Monthly Archives: June 2008

The Ex Files by Victoria Christopher Murray

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***NOTE; I BELIEVE THIS TITLE IS ABA, BUT IS WRITTEN FROM A CHRISTIAN VIEW.

The Ex Files by Victoria Christopher Murray
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Touchstone (June 19, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416535519
ISBN-13: 978-1416535515

From Amazon.com
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In Murray’s powerful testament to Christian fellowship and friendship (after 2006’s A Sin and a Shame), four members of an L.A. prayer group find spiritual growth and heartache as they struggle with broken dreams. Drawn together by Hope Chapel’s Pastor Beverly Ford, these African-American women stand at crossroads in their lives. For Sheridan Hart it’s trying to choose between marrying her lover or going back to the bisexual Ex who left her for a man. Kendall Stewart deals with her rage over her younger sister and Ex falling in love, but must make a life or death choice when her sister becomes seriously ill. Asia Ingram wants revenge on the father of her six-year-old daughter, a retiring, married LA Laker who’s decided to end their decade-long affair. Vanessa Martin copes badly in the aftermath of her husband Reed’s shocking suicide, grappling with a growing depression that threatens her ability to go on. The engrossing transitions the women go through make compelling reading, but some readers might find some of Pastor Ford’s wisdom a little off as she assures Sheridan that Quentin, her bi-sexual Ex, “wasn’t born that way.” Still, Murray’s vivid portrait of how faith can move mountains and heal relationships should inspire her growing conservative fan base.
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Four women who are very different are placed together to bring comfort and solace into one another’s lives. First, there’s Kendall Stewart who holds a grudge against her sister for stealing her husband. This grudge turns into a life-threatening situation.

There’s also Asia Ingram. She’s been the mistress to a pro basketball star (Bobby) for ten years, and she’s mothered Bobby’s child. She now wants to breakup Bobby’s marriage and become his wife, however, her world shatters when he ends their relationship. Asia decides to use their daughter, as well as some vindictive lies to pay Bobby back for the sudden breakup.

Vanessa Martin’s husband recently committed suicide, and she wants to follow in his footsteps. She misses her husband, and grapples to understand the reasons that he ended his life.

Sheridan Hart is still struggling with mixed feelings for her ex, who left her for another man. Her current beau (Brock) wants her to make a decision: him or her ex. Brock knows that Sheridan is still drawn to her ex, and she doesn’t want to have a relationship if Sheridan has feelings for another man.

Pastor Ford brings these four women together so that they can pray and find comfort with each other. Sheridan is recruited as the leader of this group, and a tragic event causes the women to rethink their choices, and to allow God to lead them.

VCM is one of my favorites, and I really enjoyed this novel!


~Cecelia Dowdy~

A Few Secular Fiction Titles…

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Unforgivable by Tina Wainscott
****NOTE – THIS IS A SECULAR TITLE
Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks (November 19, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312979088
ISBN-13: 978-0312979089
From Amazon.com
Book Description
Life in the backwoods of Booger Holler is anything but idyllic, but Katie Malloy’s childhood is remarkably happy-go-lucky-until her innocence is shattered by a shocking act of cruelty. Distraught, she believes she has endured the worst anguish she will ever face. She’s wrong….Now, eighteen years later, Katie has triumphed at last. With a quaint, cozy home and an attentive husband by her side, she should be contented. Instead, she wrestles with growing uneasiness as the horror of her past gives way to a chilling new nightmare. A serial killer lurks on the fringes of the dusty Georgia town, his identity concealed behind a friendly face. Because if there’s anything she learned through that long-ago tragedy, it’s not to trust anyone-not even those you love….AUTHORBIO: Tina Wainscott is an award-winning author of eight novels. She lives in Naples, Florida with her husband, dog, and cat.
I found this book in my basement. I’m assuming I got it from my RWA conference days as a free giveaway. I just started reading it, and I couldn’t stop. This story was riveting, and scary, so it’s not for the faint of heart! Katie is married to Ben, a veterinarian. Meanwhile, her childhood friend Silas arrives across the woods from where Katie lives with Ben. Silas has an uncanny ability to sense how people feel. He knows that Katie is in danger and there’s a serial killer on the loose, and Silas can see inside the killer’s mind. He knows that the killer is after Katie. Katie’s marriage to Ben is extremely unhappy and unfulfilling. She marries him out of a sense of duty when she turned eighteen. She now regrets her choice since she’s now trapped in an unsatisfying marriage to a much older man. Katie is shunned by her hometown as she lives in seclusion with her husband. Also, the story takes some interesting twists and turns as Katie comes to terms with some dark secrets lurking in her past, secrets which shed light on her mother’s mysterious death.

