SPECIAL Author Interview: Julie Lessman (w/ Giveaway!!!!!)

Oky folks, THIS is the giveaway I have been just dancing about hosting. Grinning non stop and sooooo excited to share with you. Yeah I know, it's just another giveaway, but this is extra, extra SPECIAL, because my dear friend and one of my favorite authors, JULIE LESSMAN is ON THE BLOG!!!!!!!!  I FINALLY get my turn to host this wonderful lady, (it's about time wouldn't you say???) so sit back, read the interview and then enter to win her latest book, A Hope Undaunted (or your choice of one of her Daughters of Boston series)

Welcome to Writing for Christ! Thank you for being with us today.
Tell us a little about yourself! (Casey … this is not a question you want answered, right?)
Actually YES, Julie, so I will share your bio here. *grin*

Julie Lessman is an award-winning author whose tagline of “Passion With a Purpose” underscores her intense passion for both God and romance. Winner of the 2009 ACFW Debut Author of the Year and Holt Medallion Awards of Merit for Best First Book and Long Inspirational, Julie is also the recipient of 13 Romance Writers of America awards and was voted by readers as “Borders Best of 2009 So Far: Your Favorite Fiction”. She resides in Missouri with her husband, daughter, son and daughter-in-law and is the author of The Daughters of Boston series, which includes A Passion Most Pure, A Passion Redeemed, and A Passion Denied. You can contact Julie through her website at http://www.julielessman.com/ .



1: How long did you write before you were published?

Well, that depends. You see, I actually started writing A Passion Most Pure at the age of 12 after reading Gone With the Wind, but it wasn’t until 40 years later that God breathed new life into that early attempt and inspired me to finish my childhood novel of passion—only this time the “passion” would be for Him!

It happened in 2001 when I was sitting in a beauty shop reading a Newsweek cover article about how Christian books, movies and music were on the threshold of exploding. Something in my spirit said, “Now is the time to finish your book,” so I started APMP the next month. From that point, it took me approximately five years to get published—eight months to write the novel (while working a part-time day job), three years spinning my wheels trying to get an agent or publisher on my own, and then about six months to sell after I got an agent. You see, in 2005, I finaled in the Inspirational category of the RWA Golden Heart contest, the biggest romance contest out there for unpublished authors. That contest helped me to catch the eye of my agent Natasha Kern, who sold me in a 3-book deal within six months despite 39 prior rejections. Now that’s a great agent!

2: When you held that first book in your hands, what was your first thought?

Gosh, that seems so long ago, but it’s only been two and half years! I distinctly remember tearing up, hardly able to believe that God had done this for me! You see, in high school, my friend and I (also a writer) would joke about writing a novel some day, but to be honest, neither of us ever really believed it would happen. But God says in His Word to “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart,” and I’m here to tell you, it works BIG time!!

3: What are you working on now?

I just finished book 2 in the “Winds of Change” series, A Heart Revealed, which is Emma and Sean’s story, so it’s in the hands of my editor right now. My husband says it’s his favorite of all the books, and my aunt called it “a gangbuster of a story,” so I hope that means my editor will like it too! Then I have about 35 pages written on book 3 in that series, working title A Trust Restored, which is Steven’s story and a new heroine who will be mentored by guess who? Faith O’Connor McGuire! She will eventually have a very strong faith just like Faith did in A Passion Most Pure, which I feel will bring the O’Connor saga full circle before it concludes forever. Sniff.

I have plans for another 3-book series that I am tentatively calling “The Cousins McClare” (although series title change as quickly as book titles once a publisher is involved!). It will take place in early 1900 San Francisco and the Barbary Coast. Think two rich cousins and one poor one … and guess who the hero (a poor Collin bad-boy type who’s looking to marry a rich wife) falls in love with???

4: Sounds SO exciting, I love those title to this latest series! Where can readers find out more about your books?

That’s easy—just visit the “Books” tab of my website at http://www.julielessman.com/books/ , where they will find brief descriptions of all of my books.

5: What message(s) do you want to be clear to your readers?

The MOST important message I am trying to get across with my books is how natural and fulfilling an intimate relationship with God can and SHOULD be. Like breathing. These books may be fiction, but this is NOT a fairy-tale here. It is possible to have a living, breathing relationship with the God of the Universe. He’s crazy about each of us, and if most people really understood that, their lives would turn on a dime and blessings would overtake them. And trust me, I know this firsthand—I used to be a hard, cynical, coarse human being before God pulled me up by the scruff of the neck and said, “Yo, Julie! Get a clue. You’re the apple of my eye!”

