Yearly Archives: 2008

Farther Than I Meant To Go Longer Than I Meant To Stay


Farther Than I Meant To Go Longer Than I Meant To Stay
By Tiffany L. Warren
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Walk Worthy Press (October 16, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446693537
ISBN-13: 978-0446693530
From the back cover:
She’s independent, successful, and fulfilled in her spiritual walk. But bank president Charmayne Ellis is also overweight, close-to-forty…and wondering if she will ever be as successful in her personal life. She’s never gotten much praise or caring from her ever-critical mother and sister. And her friends are more into matchmaking than being truly supportive. So it seems her prayers are answered when hardworking, saved, and just-too-fine Travis Moon asks Charmayne to marry him. Or are they? Charmayne soon finds the only thing her new husband has to share is one bad-news secret after another. Now, with her reputation and career destroyed and her life at rock bottom, her faith will be tested as never before. Her challenge will be to face her own willful heart—and find the courage to finally put herself in God’s hands and discover where her real blessings lie.

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Charmayne is a successful bank president who’s financially-sound and active in her church. However, her life is just missing one thing…a man! Her thin attractive sister and her best friend are both married and Charmayne wonders if she’s doomed to spend the rest of her days alone. Overweight, she has not had many relationships with men, and she doesn’t see many male prospects on her horizon.
However, when handyman Travis Moon steps into her office to fix her chair, she finds herself swooning over the attractive repairman. He sweeps her off her feet in a whirlwind courtship, and she soon finds herself falling in love with her smooth-talking love interest. As she gets to know Travis, she’s shocked as he reveals one surprise after another, and Charmayne realizes she barely knows anything about the man she’s become involved with. As she loses her job and her sanity, she calls upon God for answers to her seemingly unending plight with Travis Moon.
This book dealt with some serious issues. However, it also had pockets of humor interspersed throughout the story. Sometimes, when your life seems hopeless, and you’ve lost everything, you wonder why God has allowed you to sink to a certain point. This book shows how these sinking points will show us how we need to call upon God as he pushes us into an even higher place. I’d recommend this read to all who enjoy a funny, inspirational, and fantastic story.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

A Suspicion Of Strawberries


A Suspicion Of Strawberries by Lynette Sowell
Mass Market Paperback: 250 pages
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc (2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1597895237
ISBN-13: 978-1597895231
From the backcover:
When Charla Rae Thacker and her bridesmaids show up at Andi’s soap shop in Greenburg, Tennessee, for a morning of pre-wedding pampering, Andi bends over backwards to make it a pleasant experience for them all. But then Charla keels over and dies from anaphylactic shock after she uses Andi’s personally blended cherries jubilee facial scrub. Andi suspects sabotage and murder when she discovers strawberries – a lethal allergen for Charla – in the scrub. Now, Andi must save her business and her reputation.

As if she doesn’t have enough stress in her life, Andi’s long-time boyfriend, Ben Hartley, a long-haul truck driver, decides now is the time to settle down. With him out on the road, it’s been easy for Andi to keep him at arm’s length. What’s a woman to do when she’s tracking down a murderer and expected to help her man pick out his new house plans all at the same time?
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Andi has had a hard time choosing a career path for herself over the years. Now that she’s in her mid-thirties, she’s opened a soap shop that’s barely keeping itself afloat. However, after Charla Rae Thacker dies right after using the specially designed cherries jubilee facial scrub that Andi has created, Andi is worried about the young woman’s sudden death as well as the solvency of her business in this small town. When the police fail to take Andi’s concerns of sabotage to her cherries jubilee facial scrub seriously, she decides to solve the crime herself.

Her long-time boyfriend, Ben, urges her to mind her own business, but he finds himself offering her some assistance as she struggles to solve the crime on her own. However, finding Charla’s murderer is not the only thing on Ben’s mind. He wants to find a job in town, give up his life as a trucker, and buy a house so that he can settle down and ask Andi to be his wife. Andi has cold feet, and she’s unsure of committing herself to her long-term beau.

As the story unfolds, Andi finally convinces the police that there is truth to her allegations. You’ll enjoy this story as you see how this mystery is solved.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Mall Of America Booksigning

Join me, as well as several other authors at a HUGE signing at the Mall of America!

