Author Archives: Cecelia Dowdy

E-Readers

I was talking to one of the parents at my son’s daycare today. He told me that he wanted to get his wife an e-reader and that she wanted a Kindle. However, he mentioned that Barnes And Noble just released their new e-reader today, and he wondered if he should get that for her instead.

The conversation got me to thinking…I’ve never tried an e-reader before! I love books, the feel, the smell, the look…I can’t imagine reading a book on a screen. I’m old-fashioned and I enjoy the actual, honest-to-goodness paper product in my hand. Maybe I’ll need to borrow someone’s e-reader one day just to see what all the hoopla is about!

Do any of you use an e-reader? Do you like it? Which one do you use and what are the benefits of the different e-book readers available? Do you miss the feel, smell, and look of a print book? Inquiring minds want to know!

Click on the image above to enlarge! I think it’s beautiful!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Interview With Author Lauralee Bliss

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I welcome Lauralee Bliss to my blog today! Sit back and read this interview and check out her latest release! I also look forward to reading her future releases through the Heartsong Presents book club!

How long have you known that you wanted to be novelist?

Since I was fourteen when I wrote creative pieces for my English teachers. They were supportive of my early endeavors, and I owe them a great deal for putting me on the path I am walking today. Never underestimate your education.

How do you come up with your storylines?

Many come from my own experiences. Some from the travels I have taken (I have been to 49 out of 50 states as well as traveling oversees, so there’s bound to be interesting tales to tell from all those adventures). And some stories just come to me as I ponder them and think of the characters and the unique situations they might find themselves in.

Do you do a lot of research when writing?
Research is very important to me. I am a stickler for historical detail. To do any less cheats the reader out of things and ways they can learn history while reading a good story. Many years back I used a variety of resources from the library, but now with the Internet, history is at your fingertips. Though I do still like to take out library material and thumb through written research material. But if you can go yourself and actually see the place you wish to research, you can bring out much more accurate and vivid detail. And have a great conversation, too, with a historian, such as I had when researching this book.

What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?

Each book is different in regards to a theme. I like to write an entertaining book that ministers to the heart. In each of my books I write a spiritual lesson that Christian readers can take away – from forgiveness, to being a servant, to finding hope and purpose in time of greatest need.

What do you want readers to know when they’ve read your books?

That God has a special plan for their lives. He is intimately acquainted with all our ways. He wants us to experience all the fullness of joy and peace He has for us, even if that way can bring trial, and times of doubt. He has a perfect plan for our lives that He wishes to fulfill, if we will allow Him. I know this because I have experienced it in my own life – allowing Him to take control and giving my desires and dreams to Him. And He is faithful.

Tell about your latest release.

Love Finds You in Bethlehem, New Hampshire is what another reader calls – a “twist” on the mail order bride story, sort of like the mail order bride meets up with My Fair Lady. In it there’s an uneducated and penniless orphan whose well meaning friend answers an ad for a bride, and the unsuspecting suitor who has no idea what to make of the woman that arrives at the train station. Even if he feels he cannot marry her, he will provide for her. But both are in for a surprise and a change of heart and attitude – thus leading to the idea of the first Bethlehem – that the most precious gifts don’t always come as they’re expected.

What’s coming next?

I have a three book contemporary romance series set in the beautiful state of Utah coming in 2010 by Heartsong Presents, Barbour Publishing. The first book, “Love’s Winding Path” is based on the biblical story of the Prodigal Son. Visit my web site to learn about my books for the holidays and for 2010.
www.lauraleebliss.com
And my blog
www.blissfulwritingthoughts.blogspot.com

I’ve enjoyed having you on my blog today, Lauralee! Be sure to check out her latest book! It certainly sounds like a good, intriguing read!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Thomas Nelson

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I just found out yesterday that Thomas Nelson will start offering self-publishing packages under their Westbow imprint. I have mixed feelings about this for various reasons. I’ve been reading about this on blogs all day. I don’t talk about industry topics on my blog much, but this has been heavy on my mind for the last 24 hours! I’m not a Thomas Nelson author, but, geez, this is a big deal to me…and to others! Here’s a few blog posts about the topic, but, beware, there are tons of comments on Rachelle’s blog about this…over 100!! Sandra Bishop, an agent with Macgregor Literary, blogged about it today, too.

