Cecelia is offering one copy of her 3-in-1 (3 stories in 1 package) novel CHESAPEAKE WEDDINGS to one randomly chosen commenter. The winner will be announced here on Friday, July 11th, between 5-6 PM EST. For convenience, please leave your contact information within your comment. Thanks!
Blurb for CHESAPEAKE WEDDINGS:
Relax along Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay as you read about three strong African American women who suddenly face upheaval in life. Monica is caring for her abandoned blind nephew and trying to pick the proper tutor for him. Emily is struggling to save the family farm when a CPA turns up to do an audit. Karen has been deceived by her fiancé, and now she’s expected to trust a neighbor who knows too much of her business. Can God rebuild their tattered lives with new loves?
My
Journey To Publication by Cecelia Dowdy
When I
first started writing, almost two decades ago, inspirational romance was not a
very common genre. As a matter of fact, there was not a lot of inspirational
fiction available back then. Initially, I was not a part of any writers group
or organization. One day, I was on my lunch break, and I didn’t have a book to
read. I pulled out a pad of paper and a pen and I started writing. I’ve been
writing ever since. I took one of my proposals and sent it to a freelance
editor. In her edits, she asked if my book was an inspirational romance.
Unfamiliar with the term, I researched it and my world was opened up into this
fairly new genre of fiction.
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| Courtesy Google Images |
I
decided to focus on inspirational romance because my secular novels had an
inspirational slant. I spoke about faith, God and scripture – I was writing an
inspirational romance without realizing that’s what I was doing!
I then
discovered Romance Writers of America and I joined their inspirational chapter,
Faith Hope and Love. By attending their annual conference, and the local
meetings, fellowshipping with other writers, I was able to make my first sale
through a unique deal with Doubleday’s Crossings book Club. My acquaintance
with another Christian fiction author helped me to land the sale. I later
joined American Christian Fiction Writers, and I continue to be a member of
both groups.
Although
I don’t always make the book sales that I want, I still continue to write books
that glorify the Lord. I love reading fiction where the characters have a faith
journey. I love showing people who struggle with real-life problems, while
relying on their faith in God. I enjoy seeing how the inspirational market has
mushroomed and exploded, even creating various sub-genres within the Christian
fiction sector.
A Few Questions for Cecelia:
A Few Questions for Cecelia:
You
enjoy reading both secular and Christian fiction, but what is it about
Christian fiction that keeps calling upon you to write it?
I
like reading the faith element in Christian fiction. Christian fiction shows
how we need to lean on God during our troubled times.
Who
is your reading audience? Who do you hope your novels will reach in the future?
Since
I write Christian romance, I believe that my reading audience is Christian
women. I’d like my stories to be translated into different languages and be
available to people over the world.
Is
there any one writing tip that you’d like to share that had proved instrumental
in getting your first story published?
Attend
writers’ conferences and fellowship with other writers. I found the connections
made at writers’ conferences to be invaluable.
For
fun: if you had all the time to spare and without worries, which 3 novels would
you reread and why?
Middlesex
by Jeffrey Eugenides – no, this is not Christian fiction, but, this story was
amazing!
The
Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins – very dark stories, but, written in a
way that I could imagine the story really happening.
The
Wool series by Hugh Howey – again, this is not Christian fiction, but, I loved
reading about the people living underground. It was written in a way that made
me believe that it could really happen!
Cecelia's Ah-hahs To Tweet:
Meet Cecelia
Dowdy: An author concerned more about glorifying God than book sales. (Tweet This)
Love
heartwarming, Christian romance? Win #BookGiveaway by Cecelia Dowdy. #ChristianFiction
(Tweet This)
Everyone
has a story: Cecelia Dowdy on road to #ChristianFiction publication. (Tweet This)
Author's Bio:
Cecelia
Dowdy is a world traveler who has been an avid reader for as long as she can
remember. When she first read Christian fiction, she felt called to write for
the genre. She loves to read, write, and bake desserts in her spare time.
Cecelia loves to help other authors and she runs a fairly popular book review
blog entitled Cecelia’s Christian Fiction
Blog.
Cecelia currently resides with her husband and her young son in Maryland.
Places to connect with Cecelia:
