Question From A Poet

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To whom it may concern:
My name is R.B. and I am a poet. I’ve been writing since the age of twelve and I’ve had several of my poems published. What I would like to do is publish a book of inspirational poems based on my life & the things I’ve been through. I’m well aware of the fact that most publishing companies only pay to publish the books of well known authors and celebrities. I may not be a celebrity, but my Heavenly Father is and I believe that my testimony displayed in each and every one of my poems can touch people in a special way. I perform my pieces at church programs and everyone keeps asking me when they can purchase my book. All I need is for someone to take a chance on me and my work. I am very aware that anything worth having is worth working for and I am willing to put in the work if given the opportunity. Investing in me would be a blessing to me as well as all the people I will reach through my book. Please seriously consider my proposal. Please and thank you in advance. God bless you.
R.B.
My response:
R.B., thanks for writing to me and for visiting my blog! I appreciate getting questions from writers. I know very little about publishing poetry, so, I’m going to give you advice based upon limited experience. If I were you, I’d self-publish my book of poems. If you’re doing regular performances at churches, then you already have a built-in platform! I think it’s awesome that you’re using your gifts to glorify God’s Kingdom!
I’m not sure which publisher I’d recommend that you use, though, since I’ve never self-published a book. I’d assume you’d want to search for somebody as an editor to help with editing your work before you get it published. You might also want to make your poems available as an e-book, too. However, I’d definitely get paper copies of your books printed because it appears that you’d be able to move/sell a lot of copies after your performances. Also, make sure that your book has a nice, professional-looking cover.
From what I’ve heard over the years, publishers rarely offer book contracts for poetry. It just doesn’t sell very well. That’s why I feel it’d be best if you paid to have your work published (by self-publishing your poems). I’m not sure about the cost of getting your work published, but, with your regular performance engagements, I’d imagine it wouldn’t take long for you to earn your money back when you sell your copies to your audience.
You’d mentioned the following:
I’m well aware of the fact that most publishing companies only pay to publish the books of well known authors and celebrities.
This is simply not true. I’m certainly not famous or well-known and I’ve had five books published. This is a myth that needs to be broken. I guess there is some truth to that statement if you are specifically referring to biographies and true-life stories – in those cases, you’d probably have a better chance of getting a book contract if you were famous/well-known.
From the tone of your email, I sense that you think that I am a publisher. I’m not a publisher, I’m an author, however, I do answer questions on this blog from other writers.
I hope you found my advice helpful, and I hope you have a blessed day!

Sunday Brunch – Why Do Different Races Worship Separately?

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Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Do you worship at a mixed-race church, or, is your church predominantly one race?

Whenever I read the above-quoted scripture, I think about how we worship. Why do you think African-Americans and Whites worship separately? Are we presently separated  in the church by race because African-Americans were forced to be separated in the past (through slavery and segregation)?

Or, are we separated because of differing worship styles? I realize some separation in the church is obviously due to do differed religious beliefs. However, in this blog post, I’m focusing on racial separation within the church.

I’ve worshiped in different race environments. As a child, the Kingdom Hall where I worshiped had mixed races. After I broke away from that faith, as an adult, I began worshiping at an AME church (African-American Episcopal). Currently, my family and I worship at a mixed race Baptist church. However, I don’t consider myself a Baptist or an AME, I consider myself a CHRISTIAN.

So, is your church a mixed-raced church, or, are the members predominantly one race? What was the racial makeup of churches where you worshiped in the past!

Leave a comment!

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~Cecelia Dowdy~

Saturday Matinee – Catch Me If You Can

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Catch Me If You Can

Have you ever run away from home (or know someone who has)? If so, how did you manage to make a living?

This movie was great! I think I enjoyed it so much because it dealt with counterfeiting checks and dishonest behavior. Frank Abernathy is an extremely intelligent and troubled teen. When his parents get divorced, he runs away from home, but, he’s able to make a living with his shrewd mind and dishonest behavior. He poses as a Pan Am airline pilot, a doctor and a lawyer. He was able to con his way through these roles and he was just a teenager!

While conning his way through these occupations, Frank would create checks and cash them. He also charmed the women he met (like the bank tellers), engaging them in flattering conversations so that he could gain their trust.

I really enjoyed this movie because it was exciting and I really wanted to see if Frank would get caught by the end.

This movie was based upon a true story and it starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks.

So, have you ever run away from home (or know someone who has)? If so, how did you manage to make a living?

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~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~

Sunday Brunch – Should Christians Abstain From Blood?

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Back in the days of my childhood when I was involved with the Jehovah’s Witnesses, they always stressed that God did not want us to take blood into our bodies – it was a sin. If a Jehovah’s Witness were to take blood (via blood transfusion), then that person would be kicked out of the organization and shunned. Even if getting the transfusion was a life or death decision, you would still be “disfellowshipped/removed” from the organization if you agreed to have blood taken into your body.

This issue comes to my mind whenever the subject of blood is discussed. Do you think the attitude of taking blood/not taking blood is a bit legalistic? What are your views on the subject?

Of course, I realize that taking blood will NOT affect your salvation, however, I have to wonder if it’s a sin, the same way that pre-marital sex, drunkenness, etc. are sins.

The Apostle Paul mentions blood in these scriptures:

Acts 15:29

You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.

Acts 21:25

As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.”

Leave a comment and share your thoughts!

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~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~