Author Archives: Cecelia Dowdy

Wedding Every Weekend

Have you ever been afraid to pursue your dreams?

Brooke is dissatisfied with her life. She’s a physical therapist. She’s unhappily dating her boss. When she breaks things off with him, things get awkward for them at work. I can imagine that it must be hard to work side by side with someone with whom you’ve recently broken up.

Brooke meets Nate while she’s shopping for a coffee machine for her workplace. Neither Nate or Brooke are interested in dating. Brooke has proclaimed that she’s going to take the summer off from dating. She wants to spend time focusing on herself, doing whatever she needs to do to be happy.

When Nate hurts his knee, he finds himself in need of Brooke’s healing skills. Both of them surprisingly find out that they have a LOT of mutual friends in common as they attend the same weddings during the entire summer.

Since Brooke feels awkward around her boss, she finally decides to pursue her dream, and open her own business. She has some obstacles to overcome before she can make this happen.

The feelings between Brooke and Nate were so vivid … so real.

Nate restores old cars. He’s inherited his business from his dad. He was so supportive of Brooke. He encouraged her to pursue her dream of opening her own physical therapy business. She admitted that she was afraid of failure.

One of the strongest scenes in the movie was when Brooke’s discovers a busted pipe in her home. This is a huge mishap since Brooke had been planning on spending her extra money on opening her new business – not fixing her busted pipe. When Nate arrives, he says, “Brooke, I’m so sorry.” There’s so much depth and emotion in his voice. You know he’s falling for Brooke, especially when she replies, “I’m just glad you’re here.”

He responds, “Me too.” They share a look, a look of, well…a look of two people who are attracted to one another!

After they were thrown together at each wedding, well…their feelings developed even more, in spite of their apprehensions.

I thought it was brave of Brooke to pursue her dreams.

As is typical of Hallmark, Brooke overhears Nate’s conversation – but she doesn’t hear the entire conversation – so she mistakenly thinks that Nate is not romantically interested in her.

I thought this movie would’ve been more realistic if Hallmark hadn’t used the convention of Brooke not hearing Nate’s entire conversation. The reason why I say this is because, well, the movie would’ve been so much STRONGER, if Brooke had simply confronted Nate about what she’d “heard.” I mean the man actually helped her with her dream by restoring her car for her and finding a buyer for it. Brooke needed that money and Nate really came through for her.

The way Brooke’s character was portrayed….well…I think she’d be stronger and more forthcoming near the end. After she “heard” Nate, I would’ve had a heart to heart talk with him that evening. Brooke should’ve said, “I heard what you said earlier about wanting to stay single. Not wanting somebody telling you what to do. What’s up with that?”

Then Nate could’ve told her that she’d not heard the entire conversation! Know what I mean?

It was sweet – Nate purchasing Brooke’s restored car, instead of selling it to the interested buyer.

So have you ever been fearful in pursuing your dreams?

Cedar Cove – The Series – 1

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Do you enjoy stories about small towns?

I love stories about small towns! Cedar Cove is a Hallmark Channel series. It went off the air years ago. I recently watched it, for the second time, via Amazon Prime. This TV show is based upon the characters in Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3.

I love beaches and there’s just something so nice, quaint, and romantic about a town that’s on a beach (or in this case, a cove).

I read some of the Cedar Cove books several years ago. So when I make comparisons to the books, the details will be somewhat sketchy.

I enjoyed this series more than the Hallmark Channel romance movies. I think the reason why I enjoyed it is because, it reminded me of a sanitized version of the soap operas that I used to watch. Years ago, I blogged about the following topic: Should Christians Watch Soap Operas?

Although Cedar Cove doesn’t have religious overtones, it reminded me of a soap opera that was cleaner than the ones shown on daytime TV.

I loved the setting. If you’ve read some of my books, you’ll know that I’m a fan of beaches! There’s just something so nice, holy, and…well…beautiful about a sandy shore and water. Cedar Cove is set right on the beach and the residents have to take a ferry into Seattle whenever they want to leave town. I loved seeing folks eating at Moon’s or seeing the characters dine where they had a nice view of the water. Cedar Cove is the perfect setting for romance!

The characters really resounded with me.

There’s Olivia Lockhart. She’s a judge. I thought it was a really cute and inspiring idea to have a woman to be a judge in this small town. She’s strong, respected, and intelligent. Almost everyone loves Olivia Lockhart. No, she’s not perfect, but, she’s honest, trustworthy, and tries to live her life the best that she can. She’s had her share of pain. She’s divorced and she lost her son (Jordan) years ago. She still misses her son and she’s close to her daughter, Justine (Jordan’s twin sister).

