Congrats To The Carol Award Nominees!

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I’d like to wish a heartfelt congrats to the Carol Award Nominees. The Carol Award is American Christian Fiction Writers’ Award for the best Christian fiction published in the previous calendar year by traditional publishing houses. Here are the nominees, along with their book covers! Enjoy! ~Cecelia Dowdy~

 

Debut Novel:

 

Fairer Than Morning by Rosslyn Elliott (Thomas Nelson – Ami McConnell, Editor)

The Loom by Shella Gillus (Guideposts – Beth Adams, Editor)

Give the Lady a Ride by Linda W. Yezak (Sky Sail [Port Yonder Press] – Chila Woychik, Editor)

 

Long Contemporary:

Lost Melody by Lori Copeland/Virginia Smith (Zondervan – Sue Brower, Editor)

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

Larkspur Cove by Lisa Wingate (Bethany House Publishers – Sarah Long/Dave Long, Editors)

 

Long Contemporary Romance:      

Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones (Thomas Nelson – Jamie Chavez/Natalie Hanemann, Editors)

Lilly’s Wedding Quilt by Kelly M. Long (Thomas Nelson – Natalie Hanemann, Editor)

My Foolish Heart by Susan May Warren (Tyndale – Karen Watson, Editor)

 

Long Historical:

Captive Trail by Susan Page Davis (Moody Publishers/River North – Deborah Keiser, Editor)

Fairer Than Morning  by Rosslyn Elliott (Thomas Nelson – Ami McConnell, Editor)

Mine Is the Night by Liz Curtis Higgs (WaterBrook Press – Laura Barker, Editor)

 

Long Historical Romance:

The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen (Bethany House Publishers – Karen Schurrer, Editor)

Lilies in Moonlight by Allison Pittman (Multnomah Publishers – Alice Crider, Editor)

To Win Her Heart by Karen Witemeyer (Bethany House Publishers – Karen Schurrer, Editor)

 

Mystery:

Falling to Pieces: A Shipshewana Amish Mystery by Vannetta Chapman (Zondervan – Sue Brower, Editor)

Died in the Wool by Elizabeth Ludwig/Janelle Mowery (Barbour Publishing – Rebecca Germany, Editor)

Yesterday’s Secrets by Kelly Ann Riley (Guideposts – Beth Adams, Editor)

 

Novellas:

An Accidental Christmas from A Biltmore Christmas by Diane T. Ashley/Aaron McCarver (Barbour Publishing – Rebecca Germany, Editor)

Reese: All Along  from Smitten by Denise Hunter (Thomas Nelson – Ami McConnell/LB Norton, Editors)

A Star in the Night from A Log Cabin Christmas by Liz Johnson (Barbour Publishing – Rebecca Germany, Editor)

 

Romantic Suspense:

Lonestar Angel by Colleen Coble (Thomas Nelson – Ami McConnell, Editor)

Deadly Pursuit by Irene Hannon (Revell – Jennifer Leep, Editor)

Wolfsbane by Ronie Kendig (Barbour Publishing – Rebecca Germany/Julee Schwarzburg, Editor)

 

Short Contemporary:

The Protector by Shelley Shepard Gray (Avon Inspire/Harper Collins – Cindy DiTiberio)

Lakeside Reunion by Lisa Jordan (Love Inspired – Melissa Endlich, Editor)

Oklahoma Reunion by Tina Radcliffe (Love Inspired – Melissa Endlich/Rachel Burkot, Editors)

 

Short Contemporary Suspense:

Double Identity by Diane Burke (Love Inspired Suspense – Sarah McDaniel-Dyer, Editor)

Nightwatch by Valerie Hansen (Love Inspired Suspense – Melissa Endlich, Editor)

A Deadly Game by Virginia Smith (Love Inspired Suspense – Tina James, Editor)

 

Short Historical (four finalists due to a tie):

Promise of Time by S. Dionne Moore (Heartsong Presents – JoAnne Simmons, Editor)

Revealing Fire by Connie Stevens (Heartsong Presents – Rebecca Germany, Editor)

Light to My Path by Erica Vetsch (Heartsong Presents – JoAnne Simmons, Editor)

