Monthly Archives: January 2008

Long Trail To Love by Pamela Griffin

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Long Trail To Love by Pamela Griffin
Publisher: Barbour Publishing (Heartsong Presents)

ISBN: 9781597896177

Binding: Mass Market

Pages: 176 pages

From the Heartsong Presents website:
Carly loses her faithless boyfriend, her job, and the respect of people in town, all in one crazy moment. Nothing, it seems, will ever be right again. In an effort to get away, she joins some friends in a month-long hike up the Long Trail from Vermont into Canada. Looking for peace in a world suddenly gone awry, Nate joins the hike at the last minute. Fresh from a breakup of his own, he has no intention of starting a new relationship, so why can’t he keep his mind off the prickly woman in front of him? As their relationship blossoms, obstacles arise, and it seems life will just repeat itself. Can Nate deal responsibly with the decisions he knows he must make? Will Carly stop running long enough to let love catch her?

This is a nice, light, fun read that shows how we really need to keep faith in the Lord when things go awry. Carly is not a Christian, which is the main conflict which keeps these two lovebirds apart. Nate is drawn to her, but knows they can’t be together since it’s a sin to be unequally yoked. Also, the obstacles and problems that a few of the secondary characters face also make the story interesting. The author did a good job of describing the scenery on this trail, and I longed to go there myself to get back in touch with nature! I’d recommend this book if you’re looking for a refreshing, God-inspiring read!

Cecelia Dowdy

Tired

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I had a fairly hard day at work today, then when I got home, I had to cook dinner. I did take a few moments to finish reading Long Trail To Love by Pamela Griffin. I’ll be blogging about that book soon.

Check out the following review of my novel, First Mates, that was recently posted on Amazon.com:

The Epitome of a Biblical Love Connection, December 20, 2007
By Nedra Smith

Cecelia Dowdy’s FIRST MATES is a lovingly written I Corinthians 13 type of love story that never stoops to baser levels to show the realistic affection and connection that Rainy and Winston have.

I enjoyed watching them connect on the cruise, disconnect more than once, and reconnect, over things that really DO make a difference if a relationship is to be both faith-based and lasting.

The characters were real. Winston told the truth about part of his past but Rainy has to learn another part of it, a part that she thinks is important, later and through Dowdy’s wonderful character, Aunt Gladys.

This was more than a love story. Everyone grew in believable ways, not just in ways that would make for a happy ending. Even the minor characters grew in some small way either because of Winston and Rainy’s direct example or because of learning from their own mistakes.

Also, the book wasn’t preachy, but quite fun. Remember, it starts on a cruise so there’s lots of eating. FIRST MATES made me hungry both for food and for what would happen to the couple next.

Throughout the story, we’re aware that God is in control. That’s all that matters.

Also, last night I stayed up and watched a movie entitled Meet Joe Black. It’s a secular movie, however, I just loved the chemistry between the two characters! I saw it on the Sci-fi channel. I stayed up until midnight watching a movie! Do you know how seldom I stay up that late? Let alone stay up that late to watch a movie??? Hardly ever happens!

Later!

Cecelia Dowdy

My Soul Cries Out by Sherri Lewis

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My Soul Cries Out
By Sherri Lewis
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Urban Books (July 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1893196976
ISBN-13: 978-1893196971

Monica Harris Day’s perfect world begins a downward spiral the day she comes home to find her husband in bed with another man. After confronting Kevin, her husband of two years, Monica discovers he’s had a lifelong struggle with homosexuality that began at the age of ten, when he was molested by a deacon in the church.

For years, Kevin has sought deliverance, crying out to God to make him straight. He explains his deceit by saying he truly thought he had been delivered when he married Monica, but was afraid to share his past with her for fear she wouldn’t marry him. Kevin begs Monica’s forgiveness and wants to save their marriage. He is convinced that God has indeed delivered him from the spirit of homosexuality and that the one time mistake was just his past coming back to haunt him. Their pastor offers them marital counsel but Monica suspects that his real concern is in maintaining his mega-ministry. The membership has grown to 10,000 since Kevin became the minister of music.

When the pastor swears them to secrecy and urges Monica to stay in the marriage, she thinks Bishop Walter isn’t willing to risk the potential scandal and church division that would result if the truth is leaked to the congregation. My Soul Cries Out is a compassionate look at the issue of Christians struggling with homosexuality and the redemptive power of God to bring deliverance.

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What made this story so riveting is the fact that Sherri Lewis broke all the rules for Christian fiction! She chose a highly controversial subject matter, a matter that affects a lot of women: homosexuality. I’ve heard about this on shows like Oprah, where the woman finds out her husband/boyfriend is actually gay/bisexual and they’re living “on the down low.”

I feel Lewis portrayed this story realistically, and that Monica really had to go through a lot of changes before she is finally able to confront her husband in a forgiving manner for what has transpired between them.

Kevin also has some healing to do on his own. He has to face his past, and break away from the ghosts that have driven him to this lifestyle.

I highly recommend this book if you want a good, riveting, and edgy story. This is the first Urban Christian fiction book that I’ve read, and I’m wondering if Urban gives their authors more freedom with the content they can place in their stories? I’ll be sure to read more of the Urban Christian Fiction novels in the future.

Cecelia Dowdy

Twilight Zone Marathon

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One of my favorite New Year’s traditions is to watch the Twilight Zone marathon on the Sci-fi channel. The Twilight Zone aired before I was born, so the episodes are new to me. However, I have been watching this marathon each year for a few years, now, so I have managed to view a lot of the episodes. But it never fails, each year I see at least one or two new ones that I’ve never seen before! It’s usually on for 48 hours, so of course, I don’t watch the whole thing! Also, my son gets antsy if he can’t watch his cartoons in the living room, so I’ll sometimes change the channel to appease him!

Happy New Year!

Cecelia Dowdy