Photo courtesy of Free Digital Photos

by Cecelia Dowdy

Does the title of this blog post bring back memories? Have you ever had pen pals? If so, do you remember their names and where they were from? How long did the writing relationship last?

Pen pals is a somehwat “archaic” term. The reason I say this is because with the advancement of the internet, I don’t think people write letters to one another anymore using pen, ink, envelope and stamp. When I was growing up, I believe my fascination with pen pals was one of the indications that I’d become a writer when I got older.

I recall reading the Archie Comic books and there was a list of people from which to choose pen pals listed in the book. Also, you could send in money to the comic book people and they’d mail you the address for a pen pal. I recall taping approximately 75 cents onto the order form and mailing it out to the comic book people. In return, I received pen pals.

I recall two of my pen pals quite well. One was named Karen G. (I won’t reveal the last name, but I remember it.) and she lived in Jacksonville, Florida. The other one was named Tammy K. and she lived in…Maine, Montana, Massachusetts? I only recall that Tammy’s home state started with a M. I exchanged pictures with both of them. Karen had short curly dark hair and Tammy had long brown straight hair. Sometimes, we’d exchange gifts. Tammy sent me a necklace once and it had a pendant in the shape of a chocolate ice cream cone!

I wrote to these girls for about a year or so? Then, the relationship just tapered off to nothing. The letters stopped suddenly and when I wrote, I finally received no response from either of them. I wonder where these ladies are today and if they even remember writing to me back in the seventies.

So, have you ever had pen pals? If so, do you remember their names and where they were from? How long did the writing relationship last?

Don’t forget to leave a comment!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

I was shocked to discover author Stephen Bly passed away on Wednesday. I didn’t realize he was ill. I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Stephen in person, but we “talked” online over the years. My prayers are with Stephen and his family.

I’ve hosted Stephen on my blog over the years. He was the highly respected author of over one hundred books, most (maybe all) in the Christian market. He also wrote several books with his wife. If interested, here’s a listing of all of the blog posts in which he was featured. Rest in peace, Stephen. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Janet, and the rest of his family.

You can find Stephen’s obituary on the Novel Journey Blog.

S.B Blogpost #1

S.B. Blogpost #2

S.B. Blogpost #3
S.B. Blogpost #4

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Did you watch the royal wedding? If so, what did you think about the event?

I have to go off the beaten path of my regular blog topics to talk about yesterday’s Royal Wedding! Wasn’t it lovely? I’m still swooning over the event! What did you think of her dress? I thought William looked handsome in the military uniform. I also loved the feeling of anticipation in the air when Kate walked down the aisle and William had not seen her yet, and Harry glanced back and saw the bride coming.

Like a lot of the world, I was up at 3:45 to watch this event from beginning to end (just as I did 30 years ago for Diana’s and Charles’s wedding)! I didn’t want to miss a moment! I did miss the kiss because I had to take my son to school, but, I was able to see it when they showed the highlights! I watched footage off and on all day yesterday! I also didn’t mind re-watching stuff that I’d already seen!

I also enjoyed the way the couple glanced at each other…you’ve got two billion people watching your wedding, but, those looks they exchanged, were still private and intimate and touching.

I think this couple will have a happy and long marriage. It appears that they’re really, truly in love and when the press compared their wedding to Diana’s (30 years ago) it was a direct contrast to Diana’s wedding. Charles and Diana barely looked at each other and neither of them smiled. It was almost as if a feeling of doom surrounded them. But Kate and William appear to be suited for one another and I think it helps that Kate is years older than Diana, making her more suitable to enter the ranks of marriage.

I know this couple will have many trials and tribulations in spite of their desire to live a normal life. Can you imagine photographers watching your every move and reporting it? Can you imagine, not being able to eat a sandwich in public without being noticed?

However, in spite of all this, my gut tells me that this marriage will be a happy one, for the most part, and won’t end as traumatically as Diana’s and Chrarles’s wedding.

What are your thoughts about the wedding and the marriage? Leave a comment.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Should Christians watch soap operas?

After hearing that All My Children and One Life To Live were canceled, I felt compelled to pull this old post from my blog archives. I’ve watched All My Children before, and I used to be somewhat of a fan. However, I’ll admit that I haven’t watched it in years – too time-consuming and the storylines get too weird. I’ve also watched One Life To Life occasionally. Leave a comment answering the following question: Should Christians watch soap operas?
The other day, my husband sent me this link to an article stating that the soap opera, The Guiding Light, will be canceled after 72 YEARS ON THE AIR…this soap opera pre-dates television (I’m assuming it started as a radio show)! He sent me the article because he knows that I used to watch soap operas – but I’ve never watched The Guiding Light.

A few years ago, I blogged about soap operas here.

After I wrote that blog post (I was mostly talking about The Young And The Restless on that post) I stopped watching soap operas. I got into a time crunch and the soap operas didn’t make my TO DO list.

I started watching soap operas in high school because I was bored. I lived in a remote rural area. During the summertime, there was really no place to go. My mom didn’t drive, my dad was at work all day, I had no money, and I had no car to drive. I spent my summer days walking around the neighborhood, reading books, and watching soap operas! Since I read books so quickly – I practically inhaled them, I got most of my titles from the bookmobile that came to town every two weeks. I also fondly remember watching General Hospital while Luke and Laura fell in love and out of love. I recall watching All My Children when Greg and Jenny fell in love and evil forces strove to keep them apart. I also remember Jessie Hubbard and Angie getting together and falling in love. I’d get freaked out when these storybook romances would end, but watching these stories gave me something to do during those boring hot summer days. To top it off, I’d spend the rest of my day reading romance novels. It’s hard for me to get into the soaps nowadays, I guess, because the stories never end. They go on and on…imagine, a 72-year-old story like The Guiding Light?