The Deepest Waters by Dan Walsh (Revell – Andrea Doering, Editor)

 

Speculative Fiction:

The Story in the Stars by Yvonne Anderson (Risen Books – Reagan Reed, Editor)

The Chair by James L. Rubart (B & H Fiction – Julee Schwarzburg, Editor)

Broken Sight by Steve Rzasa (Marcher Lord Press – Jeff Gerke, Editor)

 

Suspense/Thriller:

Over the Edge by Brandilyn Collins (B & H Fiction – Karen Ball, Editor)

Fallen Angel by Major Jeff Struecker/Alton Gansky (B & H Fiction – Julie Gwinn, Editor)

Freedom’s Stand by Jeanette (J.M.) Windle (Tyndale – Jan Stob, Editor)

 

Women’s Fiction:

A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner (WaterBrook Press – Shannon Marchese, Editor)

When Sparrows Fall by Meg Moseley (Multnomah Publishers – Jessica Barnes/Shannon Marchese, Editors)

Dandelion Summer by Lisa Wingate (Penguin Praise/Berkley – Ellen Edwards, Editor)

 

Young Adult:

Wreath by Judy Christie (Barbour Publishing – Rebecca Germany/Jamie Chavez, Editors)

The Merchant’s Daughter by Melanie Dickerson (Zondervan – Jacque Alberta, Editor)

There You’ll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones (Thomas Nelson – Natalie Hanemann/Becky Monds/Jamie Chavez, Editors)

Questions From Writers

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Photo courtesy of Suat Eman

 

I received the following questions from Kelsey and Mary:

Hi my name is Kelsey. I recently visited your blog website and wanted to seek your help. I recently finished a young adult novel and I am seeking help in getting it published.

Hi, Kelsey. Thanks for writing to me. There’s no nice “pat” answer about how to get your book published. If you’re trying to get your book commercially published, the first thing I’d recommend is attending a writers’ conference. That way, you’ll come in touch with like-minded people who share your passion and who can give you some insight about seeking publication. Editors and agents are also in attendance at writers’ conferences, so, you can get a chance to see which publishers are seeking YA stories. You can also meet with editors and agents, making it possible to determine if they may be interested in your novel. Also, you should have your book either critiqued by a good critique group or professionally edited before you submit to publishers.

Hopefully, that’ll be enough to get you started! Since I write Christian romance, the conferences that were most helpful to me were American Christian Fiction Writers conference and Romance Writers of America conference. Simply do a Google search for writers conferences. You might find one in your area if you can’t afford to go to the ones that are far away. I don’t attend writers’ conferences as much as I used to since they can be a bit pricey.

 

This question came from Mary. Mary’s book cover is to the left:

I love your blog. [I like the] heartwarming photos and great info. I am a published author of Inspirational Romantic Suspense.
I am new to the publishing world. This is my first novel. What happens after the two year contract is up? If neither myself or publisher decides to sign another contract where does that leave my novel? I think what I’m trying to ask is: Do I get to keep the edited novel or does all the edits made revert back to the publisher? If I wanted to self-publish the book myself would I start from scratch with my unedited copy making sure non of the publishers edits are in the manuscript?

 

Hi, Mary

Thanks for the compliments about my blog! I enjoy blogging and I’m glad when people tell me that they like to visit and look at the wonderful pics!

Congrats on your release of Escape To Big Fork Lake. I’m not a lawyer, but, I’d think it all depends upon what’s stipulated in your contract. I’d imagine if they have rights to the book for two years, after that time span is up, you then need to request the rights back to your book and then you can do what you want with your book – using whichever version you choose to use. Before you sign a contract with a publisher, it’s probably best to get a literary lawyer to review the contract if you don’t have a literary agent.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Sunday Brunch! The Garden Of Eden!

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What do you imagine the Garden of Eden was like?

