{"id":720,"date":"2009-02-11T12:09:00","date_gmt":"2009-02-11T12:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/2009\/02\/first-wild-card-blog-tour-johns-quest.html"},"modified":"2009-02-11T12:09:00","modified_gmt":"2009-02-11T12:09:00","slug":"first-wild-card-blog-tour-johns-quest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/2009\/02\/first-wild-card-blog-tour-johns-quest\/","title":{"rendered":"First Wild Card Blog Tour – John’s Quest"},"content":{"rendered":"

John’s Quest<\/strong> is being featured as a First Wild Card Blog Tour today. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/a>It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour<\/a><\/span><\/strong> book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Today’s Wild Card author is: <\/strong><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Cecelia Dowdy<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

and the book:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

John’s Quest (Maryland Wedding Series #1)<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Barbour Publishing, Inc (2008)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

\"\"id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299919100012479298\"<\/a>Cecelia Dowdy is a world traveler who has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember. When she first read Christian fiction, she felt called to write for the genre.She loves to read, write, and bake desserts in her spare time. Currently she resides with her husband and young son in Maryland. <\/p>\n

Don’t miss the second book in the Maryland Wedding Series, Milk Money<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Visit the author’s website<\/a> and blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Product Details:<\/p>\n

Mass Market Paperback: 170 pages
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc (2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1602600066
ISBN-13: 978-1602600065 <\/p>\n

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:<\/span> <\/strong>
<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299919279702719058\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The loud banging at Monica Crawford\u2019s front door awakened her. Forcing herself out of bed, she glanced at the clock and saw it was two in the morning. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m coming!\u201d <\/p>\n

She ran to the door. Looking through the peephole, Monica saw her little sister Gina smiling at her. <\/p>\n

Her heart pounded as she opened the door, gripping the knob. \u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d Playing an internal game of tug-of-war, she wondered if she should hug her sister or slam the door in her face. Humid heat rushed into the air-conditioned living room. She stared at Gina, still awaiting her response. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice to see you too, sister.\u201d Gina pursed her full, red-painted lips and motioned at the child standing beside her. \u201cGo on in, Scotty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gina had brought her seven-year-old son with her. Dark shades hid his sightless eyes. \u201cAunt Monica!\u201d he called.<\/p>\n

Monica released a small cry as she dropped to her knees and embraced him. \u201cI\u2019m here, Scotty.\u201d Tears slid down her cheeks as she hugged the child. Since Gina had cut herself off from immediate family for the last two years, Monica had wondered when she would see Scotty again. \u201cYou remember me?\u201d Her heart continued to pound as she stared at her nephew. His light, coffee-colored skin glowed. <\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I remember you. When mom said I was going to live here, I wanted to come so we could go to the beach in Ocean City.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shocked, Monica stared at Gina who was rummaging through her purse. Gina pulled out a cigarette and lighter. Seconds later she was puffing away, gazing into the living room. \u201cYou got an ashtray?\u201d<\/p>\n

Monica silently prayed, hoping she wouldn\u2019t lose her temper. \u201cGina, you know I don\u2019t allow smoking in this house.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gina shrugged. After a bit of coaxing, she dropped the cigarette on the top step and ground it beneath the heel of her shoe. \u201cI need to talk to you about something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scotty entered the house and wandered through the room, ignoring the adults as he touched objects with his fingers. After Monica fed Scotty a snack and let him fall asleep in the guest bedroom, she confronted Gina.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere have you been for the last two years?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gina strutted around the living room in her tight jeans, her high heels making small imprints in the plush carpet. \u201cI\u2019ve been around. I was mad because Mom and Dad tried to get custody of Scotty, tried to take me to court and say I was an unfit mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Groaning, Monica plopped onto the couch, holding her head in her hands. \u201cThat\u2019s why you haven\u2019t been speaking to me or Mom and Dad for two years?\u201d When Gina sat beside her, Monica took her sister\u2019s chin into her hand and looked into her eyes. \u201cYou know you were wrong. Mom and Dad tried to find you. They were worried about Scotty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jerking away, Gina placed a few inches between herself and Monica. \u201cThey might have cared about Scotty, but they didn\u2019t care about me.\u201d Gina swore under her breath and rummaged in her purse. Removing a mint, she popped it into her mouth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were worried about you and Scotty,\u201d Monica explained. \u201cYou were living with that terrible man. He didn\u2019t work, and he was high on drugs. We didn\u2019t want anything to happen to the two of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gina\u2019s lips curled into a bitter smirk. \u201cHumph. Me and Scotty are just fine.\u201d She glanced up the stairs. \u201cYou saw him. Does he look neglected to you?\u201d<\/p>\n

