Category Archives: Fiction

WOOL – Silo Series 1-5

Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1) (Wool, #1-5)

***Note, this is a secular title.

Can you imagine living hundreds of feet below the earth with your people, having no contact with the outside world?

That’s the premise of WOOL, a five-part series about large group of people who live underground in their home, a SILO. The SILO is huge, several hundred feet beneath the earth and the population makes their living by doing a host of jobs: machinery (to run the electricity in the huge underground home), agriculture, cafeteria worker, etc. These people live without contact with the outside world – they have little knowledge of what lies beyond the great door leading outside.

However, being below ground for decades can cause strife amongst people. Some get depressed, curious about what lies beyond those underground walls. Sensing their fate of death, they volunteer to “clean.” This means they are suited up, sent Outside, and when they’re sent out, they clean the SILO window, giving the people a clear view of the outside. The suit does not hold up under the strife of the outside world – so people are sent to die – both voluntarily, and non-voluntarily. The non-voluntary cleaners are those who create strife in the SILO, firing up the people, giving them all sorts of forbidden ideas that go against the Pact.

One SILO worker, Juliette, who works in the Mechanical department is particularly strong and courageous. Her life takes an interesting twist after a certain man is sent to clean.

This is a sci-fi title (I don’t read many of those). I kept hearing about this book in my writers’ circles so I felt that I should read it. I was NOT disappointed. I LOVED this book! Although the plot mesmerized me, I still felt there were a few things that were not fully explained – like, what happened to make the world unlivable beyond those SILO doors? A couple of the characters talk about this briefly, but, I was still left wondering. Is the entire world unlivable outside of the silo?

So, could you imagine living hundreds of feet below the earth with your people, having no contact with the outside world? How would those living conditions affect your mind?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Childhood Favorites – From The Blog Archives

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What are your favorite childhood stories? Which books really resonated with you?

If you know me very well, you’ll know that I LOVE READING! It’s one of the few things in my life that has been constant from early childhood until now. When I think about my time as a kid, I think about some of my favorite books. I’ve listed A FEW of them here, but, as I think about it, I’m sure there are others:

1. The Dick And Jane Series – Actually, I don’t consider this one a “favorite” but, these books kind of stay in my mind because these are the books that were used to teach me to read. I just remember the joy of being able to string words together and to actually read an entire book aloud!

2. Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House Series – I read these books over and over again. I really enjoyed seeing these characters through the pages of these novels! The family went through lots of trouble in the wilderness and Laura had lots of struggles with her nemesis, Nelly Olsen. There was also a popular TV series on in the seventies that was based upon the characters in the Little House books. I watched most of the episodes of Michael Landon’s series, too.

3. The Boxcar Children – A group of four orphaned children hide out in an abandoned boxcar to escape the care of their “evil” grandfather. The rest of the series focuses on their being raised by their grandpa and the adventures they faced. I read this entire series a couple of times I believe when I was around nine or ten?

4. The Nancy Drew Mysteries – the originals. I read the original Nancy Drew mysteries when I was in the fifth grade. I was mesmerized by this courageous, smart, 18-year-old woman who solved mysteries and…she didn’t accept payment for her services. Her mother died when she was three and she was raised by her lawyer father, Carson Drew and her housekeeper, Hannah Gruen (sp?).

5. Heidi

6. The Secret Garden

I recall reading Heidi twice and I believe I read The Secret Garden more than once. Both of these stories involved ill children, struggling to get well. In Heidi, she lives in the mountains with her grandfather, the Alm (sp?) Uncle and there’s a shepherd boy named Peter in this story too. Heidi loves to read and I recall her reading to a blind woman in the story. I believe this book took place in the Swiss Alps. Also, there was a little girl in a wheelchair, but I can’t remember her name. My memories of The Secret Garden are a bit sketchy, but I recall the garden served as a solace to a sick child as the youngster struggled to get better. I believe there was a boy named Dicken? in The Secret Garden?

So, what are your favorite childhood stories? Why were they your favorites? Have you read any of the stories that I’ve listed above?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The Millionaire’s Nanny Arrangement by Linda Goodnight

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The Millionaire’s Nanny Arrangement by Linda Goodnight

***note – this is a sweet romance!

The Millionaire's Nanny Arrangement (Harlequin Romance, #4053)

How would you cope if your cheating husband has died, leaving you pregnant and alone?

Workaholic Ryan Storm runs his multi-million-dollar company to ensure his motherless daughter, Mariah, has a better life than his. Widowed, he finds himself lacking a nanny/tutor for his highly-intelligent daughter. When he meets Kelsey Mason, a woman he knew in high school, at the airport, he realizes that Mariah and Kelsey get along well. There’s only one big problem, Kelsey is very pregnant – can he be sure that her pregnancy is safe – he’s not the best person to have around when a woman is expecting a child.

Kelsey recalls Ryan from her high school days, and wonders about his commitment to his daughter. He never spends time with her since he’s always working and poor Mariah craves to spend more time with her daddy. Kelsey and Ryan argue over the best way to raise Mariah while Ryan worries about Kelsey’s pregnancy – she’s recently widowed and alone – plus she’s beautiful. Although they disagree on many things, their mutual attraction sizzles.

