To win $50 gift card and character named after you

in my next book, please scroll to contest box

at the end of this blog. Thank you!

“God has taught me that each day is a gift, my friend.

Each breath, each step, each person to love and be loved by …”

Her voice warmed to the husky tease that Katie had come to cherish,

right before she delivered an impish wink. “And I don’t plan to miss a thing.”

— A Dream Fulfilled by Julie Lessman

 

 Whoo-hoo … Katie & Luke are back!

Can I just say that I absolutely LOVE Katie and Luke from my Winds of Change series? They are the featured couple in book one of that series, A Hope Undaunted, which is the fourth book in my sprawling O’Connor family saga.

And now, they are the featured couple in my brand-new O’Connor Christmas novella, A Dream Fulfilled, which is available for pre-order and will release October 20! I hope you like the cover as much as I do, but if you are a Katie and Luke fan, I’m betting you’re going to LOVE what’s inside even more! Here’s the jacket blurb and pre-order link!

She’s always dreamed of a best friend.
He’s always dreamed of a large family.
Until hope intervenes with a dream fulfilled.

Picked on mercilessly in school because of an unsightly handicap, Katie O’Connor McGee soon learned not to let anyone get too close, not even three big sisters seven to fourteen years older. As far as Katie was concerned, friends were meant to be kept at arm’s length and controlled, not embraced. But when she meets Arlene Campbell and her little girl, Addie, during playtime at a park with her own children, she discovers a friendship for which she’s waited a lifetime. A dream hidden deep in her soul she didn’t even know existed until she connected with a woman who would change her life forever, teaching her the depth and sacrifice of true friendship.

Luke McGee has dreamed of having a large family since he roamed the streets of Boston as a virtual orphan, finally finding a home—and his heart—in a marriage to Katie O’Connor and their two young girls. However, once Katie’s time and affection shifts toward a new friend who needs her, it creates turmoil in Luke’s happy home. It doesn’t help that as Director for the Boston Children’s Aid Society, Luke works long hours providing homes and hope for troubled children on the streets. But when he reaches out to one hardened little boy, his hope to make a difference suddenly coincides with that of his wife’s, sowing the seeds of a dream fulfilled for them all.

To celebrate the upcoming release of A Dream Fulfilled (which is a dream fulfilled for me since I’ve had this idea for a Katie/Luke Christmas story for several years now), I thought I’d give you a sneak peek at the end of this blog today (before the Rafflecopter contest box). So, happy reading … and, I hope … happy pre-ordering! 😍

PRE-ORDER A DREAM FULFILLED HERE!

📝 Attention Writers!

For all you aspiring writers out there, here is a brand-new writer’s how-to book you are NOT going to want to miss! I am part of this very unique writer’s book called WRITING FROM THE TRENCHES: Tips & Techniques From Ten Award-Winning Authors, where you literally get to pick the brains of award-winning authors about everything from writing to publishing to marketing! That way, you get ten viewpoints on what has worked best for each of us in becoming a published author. The book is available in e-book or paperback, so I hope you check it out.

WRITING FROM THE TRENCHES:

Tips & Techniques from Ten Award-Winning Authors

 

⏰ Only One Week Left to Win

$50 G.C. & Character in my Next Book!

Hopefully you’ve already entered my contest to kick off WRITING FROM THE TRENCHES: Tips & Techniques from Ten Award-Winning Authors, but if not, what are you waiting for? Here’s what you can win if you do:

GRAND PRIZE: $50 Amazon gift, character named for you in my next paperback, & a signed copy.

2ND PLACE: Character named in my next paperback, signed copy, & choice of 2 of my indie e-books or 1 signed paperback.

All it takes to enter is to promote WRITING FROM THE TRENCHES: Tips & Techniques from Ten Award-Winning Authors  on Facebook, Twitter, or on your blog, indicate that in the Rafflecopter box at the end of this blog, and you are entered! NO PURCHASE NECESSARY! PLUS there are additional ways to accrue points as well, so just scroll down to the very end and GOOD LUCK!

📕 A Christmas Freebie is Coming!

In the blink of an eye, the Christmas season will be upon us, so I plan to celebrate with the new release of A Dream Fulfilled AND a freebie sale on Charity and Mitch’s Christmas novella, A Whisper of Hope.

So mark your calendars for OCTOBER 19-23, when A Whisper of Hope will be available for FREE DOWNLOAD! Here’s the jacket blurb and link, so I hope you check it out:

She’s desperate for a baby.
He’s desperate for an empty nest.
Love is desperate to surprise them both.

