Author Archives: Cecelia Dowdy

The Incredibles! :-)

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Do you have any favorite books that you’ve read in 2011? If so, what are they?

The Incredibles – no, I’m not talking about the Disney animated movie! I’ve decided to use that term to describe the four books mentioned in this blog post. I did a similiar blog post here.

These three novels are the best I’ve read in 2011, so far. What makes them incredible? Various reasons. Keep in mind that I didn’t scroll through my blog, making a decision about the top three books. For the MOST PART, these are books that keep coming to my mind, long after I’ve read them, over and over. I’ve read a TON of great books over this year, however, all books won’t stick in my mind as frequently as these. Also keep in mind that these are books that I’ve READ in 2011 – it doesn’t necessarily mean that the books were PUBLISHED in 2011! So here’s Cecelia Dowdy’s list of The Incredibles!:

1.

Courting Trouble by Deeanne Gist
 This book made the list because it was compelling, spicy, Christian romance and I found myself going back, reading pages over again. I NEVER do that! This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I look forward to reading more!

2.

A Whisper Of Peace by Kim Vogel Sawyer This book made the list because the heroine was strong, independent and likeable. Also, I think Kim did a great job dealing with the issues of race and reconciliation in this book. The setting was spectacular and I know I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time!

3.

A Heart Revealed by Julie Lessman This book made the list because it’s hot and spicy romance that I’ll remember for a long time. This story was about two hurt, broken people falling in love while overcoming great obstacles. Also, it was nice visiting the O’Connors again – I honestly think this is one of my favorite fictional families! I also liked how she wrote about a woman who is scarred/disfigured. You feel sympathetic to the heroine and you’re drawn into the story from the first page.

So, there’s my list! What are your favorite reads for 2011?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Sunday Brunch – The Disappearance Of The Saints!

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Awhile back, I had a Sunday Brunch blog post about the disappearance of Philip. Well, I’d heard that there were other scriptures in the Bible where the Lord made the Saints disappear. Ironically, I read and reviewed a Chris Well book recently, and in that novel, he listed some other scriptures that had disappearing saints.

What do you think about God making the Saints disappear? I think it’s oh, so amazing and awesome! Do you think something like that could happen today? I think it’s possible, but not probable. Depending upon who it was, I’m sure that person would be missed by friends and loved ones, people would be wondering what had happened to him/her. There may be those who would know that the missing person was lifted up by God, but, it’s highly unlikely that all would believe.

Also, to be lifted up by God, disappearing, with no dead body behind…well, I’d think the one being swept up by God would have a unique, highly-personal, very deep, relationship with God. It’d be a relationship that most of us wouldn’t even begin to understand.

Here are the scriptures:

ENOCH
Genesis 5:24
24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.
Hebrews 11:5
5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

ELIJAH
2 Kings 2:11-12
11 Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces.

JESUS – This instance is in a different vein than the rest on this list. However, I felt compelled to include this one since it’s familiar to most Christians and it helps to illustrate what I’m talking about.
Luke 24:3-7
3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. 5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 7 saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’”

PHILIP
Acts 8:39-40
39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

What do you think about God making the Saints disappear? Do you think something like that could happen today? Leave a comment!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Saturday Matinee – The King’s Speech

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Popcorn photo courtesy of Free Digital Photos.

This story is about King George VI. Since he’s destined to take over the throne after his brother abdicates (his brother has an affair with a divorced woman), George (nicknamed Bertie) has to make public speeches. The only problem is, George has a terrible stutter – he’s had this stutter since he was a youngster. He’s been to several specialists and doctors and none of them can help him with his stutter. His wife finds Lionel, a speech therapist and “doctor”. Lionel gets to the heart of Bertie’s problem – using psychological means – stuttering seems to be an emotional problem for Bertie. The working relationship between Bertie and Lionel buds into a true friendship with a few pitfalls along the way.

I thought this movie was good, but not great. This film received lots of acclaim, so, I thought I’d like it more than I did. It held my interest, but, it’s not a film that I see myself watching again. The characters were somewhat engaging and you’ll find yourself sympathizing with Bertie. If you have the time, I’d recommend watching this film, but, I figure there are probably lots of others out there that I’d enjoy more than this one.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Michael Hauge Workshop

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Last Saturday and Sunday, I participated in a workshop given by Michael Hauge. He’s a script consultant for Hollywood movies. He’s also endorsed by actor Will Smith. The workshop was AWESOME! Michael went over different aspects that needed to be present in movies in order for them to be engaging and successful. These same elements can also be applied to novels. I felt the heart of the workshop was when he was talking about characters. In order for your story to be engaging, your character has to have a wound. A wound is a terrible emotional experience that affects the character. In movies, SOMETIMES, the wound is symbolized by something physical, like, you might have scars from being abused as a child. But this wound, well, it makes the characters suffer emotionally.