ACFW booksigning
127 Christian novelists
Location: Best Buy and Sears Rotundas and connecting hallway, Mall of America, Bloomington, MN
When: Saturday, September 20, 2008
1-3 p.m.
Participating Authors:
Tamera Alexander

Jennifer AlLee

A.K. Arenz

Diane Ashley

Karen Ball

Janet Lee Barton

James Scott Bell

Joseph Bentz

Terri Blackstock

Robin Caroll

Patricia PacJac Carroll

Jeanie Smith Cash

Eleanor Clark

Debra Clopton

Gloria Clover

Brandilyn Collins

Mary Connealy

Lyn Cote

Kathryn Cushman

Margaret Daley

KM Daughters

Susan Page Davis

Mary Davis

Janet Dean

Megan DiMaria

Brandt Dodson

Lena Nelson Dooley

Cecelia Dowdy

Sharon Dunn

Wanda Dyson

Lynette Eason

Meredith Efken

Leanna Ellis

Sharon Ewell Foster

Miralee Ferrell

Tina Ann Forkner

Darlene Franklin

Jonathan Friesen

Rhonda Gibson

Terri Gillespie

Debby Giusti

Beth Goddard

Cathy Gohlke

Rene Gutteridge

Cathy Marie Hake

Kelly Eileen Hake

Karen Harter

Rachel Hauck

Roxanne Henke

Cynthia Hickey

Patti Hill

Sharon Hinck

Joan Hochstetler

Steven Hunt

Angela Hunt

Denise Hunter

Annette Irby

Jennifer Johnson

Jenny B. Jones

Golden Keyes Parsons

Deb Kinnard

Julie Klassen

Kathleen Kovach

Harry Kraus

Patti Lacy

Maureen Lang

Jeanne Marie Leach

Tosca Lee

Julie Lessman

Michelle Levigne

Sherri L. Lewis

Elizabeth Ludwig

Christine Lynxwiler

Richard L. Mabry

Sharlene MacLaren

Gail Martin

Debby Mayne

Vickie McDonough

Andrew McGuire

Susan Meissner

Becky Melby

Dana Mentink

Amber Miller

Judith Miller

Sara Mills

Siri Mitchell

Nancy Moser

Janelle Mowery

Elizabeth Musser

Mark Mynheir

Jill Nelson

Mae Nunn

John Olson

Donita K. Paul

Trish Perry

Marta Perry

Allie Pleiter

Cara Putman

Deborah Raney

Sandra Robbins

Paul Robertson

John Robinson

Martha Rogers

Cynthia Ruchti

Gail Sattler

Kim Vogel Sawyer

Shelley Shephard Gray

Virginia Smith

Lynette Sowell

Candice Speare

Kathryn Springer

Denice Stewart

Sarah Anne Sumpolec

Michelle Sutton

Camy Tang

Donn Taylor

Janice Thompson

Cindy Thomson

Missy Tippens

Carrie Turansky

ML Tyndall

Amy Wallace

Susan May Warren

Linda Wichman

Beth Wiseman

Cheryl Wyatt

Kathleen Y’Barbo

Show up and support your favorite authors!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Beach Dreams by Trish Perry

Beach Dreams by Trish Perry
Paperback: 312 pages
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (July 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0736924469
ISBN-13: 978-0736924467
From Amazon.com:
Editorial Reviews
Product Description

Following up on Sally John’s bestselling Beach House series (The Beach House and Castles in the Sand—nearly 45,000 in combined sales) is a brand–new Beach House book from veteran Harvest House novelist Trish Perry.

Tiffany LeBoeuf recently lost her mother to cancer. Still grieving, Tiffany seeks rest for her body and soul at a cozy beach house in San Diego. A scheduling mix–up causes a double booking, and Tiffany ends up sharing the house with a woman named Eve. When Eve’s boyfriend, Jeremy, arrives to surprise Eve, he’s surprised to see Tiffany as well. He settles in at the beach house next door, and what happens after that surprises them all.

A fun, contemporary romance about how God uses even our mistakes to bring about His divine purposes. Beach Dreams is the perfect get–away read.

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This book was terrific! The snappy writing style makes this novel a must-read while vacationing. The short chapters quickly propel the story forward, causing the reader to eagerly anticipate the next scene.

Tiff is a new Christian, and when she first met Jeremy in the past, as a non-Christian, her negative behavior left a bad impression on him. Jeremy recalls initially meeting Tiff, and wonders why she is much different, and more pleasant, than the woman he first met.

