and stocking stuffers! Where else can you get a brand-new 367-page, trade-sized paperback book for such a low price?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Chesapeake Weddings - Only $2.79!!!

You can now purchase Chesapeake Weddings at Christianbook.com for only $2.79! Where else can you buy a brand-new 367-page paperback book for less than $3.00??

Purchase multiple copies to use as stocking stuffers! Do your Christmas shopping a bit early and buy my book! You can't beat that price, and, just in case you can't recall what my book's about, here's the summary:

Relax along Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay as you read about three strong African American women who suddenly face upheaval in life. Monica is caring for her abandoned nephew and trying to pick the proper tutor for him. Emily is struggling to save the family farm when a CPA turns up to do an audit. Karen has been deceived by her fiancé, and now she’s expected to trust a neighbor who knows too much of her business. Can God rebuild their tattered lives with new loves?

Life sends three African American women into a tailspin. Monica’s blind nephew has been abandoned with her. Emily works to save her dairy farm after her father dies. Karen’s fiancé turned into an embezzler. Can these women let God rebuild their tattered hopes when new romances unexpectedly enter their lives?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

What About The Clean Animals?

I've been blogging and commenting on Facebook lately about the Old Testament. I blogged about Adam and Eve here, and if you're on my Facebook Friends list, you'll see that I placed my comment about Adam and Eve sewing fig leaves here.

Here's the scripture I wanted to talk about:
Genesis 7:2 (New International Version)
2 Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate,

I've been thinking about the Old Testament lately because our five-year-old son is in kindergarten at a Christian school. They've been learning the Old Testament Bible stories and he was telling me about Noah's Ark the other day. He said, "He had to take two of every animal on the ark."

I then said, "But what about the clean ones?"

He said, "Huh?"

I went on to tell him that Noah had to take two of every unclean animal and seven of every clean animal. He looked puzzled, stating his teacher didn't tell him that. As I thought about it, I noticed that when children are taught about Noah's Ark, the story usually focuses on the two animals, and doesn't mention Noah taking seven of every clean animal. I wonder why?

It makes sense to tell it like it is...I'm just sayin'....

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The House On Malcolm Street By Leisha Kelly

The House On Malcolm Street by Leisha Kelly

From the bestselling author of Emma’s Gift, comes The House on Malcolm Street, Leisha Kelly’s latest novel about finding healing in the most unexpected of places.

It is the autumn of 1920 and Leah Breckenridge is desperate to find a way to provide for her young daughter. After losing her husband and infant son in an accident, she is angry at God and fearful about the future. Finding refuge in a boardinghouse run by her late husband's aunt, Leah's heart begins the slow process of mending. Is it the people who surround her—or perhaps this very house—that reach into her heart with healing?

Delightful, realistic characters and skilled writing make The House on Malcolm Street by Leisha Kelly a treasure.

Leisha Kelly is the author of several bestselling historical fiction books, including Emma's Gift, Julia's Hope, and Katie's Dream. She has served many years on her local library board, continuing to bring good reads and educational opportunities to her community. Once a waitress, cafe manager, tutor, and EMT, Leisha is now a busy novelist and speaker who is active in the ministries of her church. She lives with her family in Illinois.

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life. They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet.

This was a good book, however, it took awhile for me to actually get into the story. I found it to be a bit slow at first, and I think I felt this way because the book was written in first person, and there was an awful lot of thought and reflection for the characters and it took me awhile to read a book that was written this way.

Leah and her daughter Eliza are destitute. After the recent death of her spouse, she goes to live with her deceased husband's elderly aunt who runs a boardinghouse. Not wanting to accept charity, Leah strives to help out around the house by tending the garden, cooking, doing laundry, anything to ensure that her and Eliza can stay with Aunt Marigold so that they aren't forced back onto the streets. Leah's faith in God is weak, and her daughter's faith is as strong as can be. Throughout Leah's life, she's suffered from nightmares about trains. She's terrified of the huge machines and is unsure from where her fear stems. The nightmares worsen after the death of her husband, and she longs to find peace and solace, away from those dreadful dreams.

