Yearly Archives: 2012

Pen Pals – From The Blog Archives

Photo courtesy of Free Digital Photos

by Cecelia Dowdy

Note, this is a repeat of an old blog post.

Does the title of this blog post bring back memories? Have you ever had pen pals? If so, do you remember their names and where they were from? How long did the writing relationship last?

Pen pals is a somehwat “archaic” term. The reason I say this is because with the advancement of the internet, I don’t think people write letters to one another anymore using pen, ink, envelope and stamp. When I was growing up, I believe my fascination with pen pals was one of the indications that I’d become a writer when I got older.

I recall reading the Archie Comic books and there was a list of people from which to choose pen pals listed in the book. Also, you could send in money to the comic book people and they’d mail you the address for a pen pal. I recall taping approximately 75 cents onto the order form and mailing it out to the comic book people. In return, I received pen pals.

I recall two of my pen pals quite well. One was named Karen G. (I won’t reveal the last name, but I remember it.) and she lived in Jacksonville, Florida. The other one was named Tammy K. and she lived in…Maine, Montana, Massachusetts? I only recall that Tammy’s home state started with a M. I exchanged pictures with both of them. Karen had short curly dark hair and Tammy had long brown straight hair. Sometimes, we’d exchange gifts. Tammy sent me a necklace once and it had a pendant in the shape of a chocolate ice cream cone! 🙂

I wrote to these girls for about a year or so? Then, the relationship just tapered off to nothing. The letters stopped suddenly and when I wrote, I finally received no response from either of them. I wonder where these ladies are today and if they even remember writing to me back in the seventies.

So, have you ever had pen pals? If so, do you remember their names and where they were from? How long did the writing relationship last?

Don’t forget to leave a comment!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The Gifted by Ann H. Gabhart

The Gifted by Ann H. Gabhart

Could you imagine falling in love at first sight?

Jessamine Brady is taken to the Shaker village after her grandmother dies, when she was still a child. Now, she’s almost 21 – the age where most young Shakers sign a covenant to become an official member of the religious sect. Jessamine feels that something is missing in her life, and she struggles with her choice of signing the covenant. She’s a writer and writing stories and idle words are not allowed in the Shaker village. She loves to dance and enjoys gazing at God’s wonders, but, the Shakers allow little time for idleness. Jessamine’s life changes drastically when her and another Shaker sister find a handsome wounded man in the woods. Once they bring the wounded man back to their village, it’s discovered that he’s lost his memory, however, he manages to give them a fake name, Philip Rose. Jessamine soon finds his name is Tristan Cooper, and she longs to be with him, learn more about him, and to love him.

Jessamine struggles with the deep attraction she shares with Tristan. However, the Shakers feel that marriage is a sin, which is why they live secluded lives, with the sexes in separate dormitory-type rooms. The men and women only see one another during their eating and worship times, and even then, the sexes remain separate. They also dance and shake during worship, trying to stomp the devil out of their lives.

Tristan also struggles with his attraction to Jessamine. After all, he’s engaged to another – his mother is “forcing” him to marry privileged Laura so that their union will allow Laura’s father to save Tristan’s family from financial ruin.

I really enjoyed this book. The story is written in an intriguing way and it also only covers the span of a few days. Could you imagine falling in love at first sight? I felt that Jessamine and Tristan fell in love extremely quickly since they barely had time together in the Shaker village. Although they do spend time together later in the book, I still think they fell in love fast, but the story was written in a way that their love was believable and strong. This was a good read that’ll teach you a lot about Shaker life. Many thanks to Baker/Revell for providing me with a free review copy.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Sunday Brunch – From The Blog Archives – Clothing Filled With God’s Spirit

Photo courtesy of Free Digital Photos

***This is a repeat of an old blog post!
Do you think the early Christians had deeper faith than the present-day Christians?