I felt that Olivia’s character in the series closely mimicked the character in the books.

Olivia’s attraction to Jack was refreshing and realistic. These two are total opposites. Jack is a news reporter for the Cedar Cove newspaper. He’s a recovering alcoholic. He’s hesitant about acting on his attraction to Olivia because this is the first time he’s dated someone as a sober man. He goes to AA meetings and has a sponsor who helps him out during his rough times. I think Jack likes Olivia so much because she’s nice, sweet, and sympathetic towards others. She’s a gem of a woman and Jack realizes he’s picked a winner.

That’s why their romance gives him cold feet. Jack has lots of trials during this 3-season series. He falls off the wagon and is approached by his ex-wife about a news reporting opportunity in Seattle. Jack struggles with his pain as he tries to reconcile with his son, Eric, whom he hasn’t seen in a long time.

Alcoholism is a subject that I explore in my own writing. It’s a problem that has been in my family for years, and it touches me to see someone struggling with addiction. I believe this is one reason why I was so drawn to Jack’s character.

There’s so much I want to say about this series that I have to break it up into several blog posts. This will be the first post of many.

So, do you like stories about small towns? If so, have you watched Cedar Cove? Which of these characters did you like best: Jack or Olivia?

Hallmark – New CEO

Wonya Lucas was named the new CEO at Hallmark Channel! I’m glad to see an African-American woman in this role. Until the last couple of years a lot of the Hallmark Channel movies and series had mostly White actors/actresses as the main characters. I think this is their way of bringing more diversity to their staff. Diversity has been discussed on a national level over the last few years. Diverse discussions have escalated this year, given all of the discrimination that has been going on in the United States.

My sister used to work at Discovery Channel and she remembers working with Wonya a long time ago. Kudos to Hallmark!

Christmas, Candy, and Christ

The Candy Beach Series

Mega apologies in advance. I realized I had a technical glitch with my website a few days ago. After I posted about The Candy Beach Series, I realized that my links weren’t functioning properly. So, I deleted my original Candy Beach Series post and am now re-posting.

It’s summer! So hard to believe! With Covid and everything going on in the world today, it’s so hard to sit back and relax and have a good time. I hope you can take some time during your summer and read a nice, emotional and delicious romance. I have summer titles as well as winter titles! Not only is it summer but it’s also Christmas in July!

Come and enjoy a hot or cool summer treat! My books are delicious and some of them are only 99 cents! My books have often been compared to Hallmark romance movies, so, if you like Hallmark movies, then you’ll enjoy my romance novels!

One of my Hallmark movie blog readers, also an old acquaintance, was confused about my Hallmark movie blog. She didn’t realize I blogged about movies, but, thought I blogged about Christian romance novels and the Bible.

I had to point out to her that I have two blogs. On my other blog I write book reviews about Christian fiction books, and I also blog about the Bible. Both my Hallmark Movie blog, and my Christian Fiction blog, don’t have a regular schedule. I blog when I feel like it.

For example, I’m working on a blog post for my other blog about The Bachelor TV Show – I’m comparing that TV show to the Old Testament. Don’t laugh. I’m NOT a huge fan of The Bachelor TV Show, but, made myself watch one season. I wanted to figure out the appeal. The show has been on for about two decades. When I watched it, I kept comparing it, mentally, to the Old Testament when men had multiple wives. My Biblical blog posts are unique and insightful. I will be sure to mention when my Bachelor TV Show blog post is completed.

I also blog about Jesus on my other blog. So, if you’re interested, come check out my Christian fiction blog, if you feel inclined.

Have an awesome weekend. Hallmark has been showing lots of Christmas in July movies! Which one is your favorite?

Love on the Sidelines

LOVE ON THE SIDELINES PODCAST

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you enjoy movies such as Love on the Sidelines then you should try Rocky Road Dreams by CECELIA DOWDY. Rocky Road Dreams is about a lawyer named Kyle Baxter. Kyle is on a month-long Christmas hiatus from his job. He rents a house on the Outer Banks for his extended vacation. Melanie Richards, his childhood friend, lives across the street. When they were kids, Melanie had a crush on Kyle’s identical twin brother Keith. Kyle never thought he stood a chance with Melanie since she was smitten with his brother. Keith is now married and both Kyle and Melanie are single.

 

 

Will Melanie give him a chance?

 

Kyle’s mom died when he was three and he barely remembers her. He’s determined to find out more about his mom. As Melanie and Kyle reconnect during the holiday season they take a long road trip during a snowstorm so that Kyle can find answers to his questions about his mother. The road trip is also something that Melanie must do so that she can save her business. See ceceliadowdy.com/books or click on the link at the end of this blog post to purchase Rocky Road Dreams. Rocky Road Dreams is available on Amazon.

