Turkey Poll

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I was mentioning on Facebook that I’ve never cooked a turkey before. I’m not doing one this year either because we’re going away for Thanksgiving (as we always do). Since there’s only three of us in this house, we feel that an entire turkey would be too much food for us.

I thought it’d be fun for my blog readers to tell me what they’re doing, food-wise, for Thanksgiving? Are you baking a turkey? Do you have a favorite turkey recipe? Care to share it in the comments? What are you baking for side dishes and desserts? Are you having people over to your house or are you going away?

I’ll go first – we’re going away and I’m not making any food items for Thanksgiving! There will be plenty of food when we get there!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

In Between By Jenny B. Jones

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In Between by Jenny B. Jones

Katie Parker knows life isn’t fair. After all, when your mom’s in jail and your dad’s a no-show, you figure things just aren’t going your way. But hey, she can deal. Then she finds out she’s being sent to live with a foster family—in In Between, Texas. What kind of town has a name like In Between? And what kind of family wants a kid like her? One thing’s for certain: None of this will be good. Sure enough—thanks to some new “friends” and her non-Mom’s crazed mother, Mad Maxine—life sails right past bad to stinking. Then again, she’s just a temporary kid, they’re just temporary parents, and she definitely doesn’t have any ideas about making any of this permanent. God, on the other hand, may have other plans altogether.

This book was HILARIOUS! Seriously, you’ll find yourself, smiling, laughing and just enjoying this light, funny story about a teen-aged foster child. Katie Parker’s mom is in prison, and now she finds herself part of the foster care system. A husband and wife want Katie to live with them as their foster child in In Between Texas. When Katie gets to In Between, she’s thrown into a life that’s as foreign to her as if she were living in a different country. Her foster dad is a pastor, her foster mom is loving, caring, and cooks hearty, tasty meals for her family. Her foster grandmother is a cuckoo woman who gets on Katie’s nerves. As Katie tries to fit into her new family, it turns out to be a long, lesson-filled journey for her. She tries to find herself while trying out different elective classes in school, and she sits with a different crowd each day during lunch – trying to figure out where she belongs in her new school. She finds out the hard way that not everybody is her friend in her new environment. Katie also starts going to church and becomes friends with Frances, a beautiful, upbeat, Christian girl that helps Katie during her transition to the new town.

Katie’s foster parents harbor secrets and Katie is determined to find out what, exactly, causes the undercurrent of disharmony in her new home.

This was a light, funny read and if you like young adult fiction, then you should give this book a try.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Christmas Book Giveaway – YOU MUST FOLLOW THE RULES TO ENTER!

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED! THE WINNER WAS ANNOUNCED HERE.

I’m hosting another Christmas book giveaway this year! ONE winner will win a box of Christmas books. You’ll see most of the titles that you’ll win at the beginning of this blog post. IF YOU WANT TO ENTER THE DRAWING YOU MUST DO TWO THINGS:

#1. You must join my mailing list! You can join my mailing list here:

If you’re already on my email list, then you can skip step one.

#2. You must comment on this blog post to enter and LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR BLOG POST – IF YOU DON’T LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR BLOG POST, THEN YOU WON’T BE ENTERED INTO THE CONTEST! I need an email address so that I can contact you if you win!

Also wanted to mention, that if you’re looking for some inexpensive stocking stuffers for Christmas, my novel collection, Chesapeake Weddings, is only $2.79 at Christianbook.com. Pick up a few to give to friends and family over the holidays!

I’ll be drawing the winner sometime over the next few weeks to ensure the winner gets the books in time to enjoy during the holidays! I will announce the winner’s first and last name and city and state on this blog. If you don’t want me to announce your full name, city, and state, on my blog then don’t enter the contest! I need to announce the winner publicly so that my blog readers will know that the contest is honest!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Moses Musings

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Photo courtesy of Aleksandr Kutsayev

Exodus 2:8-10
8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the maiden went and called the child’s mother. 9 Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name Moses, saying, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

There’s something that I’ve wondered about Moses’s upbringing. Pharoah’s daughter took in a Hebrew baby and raised him as a son. Her father, the Pharoah, was trying to kill the new-born Hebrew male children because the Hebrews were multiplying so quickly. I also gather that the Hebrews looked much different from the Egyptians?

Wouldn’t her father have objected to his daughter, raising one of his “enemies” under his own roof as her son? I’m wondering what kind of dialog went on between father and daughter? Did Pharoah finally relent and let her keep the baby just to appease her? Did Pharoah figure that keeping this one child alive could bring no harm? What do you think happened between father and daughter on this day?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Twilight – Come Over To Writers’ Rest Blog!

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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.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Rejection! :-( And A Nice Letter

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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!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

In Every Heartbeat By Kim Vogel Sawyer

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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.

~Cecelia Dowdy~