Journal Jots – Blog

“Life is tough enough

 without having someone kick you from the inside.”

 —Rita Rudner

Ah, pregnancy—that wonderful time of life when your memory goes and your nausea stays. When you need a crane in the morning to get up and catheter at night to actually sleep. And, of course, that wonderfully cumbersome time you have no earthly idea what your feet look like anymore.

Let’s face it, giving birth is no picnic. And, yes, it’s true—once that baby slides down the old canal, you actually do forget all about the stretch marks and the foggy mind and the midnight raids of the refrigerator for pickles and peanut butter. Because the truth is it’s ALL worth it, even the forty pounds you were sure you would drop along with the baby.

Yeah, right. Maybe not that. When I had my first child, I remember being ticked that they didn’t have full-length mirrors in the hospital room because come on—after nine months carrying an exercise ball under my shirt, I wanted to see how svelte I looked in my brand-new pink wrap-around robe I bought for the hospital. I actually had the nerve to whisper to my husband after we passed another new mother in the hall days after I gave birth, saying,“Hey, Babe, would you believe she had her baby a few days ago and she still looks pregnant??” Wow … talk about ignorance being bliss! After I got home, I saw pictures friends took of me at the hospital with this great, big grin on my face because I felt so thin and cute. Only, it wasn’t me in the picture, but some thick-armed, thick-waisted suma wrestler who looked like a stuffed sausage with pink casing. I cried for days over that, let me tell you, but let’s just blame that on post partum, shall we?

Now, here I am some thirty years later with my babies all grown up, but I am still going through pregnancy and labor most of the time. Giving birth to a new series, a new diet, a new exercise program that stretches my patience like my babies once stretched my skin. My youngest baby, Amy, is now 24 and pushing me to do yoga with her, so we’re talking MAJOR stretching going on here—not only with my body, but with our relationship as we evolve from mother and daughter to mother and friend. It is a time of stretching that is painful at times, but OH, so rewarding! Especially when you realize the type of woman your baby has become. That tearful moment when you finally see how God has not only shaped and molded her in your womb, but shaped and molded her as a woman of God.

Last week that baby of mine wrote something on Facebook that really touched me, and I asked her if I could reprint it here. Not only because I am SO very proud of her, but because it deals with the subject of giving birth—not to our babies, but to our dreams and the future that God has for each of us. I hope it will bless you as much as it blessed me. Without further ado, my daughter Amy Lessman:

Lately, due to the fact that I’ll soon be graduating, taking the bar, moving out, and (hopefully) getting a job, I’ve been feeling like my life is ANALOGOUS to the process of pregnancy: 

I came to the realization that I’m expecting, and God is planning to birth change in my life in the coming months…

But then right after the excitement of this realization, the morning sickness hit. And for the last three months, I’ve felt a whole lot of “morning sickness.”

Now, I finally feel like I’ve made it past the “first trimester,” and I’m able to see some of these changes begin to manifest without feeling so nauseous. 

In the next 6 months, I anticipate a lot more change in my life. And, I know that much like the pregnant woman who gets to the point where she’s just ready for the child to be out of her body—I too will get to the point of impatience where I’m just ready to be done with school, licensed as an attorney, living on my own, and working as a lawyer. 

And in those moments, I will do my best to remember that just like pregnancy is a preparation period for parents, this figurative “pregnancy period” for me is also preparation for the future that God has for me. 

And I need to allow God the ability to prepare me for the major life changes that will, before I know it, be staring me straight in the eyes, expecting me to know how to respond.

Until then, I’m going to do my best to enjoy this process… even with all its cravings, aches, and pains. 

I’m not normally one to write deep, introspective, Facebook posts, but I needed to get this off my chest, and honestly, I’m just hoping that it might inspire some of you as you are in your own processes where you feel like God is preparing you for major change as well.

WINTER NEWSLETTER HAS BEEN SENT!!!