Do you like sports?

If you’re a fan of Hallmark, then I’m 99% sure you’ve seen this movie. Hallmark has shown this movie countless times, and I can only assume that they show it so often because it’s a fave among Hallmark fans.

Laurel, a struggling fashion designer, is desperate for a job. Her roommate will be marrying a dentist pretty soon, so, she gets a new roommate. Her new roommate is able to snag a job for Laurel at the personal assistant agency where she works. Laurel is matched with Danny Holland, a famous recently-injured, football player.

At first, Laurel and Danny do not get along. Danny is annoyed that Laurel knows NOTHING about football. He’s obnoxious, rude….just, so, not likable.

What I liked most about Laurel was her perseverance. She is NOT a quitter. Although things were rocky between her and Danny, she still showed up for work each day and gave the job her best shot. She also found parts of the job, like party-planning and walking Danny’s dog (Knute), which were NOT sports related. She was able to thrive doing the non-sports tasks, and in the midst of it all, she even learned about football.

Using her fashion expertise, she re-designed football jerseys into feminine-like shirts. These female football shirts proved to be a hit among Danny’s football team’s girlfriends and wives. Since she put all of her energy into making her job work, she was finally able to get along with Danny. Part of the reason why Danny was so grumpy was because he’d been injured – he’s mad because he can’t play for several weeks.

This movie really brought some things to mind regarding my own life. When I was in my twenties, I had a SHORT long-distance relationship with a guy in Florida. He was a dozen years older than I, and BORING – which is why the relationship lasted for such a SHORT time. I’m not a football fan. Never have been. Wait, the only time I really got into football was when I played football pool at my job – and even then, money was an incentive for me to “like” sports.

I think sports are important, even though I can’t seem to get into them very much. I think kids can get great exercise and learn to work with a team by playing sports. My son has a black-belt in karate, and he’s played soccer. He’s now in track and field and cross country – well, as much as he can – Covid has put a damper on summer and fall sports.

Back to the Florida guy. He’d start the morning off, around ten-ish, with a drink. He’d drink all day. He’d then watch football all day. He told me he’d never met a woman who didn’t like football.

I was thinking really?

I was so bored. All I wanted to do was read a book or go back to sleep. So boring… Plus, it was wintertime – so in Maryland, it was cold. In Florida, it was warm. I wanted to open the windows or sit outside a bit to enjoy the warm weather. He freaked out – he wouldn’t open the windows.

He wouldn’t even let me open the curtains. He thought it was weird that I wanted to sit outside on the steps to enjoy the warm Florida weather. Did I mention that I was bored and we had absolutely nothing in common?

Remember the scene in Love on the Sidelines, at the beginning, where Laurel’s friend’s fiancé, storms toward their table, upset that Danny got hurt? Remember Laurel and her friend just look at him, as if they don’t comprehend the magnitude of Danny getting injured?

Well, that’d be me. Actually, I do enjoy soccer. I think soccer is a lot more exciting than American football. Seeing those men rush down that field – there’s more activity in soccer. I usually only watch soccer during the World Cup, but, I’m sure I’d watch it more as a social outlet if I were presented with the right opportunity.

The closest I’ve come to doing sports myself is running. I used to run 10-K races. I also used to work out at the gym and participate in aerobics classes, including step aerobics. Currently, I just go on brisk walks – I might even jog for awhile if I have enough energy!

So, how about you? Do you like sports, or some other type of physical activity? If so, what’s your favorite?

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you enjoy movies such as Love on the Sidelines then you should try Rocky Road Dreams by CECELIA DOWDY. Rocky Road Dreams is about a lawyer named Kyle Baxter. Kyle is on a month-long Christmas hiatus from his job. He rents a house on the Outer Banks for his extended vacation. Melanie Richards, his childhood friend, lives across the street. When they were kids, Melanie had a crush on Kyle’s identical twin brother Keith. Kyle never thought he stood a chance with Melanie since she was smitten with his brother. Keith is now married and both Kyle and Melanie are single.

 

 

Will Melanie give him a chance?

 

Kyle’s mom died when he was three and he barely remembers her. He’s determined to find out more about his mom. As Melanie and Kyle reconnect during the holiday season they take a long road trip during a snowstorm so that Kyle can find answers to his questions about his mother. The road trip is also something that Melanie must do so that she can save her business. See ceceliadowdy.com/books or click on the link at the end of this blog post to purchase Rocky Road Dreams. Rocky Road Dreams is available on Amazon.