The second most important message I hope to convey in my writing is that lust is not love. So many young girls today equate strong sexual feelings with love, so they move in with their boyfriends for a while, get married and then wonder why the marriage doesn’t work. Because although sexual attraction is nice, it doesn’t sustain a marriage and will eventually fade when the marriage does. Not only that, but I truly believe young women cut themselves off from God’s blessings in a relationship when they go against God’s precepts (the Deuteronomy 30 principal that is a major theme in A Passion Most Pure).

I believe this so strongly, in fact, that I drummed it into my kids’ heads from little on. Imagine my joy and shock when my college-age son told me what he said to his roommate, a Christian young man who was sleeping with his Christian girlfriend. “But I thought you loved her?” my son told his friend, and the friend answered, “I do, which is why it’s so hard to stop.” My son’s response? “No, because if you really loved her, you’d want God’s best for her instead of cutting off His blessings by giving in to your own lust.” WHOA … you mean they actually LISTENED when I talked??? Let me tell you—that was a “proud mom” moment, for sure!

6: What are two things that people wouldn't normally know about you as a writer and or person?

Well, since I am a pretty honest, bottom-line, no-holds-barred type of gal, most people know a lot about me because basically what you see (or read) is what you get. But … as a person, most people don’t know that I used to be a pretty hard, cold, callous individual who didn’t love many people and was a hardcore agnostic. I remember spouting off that they should burn the Bibles the Gideons placed in hotel rooms because I was that angry about God. And this will shock some people, but I never shed a tear at the age of sixteen when my mom died because we were not close, was not close with any of my nine sisters or three brothers except one sister, and wasn’t even sure if I loved my husband when I married him. All I knew was that I was happier with him than without him.

But in the midst of all this bitterness and anger and hurt, my first prayer partner and the person who brought me to Christ gave me what she felt was a word from the Lord. It basically said, “Julie, you cannot call yourself mine until you love others.” I honestly did not know how that would even be possible because I didn’t think I could ever really “love” anyone. But Jesus Christ transformed me (you shall be transformed by the renewing of your mind, Romans 12:2) and taught me to love Him through my obedience (if you love me, obey me, John 14:23-24) and lo and behold … one day I woke up and realized I not only had a deep, burning love for God and my family, but all the “others” that He’s called me to love. That is why I spend so much time with comments on blogs and responding to e-mails because the truth is, God has put an honest-to-goodness love in my heart that I simply cannot hold back. Does it eat up my time and prevent me from writing my books at times? Oh, yeah. But I like what St. Francis Assisi said: “At all times preach the Gospel, and if necessary, use words.”

Thank you for being with us today. Any final words for readers?

Just that I want to thank you, Casey—for allowing me to connect with your readers. Also, I LOVE to hear from my readers, so they can contact me through my Web site at http://www.julielessman.com/ , either by sending an e-mail via my site or by signing up for my newsletter, in which I feature book giveaways. Finally, I invite your readers to visit The Seekers, a group blog I’m a part of that talks about “The road to publication. Writing, contests, publication and everything in between.” You can find us at http://seekerville.blogspot.com/ .

God bless and hugs,

Julie


See why I love having her here?? She just is an outpouring of God's love and her first book A Passion Most Pure has helped me to grow so much and I feel like Faith and I could be sisters (or at least really good friends), because in her I see what I want to be. It overflows in my heart when I think of how grateful I am for this wonderful lady and the books she has written and is writing. I can't thank God enough for you Julie!!!

Now, on to the contest, which is why you came right??

Here is your chance to enter to win A Hope Undaunted or your choice of one of the Daughters of Boston series.

PLEASE LEAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS! If I draw your name and there is no email, YOU WILL NOT WIN!

For extra entries:
~Be a follower
~Be a subscriber

And a NEW one:
~Sign up for Julie's newsletter (which is a great one, I know, 'cause I get it. ;-)

Contest is only open in the U.S. and void where prohibited. Chances of winning are based on the number of entries and winner is draw from a non-biased third party- Random.org. I am not responsible for any lost or damaged items for said prize.

Thanks for coming by to enter! Contest ends on September 11th.

SPREAD THE WORD, JULIE LESSMAN IS IN THE HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (or on the blog in this case ;-)