Announcing The ACFW Book Of The Year Finalists!

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Here are the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) Book Of They Year Finalists! The winners will be announced at the ACFW conference in September!

Debut Author
A Passion Most Pure (Julie Lessman)
Courting Miss Adelaide (Janet Dean)
Every Good and Perfect Gift (Sharon K. Souza)
Hero, Second Class (Mitchell Bonds)
In the Shadow of the Sun King (Golden Keyes Parsons)

Lits
Faking Grace (Tamara Leigh)
Picket Fence Promises (Kathryn Springer)
Single Sashimi (Camy Tang)
Sweet Caroline (Rachel Hauck)
Truffles by the Sea (Julie Carobini)

Long Contemporary
Lookin Back Texas (Leanna Ellis)
One Holy Night (J.M. Hochstetler)
Stuck in the Middle (Virginia Smith)
Summer of Joy (Ann H. Gabhart)
Symphony of Secrets (Sharon Hinck)

Long Contemporary Romance
Along Came a Cowboy (Christine Lynxwiler)
Controlling Interest (Elizabeth White)
The Convenient Groom (Denise Hunter)
Finding Stefanie (Susan May Warren)- This novel was the winner of RWA’s Rita contest
Zora and Nicky: A Novel in Black & White (Claudia Mair Burney)

Long Historical (6 finalists due to a tie)
The Apothecary’s Daughter (Julie Klassen)
Calico Canyon (Mary Connealy)
Deep In the Heart of Trouble (Deeanne Gist)
From A Distance (Tamera Alexander)
I Have Seen Him in the Watchfires (Cathy Gohlke) – this book won the Christy Award
My Heart Remembers ( Kim Vogel Sawyer)

Mystery
The Case of the Bouncing Grandma (A.K. Arenz)
Death on a Deadline (Christine Lynxwiler, Sandy Gaskin, and Jan Reynolds)
Drop Dead Diva (Christine Lynxwiler, Sandy Gaskin, and Jan Reynolds)
For Whom the Bell Tolls (Nancy Mehl)
Of Mice . . . and Murder (Mary Connealy)

Novellas
The Cookie Jar (Janet Lee Barton in A Connecticut Christmas anthology)
Dressed in Scarlet (Darlene Franklin in Snowbound Colorado Christmas anthology)
Santa’s Prayer (Diane Ashley in A Connecticut Christmas anthology)
Snowbound for Christmas (Gail Sattler in A Connecticut Christmas anthology)
Stuck On You (Rhonda Gibson in A Connecticut Christmas anthology)

Short Contemporary
Buffalo Gal (Mary Connealy)
Clueless Cowboy (Mary Connealy)
Family Treasures (Kathryn Springer)
Her Unlikely Family (Missy Tippens)
White as Snow (Janice Thompson)

Short Contemporary Suspense
Bayou Paradox (Robin Caroll)
Broken Lullaby (Pamela Tracy)
Countdown to Death (Debby Giusti)
Forsaken Canyon (Margaret Daley)
Killer Cargo (Dana Mentink)

Short Historical
Family of the Heart (Dorothy Clark)
Masked by Moonlight (Allie Pleiter)
Reckless Rogue (Mary Davis)
Return to Love (Susan Page Davis)
Sandhill Dreams (Cara Putman)

Speculative
The Book of Names (D. Barkley Briggs)
DragonLight (Donita K. Paul)
The Restorer’s Journey (Sharon Hinck)
Shade (John B. Olson)
Summa Elvetica: A Casuistry of the Elvish Controversy (Theodore Beale)

Suspense
Anathema (Colleen Coble)
The Black Cloister (Melanie Dobson)
Fossil Hunter (John B. Olson)
Lonestar Sanctuary (Colleen Coble)
Perfect (Harry Kraus)

Women’s Fiction (7 finalists due to a tie)
A Month of Summer (Lisa Wingate)
Every Good and Perfect Gift (Sharon K. Souza)
My Sister Dilly (Maureen Lang)
The Perfect Life (Robin Lee Hatcher)
The Shape of Mercy (Susan Meissner)
Stepping into Sunlight (Sharon Hinck)
Tuesday Night at the Blue Moon (Debbie Fuller Thomas)