I’ve been talking about the early Christians. The church was so much different back then – at least different from the churches of which I’ve been a member. The miracles that happened within the early church were truly amazing. I’d like to take this moment and share some scriptures that show clothing filled with God’s spirit. I blogged about this first scripture years ago, but, thought it’d be good to talk about again since this scripture pertains to the early Christians, mainly, the Apostle Paul:

Acts 19:11-12
11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.

That’s so cool, awesome and totally amazing! Can you imagine, an apron or handkerchief that had touched Paul could be taken to a sick person and the item could cure his/her illness and drive out evil spirits! Man….like, wow!!!

Paul’s miraculous miracles, stored in clothing items that he touched….

Wow!

I was talking to my husband about this last night and he reminded me of the following scripture – when the bleeding woman touched Jesus clothing and was healed:
Luke 8:43-48
43 Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, 44 came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.
45 And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?”
When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’”
46 But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” 47 Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.
48 And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

I would like to witness something like this happening myself. Yes, I do realize that it’s still possible for this to happen today, people can get healed, but, I wish I could travel in a time machine and go back to the days of Jesus and the Apostle Paul and witness these healings as descibed in the above-mentioned scriptures.

So, do you think the early Christians had deeper faith than the present-day Christians?

Leave a comment.

I’d also like to mention that my novel collection, Chesapeake Weddings, is still available for a low price of $2.79 on Christianbook.com.

Also, my novel, First Mates, is available on Kindle as well as other e-readers for the low price of $3.99.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Love Finds You In Carmel-By-The Sea

Love Finds You In Carmel-By-The-Sea by Sandra D. Bricker

Annie needs a job. She’s recently moved in with her grandmother, a retired film star, who lives in the California town of Carmel By The Sea. When she finds a job as a private investigator’s assistant, she meets Nick, who will be running the PI office since her boss, Deke, is having surgery. Nick is a cop and when he literally runs into Annie at the movie theater, he finds himself attracted to her.

Annie has a friend named Evan – Evan is kind of like an old, comfortable shoe. They’ve been dating for years, but, their relationship has not moved forward. Annie has a hard time deciding what she wants to do. She knows that Evan has always been there for her as a friend, and she enjoys his company, yet, she finds it hard to admit to herself that she’s attracted to Nick. She doesn’t have the courage to enter into a real relationship that’s based upon love. Annie’s and Nick’s feelings intensify as they work together each day. You also see Annie doing some PI work, investigating supposedly cheating spouses and boyfriends for her clients.

Annie feels somewhat intimidated by her perfect little brother. Her parents dote about her sibling because he’s done everything right – he has a high-powered job, a perfect wife, and a baby on the way. Why can’t Annie get her act together and find a perfect job and a perfect husband? Most of Annie’s friends and relatives don’t understand why she wants to be a PI assistant.

This book was light and refreshing. I’m not a huge fan of old movies, but, if you are, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the references to the old-time flicks. Annie even meets Doris Day, which proves to be a highlight for her. If you like light, sweet, funny romances, then you should give this book a try. The story proved to be charming and entertaining.

As an aside, I just wanted to point out that I visited Carmel several years ago and I enjoyed the quaint town. I have a vaguely good memory of my trip to Carmel and I felt this author did a great job with depicting the setting.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Promises To Keep – From The Archives

Promises To Keep by the late Jane Peart

Can you think of a book that creates a strong, vivid response from you? If so, please leave a comment with the title of an emotionally-charging novel(s).

***Note, as a reminder, I’m still working on my writing project. Until I’m finished, I’ll be posting old stuff from the archives. Feel free to leave a comment! I love hearing from blog readers!

I read this book several years ago and I recall that the story stirred up lots of deep vivid emotions for me. I encourage all to download a copy onto their Nook, Kindle, or other e-reader.

When Valerie’s husband is imprisoned for a white-collar crime, she feels as if her world is falling apart. She must now learn to support herself, plus raise her young daughter alone. Garth, her handsome next door neighbor, is smitten with her, and he offers her love and comfort. She feels torn about accepting Garth’s love when her husband is still in prison. She is also struggling in dealing with her daughter’s gradual hearing loss.
When her husband gets out of prison, she has to make a choice, should she take her husband back, for better or worse, or should she pursue a future with Garth.