If you signed up for my newsletter and have not received it yet, please let me know through my website or through Facebook. You won’t want to miss it because it contains both an excerpt and the cover for A Love Surrendered. And if you don’t get the newsletter and want to, all you have to do is sign up for it at http://www.julielessman.com/sign-up-for-newsletter/, and I will send it to you.

NEW NEWSLETTER CONTEST … VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE AUTHORS!

Don’t forget to VOTE for your favorite authors across all genres to be entered in my new newsletter contest to win a signed copy of A Love Surrendered PLUS a $25 Amazon.com or CBD.com gift card. All you have to do is sign up for my newsletter at http://www.julielessman.com/sign-up-for-newsletter/, then take the time to VOTE for your favorite authors in Family Fiction Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards and let me know via e-mail or through my website, and you will be entered in my new contest. PLEASE NOTE: You do NOT have to vote for me to be entered in this contest NOR tell me who you voted for, so take advantage of this opportunity to support your favorite Christian authors across all genres!!!

Here’s the link:

http://www.familyfiction.com/news/vote-in-the-2012-familyfiction-readers-choice-awards/

GIVEAWAYS!!

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012:

Join me at Overcoming Through Time for a “bibliotherapy analysis” of A Heart Revealed and win a signed copy of one of my books at: 

http://cfpagels.blogspot.com/

FEBRUARY 21 – MARCH 3, 2012:

READ A “NEW” EXCERPT from A Love Surrendered and win your choice of any of my books including A Love Surrendered on my special guest day of SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25^TH PLUS giveaways ALL WEEK LONG by other authors for a blogaversary celebration from FEBRUARY 21-25!!! Check it out here at Hardcover Feedback blog at:

 http://hardcoverfeedback.blogspot.com/search/label/1st%20Blogoversary

***SUPER GIVEAWAY!! Super popular Christian thriller author Creston Mapes’ new thriller NOBODY is FREE at Amazon Friday, Feb. 17 to Sunday, Feb. 19 at midnight (PST), so TAKE ADVANTAGE!! I DID! 🙂  Here’s the link:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006BG4QAC/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=wwwcrestonmap-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=B006BG4QAC&adid=0R9S2VFK4R5VZDGMV3D7

That’s it for this week—go and give birth to your dreams!! But rememeber—they won’t happen overnight, your self-image will be stretched considerably and you will definitely experience nausea. But don’t worry—it’s all worth it in the end! Have a GREAT weekend!!

Hugs, Julie

Sweet thunderation!

Where’s a cattle prod when you need one?

—The Cousins McClare: Book 1, Dare to Dream

By Julie Lessman

Well, it almost always happens, you know. What, you ask? A publisher changing your original title. My agent told me it happens most of the time, and I think she threw a percentage range at me of 85 to 95 percent. About killed me on the “Daughters of Boston” Series because all of my titles were Scriptures hand-picked to reflect a theme I sowed throughout the entire book. PLUS each title (including the series title) had the word “wind” in it because of my love for Gone With the Wind and the idea of wind symbolizing the Holy Spirit. Great reasons, all.

But not marketable, apparently, according to my publisher. In hindsight, I now realize that my publisher knows A LOT more about book sales than I do, and now I quietly (?) defer to them in almost every case. And, in hindsight, I think their chosen titles (which I actually submitted to them in a document of approximately 130+ titles because yes, I really am that anal!!) are PERFECT!!

So … here we go again! My publisher has changed the series and book titles for The Cousins McClare and guess what? They are spot on and I couldn’t LOVE a book title more. So instead of Book 1 of The Cousins McClare series being called Dare to Dream, it will now be called:

Love at Any Cost

Book 1 of “The Heart of San Francisco” Series

Release Date: April 1, 2013

And here’s a glimpse at a jacket blurb I wrote to give you an idea of what’s in store:

Fooled by a pretty boy once, shame on him.