She continued to stare at Gina, still not believing she was here to visit in the middle of the night. \u201cWhat do you want? What did Scotty mean when he said he was coming here to live?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gina frowned as she toyed with the strap of her purse. \u201cI want you to keep Scotty for me. Will you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Monica jerked back. \u201cWhat? Why can\u2019t you take care of your own son? Did that crackhead you were living with finally go off the deep end?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gina shook her head. \u201cNo, we\u2019re not even together anymore. It\u2019s just that. . .\u201d She paused, staring at the crystal vase of red roses adorning the coffee table. \u201cI\u2019m getting married.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monica\u2019s heart skipped a beat. \u201cMarried?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gina nodded, her long minibraids moving with the motion of her head. \u201cYeah, his name is Randy, and he\u2019s outside now, waiting for me in the car.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monica raised her eyebrows, suddenly suspicious. \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you bring him inside? Are you ashamed of him?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gina shook her head. \u201cNo. But we\u2019re in a hurry tonight, and I didn\u2019t want to waste time with formalities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou still haven\u2019t told me why you can\u2019t keep Scotty. Does your fianc\u00e9 have a problem with having a blind child in his house?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gina scowled as she clutched her purse, her dark eyes darting around the room. \u201cNo, that\u2019s not it at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh-huh, whatever you say.\u201d She could always sense when Gina was lying. Her body language said it all. <\/p>\n

\u201cReally, it\u2019s not Scotty\u2019s blindness that bothers Randy. It\u2019s just that\u2014he\u2019s a trapeze artist in the National African-American Circus and they\u2019re traveling around constantly.\u201d Her dark eyes lit up as she talked about her fianc\u00e9. \u201cThis year they\u2019ll be going international. Can you imagine me traveling around the globe with Randy? We\u2019ll be going to Paris, London, Rome\u2014all those fancy European places!\u201d She grabbed Monica\u2019s arm. \u201cWe\u2019d love to take Scotty, but we can\u2019t afford to hire a tutor for him to travel with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re going to marry some man and travel with a circus?!\u201d Monica shook her head, wondering when her sister would grow up. At twenty-seven, she acted as if she were still a teenager. Since Monica was ten years older, she\u2019d always been the responsible sibling, making sure Gina behaved herself. <\/p>\n

Gina grabbed Monica\u2019s shoulder. \u201cBut I\u2019m in love with him!\u201d Her eyes slid over Monica as if assessing her. \u201cYou\u2019ve never been in love? I think it\u2019s odd that you\u2019re thirty-seven and you never got married.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monica closed her eyes for a brief second as thoughts of her single life filled her mind. Since her breakup with her serious boyfriend two years ago, she\u2019d accepted that God wanted her to remain single, and she spent her free time at church in various ministries. She filled her time praising God and serving Him, and she had no regrets for the life she led. But whenever one of the church sisters announced an engagement, she couldn\u2019t stop the pang of envy that sliced through her. <\/p>\n

Forcing the thoughts from her mind, she focused on Gina again. \u201cThis discussion is not about me. It\u2019s about you. You can\u2019t abandon Scotty. He loves you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gina turned away, as if ashamed of her actions. \u201cI know he does, and I love him, too. But I really want things to work out with Randy, and it won\u2019t work with Scotty on the road with us. He needs special education since he\u2019s blind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her heart immediately went out to Scotty. She touched Gina\u2019s shoulder. \u201cScotty knows you\u2019re getting married?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gina nodded. \u201cI didn\u2019t tell him how long I would be gone, but I told him I\u2019d call and visit. Please do this for me.\u201d Her sister touched her arm, and her dark eyes pleaded with her. She opened her purse and gave Monica some papers. \u201cI\u2019ve already had the power of attorney papers signed and notarized so that you can take care of him.\u201d She pressed the papers into Monica\u2019s hand. <\/p>\n

\u201cHow long will you be gone?\u201d asked Monica.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe power of attorney lasts for six months. Hopefully by then me and Randy will be more settled. I\u2019m hoping after the world tour he\u2019ll leave the circus and find a regular job.\u201d
Monica frowned, still clutching the legal documents.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease do this for me, Monica,\u201d she pleaded again.<\/p>\n

She reluctantly nodded. If she didn\u2019t take care of Scotty, she didn\u2019t know who would. <\/div>\n

Book Review For John’s Quest on Books And Needlepoint Blog<\/a><\/p>\n

Aus Jenny’s Book Review For John’s Quest<\/a><\/p>\n

Word Up Studies Blog Review for John’s Quest<\/a><\/p>\n

John’s Quest Book Review by Jewelz<\/a><\/p>\n

Book Splurge Book Review For John’s Quest<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

John’s Quest is being featured as a First Wild Card Blog Tour today. It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5,28,12,35,34,59],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-african-american-novels","category-barbour-publishing","category-book-talk","category-cecelia-dowdys-books","category-heartsong-presents","category-johns-quest"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paovYP-bC","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=720"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/720\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ceceliadowdy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}