Author Archives: Cecelia Dowdy

Love Letters – Reminisce About Your First Love Letter!

This is a repeat of an old blog post!

Do you remember your very first love letter?

The first time I received a love letter was when I was in the sixth grade and I was eleven years old. I sat at my assigned desk during math class. When I was about to leave, I looked down and saw a piece of notebook paper under my seat. I picked it up and was shocked to see the words from a secret admirer…my secret admirer! I don’t remember what the note said, BUT, I do remember that this person had taken a piece of masking tape and attached a nickel to the note as a gift for me!

Believe it or not, I never did find out who wrote me that letter! I recall being kind of upset that he’d only left me a nickel…it was the seventies and there wasn’t much that you could purchase at the store for five cents! I recall wishing he’d left me a dollar instead!

After that, I don’t really recall writing love letters very much, but, I remember my female friends in high school and college writing letters and secret notes to guys that they had a crush on. The only time I remember exchanging love letters was with my husband and it was via email. We met through an online dating service and while we dated we sent several emails to each other. As a matter of fact, we still exchange emails! 🙂

So do you remember writing or receiving your first love letter? Who was it from? To whom did you address your first love letter?
Leave your response in the comments!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The Deal, The Dance, And The Devil By Victoria Christopher Murray

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The Deal, The Dance, And The Devil by Victoria Christopher Murray

First Timothy 6:10 – For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

This scripture is what ran through my mind as I was reading this novel. Adam and Evia Langston are a happily married couple with three kids. Adam was laid off from his well-paying corporate job several months ago and now the family is struggling to survive. Their savings have been depleted and they’re in danger of losing their home to foreclosure.

Evia works for Shay-Shante (the owner of a mega-hair-care company). Shay Shante makes Evia a deal that’s extremely hard to take seriously. Shay offers Evia five million dollars in exchange for one weekend alone with Adam (Evia’s husband). Evia is floored by this offer and she initially says no.

As the story progresses, you learn about other financial obligations that the Langstons are responsible for, like the monthly stipend that’s paid to Evia’s ghetto family and the funds they have to pay for Adam’s mother who’s now in an upscale nursing home.

I was drawn to this story because it shows how much we can come to depend upon money instead of God. Evia and Adam are a Christian couple but their faith is extremely tested when they’re faced with financial hardship.

You also get a glimpse of how Evia and Adam met and how strong their love was. I don’t want to give spoilers but, money can change relationships. Although having some extra cash to pay your bills is nice, being indebted to somebody can bring a whole set of new problems into your life.

You should read this novel if you want to see a realistic example of how money can mess with a strong, Christian marriage.

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it? Do you think you could give up your spouse to another person for one weekend for five million dollars?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Unexpected Love By Andrea Boeshaar

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Unexpected Love by Andrea Boeshaar

This is a sweet, heartwarming story about Renna, a nurse who happens to be an old-maid. Renna works hard at the hospital and she’s come to accept that she’ll always remain single – no man could possibly want her since she has an unattractive purple birthmark on her cheek.

Renna’s life changes when a man enters her hospital ward as a new patient. They call this new man Mr. Blackeyes since they have no idea about his identity. The dark-eyed man has been recently blinded as the result of a boating accident. Because of his amnesia and blindness, he finds that he has to rely on Renna for support.

However, as Mr. Blackeyes slowly regains snippets of his memory, an unusual string of events unfurls, creating a suspenseful thread in this story. These events are related to Captain Blackeyes boating accident and Mr. Benchley, a business associate who his smitten with Renna. Renna can’t stand that her parents are practically forcing her to date Mr. Benchley. The man gives her a bad feeling, and she senses that he would not make a good husband, something about him just does not seem quite right…

Renna and Captain Blackeyes share a deep mutual attraction, but both have obstacles to overcome before they can love one another.

I was drawn to this story because the hero was blind. If you’ve been reading this blog long enough, you’ll know that I want to see more novels with blind characters.