With a husband dead set against adoption, Charity O’Connor Dennehy has barely a whisper of hope for more children, but if hope doesn’t disappoint … will it be enough to find a precious bundle under her tree? A WHISPER OF HOPE

 

📹 My Next Facebook Live!

Uh-oh … it’s time for another Facebook Live!

Mark your calendars for THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18 AT NOON CDT for my next Facebook Live, Part 3 of my video series, NOVEL INSPIRATIONS, a series of life lessons I put into my books. More info to come!

 

 

 

A Sneak Peek!

As promised, here is a sneak peek from Katie & Luke’s Christmas novella, A Dream Fulfilled. To se the scene up, Katie and her two girls arrive home late from the park, and Luke is worried because he didn’t know where they were.

A DREAM FULFILLED

“What on earth are you doing home so early?” Katie asked, huffing and puffing to where Luke stood in front of their apartment building holding a wiggly Kit, their five-year-old who was obviously happy to see her Daddy again. The pink glow of dusk settled on a neighborhood buzzing with cicadas and treefrogs and now Kit’s little-girl giggles, along with her excited chatter about new friends they had met. Brow pinched, Katie readjusted Ellie over her shoulder while Luke tossed Kit over his. “I thought you had a late meeting.”

“Canceled.” Bracing Kit to his side with one arm, Luke easily lifted Ellie off Katie’s shoulder with his other, pressing a kiss to the two-year-old’s downy hair before snuggling her close. “Carmichael’s sick.” His smile tilted off-center as he leaned to brush his mouth against Katie’s. “Kind of like I am of him.”

“Bad day?” Sympathy laced Katie’s tone as she scurried up the steps to open the door.

“Bad month,” he said with a scowl. “Ever since Carmichael put me behind with that boondoggle to New York. Can’t seem to get caught up.”

She raced up the stairs to their flat while he followed, Kit chattering all the way. Pushing the door open, she held it while he and the girls sailed through, nodding towards the hall. “You can put Ellie straight down, Luke, because she’s already been changed and eaten dinner.”

Frowning, he glanced at the clock as Katie absconded with a giggly Kit, tickling her all the way into his and Katie’s bedroom. Almost seven—Ellie’s bedtime. Why in the devil was Katie just waltzing in now? Carefully laying his youngest daughter in her crib, he pressed a soft kiss to her cheek and silently left the room, closing the door because Kit and Katie were making so much bloomin’ noise.

“What’s going on in here?” Luke said, the smile on his face belying the hard tenor of his tone. “It’s almost seven, Katie—where the devil have you been?”

“The devil’s bad, Daddy,” Kit said as she paused in her efforts to help Katie fold the laundry, a crinkle above her nose. “Mama doesn’t like it when we use his name.”

Giving Katie the eye, Luke strolled in and plucked his daughter off the bed, gobble-kissing her neck until giggles and shrieks bounced off the walls. “Yeah, well, Mama’s not gonna like a lot of things, sweetheart, if she doesn’t tell me why she’s so late.”

“I already told you, Daddy,” Kit said, the impatience in her voice matching Luke’s to a scowl. “We’ve been in the park with our new friends, and Arlene shared her peanut butter sandwiches with us, which is why Ellie and I already had dinner.”

Luke’s jaw fell open as he gaped at Katie. “You’ve been at the park from noon until now? Seven hours?”

“Yes …,” Katie said with a quick fold of Luke’s jockey shorts, the apology in her eyes doing nothing for his empty stomach. “But I didn’t plan to be, Luke, honest. I forgot Faith mentioned taking Brennan to the park today, so when she came over, and then Charity joined us with Baby Julia, well, off we went.” She smiled as she rolled several of his socks. “But I promise—I had every intention of coming home to clean up and fix dinner long before this.”

“But …?” He hung Kit upside down over his shoulders, her squeals coaxing his frown into a near smile.

“But, oh Luke—we met the most wonderful friends!” Katie gushed, a sparkle in her eyes as she clasped his socks to her chest. “A little girl Kit’s age named Addie—and her mother, Arlene.” Her hands flew while she folded more underwear without missing a beat, her excitement rivaling Kit’s as his daughter thrashed over his shoulder possum style. “And we all had such a good time getting to know each other!”