Characters don’t want the world to see them as they really are, their essence. Every character has to have an identity, the identity is the way they appear to others – their essence is their hidden side, the side that REALLY shows who they are. The world seldom sees the essence of the character, except, perhaps, in bits and pieces. The whole point is to have the character living in their essence, their true self, by the end of the story.

I’m paraphrasing and leaving a lot of stuff out, but, for me, the essence/identity was the most important point made during the workshop. He also used movies as examples of good story telling. We watched clips of different movies and we were told to watch the following movies before the workshop: Titanic, Shrek, Good Will Hunting, Sleepless In Seattle and The King’s Speech. I’ll be posting reviews for some of these for my Saturday Matinees in the near future.

So, if you need a guest speaker for your writers’ group, I highly recommend Michael Hauge. Oh, I also purchased his book, Writing Screenplays That Sell. I think some of his advice may help me with my writing.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Burying The Hatchet By Chris Well

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Burying The Hatchet by Chris Well

Earl Walker is an elderly, wheel-chair-bound, amateur sleuth who is determined to prove the innocence of his new pastor. When Earl’s new pastor meets with a psychic for a public meeting, the pastor leaves the room and the psychic is found dead – the pastor is arrested for the crime.

Earl is feeling his way through Christianity and detective work in this novel. He’s a Christian, but still new to the scriptures. In his heart, he feels his pastor is innocent of this crime, and he’s determined to prove this fact. In the midst of his detective work, Earl is falling in love with Gloria, a dear elderly friend. He also consorts with a young woman named Jenny whom he nicknames “College”. As the threesome attempt to solve the murder, they keep running into the town’s deputy who accuses them of interfering with a federal investigation.

A lot of other things happen in this story – some church members want to oust the pastor since he’s been arrested for killing a psychic. There’s an author (Page) in town who’s trying to get the lead for his next book and Earl joins forces with Page since Page has already done a lot of research about the serial killings of elderly people in the area.

This book was a light, slightly humorous, enjoyable read. It also was interesting to read a novel from the viewpoint of an elderly person. I don’t see a whole lot of novels being published with older protagonists.

Ironically, this book touched upon some subjects that I’ve been blogging about lately. The disappearance of Philip was mentioned as well as the dangers of psychics.

Overall a good read that I’d highly recommend.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta! :-)

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The first time I’d ever heard of panna cotta was last Saturday (November 5, 2011). I attended a Michael Hauge workshop hosted by my local writers’ group. After the Italian luncheon, there was dessert – Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta. When I tasted it, the texture reminded me of the Mexican Flan. However, I thought the flavor was much better than flan. I could tell right away that the dessert contained gelatin because of the unique texture. The vanilla bean really gives this dessert an excellent flavor. If you try this recipe, let me know if you liked it.

Ingredients

1/3 cup whole milk
1 (.25 ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin
2 1/2 cups half and half
1/2 cup white sugar
One whole vanilla bean (if you don’t have a vanilla bean, then you can substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract for the vanilla bean)

Directions

Pour milk into a small bowl, and stir in the gelatin powder. Set aside.
In a saucepan, stir together the half and half and sugar, and set over medium heat. Split vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds into the half and half and sugar mixture. Place the vanilla bean halves into the mixture. Bring to a full boil, watching carefully. Pour the gelatin and milk into the half and half mixture, stirring until completely dissolved. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, if you’re NOT using the vanilla bean, then stir in the vanilla extract now. Pour into six individual ramekin dishes.
Cool the ramekins uncovered at room temperature. When cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight before serving. Serve with fresh berries, if desired.

You’re supposed to invert the ramekin onto a serving plate, releasing the panna cotta from the container before serving. I didn’t do this. I just simply ate it out of the bowl!

When I made this, I didn’t have to let it cool in refrigerator for four hours. I was able to eat it in about an hour or so. So GOOD. I recommend using the vanilla bean. I prefer the texture of vanilla pudding over the texture of this dessert, however, the wonderful taste makes this a close second, in my book, to homemade vanilla pudding! This dessert is extremely easy to make and you can make it MUCH FASTER than vanilla pudding. Why? Because you don’t have to cook it as long to get it to thicken. The gelatin solidifies much faster than the cornstarch or flour that’s used to thicken vanilla pudding. I know when I make vanilla pudding, I’m standing at the hot stove for awhile, stirring, waiting for the pudding to thicken. This recipe doesn’t take much cooking or stirring and the taste is great!

Have you ever tried panna cotta? If so, did you like it?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The Christmas Shoppe By Melody Carlson

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The Christmas Shoppe by Melody Carlson

When Matilda Honeycutt moves to town, she purchases an old building that was up for sale. One a townsman (one of the town’s politicians) catches wind of the sale, he’s mortified. He’d wanted to purchase the building for his own gain.

