Category Archives: African-American Novels

Breaking All The Rules by Rhonda McKnight!

Breaking All The Rules by Rhonda McKnight – Book 1 in the Second Chances Series

Wow! I loved this book! It was so sweet and delicious that I didn’t want it to end! I can honestly say that this is one of the best romances I’ve read in 2013!

Could you plan the wedding for your sibling – if your sibling was marrying your ex?

Wedding planner Deniece Malcolm returns to her hometown to plan her baby sister’s (Janette’s) wedding. This is a hard wedding for Deniece to plan because Janette is marrying Deniece’s ex-boyfriend (Terrance Wright), plus, Janette is pregnant with Terrance’s baby. Years ago, Deniece thought she’d marry Terrance, but, their wedding was not meant to be. Stunned and emotionally upset, Deniece tries to deal with her feelings as she plans the nuptials. Handsome international former soccer player, Ethan Wright (Terrance’s cousin) helps Deniece to deal with her feelings, and against her better judgement, Deniece finds herself drawn to Ethan. Ethan claims he’s always had a crush on Deniece.

But, Ethan is younger than Deniece, and she doesn’t want to break her rule of not dating a younger man. But, how can she resist, Deniece is hurting and Ethan is sexy and lovable. Both Deniece and Ethan have dealt with a lot of emotional pain in their past. This is a book of how they deal with their issues while they face their mutual attraction.

I was really drawn to both characters – I was especially drawn to Ethan. You really feel an emotional bond with these two people as they deal with their past issues. I also loved that this was a sweet, endearing romance. It was sweet but it was so good too!

You need to download this book and read it today! I guarantee you won’t be disappointed! I also love the cover to this book! Isn’t it awesome?

So, could you plan the wedding for your sibling – if your sibling was marrying your ex?

Selling My Soul by Sherri Lewis

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Selling My Soul by Sherri Lewis

Have you ever been on a missions trip? If so, how long did you stay, and which country did you visit?

Trina Michaels returns home from a two-year missions trip to Africa. She finds a string of calamities in her path: her mother is extremely sick, her irresponsible younger sister has not been paying the bills, and Trina finds herself forced to return to the work force, much earlier than she’d anticipated.

Her job puts her in a sticky situation – a situation which could ruin her relationship with her best friend. She’s also left a boyfriend back in Africa – is their love strong enough to withstand all sorts of obstacles?

This novel also showed how the African people to whom Trina ministered were so close to God. The healings and miracles that happened in the African village reminded me of the miracles mentioned in the New Testament. I touched upon the subject of the Biblical miracles when I blogged about the Early Christians.

This book was so good! A treat to read! Unlike most Christian fiction, the author touched upon some tough, serious, realistic issues which are riddled within the church today. If you want a page-turning book that deals with serious issues, then you should purchase this title.

So, have you ever been on a missions trip? If so, then please share the details of your trip with a comment.

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~Cecelia Dowdy~

African-American Books – From The Blog Archives

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Do you read books by African-American (AA) authors?

Many African-Americans will only read books by AA authors. Also, most bookstores have a separate section for AA books.

While I was growing up, there were few AA authors, so I read ANY NOVEL that I could find, the race of the author didn’t matter to me! I was joyous when the publishing scene exploded with lots of AA books (I was an adult by this time.)

My question to all of you is, if you are NOT African-American, do you mind reading African-American fiction? Do you feel that AA books are only written for other African-Americans? If you go to a bookstore, and see the AA section, would you go to that section and browse, or do you feel that those books are only for AA readers?

And if you are AA, do you ONLY read books by AA authors, or do you read books by people of all races? Over the years, I’ve met several African-Americans who tell me that they’ll only read AA authors.

I’ll start by responding to my own question. I’ll read a novel as long as it’s well-written and enjoyable. I don’t care if the author or characters are AA or not, I’m gonna read the book regardless. If I don’t like it, I won’t finish reading it!

I doubt that God would want us to separate our reading tastes like this. I’d think he’d want us to be open-minded and read books by authors of all races.

Leave your responses in the comments! 🙂

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Pink By Marilynn Griffith – From The Blog Archives

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Could you accurately portray characters of another race in a novel?

***This is a repeat of an old blog post.

Pink (Shades of Style)

by Marilynn Griffith

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Revell (February 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800730402
ISBN-13: 978-0800730406

From Amazon.com
Book Description
Meet Raya Joseph, the creative head designer at an up-and-coming new fashion design firm. Like employees of any fledgling company, Raya and her fellow designers face a variety of challenges–especially when it comes to bringing in business. So when they are hired to design a million-dollar wedding gown, these talented and animated designers are thrilled. But there’s one catch. The new customer is the woman who stole Raya’s fiance. Meanwhile, Flex Dunham, an athletic trainer who coaches a charity basketball team, needs team uniforms and soon finds himself in Raya’s shop. Raya hasn’t looked at a man since her engagement fiasco, so when Flex walks into her office, things get a little complicated. The entertaining first novel in the Shades of Style series, Pink offers a perfect mix of likeable characters, sweet drama, humor, and a little bit of romance.

