I plan on posting a book giveway later this week. You may win a box of Christmas books! 🙂 Check back later for details…
Future Giveaway…
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Author Archives: Cecelia Dowdy
Twilight – Come Over To Writers’ Rest Blog!
What’s behind all the vampires cropping up everywhere these days? The Twilight Saga, the True Blood series, The Vampire Diaries . . . all these stories, TV shows, and movies feature well-dressed vampires so cool, your kid might like to join them. Check The Writers Rest blog at Writers’ Rest and read Katy King’s article, “Vampires: A Love Affair.” Post a comment and become a follower for more reviews and articles.
Rejection! :-( And A Nice Letter
My editor at Barbour received the following email today about my novel collection, Chesapeake Weddings:
I am currently reading Cecelia Dowdy’s Chesapeake Weddings. This book is an inspiration and allows us to put ourselves into these situations while also keeping God as the main focus of the novels.
I also received a rejection today! Blah! I haven’t been under contract in almost two years and it’s starting to bother me, but, I’m not one to give up! Here’s what the rejection said:
Dear Cecelia,
Thank you so much for your patience as we read your project, Gabriel’s Pride. While the story has some interesting elements, I’m afraid this story doesn’t quite work for our line. Unfortunately, the romantic conflict between the hero and heroine is not as compelling as it needed to be.
We’re sorry to disappoint you on this project. We would be happy to look at any other projects you may be working on suited for our line. Thank you for thinking of us.
Best,
signed by the editor.
So, there, you have it! Another rejection! Whew! I’m tired of these!
In Every Heartbeat By Kim Vogel Sawyer
In Every Heartbeat by Kim Vogel Sawyer
As three friends who grew up in the same orphanage head off to college together, they each harbor a cherished dream. Libby wishes to become a famous journalist, Pete plans to study to become a minister, and Bennett wants to join a fraternity and have as much fun as possible. But as tensions rise around the world on the brink of World War I, the friends’ differing aspirations and opinions begin to divide them, as well. And when Libby makes a shocking discovery about Pete’s family, will it drive a final wedge between the friends or bond them in ways they never anticipated?
I’ve read several books by this author and this is the first title that I’ve read by K. Sawyer that didn’t have Mennonite main characters.
The country is on the brink of war, and in this historical novel, three friends who have been raised in the same orphanage manage to go to college via scholarship. All three of them have differing aspirations. Petey, the most holy of the group, aspires to be a pastor. However, he does have self-doubts about his life. Pete has a peg leg, and he hates the way it impacts how others treat him. He doesn’t like being different from other people. He has a secret crush on his good friend Libby, but, Libby can’t see herself in a relationship with Petey, who’s almost like a brother to her.
Bennett wants to join a fraternity and initially it appears that God and religion don’t seem to be important in Bennett’s life. He does a few shenanigans, prompted by fraternity brothers, in order to get their approval.
Libby needs a job and when she unexpectedly purchases a magazine one day, she finds short romance stories on the printed pages. Can she make a living writing these short pieces? She needs spending money since her scholarship doesn’t include funds to purchase personal items.
This book uses a fresh setting that you normally don’t see in historical novels. I thought it was interesting that this book was set on a college campus and as I read it I thought about the old saying, “Times change but people don’t.” The children on this college campus remind me of the way young people acted when I was in college back in the eighties. I thought their dreams, aspirations and actions were pretty accurate for a younger crowd.
Getting on my soapbox about my personal feelings about school settings:
I think I found the school setting appealing, too, because I’ve had a re-occurring dream, over the past seven or eight years about school. The dream usually takes place on a college campus, but, occasionally, my dream includes a high school setting. I’m not sure why I keep dreaming about school. The dream pops up a few times a year…a little weird, and I suppose I’m trying to work through something in my life.
You should consider this novel if you want a vivid picture of college life back in 1914.
Blogging Over At Writers’ Rest!
An Inconvenient Friend By Rhonda McKnight
An Inconvenient Friend by Rhonda McKnight
Samaria Jacobs is a deceitful, yet captivating diva who will do anything to win the heart of her married lover. Will she get her man or destroy herself and everyone else in the process?
Samaria has her sights set on Gregory Preston. A successful surgeon, he has just the bankroll she needs to keep her in the lifestyle that her credit card debt has helped her grow accustomed to. He’s married, but Samaria would never let a little thing like that get in her way.
Samaria joins New Mercies Christian Church to get close to Gregory’s wife. If she gets to know Angelina Preston, she can become like her in more than just looks, and really work her way into Greg’s heart.
Angelina’s life is filled with a successful career and busy ministry work, but something’s just not right with her marriage. Late nights, early meetings, lipstick- and perfume-stained shirts have her suspicious that Greg is doing a little more operating than she’d like. But does she have the strength to confront the only man she’s ever loved and risk losing him to the other woman?
Just when Samaria thinks she’s got it all figured out, she finds herself drawn to Angelina’s kindness. Will she be able to carry out her plan after she finds herself yearning for the one thing she’s never had. . .the friendship of a woman?
