Yearly Archives: 2010

Did Lot Love His Daughters?

This entry is a bit different from my usual blog post. It’s been awhile since I posted scriptures on my blog.

Hold on a second….do you enjoy chaste sweet Christian novels? Try Raspberry Kisses – an Amazon bestselling novel with about 300 reviews. Download today and tell your friends and church buddies by sharing this link. Now back to the Old Testament…

I was reading the Old Testament a bit this morning, and I wondered about something. I’ve wondered this before, but was never very vocal about it. When the two angels come to visit Lot and his family to warn them about God destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, the male residents of the town descended upon Lot’s house – they’d seen the beautiful angels and wanted to have sex with them. Lot then said he had two virgin daughters and he could send them out and the men could do with them as they wished. Was Lot just not thinking when he said this? Was he scared, and not in his right frame of mind? The wicked people were about to break the door down until the angels struck them with blindness so that they could not find the door. The angels then said that God would be destroying this place and that Lot and his family needed to leave.

I’m just rambling, but I wondered if any of my blog readers had any thoughts or opinions about this. I’ll start off by telling what I think. I think Lot didn’t want God’s angels harmed, and that’s why he offered his daughters, but, I don’t think he would have actually sent his daughters out to those evil men to be violated. I don’t think he was in the right state of mind when he offered his offspring and I think he would have figured out that he shouldn’t have offered his daughters to the men, and I don’t think the angels would have allowed the daughters to be sent out there. Also, the angels knew how the people were in this city, and that’s why they didn’t want to stay at Lot’s house in the first place, but Lot strongly insisted, but the scripture states that the angels wanted to stay in the square.

I’ve copied and pasted the scripture below:

Genesis 19
Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed
1 The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 2 “My lords,” he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning.”
“No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.”
3 But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate. 4 Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. 5 They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.”

6 Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him 7 and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing. 8 Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”

9 “Get out of our way,” they replied. And they said, “This fellow came here as an alien, and now he wants to play the judge! We’ll treat you worse than them.” They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door.

10 But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. 11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door.

12 The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, 13 because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.”

In addition to the scripture outlined above, there’s another scripture in Judges which is a similar situation as Lot and his daughters. Please leave a comment on this post if you have any insight.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Crossing Oceans By Gina Holmes

1 Reply

I wanted to mention a book that’s just been released entitled Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes.

From Amazon.com:
Jenny Lucas swore she’d never go home again. But being told you’re dying has a way of changing things. Years after she left, she and her five-year-old daughter, Isabella, must return to her sleepy North Carolina town to face the ghosts she left behind. They welcome her in the form of her oxygen tank–toting grandmother, her stoic and distant father, and David, Isabella’s dad . . . who doesn’t yet know he has a daughter. As Jenny navigates the rough and unknown waters of her new reality, the unforgettable story that unfolds is a testament to the power of love and its ability to change everything—to heal old hurts, bring new beginnings . . . even overcome the impossible. A stunning debut about love and loss from a talented new voice.

Here’s the book trailer:

It sounds like a good, emotional read that’ll bring you to tears. If you’ve read this book, leave a comment and let me know what you thought about the story.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The 2010 Christy Award Nominees!

Interview And Book Giveaway For Author Sherryle Kiser Jackson!

18 Replies

Today I’m hosting author Sherryle Kiser Jackson on my blog! After you’ve read the interview and book summary, leave a comment to be entered into the drawing for her book! I’m giving away two copies!However, you must make a comment about something you read in Sherryle’s interview or in the book summary to be entered! If you don’t, I won’t enter your name into the drawing! I met Sherryle about a year and a half ago at a booksigning event in Baltimore and she’s a nice person and I’m glad to feature her on my blog today!

1. Your book deals with the issue of a single mother raising her teenaged son alone. Do you see this situation a lot within the school system? Did you choose this conflict because it affects so many women today?

My characters, and the circumstances they find themselves in were very real for me. I tried to portray a busy, hardworking single mother who must look for resources within the “village” to help raise her teenaged son. She has been “holding it down”, but like many mothers she began to loose touch in the hustle and bustle of life. Deidre, my main character, like many mothers, gets that inevitable wake up call when her son starts to get in trouble in and out of school.

If it takes a village to raise a child, ideally the father should be fall among that village. I think I also show the very vital part the father plays in the life of his child even though he and the mother may no longer be together.

2. Can you share your publication journey with us? How long were you writing before you secured a contract with Urban Christian and did you have to obtain a literary agent before submitting?