I enjoyed reading this book, and I also loved the way the author made the reader aware about how AIDS really affects our lives. AIDS/HIV is something that I don’t really read much about in Christian fiction.

Raya is hurting. She’s been jilted by her ex-fiancé and she’s also estranged from her wealthy parents. As she desperately tries to make a living as a fashion designer, her friend, Chenille, introduces her to Flex: a personal trainer and a Christian man. The sexual tension between this couple is very strong, and Flex has issues of his own that he’s dealing with. Also estranged from his wealthy parent, both Flex and Raya are trying to make a living on their own, without using the vast wealth of their fathers.

Raya and Flex’s love grows during her early morning training sessions at the gym, and while she assists Flex with coaching his boy’s basketball team. Raya joyously spends time with the young men and especially connects with Jay, an AIDS orphan. As the story unfolds, you’ll find that Flex and Raya are connected in a very unique, surprising, and God-filled way!

Here’s something I never do when I talk about a book. I’m going to quote a couple of sentences from the book that I loved! I guess I loved these sentences because I love sweets so much? I’m not sure, but I love the way the author described this sunset.

From page 254:
The sun dipped below the horizon like a lemon cookie in a bowl of rainbow sherbet. Hues of melon and pink spread across the sky as though God was painting by number.

Those sentences were amazingly tasty and picturesque! I wanted to eat the sun!

Also, if you recall, I blogged about Cami Tang’s book awhile back. I’d mentioned that was the only Christian fiction novel I’d read with Asian characters.

Well, book two in the Shades Of Style series, Jade, has Asian characters.

Which brings me to another topic, people of different nationalities writing about different races. Marilynn is African-American and her second Shades Of Style book has Asian characters. As a matter of fact, each book focuses on a person of a different race:

I remember Marilynn spoke briefly about this at the ACFW 2006 conference in Dallas. It was an interesting discussion. I think it would be hard for me to write an entire novel where the main characters are Asian. I’m not sure if I could portray him/her authentically. However, I’m pretty sure I could pen a novel with Caucasian characters fairly easily. If anybody has read any of the books in the Shades Of Style series, I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts about them. I enjoyed the first one, and I’ll probably be reading the others sometime in the future.

So, could you accurately portray characters of another race in a novel? Have you read the Shades of Style series? Leave a comment!

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~Cecelia Dowdy~

Me, Myself, And Him

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Me, Myself, And Him by E.N. Joy

Locksie, a hairdresser, is living in sin with her boyfriend Dawson. Dawson is a personal trainer at the gym, and he’s the first man with whom she’s ever had intercourse. Locksie has been feeling guilty about her relationship with Dawson and her saved Aunt Mary tells her that she needs to develop a relationship with Jesus – her guilt stems from the sin that she’s committing.

The novel dealt with a cast of realistic characters with realistic issues. You have Drake, Dawson’s brother, who’s a saved man who has a deep relationship with Jesus Christ. Dawson finds himself lusting after another man’s wife and he prays, wanting God to forgive him and lift his unhealthy desire.

There’s also Hannah, who is married to Elkan. Hannah is a light-skinned Black woman, she’s so light that people think she’s a White woman. Hannah has issues in her marriage because Elkan cheated on her, and had a baby by his one-time mistress. This distresses Hannah since she’s unable to conceive.

This story reminded me of a soap opera, a soap opera with a Christian message. This novel was full of drama and snappy, realistic dialogue, and it showed realistic characters struggling with realistic issues that affect their faith journeys. It was a highly engaging read and I look forward to reading more novels by this author.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Nothing But The Right Thing – From The Archives

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Nothing But The Right Thing by Stacy Hawkins Adams

This book was fantastic! I had the pleasure of meeting Stacy Hawkins Adams, the author of Nothing But The Right Thing, at the 2006 Faith-Based Literary Arts Weekend. She can sure write a story that will stay with me for a long time. Erika has been abused by her husband, Elliott, for the last four years. This is a story about her struggles in dealing with abuse.

Meanwhile, Serena, Ericka’s best friend, along with her husband Micah, are dealing with fertility issues.

The characters work through numerous, realistic struggles.

This story shows how we need to lean on God and trust in Him while dealing with our issues.

This is the first book I’ve ever read by Ms. Adams, but I do plan on reading more in the future.