Young Adult
The Big Picture (Jenny B. Jones)
The Fruit of My Lipstick (Shelley Adina)
It’s all About Us (Shelley Adina)
The Owling (Robert Elmer)
Trion Rising (Robert Elmer)

Have you read any of these books? Which do you think may win? I know I haven’t read all of them, so it’s hard to tell which will win. I do believe The Shape of Mercy has a good chance of winning. That novel’s gotten so much buzz!
~Cecelia Dowdy~

Author Frank McCourt Dies At 78

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I just discovered that author Frank McCourt died at the age of 78 last Sunday. I read his book, Angela’s Ashes, years ago. Most of you know that I don’t read many non-fiction titles, however, Angela’s Ashes reads like a novel. It’s a humorous story about a boy growing up poor in Ireland. There is great sadness in the story, too. When people tell me that they want to write a memoir then I always direct them to Angela’s Ashes. If you want to know the full story about McCourt’s death, you can read about it here.
~Cecelia Dowdy~

The Someday List by Stacy Hawkins Adams

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The Someday List by Stacy Hawkins Adams

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Revell (January 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800732669
ISBN-13: 978-0800732660

From Amazon.com
From the Back Cover
What do you do when you realize you’re not who you want to be? Rachelle Covington has it all. A fabulous home, a handsome and successful husband, two beautiful children, and a place in the upper crust that’s quite comfortable. But life is not all it’s cracked up to be, and Rachelle finds herself yearning for more. When her husband goes away on a business trip and the kids are sent off to the grandparents for a month, Rachelle heads back to Jubilant, Texas, to visit family and reconnect with her past, her purpose, and herself. But when a blast from the past shows up, Rachelle must confront feelings she thought she’d long buried. Will she give up everything to recover what could have been? Or will she find a reason to plan for the future? Fresh, sincere, and full of hope, The Someday List is an honest look at what makes us who we are. Stacy Hawkins Adams is an Essence bestselling author whose books illuminate the themes of faith, forgiveness, and women’s friendships. She is the author of Speak to My Heart, Nothing but the Right Thing, and Watercolored Pearls. Adams is also a freelance journalist and inspirational speaker, and devotes considerable time to child advocacy issues. She and her family live in Virginia.

==
This novel was about facing the demons from your past while trying to reconcile and solve your current problems. Rachelle Covington lives a priviledged life. She has all sorts of material possessions, including a lovely home. However, her marriage to a handsome surgeon is not a happy one. Rachelle has not been satisfied with her life with Gabe for a long time and she longs for a change – she no longer wants to be a housewife and would like to be a practicing optomotrist again.

However, a dying friend encourages Rachelle to make a list of all of the things she’d like to accomplish. Rachelle struggles to make her list, wondering what she really wants out of her life.

When her kids are sent away to stay with grandparents and her husband goes away on a missionary trip, Rachelle returns to her hometown and is faced with her first love. Temptation haunts her since she’s struggling with an unhappy marriage.

The Someday List addresses lots of issues, including alcoholism and spousal unfaithfulness. This book teaches us how to embrace life, and learn to lean on God, especially since we never know how long we will be allowed to live on this earth.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Beyond Today by Janelle Jamison

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Beyond Today by Janelle Jamison alias Tracie Peterson
ISBN-13: 9781557485618
ISBN-10: 1557485615
Publication Date: 7/1/1994

From the back cover:
Life on the Kansas prairie is hard and unpredictable, and death can be a frequent visitor. As a result, Amy Carmichael has learned never to live beyond today. She works diligently helping their parents on their farm, and she never plans for the future.

All that changes, though, when she meets Tyler Andrews, the new circuit rider. But will Tyler return her love, or is he more attracted to Amy’s twin sister Angie? Amy knows from experience that men seem to prefer Angie, and for the time a wedge of jealousy separates the sisters.

