Journal Jots – Blog

If one must labor, let it be a labor of love.
—Julie Lessman 

Okay, hold me down … and for pity’s sake HIDE THE COFFEE!!! I’m bouncing off the walls now as it is, and God knows that “Fridays” don’t help!! Then plop Labor Day on top of that and LOOK OUT!! But, WHEW … what a week!!

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! (Thank you, Erica Vetsch and Renee Chaw, for introducing me to a new form of expressing my excitement.) First of all, as some of you may or may not know, my latest book in the O’Connor saga—A Heart Revealed—released just yesterday, and that’s always a skittery time for an author because you’re waiting for people you love (YOU!!) to read it. It was SO fun to receive the picture above from one of my “bud/prayer partner” reader friends, Michelle Tuller, whose name is also in A Heart Revealed as a subordinate character. Michelle came in second place in my newsletter contest to have a character named after her in A Heart Revealed, and then, of course, Casey Herringshaw (to the left) came in first, so her character is more prominent. So when you see their names in the book for the first time, I’m asking each of you to say a little prayer of blessing for them because they truly are a blessing to me.

And then, of course, you nervously eye the rankings on Amazon, which I only do around the time of a book release because it’s SO fun to see a good ranking, no matter how short-lived! For instance, when A Passion Redeemed came out, the first week it popped up on an Amazon bestseller list where it was #1 and Gone With the Wind was #3—go ahead, tell me THAT wasn’t fun!!! And, yes, I actually did print the page off and have it for all posterity so that I know I didn’t dream it!

But, that’s not all that happened to crank up my tic level this week. I also had three of my favorite blogger friends post their suggestions as to the top ten authors to read in Christian fiction/bucket list, and you guessed it—they included me on their lists. WOW!!! One might possibly expect to make one or two lists at the end of the year where everybody posts their top-ten favorite books, but mid-year??? Doesn’t happen. Until this week. So, here’s the links to check for some GREAT suggestions on wonderful Christian authors:

Rel Mollet from Relz Reviews:

http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2011/08/10-authors-you-need-to-read.html

Nora St. Laurent: Finding Hope Through Fiction

http://psalm516.blogspot.com/2011/08/10-authors-you-need-to-watch.html

Casey Herringshaw at Writing for Christ with her “bucket list”:

http://enjoyingthewritingcraft.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-top-ten-meet-these-authors-bucket.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+WritingForChrist+%28Writing+for+Christ%29

Then, as if that wasn’t enough to put me over the top, I find out yesterday that book 1 in The Winds of Change series, A Hope Undaunted is FREE on CBD.com e-book, Amazon Kindle, B&N Nook and Sony E-reader for a limited time. Trust me, this is HUGE!!! Because what happens is new people read one of my books, and then a percentage of them (those crazy, over-the-top romantics who crave passion in their romance novels like me) will then go on to read the rest, God willing!! It certainly worked last year when A Passion Most Pure was released as a free download (of which 75,000 took advantage, even though not all of them probably ever read it, most likely), so we are hoping the same thing will happen for A Hope Undaunted.

BUT … I need your help!! PLEASE tell as many people as you can about this giveaway, tweet it, FB it, blog about it, whatever you can do to get the word out would be GREATLY appreciated. You do not need a Kindle, Nook or e-reader to download it —you can download e-books on ANYTHING, including PCs, Macs, iPads, iPhones, Cloud Readers, Androids, Blackberrys and Windows Phone 7, you name it! So here are the links:

CBD.com:

http://www.christianbook.com/hope-undaunted-a-novel-ebook/julie-lessman/9781441213105/pd/4389EB?item_code=WW&netp_id=840937&event=ESRCN&view=details

Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Hope-Undaunted-Winds-Change-ebook/dp/B004A9063S/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1281558222&sr=8-1

Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hope-undaunted-julie-lessman/1020663421?ean=9780800734152&itm=1&usri=a%2Bhope%2Bundaunted%2Ba%2Bnovel#CustomerReviews