From the back cover:

Serena McDaniels is successful, sassy, and saved. Life is good. She has a loving husband and a new home. But there’s one dream that remains just out of reach. When she left a high-profile advertising agency to pursue her dreams of having a family, Serena never imagined that the stress of her husband’s pastorate and their desire to follow God’s will might delay their dreams of becoming parents. And when a dear friend makes a life-altering decision to leave an abusive relationship, Serena knows she has to help. Will she have to postpone her dreams forever? Or will she hear God’s still, small voice and realize his plan for her? Nothing But the Right Thing is a heartwarming novel that explores the journey of faith, friendship, and the power of prayer.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Dee Stewart (Miranda Parker) – RIP – You Will Be Missed

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I was shocked, teary-eyed, and upset yesterday to find out that author Dee Stewart (Miranda Parker) had passed away due to heart failure. I knew of her health issues from our Facebook interactions but…I guess I just didn’t think she’d die. I know she’d said she wasn’t feeling well…I’m still processing this.

Dee was a big advocate, a huge voice (in my opinion) for the genre of Christian fiction. She ran a popular Christian fiction blog, and she was also a columnist for the Christian Fiction Online Magazine (Multicultural Fiction column).

She’s also an author, and her second book for her Angel Crawford series was released last June.

I met Dee back in 2006 at the ACFW conference. I recall spending a good amount of my conference sitting on the couch in the reception area and talking to her about writing, blogging, marketing, and lamenting about the pain of rejection. Since that initial meeting, we’ve communicated online ever since. She’s always been warm, friendly, helpful, endearing, and kind. Her faith shined and I know she will be missed by many, myself included.

RIP Dee Stewart.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Cooking The Books by Bonnie S. Calhoun

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Cooking The Books by Bonnie S. Calhoun

Sloane Templeton is grieving. Her mother recently died and she’s now the owner of her deceased mom’s bookstore. Sloane never considered herself “into” books, but all of that changes when she leaves her Cyber Crime job to work in the store. A strange cast of characters lurk in the store, including Barbara, a crazy woman who has terrible mood swings and Fifi, the elderly store manager who was also her mother’s friend. Barbara is currently homeless, and appears to find solace spending time in the store with her laptop.

Sloane’s life is full of drama – her ex-boyfriend, Trey, who’s also a gangster, is having a hard time accepting that she’s now involved with a White Greek man, Andreas. Trey’s threatening nature intensifies, making Sloane fear for her safety. Also, somebody wants Sloane dead. When scary, cryptic messages start showing up on the computers in the bookstore, she tries to find the source of the problem by relying on her computer skills as well as the skills from her old co-workers. Also, Sloane receives a special delivery of a smelly dead rat. The mystery intensifies when two men fight over purchasing an ancient, mystical book in Sloane’s possession. This mysterious book was acquired by her mother and having this book causes more turmoil in her complicated life.

When her fears worsen, she learns to shoot with a group of old people who often come to her store, but rarely read or buy books. The Granny Oakley Club escort Sloane to the shooting range, since she’s extremely dangerous handling a gun since she doesn’t know how to shoot.

In small snippets of comic relief, Sloane finds herself playing referee to her Aunt Verline. Aunt Verline can’t cook, and the few times she does, it turns into a disaster! The food is never edible and the fire department has made several trips to Verline’s house since she manages to burn down her kitchen when she tries to cook!

I really enjoyed this mystery. Sloane is a strong woman, but, I don’t think she initially realizes the depth of her strength. Like most Christians, she’s made some bad choices in her life, choices that come back to haunt her. The book leaves you wanting to read more mysteries starring Sloane Templeton.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The Pastor’s Wife

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The Pastor’s Wife by Reshonda Tate Billingsley

Terrence Ellis is the pastor of a thriving church. He’s thirty and he’s single, and the parishionhers are starting to wonder why he’s still unmarried. Terrance’s parents are deceased, so he was raised by his three aunts – they want to make sure that their nephew has a wife before the big Christmas event so that the congregation can stop gossiping about Terrance’s singleness.

I thought this book was a drama-filled page-turner. However, I thought that even though the book was set in the church, the only character that seemed intent on doing God’s will was Terrance. His aunts were busy-bodies who seemed like they had a lot of time on their hands with judgmental attitudes towards other members of the church. Also, as can be found in some churches, the parishioners were extremely judgmental toward one another. Terrance does develop feelings for Savannah – a parishioner with a bad reputation. When his aunts find out about his interest in Savannah, they go ballistic, trying to set their nephew up on blind dates. Also, Savannah stoops to low levels in order to claim Terrance as her significant other. Terrance harbors a secret, a secret that nobody knows about. This secret creates a unique turning point in this story.

If I were Terrance, I doubt I’d be able to lead such an openly judgmental church. I felt kind of sorry for him since he was only following his calling and trying his best to do the Lord’s work. I could easily see this drama-filled, page-turning novel being turned into a movie. Overall an exciting read.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

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