Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Cecelia Dowdy is here today...win a free book

Welcome back everyone!

Today, I'd like to welcome Cecelia Dowdy to my blog. Be sure to leave a comment to be placed in the drawing. You might just win a free copy of her book!



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. Currently she resides with her husband and young son in Maryland.


Plug time! Please tell us a little about your latest release and why readers should run out and buy it as soon as it hits the shelves.
Here’s a short summary of Milk Money: Running a dairy farm alone is a big job. When her dad dies, Emily works hard to save the family farm. Her world turns upside down the day Franklin Reese, CPA, pulls in her driveway, announcing he’s there to do an audit. Frank is appalled at the lack of interest Emily has in her farm’s finances, but he’s determined to help her learn. The further he looks into Mr. Cooper’s dealings, the more uncomfortable he becomes. As he uncovers the truth about Mr. Cooper’s finances, he struggles with his own issues. Can Emily love Frank since he’s an unsaved alcoholic?
Readers should run out and buy my book because it’s a good story that shows how we can lean on God to overcome alcoholic addiction.


How many full manuscripts did you write before you sold? Or if you’re pre-pubbed, how many have you written to date? I lost track of how many books I’d written before I sold. However, I was writing for five and a half years before I sold my first novel.

In your opinion, what’s the most fascinating thing about writing? Being able to use my imagination to create stories that others will read. Just knowing that thousands of people will be reading the words on the final printed page gives me a euphoric feeling!

What’s something you can tell us about yourself that most people don’t know? Growing up, I used to get a majority of my reading material from the bookmobile that came through my neighborhood every two weeks.

Me too! I had the schedule memorized and would run out to get the next Nancy Drew book! LOL.

When did you start writing for publication and what did people say when they found out? I started seriously writing for publication in 1994. I heard a wide range of reactions from friends. Some said I needed to be friends with people at the publishing house in order to get a contract. Others said I needed a lot of money to publish a book, so I’d never be able to afford to put my work in print. I had to patiently explain that I wasn’t trying to self publish, and they were shocked that publishers actually paid advances and royalties, with the author never paying a dime toward the publication expenses for their novels! I was glad to educate some people about the publishing process!

What is your favorite food? I like tomato-based foods like spaghetti, lasagna, and pizza. I also enjoy desserts. My favorite desserts are chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, and lemon pound cake.

Tell us a little about your family.
I’ve been married for five years! We have a three-year-old son. Our life has really changed since we had our son. Currently we’re just raising our bright, inquisitive son while we work full-time. My husband is a computer programmer for the IRS and we met on an online dating service!

Who are your favorite authors?
Too many favorites to name! I love veteran author Janette Oake, and I also enjoy Robin Lee Hatcher, Brandilyn Collins, and the late Jane Peart. These are just a few of my favorites! I love a lot of authors!

What are you reading now and what’s in your “to be read” pile?
Believe it or not, I’m reading a secular novel right now: Twilight. I kept hearing about this book and movie, and whenever I hear a lot of buzz about a book, I have to read it! My to-be-read pile includes lots of titles: Love Finds You In Valentine Nebraska by Irene Brand
Showdown by Ted Dekker
Before The Season Ends by Linore Rose Burkand
My Soul To Keep by Davis Bunn
The Making of Isaac Hunt and Loving Cee Cee Johnson (that’s two novels) by Linda Leigh Hargrove
I also have just about every Heartsong Presents and Heartsong Presents cozy mystery novel published within the last year. I probably won’t read them all, but I will pick and choose which ones I’ll read.
Plus an ever-growing pile of more books that I don’t have the time to list!
10. Do you set out to write each story with a particular theme or does the theme develop as the story does? The theme develops as the story does.

Do you have a particular method for tracking the details in your story? Can you tell us a little about this? I’ll use a timeline or a wall calendar to be sure things are in sequence. Also, if I have to research details, I’ll use the internet a lot. Since Milk Money takes place on a dairy farm, me, my husband, and our son went to a small family dairy farm in Maryland during their evening milking. I assisted in the milking process and I also asked the farmer a plethora of questions about his farming routine. He was a wealth of information and my son loved seeing those cows!