Although this book is not an inspirational, it did have some aspects that reminded you of an inspirational. Both Katie and Silas had a deep faith in God, and they prayed several times throughout the story. There is one sex scene, but I thought the story could stand without it. This was a riveting story and I could easily read other books by this author.

The other secular book I read was a sweet Silhouette romance entitled With This Child by Sally Carleen. It was a cute story and the storyline reminded me of Tuesday Night At The Blue Moon a little bit. Unbeknownst to Marcie Turner, when she gave birth as a teenaged unwed mother; the doctor and Marcie’s mother switch her baby with the terminally ill baby of another couple. Marcie’s “baby” dies, while the baby to whom she’s given birth is being raised by another couple. Now a young woman, Marcie becomes privy to this baby-switch information and she discovers her real daughter, Kyla is living with her “father”, Sam Woodward. Sam thinks Marcie is delusional to believe his “daughter” is the baby she’s given birth to years ago. Sam’s wife died years ago and he’s now raising Kyla alone. Once Sam learns that Marcie is telling the truth about the baby switch, they learn to work together so that Kyla can be raised in the best possible way. As Marcie becomes acquainted with Kyla, she falls for Sam. Both Sam and Kyla need to overcome their emotional barriers so that they can live happily ever after.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Author Interview With Suzanne Woods Fisher

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Suzanne Woods Fisher’s just-released historical novel Copper Fire, is the sequel to the three-time award-winning Copper Star, a World War II love story inspired by true events. Fisher was a contributing editor to Christian Parenting Today magazine. Her work has appeared in Today’s Christian Woman, Worldwide Challenge, ParentLife, and Marriage Partnership. She has contributed to ten non-fiction books, including Chicken Soup for the Soul: Children with Special Needs. A wife and mother, Fisher lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and raises puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. The best thing about being a writer, she feels, is that all of life becomes material for writing. It’s all grit for the oyster.

Suzanne can be found at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.

During the month of June, Suzanne is running a book-a-day-giveaway contest. To enter, scoot on over to her blog to leave a comment or pop her an e-mail: Suzanne@suzannewoodsfisher.com

INTERVIEW:

Welcome to my blog. What inspired you to write Copper Fire?
Copper Fire is the sequel to Copper Star, picking right up at the very end of World War II. On a summer day in 1945, my main character, Louisa, receives a telegram from the International Red Cross Tracing Service. She discovers that her cousin, Elisabeth, has just been released from Dachau. Louisa is determined to go to Germany to get Elisabeth…and that’s where the story begins.

What’s your simplest pleasure?
Walking my pups. (I raise puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind.) Warm sunshine on my face, fresh air to breath. Ah, a blessed moment in a day!

What’s your guiltiest pleasure?
See? That’s my problem. I have this inner drive to make every moment count. As if every hour is billable and, really, it isn’t! I need a guilty pleasure or two!

What was your most embarrassing moment?
I had the privilege of interviewing an incredibly famous author, whom I greatly respect, and in my nervousness I forgot that his time zone was different than mine. He ended up calling me (this was back in the day when long distance was expensive). I was surprised to hear from him, unprepared (I thought I had another hour to prepare!), and blustered my way through the interview. I’m sure he thought I was an idiot.

What¹s the one thing about your younger self that you¹d like to reclaim?
The feeling that there was a luxury of time at my disposal. At this stage of life I feel as if I’m stuck on a moving sidewalk escalator. Know what I mean?

Can you tell us what’s on your desk right now? What can readers look forward to?
In late August, Grit from the Oyster: 250 Pearls of Wisdom for Aspiring Writers, will be released from Vintage Spirit. I wrote Grit with three other very talented authors.

And another piece of great news! I just received a contract from Revell/Baker for a non-fiction book called Amish Peace in an English Life. It won’t be out until 2010…but it is taking up 90% of my brain right now.

Congrats on your recent sale! I’m sure you’re excited about this project!