My first novel, Soon And Very Soon was published in 2007 by Urban Christian, but it took over ten years to get it to publication. At that time, it was a shell of what it is now. In my zeal to get it published I shopped it around to traditional publishing houses. I knew nothing about target markets or the genre of Christian Fiction. I received a lot of rejection letters. Some I still have to this day. In retrospect, I know I was blessed in that process. I have some of the best rejection letters! Some said the narrative was flawed, characters were underdevolped, but most said the storyline itself, about two pastors that marry and combine churches, was promising. After licking my wounds for awhile, I had a trail of breadcrumbs to follow, especially when I bought a book called, Temptation by Victoria Christopher Murray. I knew that there was a market for my book. I joined a fabulous workshop of writers that met twice a month at Sisterspace And Books when it was located on U Street in D.C. and I got to work on the story. I sent it off again around 2003 and signed with a major publishing house that held up the book for two years then dropped it from its’ roster before publication. Finally a friend of mine attended the Hurston Wright Conference in DC and in her networking found out information about a new imprint devoted to Christian Fiction under the Urban Books umbrella. She gave me the information in 2006, and I submitted my manuscript. Shortly thereafter, I signed a two book deal for Urban Books/Urban Christian/Kensington.

Wow! I can certainly understand all that you went through! I also read Temptation by VCM and it’s a great book! It’s hard for writers to deal with rejection, especially when it appears that a contract is being granted by a publishing house, and then it falls through! I kind of know what that’s like because I had a similiar experience years ago!

3. You are a teacher who is married with children. How do you balance your writing time and working hours with your family duties?

Do I balance it? It is crrrrraaaaaaazzzy! Despite my “day job” and family, I am in that place where one book is on the shelf that you want to move and publicize, one book is set to come out in less than 6 months that you have to ramp up, and one book is in my Brain that the editor is waiting for me to get down in electronic format. I don’t know if you ever balance it. It is daily prioritizing because multi tasking is an illusion for me. I don’t do that well. I have to concentrate on one thing at a time.

Tell me about it! I can certainly understand how hard it is to prioritize your book publishing duties along with your work and family! It’s hard!

4. Who are some of your favorite authors?

Victoria Christopher Murray writes fiction with a beatiful mix of inspiration and pure entertainment.
Pearl Cleage writes so intelligently. Her characters are intelligent and introspective and real. Sometimes writer’s create fantasy characters on the extremes of life. She writes from the SOUL.
Terry McMillian set it off for me. No one writes dialogue like she does. The voice in her pieces have their own cadence, fast pace, gritty and real.
Eric Jerome Dickey writes hot, blood-coarsing, page turning adrenaline.

Yes, I’ve read all of those authors except for Pearl Cleage (I’ll be sure to check her out.) I also believe Terry McMillian set the stage for more African-American authors to get published!

5. What’s your favorite scripture?

Wow, there are so many. I am so thankful for my home training in Sunday School and Vacation Bible School because verses will come to me when I am writing and I go back and study. Romans 8, the whole chapter, is particularly special to me. Like John 3:16, it reminds me of how special I am to God. It reminds us that we are joint heirs with Christ and that he predestined, called and justified us for a purpose. Read it; it’s good stuff!

Yes, John 3:16 is one of my personal favorites, too! Okay, here’s some information about Sherryle’s book! Read it and then leave a comment to be entered into the drawing!

The Manual by Sherryle Kiser Jackson

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Urban Books; Original edition (October 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1601629354
ISBN-13: 978-1601629357

Need a manual on raising children and having healthy relationships? Refer to the Bible. That’s what Deidre Collins’ inner spirit is telling her to do now that Andre, her son’s father, is back in town after deserting them eight years ago.

At fourteen years old, her son, DeAndre, is struggling with his own issues peer pressure, problems at school, and fi guring out how to navigate his first crush. When DeAndre gets suspended from school for ten days, Andre sees it as the perfect opportunity to get to know his son—and to get closer to Deidre. Can this couple overcome the past for the sake of their son’s future?

It was nice having you on my blog, Sherryle, and everybody, don’t forget to leave a comment for the book drawing! You also need to leave an email address so that I can contact you if you win!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Enter To Win Chesapeake Weddings!

How Much Money Does A New York Times Bestseller Make – Part 2

6 Replies

Lynn Viehl, author of Twilight Fall, a New York Times mass market bestseller, was kind enough to share her first two royalty statements on her blog. I posted about the first royalty statement here.

You can find the information about her second statement here.

