Lena Nelson Dooley is hosting me on her blog today with an interview and a book giveaway! You have to leave a comment on THIS BLOG POST in order to be entered into the drawing! Be sure to read the interview before commenting!
Read this interview on my friend, Jenny’s blog. I think it’s cool that she found one of my novels in Koorong, an Australian Christian bookstore chain! Leave a comment on her blog! 🙂
1. When did you first began writing?
My earliest memories of me writing were when I was a little boy around ten years old. I would write stories about my living in other places. My cousin Yvette, who gave me a love for reading, would write poetry and I wrote some poetry as well, following her example.
2. When did you first decide you wanted to see your book in print? That was my ultimate vision as I was writing Do You Wanna Be Made Whole? As I wrote it I wanted to see it published.
3. I Believe you’ve self published your novel? Could you share how you went about doing this?
I felt led to self publish for several reasons. First I had written a novel in 1992 and had a secured an agent in 1993 but he wasn’t able to secure a deal for me. After that I lost my interest in writing and some years later I lost that manuscript in between moves. After I had written Do You Wanna Be Made Whole? I was praying about trying to sell it to a publisher or to publish it myself when I attended a writer’s conference in Virginia Beach. The facilitator was a young woman named Renee Bobb and the thrust of the conference was on self publishing. After that conference I was inspired to self publish. Another person who has been inspiration to me in self publishing is Dr. Linda Beed, one of the moderators on the BWCHRISTIANLIT Yahoo group. Linda has shared a wealth of knowledge with the group and with me personally about the intricacies of self publishing.
4. Linda does share a wealth of knowledge with her Yahoo group members. Did you choose a certain company, did you incorporate yourself, or did you go through some other process to get your book in print? With Renee’s help I choose Lightning Source as my printer and she has given me many helpful recommendations in this process. Renee has also written and published a manual on self publishing.
5. I’ve heard Lightning Source recommended by others for self-publishing services. Could you tell us a little bit about your journey to becoming a pastor?
I started preaching when I was seventeen years old. I preached my first sermon on March 25, 1984. I knew early in the ministry that I would one day pastor a congregation and I was elected to my first church in September 1993. I have been a pastor to three congregations in the states of West
Virginia, Virginia and Texas. I have been at this church in
southern Virginia for eight years – which is a unique situation in itself. I was elected to this church in September 1994 and I served as pastor until April 2000 when I left to go to Texas. The church elected me a second time in November 2006 and I returned in February 2007. It is very rare in this denomination to pastor the same church twice.
6. What is your novel about?
This novel is about an older pastor, James Maxwell who is a father type to the following characters: Theo Dexter, Michael Cain and Adam Jones. Each of these men are experiencing life crises that are threatening to derail them. Each of them turns to Pastor Maxwell for help and he walks with them through the process of wholeness.
7. Where did you get the idea for your novel?
I’m not really sure where I got the idea because it was a long time ago when I first started writing my book. I started writing this story at the end of 2003 and the beginning of 2004. My mother had died in June of 2003 and I was writing with a lot of pain so it’s very possible that this story was the result of me dealing with my own brokenness.
Thanks for stopping by today, Bernard!
If you want to know more about Pastor Bernard Boulton, visit his website. You can also read an excerpt of his book at his web address.
Stephanie, the covers of your books are fabulous! They look so colorful and fun – very appealing to YA readers. Can you tell me if most of your readers are teenagers, pre-teens or both? Have you had any adult readers to write to you and comment about your novels?
Thank you! Didn’t the covers turn out great? The team at Revell did a great job, especially at picking the model. She’s the PERFECT Skylar.
All of the readers who have written to me have been teenagers. High school, mostly. I’ve had one mom e-mail me, but it sounded like just her daughter had read my books. So far, the adult readers have mostly been people I know personally. Many of them then recommend the Skylar books to teenagers they know, so I assume they enjoy them!
What made you choose YA fiction? Is this your favorite genre to read?
I LOVE reading YA fiction. Even though I read a variety of genres, I find YA books are the ones I really gobble up.
In high school, I wrote books about high school students, but I assumed I would grown out of it. After I graduated and decided to pursue publication, I wanted to write “serious” novels, like you’d study in English class. But I couldn’t think of a single idea. The only ideas I ever had were for YA books. Finally, I gave in to what was clearly God’s calling. Now I love what I do so much that I can’t remember why I didn’t want to do it in the first place.
