Category Archives: Holidays

Book Giveaway – HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

***This giveaway is now closed. A winner has been chosen. See this blog post for more details.

I’m kicking off the New Year by announcing my next book giveaway. These romance (and one women’s fiction)titles will be given to one winner.

Leave a comment with your email address to enter the contest! If you don’t leave your email address then you will not be entered! Also, by entering this contest, you’re agreeing to become a part of my mailing list – I don’t send mass emails often, so don’t worry about getting too many emails from me!
Some of these novels are brand new, never read, and some are slightly used. Here is the list of books that I’m giving away:

1. In Search Of A Hero by Cheryl Wolverton

2. The Long Road Home by Rachel Druten
Will Becca find her true love at home? After the death of her mother, Rebecca Hostettler is determined to become a doctor – no easy task for a woman in the late 1890s. Peter Chaloupek, taken in and raised by the Hostettlers since age ten, wants nothing more than to continue farming with Becca’s father and marry the woman he loves-the future Dr. Rebecca Hostettler But when Becca writes home, singing the praises of a wealthy, handsome young man she met her first day at medical school, Peter fears that Becca will never see him as anything but a brother. Is it too late for Peter to fulfill his dreams? Will Becca become the wife of a future lawyer and politician, or will she take the long road home and find her true love?

3. Kind-Hearted Woman by Janet Spaeth
Colin Hammett is drifting, searching for meaning in life. Maybe 1935 wasn’t the best year to do this – deep in the Great Depression. But this is his life now, and he’s not sure where to turn next. Lolly Prescott is feeling every moment of a hot, penniless summer. When her brothers carry a half-dead man in the front door and onto the couch, she doesn’t know whether to run or just give in and give up. As Colin struggles to regain memory, the Prescotts’ finances reach the breaking point. Can the attraction between Colin and Lolly grow amid such uncertainty?

4. God Gave The Song by Kathleen E. Kovach
Skye has spent his entire life dealing with abandonment issues. But as an adult, he’s finally happy…until the day he gets a call from a lawyer saying his hippie mother, Hannie, is in a coma. When Skye shows up on Hannie’s alpaca ranch as the surprised and hostile heir apparent, Ruthanne struggles to believe that her wonderful employer could be the same woman who caused the pain in Skye’s eyes. Will Skye and Ruthanne allow their unforgiveness to keep them bound and unfulfilled, or will God use a strange situation to heal their past hurts and anger?

5. Noah’s Ark by Debby Mayne
Now that she has a bachelor’s degree in art history, Emily is unable to find work in her field. So she heads to West Virginia, the only place she’s ever felt at home, to see if she can figure out what to do with her life. Noah may be in over his head. His veterinary practice is taking off, but he has little help and too many clients in arrears. When Emily comes to work for him part-time, her skills and pleasant nature quickly pull things into order. At least in the office. His heart, however, is another matter!

6.
Finding Home by Jennifer Johnson
Five years ago, as an unwed pregnant college student, Sadie placed her baby girl with adoptive parents. Since that heart-wrenching decision, not a day has passed that Sadie doesn’t think of her daughter. Yet, she knows the Lord orchestrated Ellie’s adoption into a loving Christian home. But a letter written by Ellie’s adoptive father, Cam, delivers sad news that Ellie’s adoptive mother has died. Is Cam’s invitation to visit Ellie an answer to Sadie’s prayers? Will Sadie’s empty arms finally be filled by her longed-for child? Or will she find another kind of love altogether?

7.
Sweet Harmony by Janice Hanna
Tangie Carini had her sights set on landing a lead in a Broadway play. But when her career flounders, she ends up in Harmony, New Jersey, as a church drama director. Will Tangie find the role of a lifetime where she least expects it? Stodgy music director Gregg Burke realizes he needs help. But how is he ever going to work with the outrageously eccentric Tangie Carini? Or will he discover that opposites attract?

8. Twenty Wishes by Debbie Macomber (this book was autographed by the author)

9. Washington – Small Town Romance In Four Distinct Novels by Wanda E. Brunstetter and Lauraine Snelling

10. A Passion Most Pure by Julie Lessman

If you’ve read my novels, John’s Quest, Milk Money, or Bittersweet Memories, feel free to leave reviews on Christianbook.com on the Chesapeake Weddings (the re-release of all 3 of those titles) link. Even if you’ve only read one of those titles, you can still leave a review if you wish! 🙂

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Release Your Creativity!!!


I hope all of you had a Merry Christmas! On Christmas Eve, my husband and I were out shopping, looking for a gift for his grandfather. In the mall, I saw a Lego store, so I stopped and went in. Over the years, Legos have changed a lot! When I was a kid, they didn’t have these small kits that only build one thing, like a car or a helicopter. We just had piles of bricks and we’d build houses and buildings, take them apart and put them together again!