Love on the Kansas prairie is hard and unpredictable, but it is also as inevitable as an early summer cyclone.

==
I’m not even sure how this novel popped up in my house! I’m fairly certain I purchased it used at a library book sale or at a book store. I wanted to read to read this old Heartsong because it’s about a set of identical twin sisters – I’m always partial to stories about identical twins.

Imagine my surprise when I opened the cover and discovered the author is really Tracie Peterson! I didn’t realize Tracie had written some Heartsongs under a pen name!

Amy has always lived in her twin sister Angie’s shadow. Amy is tomboyish, and she loves to take care of the kids while the adults have their social time. Angie is flirtatous, always having a number of beaus waiting to court her.

However, when the new preacher, Tyler Andrews, comes to town, Amy finds that she’s finally met a man that makes her heart go pitter-patter. Tyler is a bit older than Amy, plus he’s a traveling preacher who is a widower – he’s lost his wife and child on the tough Kansas prairie.

To make matters worse, Amy is floored to discover that Angie is smitten with Tyler. Which twin does Tyler really like?

The story takes a suspenseful twist when Amy is kidnapped and Tyler, plus the whole town, goes on a quest to save her life.

This book was an enjoyable Heartsong read.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Inspirational Rita Award Winner!

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I blogged about the RITA Award nominees here. Well, last night, they announced the winners. The winner of the inspirational category of the RITA Award was Finding Stefanie by Susan May Warren
Tyndale House Publishers (ISBN: 1-4143-1019-6)
Karen Watson, editor

Before the ceremony, I attended a party in author Nora Roberts’ suite. There was plenty of hor d’oeurves, drinks, and chatter! There were plenty of authors and editors there, too. It was a great way to top off the RWA conference!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Harlequin Party!!

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I’ve been too tired to blog about the Romance Writers of America conference. So far, the best part, was the Harlequin party last night! Harlequin is sixty years old and they had dessert stands – complete with different sweet treats throughout the decades.

The desserts were great and the music was fantastic! They played music from my era – mostly seventies and eighties tunes!

As a reminder, just want to mention again that you can download Harlequin titles for free as part of their 60th anniversary celebration. The link for the downloads can be found on this blog post.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Romance Writers Of America Conference

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I’m heading off to the Romance Writers of America conference today. Since it’s local, I don’t have to fly. I’ll be taking the metro to the hotel. I wanted to mention again that I’ll be signing Milk Money and Bittersweet Memories tonight at 5:30. If you’re in the area you can drop by and say hello!

I’m not sure how often I’ll be blogging throughout the conference. It all depends on how I feel once I get there. I’ll try to post as much information as I can during the conference and afterwards.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

My Wedding Pics!

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No, I didn’t get married recently. We tied the knot almost six years ago. However, we failed to get digital photos. My sister was kind enough to scan these and email them to me. I thought it’d be fun to post these for my blog readers to enjoy. I’ll probably post on my For Fun page on my website, too.

~Cecelia Dowdy~






Christy Award Winners!

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I blogged about the Christy Award Nominations here.

Here are the Christy Award Winners:
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE:
Beyond the Night by Marlo Schalesky (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)

Contemporary Series, Sequels & Novellas:
You Had Me at Good-bye by Tracey Bateman (FaithWords)

Contemporary Standalone:
Dogwood by Chris Fabry (Tyndale House Publishers)

First Novel:
Blue Hole Back Home by Joy Jordan-Lake (David C. Cook)

Historical category:
Until We Reach Home by Lynn Austin (Bethany House Publishers)

Historical Romance category:
From a Distance by Tamera Alexander (Bethany House Publishers)

Suspense category:
The Rook by Steven James (Revell)

Visionary category:
Vanish by Tom Pawlik (Tyndale House Publishers)

Young Adult category:
I Have Seen Him in the Watchfires by Cathy Gohlke (Moody Publishers)
***Just wanted to note that this is the second time this author has won a Christy Award!

You can find the full press release for the Christy Awards here.

~Cecelia Dowdy~