“We did, Daddy,” Kit managed between giggles. “Addie’s my best friend now, and we’re going to show them the library and take them to story time at Bookends. And guess what else we’re going to do?”

Luke’s smile banked to the right as he jagged a brow at Katie. “Kick me out and let them move in here?”

“No, silly,” Kit said with a wild wiggle, obviously wanting Luke to put her down. “Mama said she’d help me pick out some books to lend to Addie, isn’t that swell?”

“Yeah, swell.” Luke righted Kit before setting her on the floor, zeroing in on Katie with a bland smile. “Before or after I get to eat dinner?”

“Oh, Luke!” Katie dropped the diaper she’d been folding and rushed to give him a hug. “I just assumed you ate the extra sandwich I packed with your lunch to tide you over through your meeting. But if your meeting canceled, you must be starving!”

His mouth crooked. “Ate both sandwiches at lunch because I needed all the energy I could get. Carmichael dumped a ton of new files on me, so I’m absolutely famished, Sass.” He deposited a kiss to Katie’s head, his affectionate use of her nickname confirming his bad mood was on the thaw. The familiar scent of her rosewater teased his nostrils, spurring his appetite in a whole ’nother direction.

Talk about starving!

“Mama, come on!” Kit said in a near groan, tugging on Katie’s arm so hard, she yanked it away from Luke’s waist. “We have books to pick out.”

“Sorry, Kitty-Kat.” Katie swooped her up and handed her off to Luke with a devious grin. “You know what a grump Daddy can be when he’s hungry, so I have to feed him. But you and he can pick out some books for Addie while I go heat up his pot roast. Then Daddy can help you brush your teeth, say your prayers, and  put you to bed with a story. I’ll come kiss you good night after, okay?”

“Okay,” Kit said with a tiny pout that indicated it really wasn’t. “But Daddy has to read me three books instead of one since he hasn’t read any this week, right, Daddy?”

“Sure,” Luke said blankly, barely aware of Kit’s demand. All he could do was stare at Katie, mouth dropping so much, he almost lost some drool. “You made pot roast?” he said, the crack in his voice putting a smile on her face. Along, no doubt, with the loud rumble of his stomach.

“Of course I did, silly.” She gave him a quick kiss, then brushed another to Kit’s nose before she made her way to the door. “I promised you, didn’t I? Once I remembered we were going to the park with Faith, I made the pot roast this morning, then tucked it away for dinner tonight.” She wiggled her brows. “So, go pick out books for Addie, read a few to your daughter before you put her to bed, then come let me tell you about my day over pot roast.”

Hoisting Kit up in his arms, he delivered a heated look to Katie, along with a crooked smile. “You mean, before I put you to bed?”

A pretty shade of rose dusted her cheeks as her chin nudged up with a sultry smile. “With all the hours you’ve been working, Luke McGee, we’ll just see whom puts whom to bed.”

Luke swallowed hard, suddenly craving those sassy lips way more than any stupid pot roast. “I love you, Katie Rose,” he said softly, reminded just how blessed he was to have her and the girls in his life.

Her eyes softened before that luscious mouth quirked into a dry smile. “I know, McGee, but until I can assuage that growling stomach of yours with meat and potatoes, I suspect I come in a distant second to pot roast.”

Luke’s stomach growled right on cue, and he shook his head and smiled while she sashayed down the hall, thinking she may just be right. Placing a kiss on Kit’s auburn curls, he strode to the door, his smile easing into a grin.

But not for long

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Noooooooooooo!!!!!

I cannot believe August is almost over, which means the sun will soon be setting on summer, and quite frankly …

I am NOT ready!

Despite the heat and lack of rain, I have to admit that I have truly enjoyed this summer, so I hope you have too. But it went sooooo fast, that I thought it would be fun to look back and share some of the things I’ve been doing during this glorious season.

So … in this Journal Jot blog, you will find more about the following:

😎  A New Book Release

😎 A New Contest

😎 A New O’Connor Novella

😎 A New O’Connor Cousins Trilogy

😎 An Extended Summer Sale

😎 Photos from My Summer

So, are you ready? Here we go!

 

😎  A New Book Release!

Okay, for all you aspiring writers, there is a brand-new writer’s how-to book you are NOT going to want to miss! I am part of this very unique writer’s book where you literally get to pick the brains of ten award-winning authors on everything from writing to publishing to marketing! That way, you get ten viewpoints on what has worked best for each of us in becoming a published author.