This book was a page turner! I read it in one day! Samaria is having an affair with surgeon Gregory Preston. She’s determined that she’ll be the next Mrs. Preston and she doesn’t care what it takes to get the wifely title that she feels she deserves. To follow through with her plan, she joins the church where Greg’s wife, Angelina, worships. The women’s group shuns Samaria, but Angelina develops a mentoring friendship with the troubled woman. Samaria thinks she looks like a younger version of Angelina, and that in a matter of time, Greg will want to replace his older wife with the younger version.
Angelina is dealing with major drama in her marriage and her faith is extremely tested. She suspects her husband is having an affair, and both Greg and Angelina are still coming to terms with a tragic event that happened in recent years. Can they get over their pain and move on and try to salvage their marriage?
I thought this book moved quickly and as you start reading, you won’t want to stop. I spent last Friday reading this title and I do think Rhonda touches on some subjects that you don’t see often in Christian fiction. The book was vivid and real, and teaches us to really rely on our faith when life gets us down. I know it’s hard to rely on God when things get rough, and this novel is an excellent example of how we need to trust in the Lord no matter what kind of trouble we may have. Also, it shows that God can be tricky…Samaria wanted to get close to Angelina to hurt her…but she ends up growing closer to the woman she initially wanted to hate.
If you want a quick, interesting, page-turning and inspiring read then this book is for you!
Clean Water And Other Things
Photo use courtesy of photographer Filomena Scalise
I went to a woman’s conference at my church yesterday and the event focused on the needs of millions of children around the world. I’ve been seeing this need mentioned on a few other blogs, too. Over 2 million deaths per year are caused by unsafe drinking water. Over a billion people don’t have access to clean water – they sometimes have to travel a long way to get their water and the water that they do get is full of parasites and it’s just dirty! Causelife is an organization that’s trying to provide clean drinking water to people around the world. Take a look at their site and consider donating if you’re able. I did give at yesterday’s women’s conference.
I’m not sure if this young man, Brian Garcia’s, testimony will be of interest to the readers of this blog. This man’s story resonated with me because of my background with the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Feel free to watch the video here. I really enjoyed watching this so wanted to mention it to you.
I can’t get the Giants/Nephilim out of my mind. I’ve already blogged about them twice, and I keep thinking about those giant grapes!
One blog reader commented that the fruits and vegetables were much bigger a long time ago and that I needed to study archeological anthropology to come across this fact. I think I’ll do that and see what I can find! I’ll let you know what I come across!
It Takes Two Men To Carry One Cluster Of Grapes?
It Takes 2 Men to Carry One Cluster of Grapes PODCAST
This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. Come checkout our Christian romance titles at BOOKS | (ceceliadowdy.com)
Rocky Road Dreams is a Christian novel that is perfect for church and Bible study women’s groups. Rocky Road Dreams is about Kyle Baxter. Kyle is an alcoholic who has recently fallen off the wagon. Through his faith in Jesus, he tries to live a better life as he reconnects with Melanie, his childhood friend.
Melanie runs her own health food and vitamin business on the Outer Banks. As she spends time with Kyle both of them go on a long road trip as they seek answers to questions about their lives. Kyle’s mother died when he was three, and he doesn’t know very much about her. His search for answers takes him on a journey which will change his life forever.
Rocky Road Dreams is available on Amazon.com as an e-book. The book can be read via the Kindle app – which can be downloaded onto most Smart Phones.
Now, let’s talk about those large clusters of grapes!
Numbers 13:23-25
23 Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs. 24 The place was called the Valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the men of Israel cut down there. 25 And they returned from spying out the land after forty days.
If you read my blog post last Wednesday, you’ll see that I was talking about the Giants/Nephilim in the Bible. A few verses before the verse that I quoted in Numbers, you’ll see that the spies that Moses sent out were to bring him samples of the food that was growing in the land of Canaan (also known as the land of milk and honey). They went to Hebron and cut down one cluster of grapes and two men had to carry this one cluster on a pole between them! Can you imagine how huge those grapes were? Plus, this is where the Giants were living, too. I’ll bet those grapes were as big or bigger than the apples that we eat today!
I did some more research about the Giant people that appear in the Old Testament. The Nephilim mentioned in Genesis were killed in the big flood that God caused to wipe out every living thing on the earth with the exception of the inhabitants of Noah’s Ark.
The people that Moses’s spies saw when gathering the grapes, the Giants/Nephilim, were descendants of a man named Anak. Anak was a Raphaite. The Anakites or Rephaim were Giants that are mentioned in the Old Testament several times. It appears that they finally died off because there is a scripture Deuteronomy 3:11 which states:
11 (Only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaites. His bed was made of iron and was more than thirteen feet long and six feet wide.
As I think about it further, and as I mentioned yesterday, I’m assuming the Fallen Angels appeared again sometime after the flood and infiltrated the bloodline of Anak somehow?