Sony e-Reader:

http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/julie-lessman/a-hope-undaunted/_/R-400000000000000279440

Finally … there are still blog/interview/giveaways going on, but not for long, so TAKE ADVANTAGE!! Here’s what’s cooking this week:

AUGUST 21 to SEPTEMBER 2, 2011

Join me at Nora St. Laurent’s blog, Finding Hope Through Fiction, for a chance to win a signed copy of any of my books including my upcoming release, A Heart Revealed at:

http://psalm516.blogspot.com/2011/08/julie-lessman-giveaway-hope-undaunted.htmlhttp://psalm516.blogspot.com/2011/08/julie-lessman-giveaway-hope-undaunted.html

AUGUST 25 to SEPTEMBER 10, 2011

Join me at Casey Herringshaw’s blog, Writing for Christ, for a chance to win a signed copy of any of my books including my upcoming release, A Heart Revealed at:

http://enjoyingthewritingcraft.blogspot.com/2011/08/special-giveaway-and-author-interview.html

AUGUST 25 to SEPTEMBER 3, 2011

Join me at Lena Nelson Dooley’s blog, A Christian Writer’s World, for a chance to win a signed copy of any of my books including my upcoming release, A Heart Revealed at:

http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/2011/08/heart-revealed-julie-lessman-free-book.html

AUGUST 28 to SEPTEMBER 3, 2011

Join me at Pat Iacuzzi’s blog, American Historical Christian Fiction (PLEASE SCROLL DOWN PAST THE C.J. CHASE INTERVIEW) for a chance to win a signed copy of any of my books including my upcoming release, A Heart Revealed at:

http://amhisbooks.blogspot.com/

AUGUST 29 to ?, 2011

Join me at OneDesertRose’s Blog for a Q&A session where a comment will enter you in a random pool giveaway for participants from several blogs to win a signed copy of any of my books including my upcoming release, A Heart Revealed at:

http://onedesertrose.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/julie-lessman-interviewa-heart-revealed-available-september-2011/

SEPTEMBER 5 to 11, 2011

Join me at Relz Review blog for a chance to win a signed copy of any of my books including my upcoming release, A Heart Revealed at:

http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/

SEPTEMBER 6 to 10, 2011

Join me at Renee Chaw’s blog, Black ‘n Gold Girl’s Book Spot, for a chance to win a signed copy of any of my books including my upcoming release, A Heart Revealed at:

http://steelergirl83.blogspot.com/

 

SO … that’s it for this week … gotta go drink some Chamomile tea to calm down, which is gonna be REAL hard to do since I’m writing a love scene in The Cousins McClare today. Sigh. The life of a CDQRW (caffeinated drama queen romance writer). But I love my job because writing for God is truly a labor of love and one for which I am eternally grateful. And, YES, Karen … I am bringing the corn on the cob and a dessert on Sunday … can’t wait!!

I wish each and every one of you a blessed Labor Day weekend and may everything over which you labor, be a labor of love!

Hugs,

Julie

Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable. 

— Plato

WHOO-HOO, guess what I received yesterday??? Yep, my own personal copy of A Heart Revealed!!! Oh my, but it’s beautiful, and WOW, what a feeling when I crack the book open and read the first lines, which I always do!

 Keith was in the kitchen with me when I tore in to the UPS package, which could have just as easily been another Revell or Bethany House book. Baker Publishing has this wonderful Perk program where they allow their authors to select some free books, and so I wasn’t really sure if it would be AHR or not. I couldn’t even wait to pull the book out of its package, I just peeked in and saw the green cover with the art deco border and I squealed. I touched it, then Keith touched it and I think I may even have rubbed it against my cheek, you know, like you do with something that’s soft? But I’ve waited a year to hold this baby in my hands, so I give it my all.