Release date is September 1st in e-book, and the paperback soon to follow, so if you pre-order a copy, please let me know, and I will send you a free e-copy of one of my indie books OR my Gone With the Wind alternate-ending flash fiction, When the Fog Clears.

WRITING FROM THE TRENCHES: Tips & Techniques from Ten Award-Winning Authors

 

😎  A New Contest!

I am kicking a new contest off to help promote WRITING FROM THE TRENCHES: Tips & Techniques from Ten Award-Winning Authors, so will you help me?

And what can you win if you do?

GRAND PRIZE: $50 Amazon gift, character named for you in my next paperback, & a signed copy.

2ND PLACE: Character named in my next paperback, signed copy, & choice of 2 of my indie e-books or 1 signed paperback.

All it takes to enter is to promote WRITING FROM THE TRENCHES: Tips & Techniques from Ten Award-Winning Authors  on Facebook, Twitter, or on your blog, indicate that in the Rafflecopter box at the end of this blog, and you are entered! NO PURCHASE NECESSARY! PLUS there are additional ways to accrue points as well, so just scroll down to the very end and GOOD LUCK!

😎  A New O’Connor Christmas Novella!

Yes, it’s true — I’m currently writing my third O’Connor Christmas novella, and this one will be about one of my favorite couples, Katie & Luke. I’m hoping to release it sometime in October, so prayers appreciated for supernatural productivity and anointing. I’ve actually had the idea for a long time now, so it’s fun to finally tackle it. Here’s a very short blurb, so stay tuned for a cover reveal and more info!

She’s always dreamed of a best friend.

He’s always dreamed of a large family.

Until hope intervenes with a dream fulfilled.

😎  A New O’Connor Cousins Trilogy!

As mentioned in my last Journal Jot blog, I’ve submitted a proposal to my agent for my upcoming O’Connor Cousins series starting with Gabe’s story, so prayers appreciated! Here’s a stock photo that shows I envision Gabe for the cover.

Most of book one, A Wing and a Prayer, takes place in England and France during WW2 with a hero who is a aeromedical evacuation pilot. Gabe is an expelled WASP trainee (Women Air Force Service Pilot) who sneaks onto an Army medical ship bound for D-Day in order to be a foreign war correspondent and photographer. Here’s a sneak peek at the blurb, and if you missed the full synopsis in my last blog, you can read about it HERE.

From WASP to war correspondent, a charismatic troublemaker

flies high in the war effort of WWII until a no-nonsense flight officer

clips both her wings and her heart.

 

😎  An Extended Summer Sale!

Goodness, my Isle of Hope Beach Bundle has done so well, that I am extending it till the end of summer, so if you haven’t read the Isle of Hope series yet, you have until September 22 to download this award-winning 5-star trilogy at a dirt-cheap price of 99 cents per novel. After that, I’m yanking it from Amazon, and each book will go back to their original prices, so take advantage!

And if you left a review for the bundle, GOD BLESS YOU because I know who you are, and I am SO grateful. And if you’ve already read the trilogy and haven’t posted a review, PLEASE consider doing so. All it takes is a 1-line review on Amazon, saying you liked it if you did. Here’s the link and THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!

ISLE OF HOPE BEACH BUNDLE

 

😎  Photos From My Summer!

Oh my, have we had a fun summer, so I thought you’d like a tiny glimpse of some of the things we did!

Ice cream with our grands, daughter, and son-in-law!

Look how Genevieve has grown (the “heart” baby you prayed for)!

FINALLY renovated our bathroom — YAY!!

 

Writing on the Dock of the Bay, hopefully not wasting time …

 

I love gardening in my deer-free flower pots!

HAPPY SUMMER, ALL, AND BE SURE TO ENTER MY CONTEST BELOW!

💕HUGS💕

JULIE

a Rafflecopter giveaway

“Forgiveness is the greatest gift we can give to ourselves.”

—Isle of Hope by Julie Lessman

Happy Summer, Everyone!

Hope you all are having a good one, but, WHEW! Where does the time go? Cannot believe summer is almost half over — YIKES!

I’ve been busy putting a proposal together for my upcoming O’Connor Cousins series starting with Gabe’s story, and WHOA, my head is spinning from doing research!

Most of the book takes place in England and France during WW2 and the hero is a aeromedical evacuation pilot while Gabe is a WASP (Women Air Force Service Pilot) who ends up as a foreign war correspondent.

