Monthly Archives: October 2007

The Other Daughter

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Other Daughter, The: A Novel (Paperback)
by Miralee Ferrell
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Kregel Publications (October 31, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0825426596
ISBN-13: 978-0825426599

From Amazon:
Book Description
Susanne Carson’s well-ordered family life is thrown into devastating chaos when Brianna, a young teen, appears on her doorstep, claiming to be the daughter of Susanne’s husband, David. The revelation of David’s apparent betrayal adds strain to an already fragile marriage. Will this shocking discovery drive the family apart, or will it draw them closer to God? Guaranteed fiction!

I enjoyed reading this book. I think what I loved most about it was that the author took some tough issues, issues that I’m sure a lot of families are dealing with, and shows us how we need to lean on God during troubled times.

The obvious conflict, David fathering another child, wreaks havoc on their home. Also, Susanne’s faith in God is practically non-existent. Susanne’s and David’s marriage is already in trouble due to their spiritual differences, and having an illegitimate daughter to show up in the midst of a faltering marriage offers the reader a conflict that takes some time to resolve.

Also, Brianna’s sudden appearance affects Meagan and Josh, David and Susanne’s children. They now have a new sister, and although they bond quicker with Brianna than Susanne and David do, it’s still tough-going for them when a serious accident occurs, harming Meagan. Brianna is stricken with guilt and wonders if she’ll ever be a real part of the family.

Susanne has a tough time accepting David’s other daughter, and she drowns her sorrows with alcohol, and her views are swayed further when her worldly friend, Gina, tries to create more havoc in the Carson household by doling out bad advice.

The characters seem so real in this book. When you see Brianna struggling, you just want to hug her, hold her, help her, and pray for her! I loved the way Brianna’s paternal grandfather had an immediate affection for his newly-found grandchild.

I recommend this book for those who like a good Christian read dealing with some tough issues.

Cecelia Dowdy

Desensitized

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Have you ever read something so many times that you’re immune to the words? That’s how I feel right now about my manuscript. I’ve read it so much that I think I can recite parts of it in my sleep. I can no longer tell if it’s good, bad, or what!

The publisher bought it, so at least they think it’s decent. My hubby was asking me if this is it? After I submitted on the 16th, would I be done. I told him no, I’d still have to go through the manuscript once the copy editor is finished with it. That’s when I’ll have to do line edits.

It’s no wonder that by the time my book is released, I don’t read it. I never do. Once it’s in print, I just can’t read it another time.

Cecelia Dowdy

Too Tired To Blog

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I have a deadline of October 16 looming ahead. I’ve been getting out of bed at 4:45 each morning to get some writing done before my family awakens. So, for the next week, my posts will be sporadic, and they may be short, depending on my schedule. I read The Other Daughter by Miralee Ferrell on the plane ride to and from the conference last month. So, I’ll be blogging about that novel sometime over the next week. I also read Sushi For One by Camy Tang. I will also be blogging about that in the near future.

I started the novel Pink by Marilynn Griffith. I purchased this book at the 2006 ACFW conference. I think it’s neat that each scene break is separated by a drawing of a button!

Peace and God’s blessings to all!

Cecelia Dowdy

The Nancy Drew Files

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I know, classic Nancy Drew is not Christian fiction, but it is wholesome reading. I found one of the Nancy Drew novels on my bulging shelf of books. I believe I purchased this book back in the days when I toyed with the idea of writing a young adult book, and I even thought about writing a Nancy Drew novel. Needless to say, I never wrote the Nancy Drew title. Last I checked, years ago, the publisher paid for Nancy Drew novels as work-for-hire. I’m not sure if that’s still the case, though.

As I read the book, I found it unbelievable. Does Nancy have nine lives?!! How can somebody almost kill you three times in the book, and it barely rattles her demeanor?? Whenever her life was threatened, it just encouraged her to dig deeper to find the truth so that she could solve the mystery!

I recalled that these were traits that Ms. Drew has always had. I used to read the Nancy Drew novels when I was ten or eleven, maybe? I loved them. The element of danger throughout the story, and then Nancy always managed to solve a mystery to save the day! I even read the Nancy Drew Scrapbook by the late Karen Plunkett-Powell a few years ago. The history of Nancy Drew was certainly interesting. The sleuth is over seventy-five years old, and as far as I can tell, they’re still publishing Nancy Drew titles.

As far as Christian fiction goes with regards to young, female sleuths, the only young adult Christian series I’m familiar with is the Juli Scott series by Colleen Reece. This series was published by Barbour Publishing and when I checked on Amazon.com, I noticed a lot of the Juli Scott titles had been re-released as hardcover Thorndike Press titles. I read a number of these years ago when I was into the whole YA genre. I’d still like to publish a YA series, someday, but right now, I don’t have the time to devote to developing one since I’m busy at work with my Christian romances!

Cecelia Dowdy

More About Unicorns

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Since I posted about Unicorns In The Bible back in July, I’ve noticed there have been several hits to that particular blog entry. It appears that most visitors to that entry are researching the Bible and unicorns on the internet, and that’s how they stumble on my site.

When I was on AOL yesterday, and saw this clip, I knew I had to blog about it.

Tourists Catch Unicorn On Tape

The tourists are so far away that it’s hard to tell if the image is real. Also, the camera jumps around a lot and right before they hone in on the unicorn, the picture gets blurry.

Do any of you think it is real? I don’t. I doubt they have hidden unicorns in Switzerland that have only been discovered recently!

Cecelia Dowdy