I read the first chapter of both of your novels on your website, and you have the gift for a distinctive YA voice, which I’d think would be hard for an adult to master. Do you have any advice for writers wanting to pursue a career writing YA fiction?
First, thank you!
Writing YA fiction has its own mix of challenges because you’re writing for teens, but you first have to sell it to adults (editors, agents, etc.) Also, parents are often the ones who buy the books.
This may sound stupid, but I’d recommend watching and observing a few TV shows geared toward teens. You’ll notice quickly that the teens on those shows don’t talk like teens in the real world. Instead, they talk like adults. Teens are drawn to snappy, intelligent dialogue, and I think that’s a key element of writing for them.
Another thing I would say is get ready to be vulnerable and genuine. I put a LOT of my middle and high school emotions/doubts/fears on the page, and boy does that get uncomfortable sometimes. But if anybody can sniff out a faker, it’s teens.
Who are your favorite YA authors?
In the general market, I’m a huge Sarah Dessen fan. She writes “quieter” books like I do, where descriptions sound like, “Well, it’s about this girl … and she’s not quite sure who she is … she meets this guy….” She writes fabulous stuff. I wish I knew about her when I was a teeanger.
In the Christian market, hands-down my favorite YA author is Jenny B. Jones. I laugh like crazy through her books.
***Okay, I couldn’t resist asking:
Have you read the Twilight series? If so, did you enjoy it?
So, I finally caved and bought the first two Twilight books because I’m a YA author, and it’s kinda expected. I started the first one when I was sick … and 24 hours later I closed it and started New Moon … and 24 hours later I dragged my toddler along to the bookstore to buy Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, which I finished a few days later. I couldn’t believe how gripping they were.
If you’re aspiring to be a YA author (or if you already are one), the Twilight Saga is mandatory. At school visits, girls ALWAYS ask if I’ve read Twilight. And if I’m Team Edward or Team Jacob. (Jacob.)
Thanks for being on my blog today, Stephanie! We’re doing a book giveaway: A copy of Out With The In Crowd!
Leave a comment with your email address if you’d like to be entered into the drawing!
~Cecelia Dowdy~
Come to Jenny’s blog and read my interview about Christmas!
Secrets And Lies by Rhonda McKnight
Faith Morgan is struggling with her faith. Years of neglect leave her doubting that God will ever fix her marriage. When a coworker accuses her husband, Jonah, of the unthinkable, Faith begins to wonder if she really knows him at all, and if it’s truly in God’s will for them to stay married.
Pediatric cardiologist Jonah Morgan is obsessed with one thing: his work. A childhood incident cemented his desire to heal children at any cost, even his family, but now he finds himself at a crossroads in his life. Will he continue to allow the past to haunt him, or find healing and peace in a God he shut out long ago?
About the Author
Rhonda McKnight owns Legacy Editing, a free-lance editing service for fiction writers and Urban Christian Fiction Today (www.urbanchristianfictiontoday.com ), a popular Internet site that highlights African-American Christian fiction. She’s also the vice president of the Faith Based Fiction Writers of Atlanta. Originally from a small coastal town in New Jersey, she’s called Atlanta, Georgia home for almost twelve years.
Rhonda, tell us how you came up with the idea for this story?
I woke up one morning and these people were talking in my head, or rather arguing. (LOL). I thought this could be interesting, turned on the creativity, and came up with the “issues” in their marriage. I also did a lot of research about heart disease. Jonah is a pediatric cardiologist and that’s central to the story. I knew absolutely nothing about heart disease before I wrote this novel.
Who is your ideal reader?
I think most people will think my ideal reader is women who are married. While I think the book will definitely appeal to married women, I’d love for single woman who are thinking about marriage or waiting on Mr. Right to read the book. There is a valuable lesson for single women in the story. Faith chose to overlook a very important issue prior to her marriage to Jonah. This issue becomes a huge source of pain for her. Ten years later her ideal black man has her pulling her hair out.
Name something about the book that will appeal to readers?
I think readers will find it appealing, because more than half of it is written from Jonah’s point of view. My informal research amongst readers has taught me that women readers love stories that are written from a man’s perspective. Like most men, Jonah is complex. He’s a love to hate kind of guy. People will love him because he’s dedicated his life to physically healing children, but he’s emotionally and spiritually sick himself. What a burden for Faith. Faith’s pain will have some folks shaking their heads at Jonah.
When’s your next book being released?
My second novel, An Inconvenient Friend comes out August 1, 2010. I have a nasty little character in Secrets and Lies who gets her own story, and what a story it is. She’s up to no good. Can she be redeemed?