“Do you want hear the dedication?” I say to Keith and he nods. “You bet.” So I read it to him, and my heart floods with love while my eyes flood with tears because this book—Sean O’Connor’s story as well as Emma’s—is dedicated to my own son, Matt. Here’s what I wrote:

 Dedication

To my amazing son Matt—

whose uncommon kindness, gentle strength and

love of sports provided the perfect framework for the hero of this book.

May Sean O’Connor touch the hearts and lives

of my readers just a glimmer as deeply and powerfully

as our son has touched ours.

 

Okay, I’m tearing up again reading those words, because I DO have an amazing son who is tender and loving and kind beyond my wildest dreams. But … I have to be honest … it wasn’t always that way.

You see, when my son was born, I just assumed that we would have this incredible bond that I’ve often heard women talk about with their sons. A deep love and communication that assures a mother that she is the apple of her son’s (or daughter’s) eye—at least until he or she turns thirteen, and then all bets are off! Anyway, having come from a very dysfunctional family where I did not feel loved, naturally I thought that having a child was an automatic source of love. I mean, all children have to love their parents, right? It’s built in to their genes, I thought, and it was a given. What wasn’t a given was how I reacted to my son when he was five years old and not even remotely demonstrative with affection. I would go to hug him, and he’d let me, but NEVER would he return the hug or tell me he loved me.

Now, I gotta tell ya, I was a Christian at the time, and a strong one to boot, but my son’s lack of affection and communication with me about destroyed me. The little girl in me (who was rejected by a mother she naturally assumed would love her) rose up so strong, that it caused major problems not only between my son and me, but between my husband and me as well. I came to a place where I was so desperate that I threw myself at the foot of God’s throne and BEGGED Him to help me be the mother He wanted to be. Begged Him to help me love my son like I needed to do. And begged Him to help my son become the boy and man God wanted him to be.

My answer to my prayers came late one night when I was putting my son to bed like I always did when he was five. I helped him brush his teeth, and then I read him a story, following it up with the same prayer we said every night, and, in fact, the same prayer I Faith O’Connor said to her girls in A Hope Undaunted:

 

Good night, sweet Jesus, the one I love best.

I have finished my work, and now I must rest.

You have blessed me this day, now bless me this night,

and keep me from danger till morning is light.

 

And then I would give him a hug, kiss him on the forehead and tell him I loved him. Except this one night as I headed for the door, something made me turn around and go back to Matt’s bed and sit beside him again.

“Matt,” I said, “would you mind if I gave you a Matthew hug?”

He blinked and said, “Sure, Mom, but what’s a Matthew hug?”

“Well, let me just show you,” I said, and then proceeded to bend down close as if I were going to hug him, only I didn’t put my arms around him, I just sort of lay there, hovering over his little chest. His soft, little giggle feathered my cheek and I smiled, pulling back to look into his eyes. “Bud,” I said, using the nickname we always used to show affection, “did you like that hug?” He shook his head and I stroked his cheek. “It doesn’t feel much like a hug, does it? Kinda makes you feel like you’re not as loved as in a real hug, right?” He nodded, his big brown eyes fixed on my face. “Well, you know what, Bud? That’s how I feel when you don’t put your arms around me when I hug you—I feel like you don’t love me as much, and it makes me sad, because moms need love too. So, can we try it again, but this time squeezing real tight?” He nodded and I bent down to hug him tightly, and I gotta tell you that the tear ducts were working overtime when my boy put his little arms around me and squeezed the breath out of me—or certainly the past hurt—just as tightly as he could. “I love you, Bud,” I whispered, and kissed him on the forehead once again. “Good night.” I walked to the door, and I will never forget what happened next.

“Mom?” he called, his little voice frail in the dark.

“Yeah, Bud?”

“Don’t ever give me another Matthew hug again, okay?”

Tears stung my eyes. “Okay, Bud, I won’t.”