However, Matilda has other plans. She wants to open a Christmas shop. The town’s people believe that her shop will have Christmas lights, ornaments, etc. for sale, however, they’re in for a big surprise when they actually open the doors to this new establishment.

Is Matilda a witch, a sorcerer, or just somebody who seems to know all the townspeople’s needs. People come into her shop out of curiosity, but leave with changed/upbeat personalities.

I found this book a little hard to get into. I didn’t really start to enjoy this novella until about halfway through the book. I thought the beginning was kind of slow and I initially had a hard time connecting with some of the characters.

However, the connection finally happened, and, overall, this is a joyous story. There’s also a romance thread within this novel. The town manager finds herself smitten with the town’s newspaper owner. Both of these people have inner conflicts to resolve before they’re free to fall in love again.

This is a nice, short, joyous read to enjoy over the holidays!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Sunday Brunch! Samson And Delilah

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Did Samson’s lust affect his logic?

I’ve always wondered about this, so I decided to devote a Sunday Brunch blog post to this topic. In Judges, Chapter 16, the Philistine rulers approached Delilah since they knew that Samson was in love with her. They wanted to know the secret to Samson’s strength. The rulers offered to give Delilah money if she could tell them this secret.

What’s always stumped me was Delilah asked Samson FOUR TIMES, about the secret of his strength. The first three of those four times he lied to her, and, afterwards, he always fell asleep and found himself bound with the offending material, and Delilah was always yelling about the approaching Philistines. Samson always easily escaped from the ropes, fabric, thongs, etc. since these items did not deplete his strength (although he’d told Delilah otherwise).

I’ve always thought that sometime during those first three times, Samson would’ve gotten a clue that Delilah had an agenda. It was so obvious considering the pattern of events. However, he ended up telling her the truth eventually, and that caused his downfall.

Do you think that Samson was so overcome with lust and love for Delilah that he couldn’t think clearly?

I think his lust overcame his logic. Also, the scriptures mention that the Lord came upon Samson numerous times. Perhaps this was the way that the Lord wanted the events to occur?

Feel free to share your thoughts!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Saturday Matinee! Titanic – The Movie!

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Popcorn photo courtesy of Free Digital Photos.

***Note, this movie has some nudity.

What’s your favorite scene from the movie Titanic?

Titanic starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

This is one of my FAVORITE movies!

I think I like it so much because of the romance aspect. Jack Dawson wins a ticket on the Titanic from a card game. A young poor drifter, he leaves things to chance and is optimistic about what each day will bring. While on the Titanic, he meets Rose, a beautiful, sophisticated wealthy young woman who’s engaged to Cal.

The engagement between Cal and Rose is arranged and it’s an engagement based upon money – Rose has an excellent family name but her family has been left with a lot of debt. Her mother wants the match between Rose and Cal to bring wealth back into their family. Rose can’t stand her self-centered, over-bearing fiance (Cal), but finds herself drawn to Jack.

Jack and Rose fall in love amidst the sinking of the ship. Jack has an uncanny ability to really see into people. He’s an artist and he draws appealing pictures of people, capturing the essence of his art subjects. Jack shows Rose how to have a good time and she finds herself joyous around Jack, so joyous that it affects her relationship with Cal.

Another reason I really enjoy this movie is because of the vivid scenery and the plotting of this story is amazing! So many things are going on, and even while the ship is sinking, you still have side stories happening, making the movie even more exciting. Also, I think the characters were so vivid and so real. It’s a very-well done and intense movie and that’s one reason why I end up watching it again and again.

I also loved the way the social classes were depicted in this film. The way the people dressed, the setting, etc. – it was done in a way to show the difference between the rich passengers and the poor ones.

SPOILER!!

TITANIC – AN ALTERNATE ENDING! 🙂

I’m assuming most have seen this movie and know the ending. If it were up to me, I would’ve changed the ending and had Jack to live. He and Rose would’ve gotten married and had lots of children together…

My favorite part of the movie was when Jack takes Rose to the front of the ship and tells her to close her eyes. When she opens her eyes, she sees the vivid ocean. Amazed, feeling like she’s flying, Jack leans over and kisses her! 🙂

Oh, I love this movie!

Have you seen this movie? If so, did you like it? What’s your favorite scene in the movie?

I’d also wanted to mention that I purchased my Titanic DVD about five years ago from the discount bin at Walmart. Before that, I’d owned the VHS tapes and before that, I’d seen it a few times in the theater. One weird thing I noticed was, it doesn’t seem to be available as a new, inexpensive DVD on AMAZON or Barnes and Noble. The copies that I saw listed were used or highly expensive, like, upwards of $40. Also, I didn’t see it available to rent like most movies on Amazon. Anybody know why it’s not available to rent or why it’s not available as an affordable new DVD? Let me know if you do!

~Cecelia Dowdy~