Fooled by a pretty boy twice, shame on me.

Jilted by a fortune hunter, cowgirl Cassidy McClare is a spunky Texas oil heiress without a fortune who just as soon hogtie a man as look at him … until Jamie MacKenna, a handsome pauper looking to marry well lassoes her heart. But when Jamie discovers the woman he loves is poorer than him, Cassie finds herself bucked by love a second time, sending her back to Texas to lick her wounds and heal her heart. In her absence, Jamie discovers money can’t buy love … but love built on faith can set a heart free, a truth he discovers a little too late … or is it?

I am VERY excited because I have some fun cover ideas since these books will be just a hair lighter than my previous books and definitely more linear and not as complicated. Because Cassie is a Texas ranch girl with an attachment to her lasso and a pool and poker shark to boot, I’d love to see her in a side angle wearing a secret smile and a gorgeous Gibson-Girl off-the-shoulder dress that flows to her feet while holding a lasso, a pool cue or a hand of cards behind her back. I have a meeting of the minds with my publisher this week to discuss covers, so say one for me, okay?

WINTER NEWSLETTER COMING OUT NEXT WEEK!!!

Yes, it’s true … FINALLY I will be sending out my LONG overdue newsletter, so if you aren’t signed up for it, you’ll want to do so right now at http://www.julielessman.com/sign-up-for-newsletter/ because not only does it contain an excerpt from A Love Surrendered, but also announces the winners from my contest and a few other things you won’t want to miss. It will mail on Tuesday of next week, so if you do not receive it by week’s end, PLEASE let me know, okay?

NEW NEWSLETTER CONTEST … VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE AUTHORS!

If you are signed up for my newsletter, here’s a chance to vote for your favorite authors AND win a signed copy of A Love Surrendered PLUS a $25 Amazon.com or CBD.com gift card. All you have to do is take the time to VOTE for your favorite authors in Family Fiction Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards, then let me know via e-mail or through my website, and you will be entered in my new contest. PLEASE NOTE: You do NOT have to vote for me to be entered in this contest, so take advantage of this opportunity to support your favorite Christian authors across all genres!!! DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY 29TH, AND I WILL ANNOUNCE THE WINNER IN THE FRIDAY, MARCH 2ND JOURNAL JOT.

Here’s the link:

http://www.familyfiction.com/news/vote-in-the-2012-familyfiction-readers-choice-awards/

LAST-MINUTE BLOG GIVEAWAYS!!

FEBRUARY 13-18 — GIVEAWAYS ALL WEEK LONG!!

THREE CHANCES TO WIN ONE OF MY BOOKS … FEBRUARY 13, 15 & 18  … PLUS CHANCES TO WIN BOOKS BY JULIE KLASSEN, LAURA FRANTZ, KELLY LONG AND SUSAN CRAFT ALL WEEK LONG at the Overcoming Through Time Valentine’s Week Celebration at:

http://cfpagels.blogspot.com/

FEBRUARY 13-19, 2012

FICTION ADDICTION FIX MEGA VALENTINE WEEK GIVEAWAY!!! You won’t want to miss this massive giveaway of a huge bag of goodies and bundles of books!!! Check it out here at Fiction Addiction Fix, the #1 BEST BLOG to keep apprised of all the fabulous Christian fiction giveaways going on that day. Here’s the link — make it a “favorite”!!

http://fictionaddictionfix.blogspot.com/

FEBRUARY 21 – MARCH 3, 2012:

READ A “NEW” EXCERPT from A Love Surrendered (and a different one from the excerpt in my newsletter) and win your choice of any of my books including A Love Surrendered on my special guest day of SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25^TH  PLUS giveaways ALL WEEK LONG by other authors for a blogaversary celebration from FEBRUARY 21-25!!! Check it out here during those dates at Hardcover Feedback blog at:

http://hardcoverfeedback.blogspot.com/

And that’s it for this week—have a GREAT weekend!!