So, between military terms, medical terms, and getting the plot aligned properly with history, I have spent an entire month researching, which is more than I have spent on ALL of my other 21 books put together!! I’ll tell you what — it sure gives me a WHOLE new appreciation for amazing Christian WW2 authors like Sarah Sundin, Cathy Gohlke, and Cara Putman.

Here’s a sneak peek at Book 1 in my Days of Thunder Series, A Wing and a Prayer:

 ONE-LINE PREMISE

Book 1 in the Days of Thunder Series

A Wing and a Prayer

From WASP to war correspondent,

a charismatic troublemaker flies high in the war effort of WWII

until a no-nonsense flight officer clips both her wings and her heart.

 

JACKET BLURB

She’s dead-set on giving everything to the war overseas …

Even if she loses everything in a war of the heart.

A street orphan abused and abandoned by an alcoholic father at age five, Gabe O’Connor has never let a man stand in her way yet. So when a handsome flight officer thwarts her plans to become a Women Airforce Service Pilot, she’s determined to join the war effort anyway she can. Her chance comes when she reads about a war correspondent who sneaks on a medical ship to reach the front. As the adopted daughter of the Boston Herald’s editor, Gabe plots to do the same, hoping to report on Operation Overlord (D-Day) by “borrowing” foreign correspondent credentials from the Herald. Stowing away on the medical ship that is transporting her cousin Hope Dennehy to England as a nurse with the Army Nurse Corp, Gabe manages to charm everyone she meets … except the one officer she longs to win over the most.

Lieutenant Reece Kincaid pegs Gabe O’Connor as trouble the moment she steps foot on Avenger Field. As the eldest brother of a boy whose jaw Gabe broke in grade school, Reece is familiar with her reputation as both a charismatic ringleader and a headstrong hooligan who’s challenged every male and nun from grade school to college. Assigned as her WASP flight instructor, Reece keeps a tight rein, even attempting to forge a friendship rooted in God. But when Gabe mistakes his friendship for more, Reece’s rejection kindles her ire, resulting in her expulsion when she pulls a dangerous stunt against Reece’s orders.

As an aeromedical evacuation pilot in France eight months later, Reece is stunned to run into Gabe again, especially when he learns she is posing as a foreign correspondent under a fraudulent name. She charms his fellow pilot and friend Zach into flying her to Paris to cover its liberation, where Zach is not only wounded, but now facing a possible court martial. Hoping to protect Zach from Gabe and Gabe from herself, Reece makes a deal that inadvertently lands both Gabe and him behind enemy lines, exposing them to a danger as perilous as the German tanks roaming the Reichswald Forest—a love that neither expects.

So, prayers greatly appreciated for this project! THANK YOU!

 

📹 My Most Recent Facebook Live!

 

If you didn’t have a chance to see Part 2 of my new video series, NOVEL INSPIRATIONS, a series of life lessons I learned the hard way and put into each of my books, now’s your chance! The subject is our header quote above:

“Forgiveness is the greatest gift

we can give to ourselves.”

Check it out below!

 

 

📕 99-Cent 3-Book Bundle Ends Soon!

In honor of summer, I am currently offering my Isle of Hope Beach Bundle Collection for only $ .99, so you will never get a better deal than this for the perfect 5-star beach read! That’s THREE 5-STAR BOOKS FOR ONLY 99 CENTS, but the deal ends this weekend, so don’t miss out!

And I need your help!

If you have already read the Isle of Hope trilogy and posted a review for any of them on Amazon, can I ask you to please repost that review on my Isle of Hope Beach Bundle Collection?

Since it’s technically a new book, there were no reviews until one person posted a one-star review due to “sexual desire” in the book and language (I used the word “freak” once in the book, as in “what the freak happened to my Red Bull?”).

Unfortunately, this happened the same day I was running a very expensive Book Bub special, so I have no doubt that one-star negatively affected my sales (I sure wouldn’t buy a book that only had one review — a one star — would you?). I did pray for the reviewer, of course, and then asked people who had posted reviews for the three books to repost those reviews or a short review on the bundle, which has helped greatly.

But … I sure could use some more help! So if you have read any of the Isle of Hope books, would you consider posting a brief review that can be as short as 1 or 2 lines, stating which book(s) you read and that you liked it (them) if you did? That would be a tremendous help to me, so thank you SO much!

And MEGA HUGS to those of you who have already posted reviews on the bundle — I know who you are — and I am sooooo very grateful for you taking the time to do that! God bless you!

Hugs and HAPPY SUMMER!

Julie