How can readers find out more about you?
Readers may contact me at my website at www.rhondamcknight.net. I love for people to sign my guestbook and share their thoughts about the story. I’m also a complete Facebook addict. You’ll definitely find me there more than you should at www.facebook.com/rhondamcknight
I’ve enjoyed having you on my blog today, Rhonda! Readers, check out Rhonda’s story! Go to a bookstore and pick up a copy today! I just received my copy from Amazon a few days ago and I look forward to reading it and reviewing it on this blog!
Stop by Sharon Ball’s blog and read my interview!
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!
This is an interview done by Heartsong/Love Inspired author Cara Putman on her blog. I haven’t had the pleasure of reading Sara’s books yet, but I look forward to reading them in the future. I was saddened to hear about the death of Sara’s husband one week ago. He was only forty. Please keep Sara in your prayers and purchase her books! They sound like great reads, and I’m eager to give them a try! Here’s Cara’s interview:
This interview ran on Monday — and I just learned that Sara’s husband died of a heart attack on Tuesday. He was young — 40 — and I am so grieved for Sara and her children. If you’ve considered buying one of these books, please follow the links at the end of this post to buy one or both books. I thoroughly enjoyed both, and may go buy them again they were that good.Miss Fortune and Miss Match are delightful books set in NYC in 1947.
Tell us how you got the idea for Allie and these books…
I got the idea for Miss Fortune in the middle of the night, when all good ideas come to me:One sleepless night I was watching The Maltese Falcon and I started to wonder how different the story would be if Sam Spade had been a woman. She’d never have fallen for Miss Wunderly’s charms and lies. She’d have been smart and tough and she would have solved the case in half the time it took Sam because she wouldn’t spend all of her time smoking cigarettes and calling her secretary Precious.The thought of a hard-boiled female detective got my mind whirling.I paused the movie and sat in my darkened living room thinking about how much fun a female Sam Spade could be. Intrigued but not yet ready to dash to my computer, I changed disks and put on Casablanca (my all time favorite movie ever). The sweeping love story, a tale full of hard choices and sacrifice was what finally made the whole idea click in my mind. If I could just combine the P.I. detective story of the Maltese Falcon with the love story from Casablanca, and make Sam Spade more of a Samantha, I could have the best of all worlds.These books are so good, I wish I’d written them.
How did you set the stage to capture that gritty PI feel without being dark?
I find that a lot of PI stories are gritty and dark, focusing on the worst of the humanity, and while I wanted the Allie Fortune mysteries to be exciting and tension-filled I didn’t want them to be stark and hopeless.One of the things I tried to do to counteract the darkness was to give Allie a multi-layered life. She has cases, relationships, friends and family, all of which I hope combine to make the stories textured, rich and full of life.Allie is a character I’d love to have coffee with.
What did she teach you while you wrote these books?
Allie was a great character to write. One of the things I learned from her was that human relationships (man/woman, mother/daughter, friends) are complicated and full of unspoken rules and expectations. Allie is a rule-breaker at heart and it complicates her life on a regular basis. One of the storylines I loved most is Allie’s relationship with her mother and how it grows and changes and how it’s shaped her.Another dimension of Allie’s character that really taught me a lot was her willingness to do whatever was needed to help those she loves. There is no price on that kind of friendship and it’s a characteristic I’d like to see more of in myself. Okay I admit it, I’ve got a bit of a friend-crush on Allie. LOL.
One last question: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would that be and who would you take with you?
If I could go anywhere right now I’d head to Monterey, California (I’m writing a book set there right now) and I’d plant myself on the beach with a notebook, writing my story as the waves crashed. Sounds like my idea of heaven on earth. There’s something about the wind-shaped Cypress trees and the crash of the surf in Monterey that calls to me. I don’t know why, it just is.
Miss Fortune, Allie Fortune Mystery Series #1 By Sara Mills / Moody PublishersIn 1947 Allie Fortune is the only female private investigator in New York City, but she’s kept awake at night by a mystery of her own: her fianci disappeared in the war and no one knows if he’s still alive. Until Allie finds out, she will have no peace. When there’s a knock on her office door at four in the morning, Allie suspects trouble as usual, and Mary Gordon is no exception. Mary claims someone is following her, that her apartment has been ransacked, and that she’s been shot at, but she has no idea why any of this is happening. Allie takes the case, and in the process discovers an international mystery that puts her own life in danger.