Jeremy is currently in an unsatisfactory relationship with Eve, and when Eve decides to vacation in California for two weeks, Jeremy springs for a beach house for Eve and her friend to enjoy while on vacation.

Due to a mix-up, Tiff, Eve, and Tiff’s father, Orville, end up in the beach house together. Eve is distraught about the mix-up, and when Jeremy makes a surprise visit to California, his life takes some unexpected turns when he discovers why Eve really traveled to California. While visiting the west coast, Jeremy’s life drastically changes as he makes new friends and discovers the truth about Jesus.

The author, Trish Perry, is sponsoring a contest. Here’s the link if interested. You could win a nice prize to use on your next beach vacation!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Book Giveaway!


I’m giving away the following novels this month! Remember that some of these books are new and some are slightly used. If you are interested in winning any of these titles, leave a comment and leave an email address so that I can contact you!

Here are the titles:

A Good Yarn by Debbie Macomber – note this is a secular title
Redemption by Jacquelin Thomas
The Last Ten Percent by Michelle McKinney Hammond
Murder, Mayhem, And A Fine Man by Claudia Mair Burney
Catching Katie by Robin Lee Hatcher
Calico Canyon by Mary Connealy

The following six titles are Heartsong Presents novels. I’m giving all six of these away as a set:
Garlic And Roses by Gail Gaymer Martin
The Prisoner’s Wife by Susan Page Davis
Picture This by Nancy J. Farrier
What’s Cooking by Gail Sattler
Listening To Her Heart by Joyce Livingston
The Love Song by Anita Higman and Janice A. Thompson

The following two books are Heartsong Presents Mysteries, and I’m giving them away as a set:
Another Stab At Life by Anita Higman
Trouble Up Finney’s Nose by Dana Mentink

Unlikely Hero by Marta Perry

John’s Quest by Cecelia Dowdy

A Secular Title

 

 

 

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A Good Yarn by Debbie Macomber
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Mira (May 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0778322955
ISBN-13: 978-0778322955
From Amazon.com
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Macomber revisits the cozy Seattle yarn store of 2004’s The Shop on Blossom Street in another heartfelt tale of crafts and camaraderie. After a slow beginning, this sequel clips along satisfyingly, as shop owner Lydia, a cancer survivor, and her no-nonsense sister, Margaret, meet three new and conveniently quite different friends and bond over the complications of life. Overweight, depressed teenager Courtney Pulanski has found herself plopped into a new town for her senior year, living with her grandma while her dad works in Brazil. Bethanne Hamlin, a recent divorcée, and Elise Beaumont, who’s been single for years, are both still suffering from their broken marriages. Serving as sounding boards and sources of endless support for each other, the women find friendship and, of course, resolution for their problems (the latter a little too easily). Readers will miss The Shop on Blossom Street’s spirited Jacqueline, who plays a minor role here, and a few things—like the character of Elise’s ex-husband, Maverick—strain credibility. But the author’s trademark warm treatment of the lives of women will satisfy her readers. Despite occasional draughts of treacle and a too-easy denouement, this should be another Macomber bestseller. (May)
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This is the first novel I’ve ever read by Debbie Macomber and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although this is not an inspirational title, it was sweet, for the most part, and I could see lovers of inspirational fiction enjoy this novel.
Courtney is still hurting over the death of her mother four years ago. When her father has to go out of the country to work, she is forced to move, spending her senior year in a new school. Her grandmother signs her up for a knitting class and she bonds with the older women.
Lydia has found comfort and solace by knitting. Knitting provided an outlet while fighting bouts of cancer. Now, cancer free, she wants to share her joy of knitting with others, so she opens a yarn shop. Her life changes when Brad, her current boyfriend, wants to give his relationship with his ex-wife another chance.
Bethanne’s husband has recently divorced her, and she’s left struggling to make a living for herself and her teenaged children. She discovers that she has untapped business skills which enable her to support herself, helping her to heal from her breakup.
Elise has yet to forgive her ex-husband for his gambling habit. Due to circumstances, the two abide together in their daughter’s home. After over thirty years of separation, they find that their attraction still sizzles.
All of these women find comfort with one another while knitting every week in Lydia’s shop, making socks for and sweaters for sweethearts as well as family members.

~Cecelia Dowdy~