Nostalgia swept through me when I saw those same colorful blocks, the way I remembered them, in the back of the store! They had piles of blocks, separated by color, in bins that were set in the wall! You’d see a bubble of color and you could select the bricks you wanted and pay about fifteen dollars for a whole large cup of blocks. I was walking around, looking at the different kits that contained lots of blocks. I finally said, “We should get this for CJ (our son) for Christmas.” Hubby said, “That’s a good idea.”

I stood there looking at kits, blocks, talking about large base plates to build my house before hubby said…”Can we get out of here now?” I finally settled upon a set of Lego bricks in a large, bright blue plastic tub and a green base plate to set my house.

Anyway, on Christmas day, while everybody was opening presents, laughing, having a good time, I was sitting on the floor, playing with my “son’s” gift. He said, “Mommy, I’m going to knock your house over with this car.” (CJ’d gotten a remote control car for Christmas, actually he’d gotten 2 cars.) I was building a nice big house, but, alas, I ran out of bricks! The kit I’d gotten was only about half full of bricks, so there was room for more bricks in the bucket. When we got home from our Christmas trip, I went to Lego.com and ordered another set of bricks. I want to build, build, build…and CJ can help me if he wants too.

CJ did play with the Legos a little bit on Christmas day. You know, I hear about writers doing collages, coloring, painting, doing all sorts of things to release their creativity. I don’t really do the above-mentioned activities very much…maybe building with Legos will help me release my creativity? It doesn’t hurt to try… 🙂

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Merry Christmas!





Merry Christmas to all my blog readers! I’ll be heading out of town today, and I won’t be back until Monday! I doubt I’ll be posting any blog entries while I’m away because the internet connection at the house where I’ll be staying is kind of spotty!

I just baked my lemon pound cake early this morning and I still have a few gifts to wrap!

Be sure to enjoy your holiday! It’s not about the gifts, but it’s about the love of our Savior for us! Take some time to enjoy your family and friends and fellowship!

I think Christmas is too commercialized. Children see ads for new toys, and they want to add to the pile of toys that they already have in their home! Merchants are out to make money from the millions of shoppers (myself included) who need to buy Christmas gifts. I often wish Christmas was more like Thanksgiving…no gifts involved! Just food, fellowship and fun! But gifts are a part of most Christmas celebrations, so just remember not to focus on the commercial aspect of the holiday!

Merry Christmas! 🙂

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Christmas Snow! :-)


The images above are stock photos…but…I did take pics with my camera today, just haven’t emailed them to myself yet!

Currently, we have 20″ of snow on the ground and it’s still snowing! It’s rare for us in Maryland to get that much snow…let alone, that much snow during the Christmas season! Our neighbors across the street turned on their Christmas lights and they look beautiful against the white snow! If I feel like it, I’ll post the pics tomorrow!

They’ve already closed most of the churches in the area tomorrow because of the high drifts outside! We received a phone call from our church, with an automated message from the pastor, stating that services will not be held tomorrow…

Hubby and I have lots of work to do tomorrow! Now we have to dig ourselves out! What a mess!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Shopping And Snow

I did a little Christmas shopping today. I hate shopping, so I did not have a good time. It’s supposed to snow tonight and continue snowing this weekend! We don’t get much snow up here, so people have been talking about it a lot! When it snows, especially as much as they’re predicting, things shut down…businesses, stores, etc. And, it’s rare for it to snow, especially a predicted record-breaking snow, in December! If we get a sizeable amount of snow, it’ll usually occur in February or maybe January!

It’ll be interesting to see how the weekend pans out…getting so much snow around Christmastime in Maryland is a rare event, indeed!

Does it usually snow in your area during the Christmas season?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The Christmas Box!

I opened my closet last weekend and pulled out my Christmas box! What’s in it? Christmas CDs and DVDs to enjoy for the holidays! Here are the selections in my Christmas box!

1. A Charlie Brown Christmas CD and DVD – this thing has been on TV for as long as I can remember! What a heartwarming story that’s still a hit today!

Original Christmas Classics DVD set which includes:

2. Frosty The Snowman DVD
3. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town DVD
4. Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer DVD
I can remember seeing all three of these shows on TV every year since I was a kid!

5. The Polar Express DVD – this selection is what I consider “new”. My hubby and I went to see this in the theater and this was before we had a child.

6. The Vanessa Williams Christmas Collection CD – I mostly listen to this while traveling in the car!

7. Jackson 5 Christmas Album – My four-year-old son LOVES listening to this! He especially enjoys Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer!

8.

The Nutcracker CD – my husband doesn’t care for this, but I love the music! If I play it in the car, it’s usually when I’m alone!

Do you have a Christmas box or Christmas music and DVDs that you enjoy every year? If you do, what are your selections? I’d love to know!

~Cecelia Dowdy~