That, my friends was not only an answer to a mother’s prayer, but it was a turning point in my son’s life and in my relationship with him. Slowly, from that point on, it seemed he could never tell us enough how much he loved us or give us enough hugs. I have memory files filled to the brim with letters that my son wrote us for no reason at all, sometimes on a daily basis. Incredible letters, telling us we meant the world to him and he would be lost without us and … yes, if you can believe it … what a wonderful mom I was and how much he loved me. This went on well in to his twenties, albeit much less frequently, but I always knew I could count on a 3-Kleenex letter from him on my birthday, Christmas and Mother’s Day.

So this book is special to me, not only because it’s about a woman who wasn’t loved by her parents or her husband, but because it’s about a son who has learned to love and give to his family and then learns how to love them just a little bit more through the amazing power of God. I hope you enjoy it, and may the Matthew hugs in your life be few and far between.

And NOW you know why “hugs” are so important to me. Have a blessed weekend, my friends.

Hugs and more hugs,

Julie

P.S. My blog giveaways are greatly reduced this year, so come see me while you can and maybe win a signed book at one of the following blogs this week:

 

AUGUST 21 to SEPTEMBER 2, 2011

Join me at Nora St. Laurent’s blog, Finding Hope Through Fiction, for a chance to win a signed copy of any of my books including my upcoming release, A Heart Revealed at:

http://psalm516.blogspot.com/2011/08/julie-lessman-giveaway-hope-undaunted.htmlhttp://psalm516.blogspot.com/2011/08/julie-lessman-giveaway-hope-undaunted.html

 

AUGUST 21 to 27, 2011

 Join me at Amber Stoke’s blog, Seasons of Humility, for a chance to win a signed copy of my upcoming release, A Heart Revealed at:

http://seasonsofhumility.blogspot.com/2011/08/end-of-summer-bash-welcome-julie.html

 

AUGUST 25 to SEPTEMBER 10, 2011

Join me at Casey Herringshaw’s blog, Writing for Christ, for a chance to win a signed copy of any of my books including my upcoming release, A Heart Revealed at:

http://enjoyingthewritingcraft.blogspot.com/2011/08/special-giveaway-and-author-interview.html

 

AUGUST 25 to SEPTEMBER 3, 2011

Join me at Lena Nelson Dooley’s blog, A Christian Writer’s World, for a chance to win a signed copy of any of my books including my upcoming release, A Heart Revealed at:

http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/2011/08/heart-revealed-julie-lessman-free-book.html

 

AUGUST 28 to SEPTEMBER 3, 2011

Join me at Pat Iacuzzi’s blog, American Historical Christian Fiction, for a chance to win a signed copy of any of my books including my upcoming release, A Heart Revealed at:

http://www.patiacuzzi.com/Am_His_Books.html

 

“If you’re going to steal, steal a heart!”

— Anonymous Toast

Ah, romantic larceny—there’s nothing quite like it. Which is why, quite frankly, I’m a romance writer. There are few things I like better than having my heart stolen away by a wonderful novel with a pulse-tripping hero and a heroine I can not only cheer for, but swoon with when that heart-melting hero finally steals her heart. And mine!

Which is exactly what happened when I read Stealing Jake recently by one of my dear Seeker friends, Pam Hillman. Over in Seekerville, we have been chomping at the bit for Pammy to get published, so when she did, we went CRAZY!!! I mean, she’s the last of the 15 Seekers to do so, but I gotta tell you, it’s a mystery as to why it took so long. I read a ms. of Pam’s a number of years ago and was blown away that the woman didn’t have publishers beating her door down. Mind you, she’s finaled in the biggest and most important contest for unpublished writers, Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart, FOUR times, winning it one of those times and quite frankly, I thought her ms. was better than most of the published books I was reading in the CBA at the time. But, God’s timing is perfect, and now so is yours because do I have a deal for you!!