Hugs,

Julie

 One Woman. Two Men.

One stirs her pulse and the other her faith.

But who will win her heart?

—A Light in the Window: An Irish Christmas Love Story

By Julie Lessman

WOW, what a week!! First … I finished book 1 of The Cousins McClare, Dare to Dream, and am now awaiting feedback from my husband and a dear friend. So far, Keith loves it and says every time he opens the binder, he feels like he freefalls into 1902 San Francisco with the salty smell of the sea and the clang of trolleys, so that’s a good thing, right?

Secondly, I have been able to sit downstairs on my lower deck and write for FOUR days this week—in the middle of January, no less!!! I’m not sure if you know anything about St. Louis weather, but the average low temperature for January is 21 and the average high, 37. Of course, I am bundled to the teeth in a jacket and cozy-warm blanket (thank you, Gabe!!) and drinking my beloved cinnamon hazelnut coffee (thank you, Joetta!!), but just to be outside with blindingly blue skies and my laptop is sheer heaven.

And, speaking of heaven … yep, that’s where I’ve been all week long! You see, I started writing Marcy and Patrick O’Connor’s prequel this week, A Light in the Window, and let me tell you—I haven’t been this giddy or excited about a book since I wrote A Passion Redeemed. Because I have a soft spot for Charity and Mitch, that book SO enthralled me that it literally wrote itself in two months, and that’s with me working part-time at my day job! But this story—the love triangle between Patrick, Marcy and San O’Rourke—has stolen my heart completely … not unlike Sam with Marcy’s! So my goal is to write this book in three months, which I honestly do not think will be a problem since I can’t seem to pull myself away from the computer … 🙂 

Anyway, because I am SO excited about this venture, I thought I’d give you a sneak peek at it too, along with these images I have in mind for Marcy and Patrick. Here’s the story in a nutshell:

A Light in the Window is the prequel love story of Marcy and Patrick O’Connor whose discovery of each other is as turbulent as the era in which it takes place. The year is 1894, and following a decade of explosive industrial growth and immigration that Mark Twain called America’s “Gilded Age,” the nation plummets into the worst economic depression up to that time.

Marceline Murphy and her best friend Julie O’Rourke have been selected to assist Sister Mary Frances with the Christmas play fundraiser for the St. Mary’s parish soup kitchen. The play is called A Light in the Window, based on the Irish custom of placing a candle in the window on Christmas Eve through Epiphany (Jan. 6) to welcome strangers as if welcoming the Holy Family. The novel itself ends on January 6^th when Marcy has an “epiphany” of her own.

Patrick O’Connor and Sam O’Rourke are best friends who enjoy competing for the hearts of starry-eyed Southie lasses. When they’re caught drinking the unconsecrated sacristy wine in the confessional, Father Fitzsimmons metes out a punishment of endless hours devoted to building scenery for the Christmas play and working in the soup kitchen. It’s here where both men vie for Marcy’s affection, and although it’s Sam who wins her heart, it’s Patrick who loses his to the soft-spoken beauty who clearly only wants to be friends.

When Marcy’s grandmother Mima arrives for Christmas, Marcy tells her about The Light in the Window play as well as the charming Sam O’Rourke who has put a light in her eyes. Mima cautions her to guard her heart for the type of man who will respond to the “light in the window,” meaning the message of Christ in her heart. Marcy is troubled because although Sam professes his love, his actions often speak otherwise. When a transient from the soup kitchen steals the play funds entrusted to Marcy, Marcy is devastated and racked with guilt. But in an O’Henry-style “Gift of the Magi” twist, she soon discovers that although two men have professed their undying love for her, only one has responded to “the light in the window.”