Take a moment and describe what you think the Garden of Eden was like. I was thinking about this the other day, so I decided to make it a Sunday Brunch blog post. I imagine the Garden of Eden was like a beautiful, perfect paradise. Lush, cool, clear, beautiful rivers flowing through the garden provided ample water. Sweet, luscious, plentiful fruits hang low from the tree, so low that you can just reach out and pluck one off of the branch. Wonderful, tasty colorful vegetables are also there to enjoy. A vivid blue sky with white fluffy clouds provides the perfect “ceiling” for this paradise. Tame, furry, wonderful animals wander around, providing perfect friendship. I can imagine snuggling with a lion or riding on the back of a beautiful horse, or playing with some wonderful cubs. Just thinking about this perfect place proves a nice, relaxing exercise.

So, what do you imagine the Garden of Eden was like? Leave a comment!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Genesis 2:8-15:8 Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he placed the man he had created.9 And the LORD God planted all sorts of trees in the garden–beautiful trees that produced delicious fruit. At the center of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.10 A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches.11 One of these branches is the Pishon, which flows around the entire land of Havilah, where gold is found.12 The gold of that land is exceptionally pure; aromatic resin and onyx stone are also found there.13 The second branch is the Gihon, which flows around the entire land of Cush.14 The third branch is the Tigris, which flows to the east of Asshur. The fourth branch is the Euphrates.15 The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and care for it.

The Lifeboat – A Secular Title

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Have you read this book? If so, did you like it?

I first heard about this book on literary agent Rachelle Gardner’s blog. I’d made a mental note to read it since it dealt with a group of people trying to survive on a lifeboat after their ship explodes. There’s a lunchtime bookclub at my day job, and when they chose this book, I recalled that I wanted to read it, so I went ahead and downloaded it onto my Kindle.

Grace has recently gotten married. She’s a survivor and when her father ends his life due to financial strain, she’s determined to survive without taking on a job as a governess (unlike her sister). To avoid working, she plots and snags a rich man as her husband (Henry). She sets sail from Europe to America with Henry in 1914 and the boat suffers from an explosion when the story begins. She manages to get onto a lifeboat with 30 plus people and it’s a tight fit, the boat is not really big enough for all of them. They refuse to allow others on the boat. They even ignore a child drowning in the water, and they beat away those passengers who try to clamor onto their boat. These 30-plus people stay in this boat for about 21 days with little food or water. At one point, a group of birds drop right into the boat and they eat the raw birds. They also eat raw fish.

Grace writes in first person, giving an account about the events that happened on the boat each day as she remembered them. Several of the people die, and when it’s suggested by Hardie (a crewman from the exploded ship) that there are too many people in the boat to weather a storm, they draw lots to see who should sacrifice himself so that the others may live. At one point, it’s suggested that they eat some of the deceased members, but, they refuse to do so.

This book is extremely thought-provoking. It kinda reminded me of Lord of The Flies. It’s a survivor type book and you really feel the hunger of the characters. Over half of them die and one of the lifeboat passengers are murdered, landing a few of the passengers into prison. I don’t want to give spoilers but, it’s hard to talk about the depth of the book without giving away too much of the story.

I thought the book was kinda slow in the beginning but it got better later. I actually put it aside for a week or so to read something else. I then went back to it and really got into the story. It really moved, and as you felt the characters’ starvation, dehydration and will to survive, it makes you all the more anxious for these characters to get rescued.

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

 

New York Times Bestseller List

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I was skimming the New York Times Bestseller Lists for both print and e-book combined for fiction from April 2012 – July 2012. I only looked at the top 15 titles, I didn’t view the extended list. It was interesting to see two self-published secular titles listed as bestsellers. Do you know of any other NY Times Bestsellers that are self-published titles? Far as I know, the author of On The Island got a major seven figure deal with a traditional publisher.

ON THE ISLAND, by Tracey Garvis-Graves. (Tracey Garvis-Graves.) An English teacher and the teenage boy she has agreed to tutor are stranded on an island when the seaplane taking them to join his family in the Maldives crashes in the Indian Ocean.

BEAUTIFUL DISASTER, by Jamie McGuire. (Jamie McGuire.) A college girl in search of a new beginning makes a bet with an attractive but dangerous man.

This was the was the only Christian title that I saw on the list for those months in the top fifteen for those months:

LOVING, by Karen Kingsbury. (Zondervan.) Bailey Flanigan must decide: Will she spend her life with Brandon in Los Angeles, or will her heart draw her back to Cody in Indiana?