I’ve sometimes dreamed of having a Christian soap opera on the air where people can talk about finding faith and forgiving others.

Do any of you watch soap operas now, or did you used to watch them? If so, which ones did you watch? Why do you like them? How long have you been watching the soaps? Do you think Christians should watch soap operas? I’ll start by saying I don’t see anything wrong with watching them as long as you don’t get too carried away…it’s kind of like, reading a secular novel or watching a movie. It’s entertainment and overall, soaps aren’t any better or worse than a lot of the other secular entertainment out there.

I enjoyed the soaps because they were entertaining and I’d get caught up in the characters’ lives. Sometimes they were placed in perilous situations and I just wanted them to get rescued! If they were hurt and in the hospital, I wanted them to recuperate and get better! But, if they died, it’s possible they could come back from the dead later! LOL!

Feel free to answer these questions and to throw in any other opinions you have about soap operas. I’m kind of anxious to hear what others have to say!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

See my sidebar for the code for my new blog button.

Feel free to grab it and place it on your blog if you wish!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Here’s a link to the newsletter that I sent out yesterday to my mailing list.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Rose McCauley was one of my critique partners several years ago! Our group was struggling to get that elusive publishing contract! Well, last September, Rose received a nice surprise at ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) Conference! She received her very first book contract from Barbour for a Christmas novella! I received an email from Rose yesterday, telling me about her updated website and she’s also received her book cover! Isn’t it pretty?

Visit Rose’s website and her blog! Leave her a comment and congratulate her on her recent success! I especially like her tag line: Stories from small towns with huge hearts. I know it’s a bit into the future, but, when Autumn comes, if you see Rose’s book in Walmart or the bookstore, pick up a copy for yourself or give as a gift to a friend or family member! I look forward to reading her Christmas story! I’m sure it’s wonderful!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

My sister, an artist named Raquel Dowdy Stallworth, has started a blog entitled Easel And Plate. Stop by and check it out. Become a follower if you wish!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

I will be posting a book giveaway soon. Stop by over the next few days for details…

~Cecelia Dowdy~

I’m going off on a tangent. This post has nothing to do with Christian fiction or even secular fiction, per se. I just finished reading The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi . This is NOT THE VERSION THAT IS MOST FAMOUS VIA WALT DISNEY!!
SPOILERS BELOW!!!

I purchased the Kindle version of this book for only 99 cents, however, there is another Kindle version out there that’s free.

This book was written in Italian in 1881. It’s considered a classic and it’s a fairy tale. If you’ve read The Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson fairy tales, then you can get a taste for what Pinocchio is like because it’s very similar to those, except it’s much longer.

Wait a second. Do you enjoy Christian fiction? Give my books a try.  Now, back to Pinocchio!

This was a very dark story, and I wouldn’t be reading it to my five-year-old child. I think it might be appropriate for ages twelve and over.

I kept seeing things throughout the story that reminded me of the Bible. I’m not sure if that was the author’s intention, though. Pinocchio is a wooden puppet, created by his father, Geppetto. He keeps getting into mischief. For example, instead of going to school, he pawns his schoolbook for the fare to a puppet theater. Whenever he’s supposed to be doing something right, he ends up making the wrong decision. The blue fairy, who’s Pinocchio’s “adopted mother” always forgives Pinocchio for his mistakes (kind of made me think of how Christ forgives us whenever we mess up, no matter how many times). Throughout the tale, Pinocchio finds himself in various mishaps. He tries to find his poor father throughout the book, and Pinocchio’s conscience does get to him as time goes on. At first, he’s an ungrateful puppet, only wanting others to do as he pleases. When Pinocchio finds himself in the belly of a huge shark, near the end of the book, he ends up finding his father within the shark’s belly. They reunite, and manage to escape from this huge beast. That part of the story reminded me of Jonah being the belly of a whale.

Also, the theme of temptation and sin kept popping up, too. Pinocchio would try to do the right thing, but, something, or someone would appear tempting him to do wrong…and he usually did the WRONG thing. Kind of reminded me how, as humans, we can be easily tempted into sin, especially if we’re persuaded by those who have power over our minds.

This story was so DARK!! Pinocchio gets hit with a whip, he’s hung from a tree and almost dies. The blue fairy rescues him from the tree hanging around the middle of the book.

I also noticed the subject of hunger kept popping up. Pinocchio spoke often of being hungry, and he was a lazy puppet! He didn’t want to work for food, and wanted others to bow to his command. It was quite sickening after awhile.

He discovers he wants to be a real boy around the middle of the story. The Blue Fairy promises Pinocchio that he can become a real boy, but, before she can make it happen, Pinocchio, messes up again, not making the right decision. He’s forgiven and changed into a real boy at the end.

Have you read this book, or any other ORIGINAL fairy tales? What do you think of these unusual stories? Usually, people think about Disney’s sanitized versions of these dark, haunting tales…

Update 6/11/2021 – Amazon Prime – I viewed the Italian movie, Pinocchio. From what I can recall, this movie followed the book. You should give the movie a try, especially if you don’t feel like reading the novel!
~Cecelia Dowdy~