This book was highly emotional, and I was anxious to see what choices Valerie made when faces with big, life-altering decisions. I highly recommend this book for those who want to read an emotional tale.

 So, can you think of a book that stirs strong, vivid emotions for you? If so, please leave a comment with the title of the emotionally-charging novel. 

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The Shepherd’s Voice – From The Archives

The Shepherd’s Voice by Robin Lee Hatcher – From the archives – this is a repeat of an old book review. I read this novel several years ago and recall really enjoying this story by Robin Lee Hatcher. I encourage you to give this book a try! Download it onto your e-reader today!

Convicted for a crime he didn’t commit, Gabe Talmadge returns to his hometown of Ransom, seeking the love denied to him by his father Hudson Talmadge. Instead of finding the love of his forsaken father, he finds the love of Akira Macauley, owner of the sheep farm, Dundreggan. Gabe also discovers the love of another father, his Heavenly Father. Akira teaches Gabe about love and faith, and he realizes his biggest mistake was forsaking the Lord, several years ago. When he’s again mistakenly arrested for a crime he didn’t commit, his faith in God is tested, and he learns that it’s imperative to always lean on the Lord.      

Have you ever read any novels by Robin Lee Hatcher? If so, which one was your favorite?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The Ride Of Her Life By Lorna Seilstad

The Ride Of Her Life by Lorna Seilstad

Lilly is a widowed mother who is financially struggling to raise her son (Levi) alone. Ben, her deceased husband, was a well-to-do lawyer from an upscale family. Ben’s parents are determined to take their grandson (Levi) away from Lilly. They even call the sheriff to help them get custody because Lilly is living in a tent at Lake Manawa with her son since she can’t afford her own house. Lilly makes other living arrangements, but, she’s determined to purchase a home of her own – it’s her dream to have her own house.

Lilly works hard at Thornton’s Lunch Counter, making breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day for Nick (the crew leader) and his rollercoaster crew. Nick hates that Lilly’s in-laws are trying to take her son away to send him to boarding school, so, he’s determined to help Lilly in any way that he can. He even becomes a father figure to Levi. Levi is a classic boy who enjoys climbing trees, chasing frogs and having pet snakes. However, Lilly finds herself wondering what’ll happen when the summer comes to an end and Nick’s roller coaster crew leaves when the construction of the roller coaster is done? Will Levi be crushed because Nick, his father-figure friend, will be leaving Lake Manawa? Lilly doesn’t want her son to get his feelings hurt, however, Levi is not the only person that Lilly wonders about.

Lilly finds herself becoming smitten with Nick. She enjoys his company a little too much. However, she’s hesitant on starting another relationship with a man since she’s still struggling to raise her son alone after the death of her husband. Does she really need to get emotionally involved with another man right now? Will Nick be dependable?

Nick suffers from his own scars. He’s spent part of his childhood in an orphanage and he’s lost his little brother. Plus, he had a broken engagement. It’s kind of hard for him to trust others, too. He’s out to prove his worth by making sure his roller coaster project is a success. He works hard to complete the roller coaster in time for the summer season. However, it appears that someone is out to sabotage his project and he’s determined to defeat whomever is trying to make him fail.

This story was refreshing and I found it interesting that the author showed a roller coaster being built during a historical time. I also liked the setting. Lake Manawa is a vivid, pleasant place to spend the summer. I also enjoyed reading about Lilly cooking food for Nick’s crew. I loved reading about the different meals she prepared and I also liked how she taught Eugenia, her kitchen assistant, how to cook. I enjoy reading stories that are set in a kitchen because food is one of my favorite subjects to read about in a novel! Overall, this was a good, intriguing, and slightly-suspenseful read.

Thanks to Baker/Revell for providing me with a free review copy.

~Cecelia Dowdy~