It’d be great to see more Christian fiction titles in the top fifteen regularly. Wouldn’t it be great if Christian fiction could dominate the list?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Cooking The Books by Bonnie S. Calhoun

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Cooking The Books by Bonnie S. Calhoun

Sloane Templeton is grieving. Her mother recently died and she’s now the owner of her deceased mom’s bookstore. Sloane never considered herself “into” books, but all of that changes when she leaves her Cyber Crime job to work in the store. A strange cast of characters lurk in the store, including Barbara, a crazy woman who has terrible mood swings and Fifi, the elderly store manager who was also her mother’s friend. Barbara is currently homeless, and appears to find solace spending time in the store with her laptop.

Sloane’s life is full of drama – her ex-boyfriend, Trey, who’s also a gangster, is having a hard time accepting that she’s now involved with a White Greek man, Andreas. Trey’s threatening nature intensifies, making Sloane fear for her safety. Also, somebody wants Sloane dead. When scary, cryptic messages start showing up on the computers in the bookstore, she tries to find the source of the problem by relying on her computer skills as well as the skills from her old co-workers. Also, Sloane receives a special delivery of a smelly dead rat. The mystery intensifies when two men fight over purchasing an ancient, mystical book in Sloane’s possession. This mysterious book was acquired by her mother and having this book causes more turmoil in her complicated life.

When her fears worsen, she learns to shoot with a group of old people who often come to her store, but rarely read or buy books. The Granny Oakley Club escort Sloane to the shooting range, since she’s extremely dangerous handling a gun since she doesn’t know how to shoot.

In small snippets of comic relief, Sloane finds herself playing referee to her Aunt Verline. Aunt Verline can’t cook, and the few times she does, it turns into a disaster! The food is never edible and the fire department has made several trips to Verline’s house since she manages to burn down her kitchen when she tries to cook!

I really enjoyed this mystery. Sloane is a strong woman, but, I don’t think she initially realizes the depth of her strength. Like most Christians, she’s made some bad choices in her life, choices that come back to haunt her. The book leaves you wanting to read more mysteries starring Sloane Templeton.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Pen Pals – From The Blog Archives

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Photo courtesy of Free Digital Photos

by Cecelia Dowdy

Note, this is a repeat of an old blog post.

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~

The Gifted by Ann H. Gabhart

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The Gifted by Ann H. Gabhart

Could you imagine falling in love at first sight?

Jessamine Brady is taken to the Shaker village after her grandmother dies, when she was still a child. Now, she’s almost 21 – the age where most young Shakers sign a covenant to become an official member of the religious sect. Jessamine feels that something is missing in her life, and she struggles with her choice of signing the covenant. She’s a writer and writing stories and idle words are not allowed in the Shaker village. She loves to dance and enjoys gazing at God’s wonders, but, the Shakers allow little time for idleness. Jessamine’s life changes drastically when her and another Shaker sister find a handsome wounded man in the woods. Once they bring the wounded man back to their village, it’s discovered that he’s lost his memory, however, he manages to give them a fake name, Philip Rose. Jessamine soon finds his name is Tristan Cooper, and she longs to be with him, learn more about him, and to love him.

Jessamine struggles with the deep attraction she shares with Tristan. However, the Shakers feel that marriage is a sin, which is why they live secluded lives, with the sexes in separate dormitory-type rooms. The men and women only see one another during their eating and worship times, and even then, the sexes remain separate. They also dance and shake during worship, trying to stomp the devil out of their lives.

Tristan also struggles with his attraction to Jessamine. After all, he’s engaged to another – his mother is “forcing” him to marry privileged Laura so that their union will allow Laura’s father to save Tristan’s family from financial ruin.

I really enjoyed this book. The story is written in an intriguing way and it also only covers the span of a few days. Could you imagine falling in love at first sight? I felt that Jessamine and Tristan fell in love extremely quickly since they barely had time together in the Shaker village. Although they do spend time together later in the book, I still think they fell in love fast, but the story was written in a way that their love was believable and strong. This was a good read that’ll teach you a lot about Shaker life. Many thanks to Baker/Revell for providing me with a free review copy.

~Cecelia Dowdy~