I’d recommend this heartwarming read if you like sweet inspirational romance novels.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Book Giveaway Winner! :-)

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Congratulations to:

Deb Piccurelli – Glendora, NJ

Deb is the winner of this book giveaway. Deb, I’ll be snail mailing your box of 20+ books soon.

All, I’ll be posting another book giveaway sometime in the future. If you want to be sure not to miss out, then you should subscribe to my blog…that way you’ll be sure not to miss any blog posts!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Sunday Brunch – Did Philip Disappear?

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Photo courtesy of Free Digital Photos

Did Philip Disappear – Podcast

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. Enjoy some of our wholesome, Amazon bestselling Christian fiction titles by visiting ceceliadowdy.com. The link is provided at the end of this blog post.

I’m ready to discuss another scripture on today’s Sunday Brunch. Like last week, we can pretend like we just finished eating the following menu before “discussing” the a scripture by leaving comments.

Today’s menu:

Orange Juice
Coffee
Blueberry Waffles with Syrup
Bacon
Hamburger Sliders with Fries

Today’s question:
What happened to Philip at the end of the eighth chapter in the book of Acts?

Wait a second. Do you like Christian fiction? Read my Amazon bestselling novels! Tell your friends! My books will make you laugh, cry, and praise God! Now, back to Philip…

I wanted to talk about the ending of the scripture involving the Ethiopian eunuch. After Philip has a life-changing conversation with the eunuch, Philip baptizes him. After the baptism, the following occurs:
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 I’m wondering is, did the Lord’s Holy Spirit enable Philip to disappear and then re-appear in Azotus? I know some translations use the term “carried” Philip away instead of “took Philip away.” Either way you look at it, it appears to me that Philip literally disappeared from the scene of the eunuch and then reappeared in Azotus. I’m thinking Azotus was where the Lord felt was the greatest need for Philip to preach the gospel. So, that’s why He had to carry Philip away from the eunuch so suddenly – Philip had lots of preaching work to do.

Do you think that Philip literally disappeared and then re-appeared? If so, why?

Leave your responses in the comments! I’m anxious to hear what everybody has to say! I realize people will interpret this scripture in different ways and I think we can get a discussion going! I hope you “enjoyed” the meal! 🙂

Don’t forget to check out our wonderful Christian titles!

Enjoy other Sunday Brunch Biblical Blog Posts – don’t forget to share these posts with your friends, family, and church buddies!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Congrats To The 2011 Carol Award Finalists! :-)

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Congratulations to the 2011 Carol Award finalists. The Carol Award is sponsored by American Christian Fiction Writers. The winners will be announced at the annual ACFW conference in September!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Debut Novel:

The Preacher’s Bride by Jody Hedlund (Bethany House – Dave Long/Sharon Asmus, Editors)

Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes (Tyndale Publishers – Kathryn Olson, Editor)

Rooms by James L. Rubart (B&H Publishing – Julee Schwarzburg, Editor)

Long Contemporary:

The Choice by Suzanne Woods Fisher (Revell – Andrea Doering, Editor)

Red Ink by Kathi Macias (New Hope Publishers – Randy Bishop, Editor)

Never Say Never by Lisa Wingate (Bethany House – Dave Long, Editor)

Long Contemporary Romance:

Plain Jayne by Hilary Manton Lodge (Harvest House – Kim Moore, Editor)

Anna’s Return by Marta Perry (Berkley – Ellen Edwards, Editor)

Plain Paradise by Beth Wiseman (Thomas Nelson – Natalie Hanemann, Editor)

Long Historical:

Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs (Waterbrook Press – Laura Barker, Editor)

Petra: City in Stone by T.L. Higley (B&H Publishing – Karen Ball, Editor)

Sons of Thunder by Susan May Warren (Summerside Press – Susan Downs, Editor)

Long Historical Romance:

The Husband Tree by Mary Connealy (Barbour – Rebecca Germany, Editor)

Love Finds You In Homestead, Iowa by Melanie Dobson (Summerside – Rachel Meisel/Connie Troyer, Editors)

Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz (Revell – Andrea Doering, Editor)

Mystery:

Mirrored Image by Alice K. Arenz (Sheaf House – Joan M. Shoup, Editor)