Meanwhile, the FBI is working the case as well, and she is partnered up with an attractive, single agent who would be perfect for her under other circumstances-if only she knew whether her fianci was still alive.
Miss Match, Allie Fortune Mystery Series #2 By Sara Mills / Moody PublishersFBI agent Jack O’Connor receives a letter from Maggie, a woman he used to love, saying she’s in trouble in Berlin. The FBI refuses to get involved, so Jack asks Allie Fortune to help him investigate. Allie and Jack pose as a missionary couple who want to bring orphans back to the United States.
A child finds important documents that everyone in the city – Soviets and allies alike – want for themselves. Maggie refuses to tell Jack what the documents are, saying if things go wrong, they are better off not knowing. Through the course of the search, Allie’s past is brought back to her, half a world away from home.
I was featured in the local paper of my old hometown, Northeast Maryland. The paper is the Cecil Whig. The article was published today. Here’s the full text of the article:
Here’s the full text of the story:
Local author set to release fifth novel
By Rebecca Sewald
rsewald@cecilwhig.com
Published: Tuesday, April 7, 2009 7:05 PM CDTBy day, 42-year-old Cecelia Dowdy spends her time crunching numbers as an accountant in the Washington, D.C.-area. But by night, the former Cecil County resident can often be found engrossed in a fictional world of romantic interludes, where good always triumphs and happy endings are a must.
In her spare time, between tending to her 3-year-old son and spending time with her husband of five years, Dowdy writes fiction stories, several of which have been published.
“I write Christian romance fiction,” the Greenbelt, Md. woman said. “The stories always involve a man and a woman meeting and falling in love, and there’s always a faith journey.”
Most recently published is her novel, “Milk Money,” which was released in January and inspired by a visit to a Cecil County farm.
The book tells the story of a young woman, Emily, who is left to tend to the family dairy farm after her father suddenly passes away. The task seems manageable until the day Franklin Reese, a certified public accountant, arrives to audit the business. It’s not long before Franklin falls for Emily, but he must come face-to-face with his own personal issues before he’s able to win her heart.
“The book itself is not set in Cecil County – it’s set in Monkton (Md.) – but I did go to a dairy farm in Cecil County during my research for the book,” Dowdy said. “I had to go there to get a better feel for dairy farming. They showed me how to milk cows and all the other things they have to do. It’s grueling work.”
As always, Dowdy’s story offers an inspirational message to readers, this time demonstrating faith as a means of overcoming addiction.
“Franklin, the accountant, is an alcoholic, and as the story goes on, he learns to beat the addiction. … He doesn’t know Jesus, but he ends up going to a church-sponsored alcoholic support group. He actually ends up finding Jesus in the story, which helps to give him the faith to overcome the addiction,” she said.
Dowdy, a 1984 graduate of North East High School, is awaiting the release of her fifth novel, “Bittersweet Memories,” which is set to hit bookstore shelves in June.
“That book is set in Maryland, also,” she said. “The heroine (Karen) is engaged to a fiancé (Lionel) that isn’t very nice – he’s stealing money from the church, which causes a big uproar.”
But when Karen returns home to Annapolis to live with her mother, she meets handsome plumber Keith Baxter, who just happens to be her new neighbor. Keith grows smitten with the girl next door but must face his troubled past before he can move forward.
Other books Dowdy has had published include “John’s Quest,” “First Mates” and “Promises to Keep.” The author has also produced more than 30 short stories, which have been published nationally in multiple women’s magazines.
“I have always loved to read books. That was my favorite pastime. I think I feed a lot off that,” Dowdy said.
She was 28 years old when she first began having serious thoughts of writing a book.
“I was at work on a lunch break, and I didn’t have a book to read, so what I did was start writing, and I’ve been writing ever since,” she said.
Though it took her more than five years to get her first book published, she never gave up on writing.
“I like creating the characters and their issues and helping them work through them by their faith in God so that everything is fine in the end,” Dowdy said.
As a result of her stories, the author has received a large amount of positive feedback from readers, several of them revealing that her books have strengthened their faith.
Dowdy said she plans to continue writing in the future and hopes to one day make it a fulltime career.
For those aspiring writers out there, she has one word of advice: write.
“Join a professional writers’ group that meets regularly either online or in person. Ask for advice and write,” she said. “Some people say they want to write a book, but they don’t do it. You have to actually sit your butt in the chair and write. It’s easier said than done, but it’s just what you have to do if you’re serious about it.”
For additional information about Cecelia Dowdy or to purchase one her books, visit her Web site at www.ceceliadowdy.com.