 

Christmas Next Door

Have you ever had trouble completing a project?

Writers’ block. I could so relate to that. In Christmas Next Door famous writer Eric Redford (played by Jesse Metcalfe, and, as usual, he’s as cute as ever!) is struggling with his next book proposal. He’s an author of bachelor-style books and amidst his writing struggle, he receives an unexpected phone call from his mom. She’s “sick”. She can’t take care of his niece and nephew during Christmas so Eric has to step in and take the youngsters over the holidays.

Eric’s life is so carefree. He’s dating a pretty lady and he’s free to hang out with his buddies. However, Eric needs to get to know himself better and you get the sense that his mom is trying to help him. I think she knows her son is unsettled and she realizes he needs some changes in his life – so she orchestrates the visit with his niece and nephew.

Eric is struggling to take care of the two youngsters, so, he solicits help from April, his attractive violin-playing neighbor. April is used to teaching music to kids and she’s getting ready for a big audition. She gets along with Eric’s niece and nephew and slowly shows Eric that Christmas is not so bad.

However, April is leery of Eric. She’s employed as a violinist at a fancy restaurant and runs into her handsome playboy neighbor. She’s offended by his comments, but, deep down, she knows she’s attracted to him. But, Eric has a girlfriend and he supposedly loves his bachelor lifestyle. He’s obviously not a good match for her….or is he?

I enjoyed hearing April play the violin. I did some research online and discovered that the actress who plays April does not really play the violin. The violin-playing was staged, but, it was still, oh-so lovely.

I thought it was cute when Eric kept finding Christmas decorations in his yard! He mistakenly suspects April is the culprit – secretly leaving decorations in his yard at night. It was sweet when his niece and nephew trick him into purchasing a huge Christmas tree. Eric is a Scrooge when it comes to Christmas, but, his niece and nephew, as well as April, show him that the holiday can be oh-so enjoyable! That turkey he made near the end looked delicious!

What I liked most about this movie is that Eric finds out that bachelorhood is not all it’s cracked up to be. He finally finds the “cure” for his writers’ block – he writes a different kind of story, a story that’s the total opposite of what he’s written in the past.

As stated earlier, I could relate to Eric’s writers’ block. I’ve suffered from that occasionally in the past and it is NOT fun! I could also relate to Eric meeting with his agent. I’ve worked with a literary agent in the past and the process can sometimes involve a meeting of three minds: author – agent – publisher; working together to create a wonderful project that the readership should enjoy!

So, have you ever suffered from writers’ block – or something similar – in the past? What did you do about it?

Try Loving Luke – a sweet Christmas romance that you are guaranteed to enjoy – only 99 cents!

The Good Witch

The Good Witch – Podcast

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing, LLC. Check out our wholesome romance titles by visiting ceceliadowdy.com

Are You a Fan of Hallmark Channel’s The Good Witch?

Instead of talking about a Hallmark movie, I thought I’d speak a little bit about The Good Witch. The Good Witch is a series on the Hallmark Channel. I’d never really watched it until recently. I saw that it was on Netflix. I’m not a huge fan of witches and witchcraft. However, the few times I’d stumbled upon an episode on Hallmark, I was intrigued enough to watch.

Hold on…do you like to read fiction? I’m a Christian romance author and have published several contemporary and historical titles on Amazon. You can view all of my titles here. ceceliadowdy.com Now back to The Good Witch…

So, when I saw that the entire first few seasons was on Netflix, I thought I’d watch. I like the small-town feeling of Middleton. I also like how the townsfolk know one another and want to help one another out and show their support. The one thing about the town that somewhat bothered me was that everybody was White. No Black people at all. Wait, I do recall them showing an African-American couple exiting a restaurant once. I think the series needs more diversity – however, this may have changed in later seasons. I’m currently on season four.

I also like Grey House. A bed and breakfast with beautiful scenery is a nice backdrop for a story. Cassie is a witch and her cop husband has died. Someone on Twitter mentioned that there were movies made before the series. I was surprised to see that some of the characters in the series were children in the movies. Meaning, the same actors that played the character as a child, had now grown up and they played the same character (from the movie) who’d grown into adulthood. I’m speaking of Cassie’s step-children. I saw the same 2 actors in one of the Good Witch movies – except they were much younger in the movies.

The romance between Sam and Cassie was refreshing. They’ve got good chemistry and I can see them moving forward and getting married – which I know they do in future episodes. Sam is a doctor and Cassie is a holistic healer. They have clashing views about healing and it makes for some good chemistry and conflict between them. I thought that the problems that Sam had with his ex-wife, and his son Nick, were realistic.

