Friday, August 9, 2024

A “LAME” SUMMER???

AT LAST … MY DEVOTIONAL IS UP FOR PRE-ORDER!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR NOV. 1-14 FOR PRIZES GALORE!

SUMMER SALES, ANYONE?

Read my prior blog including excerpt from Henry’s story HERE!

A “Lame” Summer?

Well, not really, at least not regarding my devotional which I FINALLY finished—thank you, Jesus!—but more about that below.

But physically? Oh, yeah, because this girl had bunion surgery that has laid me low for a while and for which I get to wear a really cute (NOT!) sandal for over a month. I can walk, but it’s not pretty, hobbling around putting weight only on my good leg and barely walking on my heel on the surgery foot.

But WHOA, what a difference it made and with almost NO pain, God’s truth! I always heard bunion surgery was one of the most painful, but I am happy to say that has not been my experience, and I attribute that all to prayer and really great surgeon! Check out the results to the right! Thank God, no more painful rubbing toe against toe. My sweet hubby is a great nurse, and my sweet son-in-law says now I can begin a new career as a foot model! 😉

Pre-Order Devotional Now!

DRUM ROLL, PLEASE!!

I am thrilled (reallllly thrilled because now I can move on to writing novels again!) to announce that my devotional (or I should say, “God’s devotional” since He was the One who forced me to write it!!) is now available for pre-order! And for those of you who prefer paperback, that will be available, too, come the release date of October 1, 2024.

I don’t mind saying that this is the HARDEST book I have ever written, and I hope and pray God NEVER asks me to write a nonfiction again. But … I will say that this devotional (aka “novotional”) is chock-full of spiritual lessons God has taught me in my marriage, in raising my children, and in life in general, so I hope it blesses you. Here’s the jacket blurb:

“DEAR LORD, JULIE … OUR WHOLE LIFE IS IN THIS BOOK!”

My heart went out to my sweet husband as he walked into our kitchen one day with a noticeable gulp, ashen-faced after reading my latest novel.“Yes, I know, babe,” I said with a repentant smile and a conciliatory hug, “but nobody really knows that.”

Ahem. Until now …

Trust me, “What’s the Story, Morning Glory? A Memoir Devotional with a ‘Novel’ Approach to Practical Christianity” is not a book I wanted to write. As a novelist, I have never been partial to nonfiction, either reading it or writing it, but I had little choice when God convinced me otherwise through a number of point-blank arm-twistings I couldn’t deny and not-so-gentle proddings from family and friends.

Despite all the encouragement, I wasn’t really sure where to begin. “It will be fiction and nonfiction combined,” the Holy Spirit whispered within, and just like that, the idea for this book took flight. First, I would tell my “real” and very personal story behind the life-lesson stories in my novels, then I would follow it up with the excerpt from my books where I teach that same life lesson to my characters, finally culminating in corresponding Scriptures, a bulleted “Takeaway” list, and a related prayer.

Thus, What’s the Story, Morning Glory: A Memoir Devotional with a “Novel” Approach to Practical Christianity was born. A memoir devotional that when combined with scenes from my novels, becomes a “novotional” where I relate the life lessons God personally taught me through His Word. I am simply a child of God who applied these lessons and Biblical precepts to every situation in my life and consequently, saw nonstop answers to prayer and blessings galore. It is my profound hope and prayer that through my own very simple and personal stories and examples, I can do the same for others. Therefore, the format for each chapter of this book will be as follows:

The Real Story (How I learned and applied the spiritual lesson in my own life)
The Novel Story (The scene where I teach the spiritual lesson to my characters)
The Scripture Story (Scriptures applicable to the spiritual lesson)
The Takeaway Story (Bulletized points for spiritual lesson in easy-to-read/apply format)
The Prayer Story (Specific prayer related to the spiritual lesson)

I pray this bottom-line, albeit somewhat quirky, 1-2-3 devotional blesses you as much as God’s spiritual life lessons have blessed me!

Hugs,
Julie Lessman

OKAY, FOLKS … You can now pre-order this devotional in e-book for the pre-order discount rate of $3.99 and, of course, in paperback on its release date of October 1st.

PRE-ORDER DEVOTIONAL AT REDUCED RATE HERE

Okay, all right, God—I did it! “Your” devotional is done, so can you PLEASE show me which novel to write next??? (Prayers appreciated!)

Mark Your Calendar for Nov.

1-14 for Giveaways Galore!

WHY? Because I will be back on Mysti’s Book Nook giving away TONS of prizes including gift cards, books, and characters named for you or a loved one in my next book.

We will be discussing A Dare and a Prayer, Book 3 in my Cousins O’Connor Series, Henry’s story, so mark your calendar now to join us and if you haven’t read Henry’s story yet (it’s one of my absolute faves!), now’s the chance to do so because Henry is on sale for 30% off and I guarantee you will LOVE him! Here’s the jacket blurb:

He’s a hotshot who takes up a dare.
She’s an aspiring missionary who wants to beware.
But will love become a gamble with a dare and a prayer?

30% SALE E-DOWNLOAD A DARE AND A PRAYER HERE

PAPERBACK OF A DARE AND A PRAYER HERE

Bk. 2, E-BOOK A HOPE AND A PRAYER, $2.99 HERE

PAPERBACK A HOPE AND A PRAYER HERE

BK. 1, A WING AND A PRAYER, $2.99 HERE

PAPERBACK, A WING AND A PRAYER HERE

VIDEO TRAILER FOR A WING AND A PRAYER HERE

Summer Sales, Anyone?

❤️🩵❤️ “CHRISTIAN WOW!” — Vince Mooney, Amazon Review
Check out this 4.67⭐️ AWARD-WINNING TRILOGY ON SALE W/FREE DOWNLOAD ON PREQUEL NOVELLA!

Isle of Hope listed on BOOKBUB’S “16 CHRISTIAN ROMANCE NOVELS READERS ARE GUARANTEED TO LOVE!” and FAMILY FICTION MAGAZINE’S “TOP 15 NOVELS OF 2015!”

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ “Lessman has carved out her own new subgenre: CHRISTIAN WOW! Read, Enjoy, and Feel the Power! Five Stars from Start to Finish!” — Vince Mooney, Amazon Review

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ “ABSOLUTELY the best book I’ve ever read by any Christian author.” — Anneta Allen, Amazon Review

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ “It is my book of the year.”—M. Barkman, Amazon Review

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ “Julie Lessman is one of the few authors I will dish out my own money to buy a book instead of getting it from the library.” — Alexia, Goodreads

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ “Punchy, passionate, and powerful! From characters with raw, penetrating emotions that tied me up in knots and tears, to the most compelling, God-given story-thread I’ve ever read on forgiveness.” — Noela Nancarrow, Overcoming With God blog.

ISLE OF HOPE at $.99 HERE

FREE DOWNLOAD ON PREQUEL NOVEL
A GLIMMER OF HOPE HERE

BOOK 2, LOVE EVERLASTING, $2.99 HERE

BOOK 3, HIS STEADFAST LOVE, $2.99 HERE

Hugs and Happy Reading! ♥️
Julie