Thanks for letting me hang around, Cecelia!

You’re welcome!

Find Suzanne on-line at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com

Copper Star (ISBN: 0-9793327-4-5) and Copper Fire (ISBN: 978-0-981-5592-0-9) are available at Amazon or other on-line booksellers, at Suzanne’s website, or can be ordered through your favorite bookstore.

Also, if interested, you’re welcome to read the interview I posted with Suzanne last year.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Book Giveaway!

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I’m doing another book giveaway. When you leave your comment, I’d like you to answer a question for me: who is your favorite Christian fiction author, and why is that author your favorite? ALSO, WHEN YOU COMMENT, PLEASE LEAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU! Also, let me know which novel you’d like to win when you leave your comment!

If you have more than one favorite, you can name all of them!

Here are the new/slightly used books I’m giving away this time. I’ve reviewed most of these titles on my blog, so you can do a search if you’d like to see what I said about these books.

Thr3e by Ted Dekker
A Moment Of Weakness by Karen Kingsbury
Defining Moments by Jacquelin Thomas
Piercing The Darkness by Frank Peretti
The Winter Pearl by Molly Noble Bull
Black by Ted Dekker
Tilly by Frank Peretti
Flabbergasted by Ray Blackston
John’s Quest by Cecelia Dowdy – I’m giving away five copies of my own novel!


~Cecelia Dowdy~

Tuesday Night At The Blue Moon

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Tuesday Night At The Blue Moon by Debbie Fuller Thomas
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Moody Publishers (June 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0802487335
ISBN-13: 978-0802487339
From Amazon.com:
When Marty Winslow’s daughter dies of a devastating genetic disease, she discovers the truth- her child had been switched at birth. Her actual biological daughter was recently orphaned and is being raised by grandparents in a retirement community. Marty is awarded custody, but Andie refuses to fit into the family, adding one more challenge for this grieving single mom that pushes her toward the edge, and into the arms of a loving God. For Andie, being forced to live with strangers is just one more reason not to trust God. Her soul is as tattered as the rundown Blue Moon movie drive-in the family owns. But Tuesday night is Family Night at the Blue Moon, and as her hopes grow dim, healing comes from an unexpected source- the hurting family and nurturing birth mom she fights so hard to resist.
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This is the first time that I’ve read a novel using such an unusual conflict due to circumstance. The first time I heard about a baby being switched at birth was back in the eighties. I recall it was on the news when this couple had a girl who died when she was a child, and the doctor confirmed that the child was not their biological child. There was a huge court case and I believe there was a made-for-TV movie about the incident.

The book was an unusual read, but unusual in a good way. The circumstances of the story made it unusual. It was hard for Andie to leave her grandparents, to live with a family that she’s never known. She now has two female siblings who resemble her. Plus Andie’s biological mother, Marty, is also struggling to raise three children alone, with no husband for support. Ginger, Marty’s “daughter” was mistakenly given to Marty at the hospital, (hence the baby switch). When Ginger gets ill and then dies when she’s a pre-teen, it’s discovered that Ginger is not Marty’s biological daughter. The baby-switch is discovered, and Marty finds out that Andie, her biological daughter, is alive and well and living with her elderly grandparents. These facts cause Marty great emotional turmoil. When Ginger originally got ill, Marty’s husband left her, not being able to take the pressure of caring for a dying child.

Andie’s life is full of turmoil, also. She’s recently lost her “parents” in a plane crash. So she’s living with her elderly grandparents when the case goes to court about her living arrangements. The judge decides it’s best if Andie lives with her birth family. Problems arise in Marty’s household when Andie moves in. Winnie, the youngest child, initially accepts Andie into her life, however, Deja, an older teen, has several emotional outbursts because she’s forced to live with her new biological sister.

Both Andie and Marty feel as if their lives are spinning out of control, and Marty bakes as a source of comfort. Her cookies, cakes, brownies and cinnamon rolls fill their kitchen with sweetness as she longs to make her dream come true: owning her own bakery. Andie continues to feel like an outcast in her new “home” as she refuses to unpack her clothing. She continues to leave her clothing in boxes and suitcases, refusing to use the dresser since she feels her stay will be temporary. Both Andie and Marty realize that their tumultuous lives can come under control as soon as they place their faith in Jesus.

~Cecelia Dowdy~