Who has had the most influence on your life in general? In your writing life?
If I had to pick someone, it would be my Mom who’s had the greatest influence in my life! As far as writing, I think about authors I read growing up, which probably influenced my decision to become a writer. I recall reading the Nancy Drew mystery series and Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House On the Prairie Series. Rosemary Rogers was the first romance author I read when I was in high school. Later, not long after I’d started my own writing, I read Janette Oake’s novels and loved them!

Do you have an agent? If yes, did you have the agent before you sold your first book or after?
No, I don’t have an agent. I’ve sold five books without an agent, but, I’m currently searching for an agent now.

What advice do you have for a beginning author?
Learn the craft and fellowship and learn from published authors via writers organizations like Romance Writers of America (RWA) and American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW)

Any parting comments?
Thanks for hosting me on your blog! It’s been fun!

Thanks for being here. It's been fun getting to know you a little better.

19 comments:

Marcia Gruver said...

Hi, Cecelia! We have the same taste in food and authors. I'm always up for pizza (pepperoni, extra cheese) and I'll read anything by Brandilyn Collins.

Great interview, ladies. Please enter me for the book.

Becky C. said...

I enjoyed the interview very much, and would love to read the book.

Please enter me in the contest.

Thank you,

Becky C.

rec(at)hiwaay(dot)net

Jim Hall said...

Very intersting. I spend alot of time on my uncle's cattle ranch growing up and spent many, many morningings chasing Bessie down and squeezing teets until my arms ached! lol

God bless your work,

Jim

Lyn Cote said...

I didn't know you met your husband on an online dating site.

How did that happen?
Lyn Cote

Jessica Nelson said...

What an interesting romance you and your husband had! Your book sounds really cute (I've heard about it before)
Nice interview. :-)
I loved Nancy Drew too.

tetewa said...

Enjoyed the interview and your going to love the Twilight series! tWarner419@aol.com

tetewa said...

Enjoyed the interview and your going to love the Twilight series! tWarner419@aol.com

Martha A. said...

i love cows so I am sure to love this one!
martha(at)lclink(dot)com

donna said...

I was a bookmobile-er too until they built a branch near us!

donna said...

whoops! here's my blog addy!
rebornbutterfly.wordpress.com

Cecelia Dowdy said...

Marcia and Becky, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the interview. Jim, visiting the small family dairy farm was interesting, as well as smelly! A family from my hometown let me come to their farm and they let me help with their evening milking. I had my notebook and I asked TONS of questions. Interesting experience!

Hi, Lyn! Yes, I met my husband on MATCH.COM. He lived less than a mile from my house!

Jessica, Tetewa, Martha, and Donna, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! If you win the book, I hope you'll enjoy reading it!

Kat Heckenbach said...

I love hearing success stories about authors who work hard. Good for you, Cecelia, for sticking to it and doing it all without an agent! Great interview! See you 'round on CF2 :).

Oh, yeah, and...pick me!

Cecelia Dowdy said...

Kat, glad to see ya! Thanks for dropping by and commenting!

T. Forkner said...

Hi Cecelia. Congratulations! I had fun getting to know you a little at ACFW. I'd love to win your book! :-)

Cecelia said...

Tina, it was great spending time with you, too at ACFW! Thanks for dropping by and reading my interview!

SpartanburgSpark.com said...

Nice post. It's always cool to hear about the behind-the-scenes of the publishing game.

By the way ...
This is just a quick note mentioning that SpartanburgSpark.com is asking local bloggers about how and why they got started posting their thoughts online. The post is here: http://www.spartanburgspark.com/2009/01/local-bloggers-why-did-you-start-blogging/

Ronica Stromberg said...

Cecelia,

Good seeing you online! My husband and I used to head up the singles ministry at our church, and I had singles quite often ask me whether I thought it was OK for them to use a matchmaking service. I always said yes and have wondered how many Christians meet through one. Glad to see it worked for you! I think that's a romance story in itself--and you've already done some of the research.

Linda Beed said...

Hi Cecelia. I've had the opporutnity to learn more about you from this blog. I love your adventurous spirit.

Congratulations on the new release.

Linda!
www.lindabeed.com
bwchristianlit.blogspot.com

Cecelia Dowdy said...

Spark, Ronica, and Linda, thanks much for reading my interview and stopping by my blog! Ronica, yes, matchmaking services are a good way to meet people, but, I've always advised people not to get high hopes about them! They don't always work, but it doesn't hurt to try to meet people this way.