SOOOO … what do you think? And because today’s Journal Jot wouldn’t be complete without a glimpse at a scene or two, here is a peek at the opening page:

I will not throw up … I will not throw up … Seventeen-year-old Marceline Murphy set her overnight case on the O’Rourke’s wraparound porch and pressed a quivering finger to the brass doorbell, a battalion of butterflies barnstorming in her stomach. The last time she’d been this nervous was when she’d frozen on the top limb of a massive pine tree in the backyard of her best friend Julie O’Rourke at the age of eleven. The memory of Julie’s older brother, Sam, climbing up to rescue her made her hands sweat even now, his body close behind as he helped her down, limb by limb. At the bottom he’d tugged on her pigtail with that dimpled grin that had always fluttered her pulse. “Best keep your feet on the ground and your nose in a book, Marceline Murphy,” he’d whispered in her ear. “You’ll want to stay far away from danger.”

Danger, yes. Marcy swallowed hard.

Heights and Sam O’Rourke—two things that made her dizzy.

FINALLY … here is a tiny glimpse at part of a scene I love between Patrick, Sam and the parish priest who catches these newly graduated “bad boys” drinking the unconsecrated sacristy wine in a confessional. Their penance? To spend all of their free time working in the soup kitchen and building scenery for the Christmas fundraiser play:

“And if we won’t do it?” Sam said, a glint of challenge to his tone.

Father Fitz studied Sam with a firm tilt of his head, a faint shift of a jaw that Patrick recognized all too well from countless hours of detention with a man few students defied. “You know, it’s a curious thing, Sam—your parents have been after me to come to dinner for months now, so perhaps I should come next week, imparting some information that just may batten your hatches a wee bit.”

Patrick’s stomach took a dive. Great. Another knock-down, drag-out with Pop …

“I think I may just chance it, Father,” Sam said, the dark stubble on his jaw as menacing as the stubborn gleam in his eye. “I can live without my parent’s approval.”

“Ah, yes, Mr. O’Rourke, but the question remains—can you live without money?”

Sam blinked. “Pardon me?”

A faint smile played at the edge of the priest’s mouth, compressed like his jaw in a battle of wills. “Money, Mr. O’Rourke. You know, remuneration for a job well done that allows you to buy a round a drinks at the corner pub, dazzle a pretty girl with an ice-cream soda or purchase the proper clothes befitting the neighborhood rogue?”

The blood drained from Patrick’s face as quickly as it did from Sam’s.

“Yes, well, you see, gentlemen,” Father Fitz continued in a tone as a matter of fact as his smile, “a priest has friends in high places over and above the Almighty, you know, at let’s say, The Boston Herald?”

Patrick’s eyes lumbered closed, the lump in his throat as tight as the noose Father Fitz was tossing around their necks. Both he and Sam needed their jobs at the Herald if Patrick was going to go to night school and Sam was going to rise to management.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever told you boys, but Arthur Hennessey and I go way back.” Father Fitz nodded with a faint smile, his eyes trailing into what apparently was a fond trip down Memory Lane. “Actually played ball together on the parish league, if you can imagine that.” He snapped out of his reverie, his smile brightening considerably. “Of course that was long before he took over as CEO of the Herald, you understand, although I have to admit, nobody tossed a meaner knuckleball.”

Patrick stifled a groan. Except you, Father Fitz …

“So … “ Patrick jolted when the priest clapped his hands. “I look forward to seeing you gentlemen at the fundraiser meeting next week, where you’ll learn all about just why absconding with the sacristy wine is not a good idea.”

“This is blackmail, Father,” Sam said with a scowl.

Father Fitz blinked, a wedge popping at the bridge of his nose. “Yes, I suppose it is, Samuel …” He quickly dismissed his concern with a wave of a hand, his smile veering into dazzling. “Well, no never mind,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders, “I’m on good terms with the Man upstairs—I’ll just absolve myself.”

And there you go—what I will be working on the next few months, so say one for me, okay? Hope you enjoyed these brief glimpses as much as I enjoyed writing them. Till next week, Happy Weekend!

Hugs,

Julie