Not only can you be eligible to win a brand-new, latest Generation KINDLE with Wi-Fi and Pearl Screen, but it will be loaded with the following books:

o  Winter’s End by Ruth Logan Herne

o  A Passion Most Pure by Julie Lessman

o  Courting Miss Adelaide by Janet Dean

o  Sushi for One by Camy Tang

o  Love by the Book by Cara Lynn James

o  Rocky Mountain Hero by Audra Harders

o  One Imperfect Christmas by Myra Johnson 

o  Dreaming of Home by Glynna Kaye

What’s it cost to enter?? Not one red cent!! All you have to do is sign up for Pam’s newsletter, and you will be entered in the loaded Kindle giveaway, so here’s the link (click on the link below, not the picture that says “click to enter”: 

Pam Hillman’s Kindle Giveaway

AND … everybody who signs up for Pam’s newsletter to enter the Kindle contest will be entered into my own contest where one lucky person will not only win a top CBA book, but receive my personal Kindle copy of Stealing Jake free for two weeks (an option allowed by Tyndale and Amazon). So … all you have to do is let me know via Facebook at Julie’s Facebook  or through this website via the Contact Julie tab.

BUT WAIT … THERE’S MORE!! Because Stealing Jake is SUCH a fun read and Pam Hillman is SUCH a great gal, I will send a top CBA book of your choice to the first ten people who e-mail me that they have purchased/downloaded Pam Hillman’s Kindle book, Stealing Jake. Don’t have a Kindle? No worries! You can download e-books on ANYTHING, including PCs, Macs, iPads, iPhones, Cloud Readers, Androids, Blackberrys and Windows Phone 7. Here’s the link: Stealing Jake.

Now, here’s my review of Stealing Jake:

Romantic Larceny At Its Very Best!!!

Hold on to your hat—Light-fingered Livy will not only steal your heart, she’ll steal your sleep as well in Pam Hillman’s delightful debut novel, Stealing Jake, a heartwarming tale of a reformed pick-pocket on the lam who falls in love with a lawman.

A runaway from Chicago, Livy O’Brien flees to small-town Chestnut, Illinois where she devotes her life to the local orphanage, determined to help homeless street urchins like she used to be. But when thievery and mayhem pop up in sleepy Chestnut at the same time a group of rag-tag orphans arrive, Deputy Jake Russell finds himself butting heads and hearts with Livy who wants to save the ruffians from the town as much as Jakes wants to save the town from them. With clean, crisp writing, engaging characters and a intriguing plot chock full of toe-curling romance, adorable orphans and the perfect dose of mystery, Stealing Jake will nab your attention from the first page to the last. If you’re looking for a fun read, wholesome entertainment and a tender romance that will make you sigh, Stealing Jake is a steal of a read that definitely delivers the goods.

FINALLY … Don’t miss out on the following blog/interview/giveaways for A Heart Revealed this week, some of which have excerpts!!

 

AUGUST 14 to 20, 2011

Join me on the Margaret Daley’s blog for a chance to win a signed copy of any of my books including my upcoming release, A Heart Revealed at:

http://www.margaretdaley.com/2011/08/heroine-interview-from-a-heart-revealed-by-julie-lessman/

 

AUGUST 20 to SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

Join me at Nora St. Laurent’s blog, Finding Hope Through Fiction, for a chance to win a signed copy of any of my books including my upcoming release, A Heart Revealed at:

http://www.psalm516.blogspot.com/

 

AUGUST 21 to 27, 2011

Join me at Amber Stoke’s blog, Seasons of Humility, for a chance to win a signed copy of my upcoming release, A Heart Revealed at:

http://seasonsofhumility.blogspot.com/

 

AUGUST 25 to SEPTEMBER 10, 2011

Join me at Casey Herringshaw’s blog, Writing for Christ, for a chance to win a signed copy of any of my books including my upcoming release, A Heart Revealed at:

http://enjoyingthewritingcraft.blogspot.com/

That’s it for now. Have a GREAT weekend!

Hugs,

Julie