Muslin Mystery by Vera Dodge (Guideposts – Beth Adams, Editor)

The Camera Never Lies by Elizabeth Goddard (Barbour – Rebecca Germany, Editor)

Novellas (Contemporary and Historical were combined into one category):

The Prodigal Groom by Vickie McDonough (Barbour – Rebecca Germany, Editor)

Ride With Me Into Christmas by Rachael Phillips (Barbour – Rebecca Germany, Editor)

A Trusting Heart by Carrie Turansky (Barbour – Rebecca Germany, Editor)

Romantic Suspense:

The Silent Order by Melanie Dobson (Summerside Press – Rachel Meisel/Susan Downs, Editors)

Don’t Look Back by Lynette Eason (Revell – Andrea Doering, Editor)

Pursuit of Justice by DiAnn Mills (Tyndale Publishers – Karen Watson, Editor)

Short Contemporary:

The Wedding Garden by Linda Goodnight (Love Inspired – Allison Lyons)

A Father for Zach by Irene Hannon (Love Inspired – Melissa Endlich, Editor)

Winter’s End by Ruth Logan Herne (Love Inspired – Melissa Endlich, Editor)

Short Contemporary Suspense:

Night Prey by Sharon Dunn (Love Inspired Suspense – Emily Rodmell, Editor)

Legacy of Lies by Jill Elizabeth Nelson (Love Inspired Suspense – Emily Rodmell, Editor)

Firestorm by Kelly Ann Riley (Love Inspired Suspense – Tina James, Editor)

Short Historical:

Her Healing Ways by Lyn Cote (Love Inspired Historical – Tina James, Editor)

Promise of Tomorrow by S. Dionne Moore (Barbour – JoAnne Simmons, Editor)

The Columns of Cottonwood by Sandra Robbins (Barbour – JoAnne Simmons, Editor)

Speculative Fiction:

The Wolf of Tebron by C. S. Lakin (AMG Publishers – Rick Steele, Editor)

Rooms by James L. Rubart (B&H Publishing – Julee Schwarzburg, Editor)

König’s Fire by Marc Schooley (Marcher Lord Press – Jeff Gerke, Editor)

Suspense/Thriller:

Predator by Terri Blackstock (Zondervan – Sue Brower/Dave Lambert, Editors)

Fear No Evil by Robin Caroll (B&H Publishing – Karen Ball, Editor)

Medical Error by Richard L. Mabry (Abingdon Press – Barbara Scott, Editor)

Women’s Fiction:

Beaded Hope by Cathy Liggett (Tyndale Publishers – Jan Stob/Lorie Popp, Editors)

They Almost Always Come Home by Cynthia Ruchti (Abingdon – Barbara Scott, Editor)

Beyond Summer by Lisa Wingate (NAL – Ellen Edwards, Editor)

Young Adult:

Anything But Normal by Melody Carlson (Revell – Lonnie Hull Dupont, Editor)

Healer’s Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson (Zonderkidz – Jacque Alberta, Editor)

Katy’s New World by Kim Vogel Sawyer (Zonderkidz – Jacque Alberta, Editor)

Congratulations To The 2011 Christy Award Winners! :-)

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A heartfelt congrats goes to all of the 2011 Christy Award winners! Have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think about them? I see many wonderfully fine authors on the list! You can view a full list of the nominees here.
~Cecelia Dowdy~

Contemporary Romance

Sworn to Protect
by DiAnn Mills (Tyndale House Publishers)

Contemporary Series, Sequels, and Novellas/
The Reluctant Prophet
by Nancy Rue (David C. Cook)

Contemporary Standalone/

Almost Heaven
by Chris Fabry (Tyndale House Publishers)

First Novel/

Heartless
by Anne Elisabeth Stengl (Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

Historical/

While We’re Far Apart
by Lynn Austin (Bethany House Publishers,
a division of Baker Publishing Group)

Historical Romance/

The Girl in the Gatehouse
by Julie Klassen (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

Suspense/

The Bishop
by Steven James (Revell Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