I also enjoyed seeing Nick’s interaction with Cassie’s daughter, Grace. Grace is such cute, nice teen and both her and Nick deal with their share of teenage angst, like dating, falling in love, friendships, relationships, school issues, etc.

I was surprised that I enjoyed watching this series more than watching Hallmark romance movies. The scenery was nice and I liked seeing the different shops in town.

Cassie’s Bell Book and Candle Shop was…strange. I thought that the concept of her shop was totally unrealistic, yet, the concept worked for this series, if you know what I mean? She didn’t really have much of a theme for her shop. Like, most shops will sell a certain…something. Like a clothing shop sells mostly clothes. A candy shop sells mostly candies. But Bell Book and Candle? Cassie sells some herbs and spices, but, she also had a host of other theme-less things that didn’t necessarily go well together. She uses her powers to just know what her customers are seeking. It can be anything from paint brushes to books to ginger candies or maps!

Cassie’s cousin, Abigail, is an intriguing combination of good and well…naughty. At first I thought she was more or less a villain, but, later, it just turns out that she’s, well….complicated. She can be nice when she wants to be.

If I were a writer for this series, and I had to change something – the only thing (outside of the diversity issue) that I would change would be the mayor. Mayor Tisdale…well…I must be honest. She adds absolutely nothing to the series, at all. She’s flighty and nonsensical and I just don’t quite understand her role. Whenever she steps onto the scene, the background music changes. If you haven’t noticed this then pay attention the next time you watch it. The music switches to this nonsensical tune, as if you’re about to watch some kind of comedy or something? Is Mayor Tisdale supposed to be comic relief?

Also, I feel like I’m watching someone play the role of a mayor. What I mean to say is – when you are watching a movie or TV show that you enjoy and like, you can really get into it. You don’t feel like you’re watching actors playing a role. You feel like you’re actually watching a true, real scene, that’s really happening right in front of you. When I watch Mayor Tisdale, I feel like I’m watching someone trying to play the role of mayor. Almost like watching a high-school play or something from a local amateur actor’s guild.

I think the story would’ve been much stronger if they’d had a “real mayor”. What I mean is, someone who acts as if they are truly a mayor. Like, somebody campaigning for a cause or….I don’t know. Mayor Tisdale talks about such silly things and her tone of voice is so totally unrealistic that it’s nerve-wracking! I think if she were in the role of something else, like, maybe a clothing shop owner, or maybe a restaurant owner, I may like her a bit more? I also didn’t like that person who was added as her sidekick later, her male assistant, to whom she continuously dictates. Makes me cringe.

I also didn’t like how Mayor Tisdale was stripped of her mayoral title because the town’s boundary line had changed? The plot point where Abigail (who is in some kind of temporary role) suddenly has the power to strip Mayor Tisdale of her mayoral role, and then she (Abigail) becomes mayor?? Abigail is mayor for several episodes. I found it hard to watch her in that role, and to see Tisdale stripped of her role. The reason I found it hard to watch is because I felt the entire plot point was so unrealistic and implausible.

After Tisdale lost her mayoral role – well – think about it. If you were to lose your job, yes it would affect you, you’d be worried about finding another job. Especially if you need the money to survive. But, she wants her mayoral title back, but, her suffering was…was not the way a regular person would suffer in the real world after losing their bread-and-butter job! She just kind of went to different businesses and “helped out”. I felt that this plot point would have had a lot more meaning if it’d been written more realistically.

I highly recommend this series for those who want to watch something light and somewhat serious – at times serious. I tend to occasionally fast forward past the mayoral parts. But, other than the mayor, a very enjoyable series.

I also watched The Good Witch Movies. Come read about the movies! Leave a comment!

So, are you a fan of The Good Witch? If so, what do you like about it?

 

Do you know any Hallmark Channel Fans? Tell them about my Hallmark Movie blog by sharing this link: Hallmark Movie Reviews | (ceceliadowdy.com)

 

Loving Luke – a sweet intoxicating, delicious romance. Try it today for 99 cents.

Bittersweet Dreams – A Delicious Hallmark-Style Romance – Now Available!

Do you like the taste of good, sweet candy?

Bittersweet Dreams was released on July first! It’s also available on Kindle Unlimited! Earlier, I shared an excerpt here. Bittersweet Dreams is the perfect romance for Hallmark movie fans! Hallmark movies often feature treats – like chocolate candies – and reading this romance will whet your palette for more! Grab your copy today! Be sure to tell all of your Hallmark movie friends, as well as your romance-reading friends!

So, do you like the taste of good, sweet homemade candy? If so, what’s your favorite flavor?