I’d ask what do you think about this, but, I believe all has been said on the other blog posts!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

In Search Of A Hero By Cheryl Wolverton

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In Search Of A Hero by Cheryl Wolverton
Pub. Date: March 2002
Publisher: Harlequin
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 252pp
Series: Steeple Hill Love Inspired Series
ISBN-13: 9780373871735
ISBN: 0373871732

From the back cover:

TO ERR IS HUMAN…

But attorney Rebekkah Hawkley figured it would take nothing short of divine intervention for Andre Watson to learn forgiveness. The stubborn Texan might have come home to save his father’s law firm from a shadowy threat, but he refused to forget an age-old family feud. If only Rebekkah could convince Andre that his dad needed his love — and that she didn’t….

As Andre saw it, unyielding Rebekkah ought to practice what she preached. But her troubled past didn’t concern him nearly as much as her future. He had every intention of showing her that a woman needed more in her life than church and a career. Namely: love, marriage — and him!

I bought this book used a few months ago. I was talking to the author on a writers’ loop and she told me she’d written a Love Inspired with an interracial couple – a black heroine and a white hero. I knew she had to be kidding because I would’ve remembered seeing a Love Inspired with a white hero and black heroine. Cheryl told me the title of the book and I placed my order. Since it’s so old, I could only purchase it used.

One reason I probably didn’t realize the heroine was African American when the book was released is because the only person on the cover is the hero! I wish they’d placed the heroine on the cover too!

It’s a romantic suspense. It appears this book was published before Love Inspired started their romantic suspense line. Andre Watson has returned to his father’s law firm to help them investigate an old case they’ve won. Wondering if the evidence has been tampered, both Andre and Rebekkah, a current lawyer in his father’s practice, work on this case together.

Amidst candlelit dinners and dangerous events the two struggle to come to terms with their deep feelings for each other. Both also try to learn forgiveness and try to make amends with estranged family members.

It was a quick, enjoyable read, so if you can find it used, you should read it.

Anybody know of any other Love Inspireds with minority characters? The only ones that I know of are the book mentioned in this blog post, my own novel, First Mates, Felicia Mason’s Love Inspired novels, and Camy Tang’s Love Inspired suspense.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Reserves Against Returns

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Angie asked the following question when she commented on my last blog entry:
What are reserves against returns?

I’ll try and answer the best that I can! Reserves against returns is when your publisher holds back (meaning they don’t pay you) a portion of your royalties until they’ve received a greater majority of the returns on your book. When a publisher receives returns, they deduct your royalty amount for each return against your amount earned.

For example, if you earned $500.00 in royalties, your publisher may decide to hold back $100.00 of this amount in reserve. As time goes on, maybe a year or so later, you might get $25.00 worth of returns – this $25.00 represents the amount in royalties you would have received if those books had sold. Once most of the returns are in, the publisher would then pay you the $100.00 minus the $25.00 in returns, netting $75.00 royalty check to you, the author.

I noticed from the link that I posted that the author did not receive a royalty check on her April 2009 statement. This happens when you receive your first one or two statements, you might not get a check, or you might get a small check. I sense that this author will receive a royalty check on her next statement, or the one after that.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

How Much Money Does A New York Times Bestseller Make?

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If interested, see this link. I’d meant to place this on my blog awhile back, but I forgot to do it! I know a lot of authors dream about making the NY Times Bestseller’s list (myself included). Here are the highlights of the post:

The author’s book, Twilight Fall, debuted at #19 on the New York Times mass-market list back in July 2008.
She received the first royalty statement for this NYT novel in April 2009 (Yes, publishing can be quite slow at times.)
First print run was 88,500 copies.
Total sales units, as of this royalty statement, are 64,925
Royalties = $40,484.00 (this amount does not include the reserves against returns)
The author received an advance of $50,000
She’ll be receiving the next royalty statement October or November 2009.

So take a look at the link to glean more information if interested. I’m glad the author shared her royalty statement with the rest of us!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Raising Rain by Debbie Fuller Thomas

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Raising Rain by Debbie Fuller Thomas
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Moody Publishers (September 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0802487343
ISBN-13: 978-0802487346

From Amazon.com:
Product Description

Raised to be a ‘new woman’ by her mother and three college roommates in the 70’s amid anti-war protests, feminist rallies, and finals, Rain Rasmussen discovers that putting her career first has left her overdrawn at the egg-bank, and her baby fever has now driven off her significant other.