There are a few things that I wanted to highlight about her second blog post:

#1. The net sales units are 61,663 copies
#2. According to the statement, the author made a net amount of $30,155.69. HOWEVER, after you subtract her agent’s commission and taxes, the amount she actually kept for herself was $24,517.36!
#3. If she were forced to live solely upon the $24,517.36, for her family of four for one year, she would only be slightly above the US poverty level! 🙁
#4. The author mentioned that she wondered how her numbers compared to other New York Times mass market bestsellers. It’s hard to say because other authors don’t offer up this information, publishers don’t offer up this information, or, if they do, it’s always done anonymously!
#5. She still hasn’t earned out her $50,000 advance yet!

I’d like to take a moment to tell what I heard about advances and earning out recently. I was listening to the CDs from the last American Christian Fiction Writers Conference. One of the workshops was on advances. I heard an industry professional state that more than 80% of the advances they pay DON’T earn out! That’s shocking! I’m thinking that Lynn’s numbers might be comparable to other authors.

I’d like to publicly thank Lynn for offering this information to her blog readers. She’s answered questions that I’ve often wondered about.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Dawn’s Light By Terri Blackstock

Leave a reply

Dawn’s Light by Terri BlackstockPaperback: 411 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (May 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310257700
ISBN-13: 978-0310257707
In the face of a crisis that sweeps an entire high-tech planet back to the age before electricity, the Brannings face a choice. Will they hoard their possessions to survive—or trust God to provide as they offer their resources to others? #1 bestselling suspense author Terri Blackstock weaves a masterful what-if series in which global catastrophe reveals the darkness in human hearts—and lights the way to restoration for a self-centered world. As the Pulses that caused the outage are finally coming to an end, thirteen-year-old Beth Branning witnesses a murder. Threatened by the killer, she keeps the matter to herself. But her silence could cost her life. Meanwhile, as Deni’s ex-fiance returns to Crockett with a newfound faith and the influence to get things done, Deni is torn between the man who can fulfill all her dreams and Mark Green, the man who inhabits them. As the world slowly emerges from the crisis, the Brannings face their toughest crisis yet. Will God require more of them than they’ve already given? How will they keep their faith if he doesn’t answer their prayers?

This book continues Terri Blackstock’s saga that involves all of the world’s electronics and electricity – both segments cease to work, leaving people scrounging for food, water, and survival since there is no way to transport food and there is no heat or electricity to cook or clean. People still struggle to survive, but the book opens with the lean times getting a bit better, the banks open and customers are allowed to withdraw 2% of the balance shown on the last printed bank statement they received. Thirteen year old Beth Branning sneaks to the bank to see the action, and instead finds herself the witness to a brutal murder. The murderer threatens Beth and her family if she mentions what she’s seen that day. Scared, Beth suffers in silence while her family struggles to understand what kind of demons are haunting her.

Meanwhile, Deni Branning is falling in love with Mark, a Christian neighbor. When Deni’s unsaved ex-fiance, Craig, surpisingly appears from Washington, he makes a big announcement: He’s saved now, and he wants to court Deni again. Deni is torn – Craig has major pull in Washington and he might have the power to get all of the lights in their district turned back on before the others since the Pulses is now over and in a matter of time, things could be back to normal.

When Beth is hurt, Craig comes to the rescue, and Deni is somewhat drawn to Craig’s newfound kindness. What should she do?

I thought the ending to this book was bittersweet. I think I would have had a somewhat different ending. I thought the book was enjoyable and it was a quick fast read that held my interest.

I also noticed that this book alters the way that I think about some things. Like, when my son doesn’t finish his food on his plate, and I throw it away, I remember how the characters in Terri’s books are starving and about how they’d enjoy the food that I’m tossing in the garbage! I know that’s weird, but I think it’s because we’re a land of plenty, but wouldn’t realize it until a crises of this magnitude were to happen, and it would change our attitudes and perceptions about life drastically.

I reviewed the other three novels in this series, here, here, and here.

I emailed Terri Blackstock to ask her some questions about this series and she responded:
How did you come up with the Restoration Series idea?
I came up with the idea when we were all preparing for Y2k (the turn of the century). We thought computers would crash and our power grid would fail. The whole thing captured my imagination. When it didn’t happen, I decided to create an event like that on my own.

Did you lose power and wonder what would happen …?
While I was writing Night Light, Book Two, Katrina hit my state. My power was out for several days, and we had to sit in line for three hours or more to get gas, so I was kind of thrust into the world I was writing about. It turned out to be great research and helped me with the rest of the series.

I hope that helps. Thanks for asking, and for blogging about the series.

You’re welcome, Terry, and I really enjoyed the series! You provided me with several hours of reading pleasure!

~Cecelia Dowdy~