If you are interested, here are all of the scripture references of the Anakites, Nephilim, and Raphaim. Look them up if you want:
Genesis 6:1-4
Genesis 14:5
Genesis 15:20
Numbers 13
Numbers 13:33
Deuteronomy 2:11
Deuteronomy 2:10-11,20
Deuteronomy 2:18-21
Deuteronomy 3:11,13
Joshua 12:4
Joshua 13:12
Joshua 15:8
Joshua 15:13
Joshua 17:15
Joshua 18:16
2 Samuel 5:11,22
2 Samuel 21:20–21
2 Samuel 23:13
1 Chronicles 11:15
1 Chronicles 14:9
1 Chronicles 20:4
Most of the scriptures just give these giant people a brief mention. I’m assuming all were evil people like the Nephilim mentioned in Genesis, especially since Moses’s spies were told to get rid of the different people living in the land of Canaan, which included these Giants! I got most of this research from Wikipedia, so, use at your own risk! I did look up all of the scriptures but this is NOT a subject matter in which I’m an expert! If I have any facts that are wrong, then feel free to correct me! I’m willing to learn!
It’s possible that the grapes were the same size as the ones that we see today, but the clusters were bigger – so big that 2 people had to carry them!
What do you think about all of this? Can you imagine living in a land with these gigantic people with gigantic clusters of grapes? Almost makes me feel like I’m not on this earth when I read about it because the concept is so foreign. I’ll bet God’s earth looked a LOT different back in those days! Leave a comment!
If you enjoyed this podcast then please share it with all of your friends and church buddies. Check out our other Biblical blog posts!
This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. Come checkout our Christian romance titles at BOOKS | (ceceliadowdy.com)
Rocky Road Dreams is a Christian novel that is perfect for church and Bible study women’s groups. Rocky Road Dreams is about Kyle Baxter. Kyle is an alcoholic who has recently fallen off the wagon. Through his faith in Jesus, he tries to live a better life as he reconnects with Melanie, his childhood friend.
Melanie runs her own health food and vitamin business on the Outer Banks. As she spends time with Kyle both of them go on a long road trip as they seek answers to questions about their lives. Kyle’s mother died when he was three, and he doesn’t know very much about her. His search for answers takes him on a journey which will change his life forever.
Rocky Road Dreams is available on Amazon.com as an e-book. The book can be read via the Kindle app – which can be downloaded onto most Smart Phones.
Giants On The Earth – Who Were The Nephilim?
Genesis 6:1-4
1 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.
3 And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
Numbers 13:31-33 – 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants[d] (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
Some translations use the word Nephilim instead of giant. Who were these gigantic people? Some teach that they were the offspring of fallen angels – these angels lusted after human women and they had intercourse with them and the women bore these huge, wicked children. Who knows? From the little bit of research that I was able to do, it appears that the term Sons of God is interpreted a couple of ways and that makes it debatable about the paternity of these huge creatures.
Hold on a second. Do you like chaste, refreshing Christian stories? Try my books! Download today and spread the word by sharing this link with your friends and your church buddies! Now back to the Nephilim…
I’ve always thought the Nephilim were the offspring from fallen angels. Why? I guess because they were so huge, much larger than regular humans, coupled with the fact that it appears they were wicked, too. I also read that the Nephilim pop up again in the book of Numbers, so I’ve provided that scripture, too. So, it’s possible that the Sons of God appeared again and did the same thing again with human women? The Nephilim mentioned in Genesis were killed during the flood, so the scriptures can’t be talking about the same group of giants?
I just try to imagine how large these people were…were they twice the size of regular humans, maybe three times larger than the average human? The ones in Numbers state that the regular people were like grasshoppers compared to these giant people! Grasshoppers?? Reminds me of Gulliver’s Travels or Jack And The Beanstalk!
I’m just sitting here, trying to imagine what they would have looked like, giants stomping upon the earth, doing all sorts of wicked things to people. Frightening thoughts I’m having, but, just makes me stop and wonder, makes me wish I had a vivid snapshot of the way the world was back then…
Do you think the Nephilim/Giants were the offspring of fallen angels? This inquiring mind wants to know!
Editorial Services?
Photo use courtesy of photographer Suat Eman
Lately, I’ve been hearing about writers, both published and unpublished, getting their work professionally edited before submitting to a publisher or agent. I decided to seek out editorial services for this project since I keep getting rejected, and it’s a bit of a different book than the category romances that I write.
I kept hearing about this editorial service on blogs that I read regularly. Since I recognized some of the staff members as former editors at large, commercial CBA houses and some were former agents of large, highly respected literary agencies, I felt comfortable using their services.
I used the manuscript evaluation service and this included a short write-up from the editor who was assigned to me, as well as a forty or fifty minute phone call. I was surprisingly pleased with the outcome of the notes and the phone call. My evaluation was only based upon first three chapters and synopsis, but the editor was able to point out things in my writing that I didn’t see myself. I have pages of notes from our conversation and I hope to sell this manuscript someday. I’m not one to give up easily.
Have you ever used a professional editor before submitting your manuscript? If so, who did you use? Were you pleased with your experience?