When her terminally ill mother demands a Celebration of Life before she dies; they all confront ghosts from the past on a ‘stormy’ weekend in Monterey. Bebe, the roommate closest to Rain’s heart, revisits choices that have impacted Rain the most, raising doubts about God’s—and her own—willingness to forgive and to be forgiven.

This novel touched upon an edgy subject for Christian fiction, abortion. However, the subject was dealt with in a realistic manner, and I could imagine someone who is saved, who’s been through an abortion in the past, to use this book as a ministerial tool.

Rainbow Star has been raised by her single mother, Jude, as well as Jude’s three roommates. The four roommates, from back in the late sixties/early seventies, share a fragile bond and they have many issues brimming beneath the surface of their friendship.

Rain doesn’t even know who her father is, and her headstrong mother, Jude, is vocal about not needing a man in her life. Unbeknownst to Rain, Jude’s headstrong manner has rubbed off onto Rain’s personality, causing a huge breakup with her live-in boyfriend.

Rain is now single and determined to have a baby, no matter what it takes. Should she get pregnant and raise a baby alone, following in her mother’s footsteps?

When Rain finds out the real reason why her boyfriend has left her, she’s stunned, and she’s forced to step back and take a look at her own life.

The four roommates and Rain share a celebration weekend during the last days of Jude’s life. During this time, they discover long-held secrets about one another.

This novel will show you how we can seek the Lord’s forgiveness for past mistakes.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Guest Blogger Stephen Bly

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You know how I occasionally talk about food and recipes on this blog? Well, I thought it’d be fun to post Stephen Bly’s article about Menus On The Old West Trail! Interesting information, and some of this new knowledge makes me cringe a little bit! Don’t forget to access the links at the bottom of the article for Stephen’s Chili Recipe and to check out his new release, Creede Of Old Montana!

While some big towns like Denver, San Francisco and Virginia City had fancy restaurants, most frontier cafes were of the simple sort. They were often called chophouses, because of the hunk of meat that hung in the backroom. They chopped off a slab and fried it up for you. Not too fancy. Nor sanitary. Most times it was only “slightly spoiled.”
Cowboys on the trail filled up with biscuits, bacon, and beans. There wasn’t much beef because no boss wanted to slaughter his own cattle. If a cow wandered in from some other herd, it could be butchered and fried, but for the most part bacon and salt pork dominated the menu.
Ah, good old boiled coffee. You can almost feel the coffee grounds strain between your teeth. The brand was probably Arbuckles, that tastes something like a Starbucks tall Americano with a quadruple shot…and mixed with a bit of mud.
There was plenty of sourdough bread on long trail drives. The cook’s prized possession was a 5-gallon, wooden sourdough keg. When getting ready for the trail drive or roundup, the cook put 3 or 4 quarts of flour and a dash of salt in the keg. He poured in enough water to make a medium thick batter. Sometimes a little vinegar or molasses was added to hasten fermentation.
When the dough got ripe, this whole batch was thrown away. The keg is seasoned. A new batch is mixed in the same way. Everyday new batter is mixed to fill the keg. Placed in sunlight during the day and wrapped in blankets at night kept it warm. Some cooks slept with their kegs on cold nights. An outfit that allowed harm to come to its sourdough keg suffered the consequence. Most cooks defended their kegs with their lives.
By the late 1880s air-tights (canned food) were available, such as peaches and tomatoes. That provided more ways for the camp cooks to make dessert.
One trail favorite was Hounds Ears & Whirlups. Thin sourdough batter was dropped onto hot grease and fried brown. The dough usually spread out in the shape of a dog’s ear Whirlup sauce was made with water, sugar, flavoring and spices. If available, dried fruit was chopped or mashed into the mixture and bring it to a boil. It thickened a tad as it cooled, then poured over the Hounds Ears. A big hit with hungry cowboys.
That sounds better to me than Pooch…a dessert made with tomatoes, sugar, and leftover bread or biscuits, cooked over the campfire.
Ah, life on the trail. Pour the coffee and pass the pooch.