To make matters a bit more complicated, Leah's elderly Aunt Marigold has a surly boarder named Josiah staying at the boardinghouse. Leah can't figure out what makes this weird boarder tick. He makes her feel uneasy, and the strangest words tumble from his mouth, making her wonder if he even knows how to think before he speaks. Marigold knows she needs to keep her distance from Josiah if they want to live amicably in Marigold's house since his strange questions and comments make her angry, making her wonder if Josiah believes that her and her daughter are nothing more than vagrants, mooching off of her Christian aunt's kindness.

Josiah is suffering from his own demons and he's also getting over the loss of loved ones. He's still healing, and Leah's and Eliza's sudden appearance in his life brings his grief fresh to his mind and he wishes the twosome would leave the boarding house so that he can get some peace.

I did think that the conflict between two secondary characters, Marigold and her next-door-neighbor, Mr. Abraham, had a bit of a different twist. These two elderly people are in love, however, Marigold is a Christian and Mr. Abraham is Jewish. Can a Jew become a Christian? Interesting and totally unexpected turn of events happen between these two people.

This story is a good read if you don't want a lot of action and adventure. The story is about people working through their problems, while they work out their issues with faith in the Lord.

The House On Malcolm Street is available September 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Many thanks to Baker/Revell for providing this review copy for me.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

ACFW Conference 2010 - Marketing Your Fiction

A couple of people have emailed me, wanting more details about the conference. The workshop that I attended entitled Marketing Your Fiction taught by author James Rubart and agent Chip Macgregor had a lot of helpful hints. Rubart recently wrote this blog post and on that post he covers a lot of the material that he discussed at the conference.

One thing that Jim said that I really thought was interesting was the social media aspect. I notice when I go to other authors Facebook pages, including mine, a great majority of their friends are fellow writers and authors, which is nice, but, to market your stuff, you have to reach outside of that zone, try to reach new readers.

I try to reach new readers, but, sometimes, it's kind of hard to think of ways to find people who may enjoy my books. It's kind and hit or miss for me. I've even contacted professional organizations that dealt with alcoholism since my novel Milk Money is about a non-Christian who becomes saved and learns to breaks his addition shortly before he finds Christ. I tried to find organizations that catered to Christian alcoholics and I contacted a few, but never got a response.

Oh well. Any authors reading this who have great marketing tips about how to reach new readers? Comment if you wish!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Strawberry And Banana Smoothie

I met with my local ACFW writers group yesterday in Columbia Maryland. We met at Panera Bread in the Columbia Mall. It was a great meeting and while I was there, I drank a blueberry smoothie. I had not had a smoothie in ages! It was so good. So good that today, while at the store, I wanted to buy ingredients to make a pineapple smoothie, but my five-year-old son said, "Mommy, I want a strawberry smoothie." I don't think I've ever made a smoothie myself, but I've found it's very easy to do! The smoothie I made today wasn't as sweet as the one at Panera, but it was still luscious! If you want a sweeter smoothie, you could always add a little sugar. Here's the recipe:

Strawberry And Banana Smoothie

3 6oz. containers strawberry yogurt
3 ripe bananas
6 (or more) fresh strawberries
Ice

Slice bananas and strawberries into the blender. Add yogurt. Blend until smooth. Add desired amount of ice and then pulse until smooth. Pour into glasses. Serve with a straw!

Yummy!!

My son said, "Mommy, this is good! I want some more!" LOL! :-)

Enjoy! :-)

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Question From A Writer

Gina wrote to me with the following question:
I am wanting to get my first christian book published. I came across Strategic Book Publishng company who say they want to publish my book. They are telling me I need to pay $995.00 and will get royalty of 50%, then after selling 1000 books I would get a bonus of $1000.00.
Does this sound legit to you? Have you heard of this company?
Please let me know what you think.

