“My hope is found in this one unshakeable truth:

I don’t have to know the way,

I simply have to follow the One Who is The Way.”

—Kelly Hall, Surrendered Hearts

Hope. As vital as air to each of us, and literally oxygen to the human soul. And the good news? If God is in your life, then hope is in strong supply because He is “The God of Hope.”

Now the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,

that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Romans 15:13 

Hope has been on my mind a lot lately, and not just because it’s a staple of embarking on a new year. Nope, this time it’s because just yesterday—Eeeeeeeeeeeek!!!!!—I penned the final line to my first contemporary novel, Unfailing Love, book 1 in the Isle of Hope series. And, goodness, was this a tough nut to crack!

Maybe because after writing ten historical novels, the idea of writing a contemporary scared me a wee bit. You see, as a sixty-four-year-old author, I couldn’t help but wonder if I could get the modern language and terminology right for my twenty-six-year-old heroine and twenty-eight-year-old hero. In a historical, you can fudge a lot because let’s face it—few people are familiar with basic terms from the early nineteen hundreds. But in a story about today’s young people? I’ll admit I was a little nervous about slang, music, and mindset, so thank God I have my twenty-six-year-old daughter as a check system, which means I think I’m okay … 🙂

Or maybe this novel was harder to write because in many ways, it was a catharsis for me, a purge of my past, if you will. You see, the story is about a wild girl at odds with her father, who eventually kicks her out of the house, which is basically my story as well. And when she becomes a Christian several years later, the first thing God tells her to do is to make amends with her dad, also my story. So to say I did a lot of crying during this book is an understatement, which I guess is good for me, and hopefully you too!

Anyway, I’ll be pitching this novel to my editor soon, so say one for me, okay? But in the meantime, I thought it might be fun to give you a sneak peek at where I’ve been “living” in my mind for the last nine months, so I decided to share some of the pix from my notes file and pix of different heroes I’m considering.

If you feel like it, I’d love your feedback on which hero appeals for Jack O’Bryen, a six-foot-two bad-boy pediatrician fresh out of residency with brown hair and pale blue eyes. Once a sweet and serious pastor’s kid who had intended to be a pastor himself, Jack O’Bryen has turned his back on God for reasons you will discover in the story. Now he’s a free-and-easy bachelor ready to make up for years of hard work and studies. Until the one woman he’d once hoped to marry returns to Isle of Hope after eight long years. Suddenly the tables are turned, and the temptress girlfriend he once fell in love with is now a Christian while he, the ex-seminary student once so devoted to God, is now the bad boy. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg …

Jack O’Bryen #1

Jack O’Bryen #2

I’m editing now, but in the weeks ahead, I’ll be posting excerpts, so be sure to check back for sneak peeks, okay?

Hugs and Happy Weekend!

Julie

BLOG GIVEAWAY!!!

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2015:

For most of us, the new year is a time of reflection on where we’ve been and where we want to go—in our life and in our writing. Join me as I reflect (i.e. ramble) on what it means for me to be a Christian author in my blog, “LOVE AFFAIR 2015: A Christian Romance Author’s Rambling on Life, Love, and Writing,” where you’ll also have the opportunity to win a signed copy of any of my books.
  

NEW RELEASE COMING …

COMING SPRING 2015 … a novella about Blake “The Rake McClare” from the Heart of San Francisco series, so check back for when and where.


FREEBIES AND SALES!!

SALES ON THE FINAL BOOKS IN O’CONNOR FAMILY SAGA!! HUGE savings on A Hope Undaunted, Heart Revealed & A Love Surrendered!!


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A Passion Most Pure!

ACFW Debut Book of the Year & over 614 5-star reviews can’t be wrong! See why some have read it 20 times!

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VALENTINE’S DAY IS COMING AND A LIGHT IN THE WINDOW WILL BE FREE ON KINDLE!! My Irish love story, A Light in the Window—winner of three awards—will be free the week before Valentine’s Day, so do check it out. Here’s the video my hubby did for A Light in the Window with my daughter as the model for both the book and video, so take a peek. ALITW Video.