Visionary/

To Darkness Fled
by Jill Williamson (Marcher Lord Press)

Young Adult/

Motorcycles, Sushi, and One
Strange Book
by Nancy Rue (Zondervan)

The Blessed By Ann H. Gabhart

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The Blessed by Ann H. Gabhart

This book is about Lacey – a motherless woman who came to live with a preacher and his wife as a youngster. After her father re-married, her new stepmother didn’t want her living with them. Lacey has a strange relationship with her new “parents” and as an adult, her and the preacher seldom speak, but she’s extremely close to Miss Mona, the preacher’s wife. Miss Mona is kind and she teaches Lacey a lot about faith and Christianity. Lacey’s life changes for the worse when Miss Mona dies, leaving 20-year-old Lacey and Rachel (an abandoned baby who was left in a box on their doorstep a few years ago). Now Lacey feels forced to marry the preacher – who’s old enough to be her grandfather, since the church ladies believe it’s sinful for her to be living with the preacher as an unmarried woman. When the preacher is sucked into the peaceful, cult-like Shaker community, Lacey and Rachel feel they must live with the Shakers, too.

Also, Isaac, another “worldly” person, is part of the Shaker community. His wife died and he feels guilty for her death. The Shakers take him in and he finds himself attracted to Lacey.

I enjoyed this book, but, as I said in previous reviews, the Shakers still left me with an unsettled feeling, with their strange unBiblical beliefs. One of the Shaker characters kept “seeing” angels and she danced with them in the field and her Shaker brothers/sisters were mesmerized and amazed by her “angelic” ability. I sensed that this book did portray an accurate picture of the Shaker way of life and showed how hard, almost impossible it would be to convert to their way of life. This is a great read if you want to find out more about the Shakers and about how difficult it is to fall in love amidst ones that feel marriage is a sin. I thought the characters were well-developed and the story was enjoyable.

The author also did an awesome job in showing the love between a mother and her child. The Shakers don’t believe in families – everybody is a brother and sister to one another. Families are separated – for a mother to be separated from her child…well, just kind of hard to deal with and Ann really did a great job showing these familial-bond emotions.

Many thanks to Baker/Revell for providing me with a free review copy of this novel.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Sunday Brunch! – Should Christians Practice Magic?

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Photo courtesy of Free Digital Photos

Should Christians dabble with magic?

I know some think that magic is harmless, but, the Bible clearly speaks against sorcery, witchcraft and magic (I’ve noticed the Bible uses these terms somewhat interchangeably at times).
I wanted to talk about a man named Simon who’s mentioned in the book of Acts. He was a magician/sorcerer.

Everybody thought he was so great and people followed him – I’m even led to believe that some may have worshiped him. However, Philip came, proclaiming the word of God, Simon “believed” and was baptized. However, after Simon noted Peter and John laying their hands on the baptized, to give them the Holy Spirit, Simon offered them money, wanting them to show him how he could have that very same talent (bestowing of the Holy Spirit by the laying of his hands).

Peter blasted Simon for his disbelief about the gospel, telling him he needed to repent. Simon obviously didn’t accept the gospel with a believing and humble heart, he still had that magic rooted in him, and I don’t think he really let go of his love of sorcery.

I think sorcerers do have power, but that power doesn’t come from God. I don’t believe the Lord wants us to dabble with magic or sorcery.

I know some will argue and say a few card tricks are okay, but…I don’t know. Dabbling with any type of magic has always left me feeling a bit leery. Simon was great and people followed him, made me think: What, exactly, was Simon doing to gain such a following? I know he was doing magic, but, what exactly, did he do to gain that much power? Kind of scary when you think about it.

What do you think? Do you think it’s okay to dabble with harmless magic tricks, or do you think people should refuse to dabble at all? I’d be interested in hearing your responses.

I’ve copied and pasted the scripture from Acts that mentions Simon the Sorcerer. Also, I’ve been blogging about the early Christians and the book of Acts recently. You can see more posts about the early Christians here.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Acts 8:9-25 (NIV)

Simon the Sorcerer
9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. 12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

24 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

25 After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.