My response?
I'm probably not the best person to ask since I've never paid a company to publish my work. Since I'm commercially published, I usually submit my work to a publishing house, and if they decide they want to publish it, they offer me a contract. The contract usually grants me an advance and after I've earned the advance back, I get royalties. I don't get 50% in royalties, commercially published people usually get royalties somewhere between 5%-15% per copy sold, give or take...BUT commercially published people USUALLY sell several thousands of copies of books since our books are distributed widely via bookstores and places like Walmart, Kmart, etc.

Also, you have to remember, it's a major feat to sell 1,000 copies of a self-pubbed book because you have to practically hand-sell each copy. Your book won't have the same distribution as the books you'll see on the shelves of most stores. Do you have a platform, or a means to sell your books so that your money is not wasted on this venture?

If you decide to pay to have your work published by this company, I'd see what kind of marketing support they give you. Also, you might want to see if there are any other writers online that have used Strategic Publishing's services. You may want to ask Strategic Publishing's customers if they've found their services useful. I just visted the site and saw that they have books advertised on the sidebar. I'd look through those published books to get authors to contact, and then see what they say.

You might also want to see if you can find other self-pubbed people who use other companies besides Strategic. I've heard you can publish your stuff cheap nowadays and I've heard others state that $1,000.00 is a bit pricey?

Another option would be to use Lightning Source to publish your novel. They're cheap, BUT, your manuscript needs to already be edited and you'll need your cover before you approach them. I've heard they publish the book "as is" so you'll need to be sure it's perfected before you send it to them. You might want to hire a professional editor to edit your book before you publish it yourself.

Hope that helps!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

ACFW Conference 2010

Patricia commented on my ACFW Blog Post. Her comments are bolded:

Planning on going next year?
Probably, depending on a number of factors. I'd love to go again, though. I think I get more out of ACFW than RWA because MOST of the Christian publishers attend ACFW. Only a few Christian publishers attend RWA. When I went to RWA last year, I believe the only Christian houses attending were Bethany House and Steeple Hill.

Maybe when you're rested, you could give us just a little about the workshops you attended?

I didn't attend all of the workshops I signed up for since I got tired a few times and needed to rest, or sometimes I'd bump into people and we'd sit and talk and skip the workshops. This information is kind of sketchy, so read at your own risk, and take the following words with a grain of salt!

For the Continuing Education session, I attended Jim Rubart's and Chip Macgregor's class on Marketing Your Fiction. Basically, you need to find something you're good at...something marketing related, and do that to market your stuff. For example, if you can't stand blogging, then don't start a blog! Also, you need to shock editors, agents, people, about your work. Give them material that's not the norm. When you write a thank-you note for your rejections, think of writing something with some spark that'll make that editor remember you! I missed part of this workshop since I had appointments. If you really want to know about all that was said, it'd be best to buy the CD. Marketing is all about getting people to like you and help you promote your material, build a tribe and they'll help you promote your stuff. That's all I can recall off the top of my head.

I went to Terri Blackstock's workshop on writing suspense. Very interesting. You need to raise the stakes in your suspense stories and not make them too predictable. She used the movie Ransom? to illustrate what she was trying to tell us. We were supposed to watch this movie before attending the workshop, but I didn't take the time to do that, but still gleaned lots of great information from her teaching.

The mock acquisitions meeting that Thomas Nelson did was quite interesting. It was great to see a re-enactment of the dialog that editors have when trying to decide if they want to publish a book. People asked questions afterwards.

That's a brief summary of what I can recall from the conference.


Was this your first ACFW conference? If so, any thoughts from the perspective of a first-timer?
Nope, it wasn't my first conference! If memory serves me correctly, it was my third conference. If you're a first timer, just go and enjoy, take good notes and make lots of connections with authors!


Oh, got another rejection today! I'm not typing the full rejection on this blog post as I promised I would. Why? It's too lengthy and I'm tired of typing. But, she gave me great feedback and I'm going to re-submit this project since she suggested I do so.

~Cecelia Dowdy~