This was a delightfully enjoyable read. A short, sweet romance that you can finish in a few hours.

So, how would you cope if your cheating husband has died, leaving you pregnant and alone?

***My e-book, Milk Money, is only 99 cents! Download it now before the price goes up!

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~Cecelia Dowdy~

Like Sweet Potato Pie by Jennifer Rogers Spinola

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Like Sweet Potato Pie by Jennifer Rogers Spinola

Shiloh Jacobs, a new Christian, continues to struggle with her ever-growing faith. She’s still getting settled in the deep south, getting used to southern folks doing the following things: talking with a southern accent, eating grits, and shooting deer. She misses Japan, but wonders if she’ll ever find a way to make it back to her beloved former home. She’s still suffering from the sting of her plagiarism mistake, which temporarily ended her journalism career.

Now that she’s living in the home she’s inherited from her mother, she tries to find a way to make a living. The IRS is breathing down her back, wanting her to pay her back taxes. Will she find a way to get herself out of her financial quandary? After all, if she doesn’t find the money to pay the back taxes, she could lose her home.

Meanwhile, she’s somewhat confused about her attraction to Adam, the local gardener. He’s not all that great-looking, (totally the opposite of her cheating ex-fiancé), yet, there’s something about him that’s utterly appealing.

Amidst all of this, there’s a sparkling cast of realistic southern characters as they work through their own set of problems, of which include infertility.

I really enjoyed this novel! The characters were realistic and the descriptions of scenery, the seasons, feelings, etc. were so good that the words literally sparkled on the page. You really felt Shiloh’s struggles and it was easy to empathize with the issues she was facing.

I also liked the fact that the hero is not drop-dead gorgeous (unlike most romance-type/women’s fiction novels). Adam is just an ordinary-looking guy with a strong faith in Jesus – yet Shiloh, who used to be superficial, is smitten with Adam. Overall this was a great read and I highly recommend it!

***My e-book, Milk Money, is only 99 cents! Download it now before the price goes up!

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~Cecelia Dowdy~

A Time To Laugh by Kelly Eileen Hake

Milk Money – only 99 cents – A Sweet Romance – ebook!

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My romance novel, Milk Money, is currently available for 99 cents – that’s less than the price of a cup of coffee!! Download it today! You can also loan this e-book to your friends, too! If you like it, please leave a review on Amazon! It’s available on Kindle, Nook, and possibly other e-readers! Don’t have a Kindle or a Nook? You can always download and use the free Kindle App on your Smart Phone or PC!

Have you already read Milk Money? You could always gift this book to your friend(s)! If you’ve read my novel and you enjoyed it, please leave a review on Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Christianbook.com, or anyplace else that allows book reviews!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Do Men Read Romance Novels? – From The Blog Archives

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Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve received correspondence from two men about my Love Inspired title, First Mates. Both men said that they enjoyed the story and they wanted to know if I had other titles available. One of the men is thirty years old and the other is in his seventies. This recent correspondence gave me the idea for the topic of this blog post.

Do you know any men who read romance novels?

When I think of romance novel readers, I picture women of various ages engrossed in the pages of romance paperback novels. I realize this view may be a bit out-dated so I’d like the opinions of others. If you know of any male romance readers, tell us about them. What do men find appealing about a romance novel? If you are a man who reads romance, please respond and tell us why you read it.

Leave your responses in the comments! 🙂

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The Chance by Karen Kingsbury

Grounds To Believe by Shelley Bates

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Grounds To Believe by Shelley Bates

Have you ever been involved in a cult, or, known someone who’s been involved in one? What happened when you (or whomever) was involved with that group?

Ross Malcolm has a young daughter and he’s desperate to find his child. Years ago, he was involved with a woman (the mother of his child) who ran away with his daughter to join a cult. Ross has not seen his child in years, and wonders about her fate. A Christian, Ross is determined to investigate cults, hoping to stop their unreasonable practices.

Ross is alerted to investigate a cult when a pattern of mysterious children’s deaths becomes suspicious. When he rolls into town on his motorbike, he meets Julia, a member of The Elect, the cult he’s been called to investigate. He finds himself attracted to the beautiful plain-dressed woman. His ruse requires him to act as if he’s interested in becoming one of the Elect – the Elect feel that they are the only saved ones on this earth – all other religions are worldly and influenced by Satan.

I really loved this book because I saw several elements that were familiar in the cult environment. For example, The Elect don’t believe in having a personal relationship with Jesus – their salvation depends upon their Shepherd and his rules – God only speaks to them through their Shepherd and he decides their fate, not God. Also, they watch one another, if one rule is broken or bended, you could be Silenced, scorned for life, doomed to a life of Hell. Makes me wonder how one can stay enmeshed within a cult for so long – but, I suppose after being in it for so long and it’s all you know, you become close to the other members, and they’re like your family. It’d be kinda hard to give all that up if you don’t have others in the world in which to turn. The members of the Elect kinda reminded me of the Amish and the Shakers with their judgmental attitudes.

This was a good read over all! So have you ever been involved in a cult, or known someone who has? What happened? Tell me about the experience by leaving a comment!

Need a good, emotional romance? Try John’s Quest, on sale now for 99 cents!

~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~