Download Stephen Bly’s own Spicy Elk Chili recipe here. Other recipes are also listed on that file. There are some other things you can check out on the Free Stuff Page at Bly Books.

New Release October 1, 2009:
Creede of Old Montana (hardback)
Center Point Publishing/Thorndike
Order through any local quality bookstore, online bookstore, public library, or
Bly Books.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post! Check out Stephen’s book and if you try his chili recipe, let me know if you liked it!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

October Book Giveaway

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Before I post the books for the October Book Giveaway, I just wanted to announce that the winner of the September Book Giveaway is:

Renee Chaw – Perryopolis, PA

Renee, I’ll be snail mailing your books out to you soon.

Here are the novels that I’m giving away for the month of October. Some of these books are brand new and some are slightly used! Also, remember to leave your email address when commenting for the giveaway so that I’ll have a way of contacting you if you win. Also, by entering, I’ll automatically add your name to my newsletter email list. Don’t worry about that, though…I only send out mass emails for newsletters a few times a year, so you won’t be hearing from me very often! If I choose you as the winner, I’ll be posting your first and last name and city and state on my blog, announcing you as the winner. This box of books will be given to ONE person. Here are the books:

1. What The Bayou Saw by Patti Lacy

2. Sins Of The Father by Angela Benson

3. A Cousin’s Prayer by Wanda E. Brunstetter

4. The Lumberjack’s Lady by Susan Page Davis

5. Becoming More Than A Bible Study Girl by Terkeurst
From the Back Cover
Is Something Missing in Your Life?
Lysa TerKeurst knows what it’s like to consider God just another thing on her to-do list. For years she went through the motions of a Christian life: Go to church. Pray. Be nice.
Longing for a deeper connection between what she knew in her head and her everyday reality, she wanted to personally experience God’s presence.
Drawing from her own remarkable story of step-by-step faith, Lysa invites you to uncover the spiritually exciting life we all yearn for. With her trademark wit and spiritual wisdom, Lysa will help you :
* Learn how to make a Bible passage come alive in your own devotion time.
* Replace doubt, regret, and envy with truth, confidence, and praise.
* Stop the unhealthy cycles of striving and truly learn to love who you are and what you’ve been given.
* Discover how to have inner peace and security in any situation
* Sense God responding to your prayers
The adventure God has in store for your life just might blow you away.
6. A McKaslin Homecoming by Jillian Hart
When contacted by her long-lost grandmother, Lauren McKaslin wanted to reconnect—with all the warmhearted Montana McKaslins. For too long, she’d relied solely on herself and her faith. But mistrustful lawman Caleb Stone stood in the way, and his questions about her were intimidating. Was his attention more than a protective instinct? Now that she believed in family again, perhaps this was also the time to believe in true love….

7. Val’s Prayer by Terry Fowler
From Heartsong Presents website:
Val Truelove dreams of owning the Kentucky horse farm she grew up on and running a wedding venue business. And she prays big prayers. When an answer comes in an unlikely package, her life is never the same again. But she must overcome obstacles – an opionionated architect, sabotaged plans, and a revengeful former coworker – to see her dreams become reality.
8. Heath’s Choice by Terry Fowler
From Heartsong Presents website:
For years, Heath’s one goal was to get his education and help his younger sibilings obtain theirs. Now God’s provision has freed him to pursue other interests. He finds himself trying to reconcile his choice to be a landscaper against finding a job worthy of his expensive education. As a teenager, Heath was attracted to Jane, but when it came down to choices, she made decisions that changed her life – and not for the better. She’s back in his life, but can Heath get past his fears and trust God to give him the woman he loves?

9. All That Glitters by Lynnette Sowell
From Heartsong Presents website:
When Francesca Wallingford first meets Count Philippe de la Croix, he turns her head. But then an old friend, Alfred Finley, returns to the society that scorned him years ago. A summer in Newport, Rhode Island, with its sequence of balls and cotillions, pits both men in a quest for Francesca’s hand. But what role does love and honor play when Francesca’s mother has her own agenda for her daughter to become a countess?

And, if you feel inclined, go over to Amazon and check out my April 2010 release! If you feel led, you can pre-order it! I think Barbour did a beautiful job with the cover!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The Lumberjack’s Lady by Susan Page Davis

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