Journal Jots – Blog

“Blessings have a way

of sneaking in the back door.”

— A Dream Fulfilled

Ah, isn’t that the truth? At least it has been for me, when negative situations in my life have turned around for good, giving total credence to one of my favorite Scriptures:

And we know that in all things

God works for the good of those

who love Him and are called

according to His purpose.

—Romans 8:28

Well, that’s certainly the case with Katie and Luke in my upcoming O’Connor Christmas novella, A Dream Fulfilled. Because when Katie’s dream collides with Luke’s, upsetting their happy home, God takes a negative situation and turns it around for good with a dream fullfilled. Not only for Katie and Luke, but for everyone in the story. And, I hope … for you too!

I will admit that this is not your “normal” Christmas story because it begins way before Christmas and it has a lot of tears in it, but I promise  they will be tears of joy by the last chapter, hopefully to help breathe the true spirit of Christmas into your holidays.

I didn’t mention this before, but you get a discount if you pre-order A Dream Fulfilled, so I hope you consider doing so HERE before it releases on October 20th. This is my longest novella so far, and it’s even longer than my short novel, For Love of Liberty, so whether you pre-order it at the discount price of $1.99 or purchase it after it releases for $2.99, I hope you will think it is well worth the price.

Oh, and pssst … another sneak peek at the end of this blog!

 

👏 We Have Winners! 

A BIG THANK YOU to all of you who entered my contest to help promote the release of a writer’s book I am a part of called, WRITING FROM THE TRENCHES: Tips & Techniques from Ten Award-Winning Authors.

Your help in spreading the word about this outstanding writer’s tool is MOST appreciated! I wish I could say thank you by awarding every entrant a prize. But, alas, I’d be in the red if I did, so here are our two winners with an EXTRA winner (3rd Place) at the last minute because of all the effort she put into this contest. SUPER CONGRATS to our winners and drumroll, please …

 

GRAND PRIZE WINNER:  ALISON BOSS

($50 Amazon gift, character in next book, signed copy)

2ND PLACE WINNER:  DEBORAH DUMM

(Character in next book, signed copy, 2 indie e-books OR 1 paperback)

3RD PLACE WINNER:  CHANEL MONROE

(Choice of 1 of my indie e-books)

📕 A Christmas Freebie is Coming!

 

Be sure to mark your calendars for OCTOBER 19-23, when A Whisper of Hope—Charity and Mitch’s Christmas novella—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, is it 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 NEXT 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!

JULIE’S FACEBOOK AUTHOR PAGE

 

 

 📝 Attention Writers!

For all you aspiring writers, 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

 

 A Sneak Peek!

As promised, here’s a sneak peek from Katie & Luke’s 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

“Honestly, Luke, Marlene reminds me so much of Emma, I almost slipped and called her that more than once.” Katie snatched a cold grape Nehi out of the icebox since Luke had already exhausted their milk supply, almost downing three tall glasses while he ate his dinner.

She may have failed to go to the market for more, but thank God she’d remembered to make the pot roast this morning! The poor man had already devoured two platefuls and was working on his third, barely coming up for air while Katie filled him in on her day. As grumpy as he’d been when she came home, she shuddered to think what she would have done without the pot roast since the cupboard was bare. She swallowed hard as she poured him a Nehi.

Especially since I didn’t get to the grocery store either.

“Well, you can’t go wrong with a friend like Emma, that’s for darn sure,” Luke said with a final gulp of milk. Clunking his empty glass down, he proceeded to sop up the last of his gravy with a piece of bread, cleaning his plate so thoroughly, she could have put it back in the cupboard.

“I know.” Thumping the Nehi down before him, she snatched up his empty milk glass in a seamless switch, excitement mounting in her voice. “And she actually asked if I’d be interested in being her prayer partner, if you can believe that.” She slipped the dirty milk glass in the dishwater and returned to her chair with a broad smile, fairly bubbling at the thought. “Faith prays with her next-door neighbor on a regular basis, I know, and Emma and Charity do, too, so I guess I’ve always longed for that as well. You know, a close friend I can confide in and pray with other than my sisters.”

“Thanks, Katie, that really hit the spot.” Pushing his plate away, Luke eased back with long legs stretched under the table and hands braced to the back of his neck, fatigue slumping his muscled body enough for her to notice. “I’m happy for you, Sass. Marlene sounds really nice, and to be honest, I’m glad to see you, Kit, and Ellie meeting new people. I honestly don’t know how you do it, Katie, confined to a small apartment all day with two busy kids, even with support from your mother and sisters.”

The planes of his handsome face softened with sympathy, his smattering of freckles lost in a year-round tan clearly underscoring his aversion to being cooped up anywhere for long. “Especially with a law degree under your belt and a second baby curtailing any part-time work at the BCAS.”

Katie paused as she collected his dirty plate, the reminder of the career she’d given up to have Luke’s baby imposing a melancholy air. She plucked his dish and utensils up with a lift of her chin. No, not a career given up, she reminded herself as she carried them to the sink with a square of shoulders. A career postponed till later for the sake of a far nobler one. Turning, she shot a smile over her shoulder while she washed his dishes. “Trust me, McGee, the degree gets plenty of use when arguing a case with your eldest daughter.”

His chuckle filled the cozy kitchen as he kneaded the bridge of his nose. “Dear Lord, I hope Addie is as sweet as her mother or that friendship is not long for this world.”

“Oh, she is,” Katie said with a faint smile, “which is why Marlene and Addie are perfect for us both. Her gaze faded into a faraway stare as she recalled how lonely she’d always been growing up—too young for her older sisters, too guarded to make many friends—which is why today had meant so very much to her. She expelled a wispy sigh as she reached to wipe off the table. “It was almost like a spiritual connection, Luke, you know? As if these friendships were truly meant to be.”

Luke grabbed her wrist on her final swipe, his blue eyes darkening as he drew her onto his lap with a decadent smile. “Speaking of spiritual connections,” he whispered, tossing her dishrag on the table while he suckled the lobe of her ear, “how about one with your very absent husband to remind him just why he comes home every night?”

Katie gulped as her eyelids drifted closed, her body humming from the tender touch of Luke McGee, the only man who could ever capture her body and soul. “I’m … guessing you’re not talking about devotions?” she whispered, a delicious ache thrumming deep in her belly.

His husky chuckle blew hot in her ear, doing absolutely nothing for her restraint. “No, but just as holy, Mrs. McGee, when we follow God’s leading to become one flesh …”

A moan lodged in her throat when Luke took her mouth with his own, exploring with an intensity that all but melted her bones.

“Hold that thought, Katie Rose,” he said with a wayward grin, slowly kneading her thighs as he scooted her off his lap. “Till after my shower.”

Katie was still in a fog when she heard the bathroom door close, cutting off the sound of her husband’s whistling. Hip butted against the sink, she rinsed out the dishrag with a silly grin on her face, always amazed at how easily Luke McGee could disarm her with a kiss.

“Oh!” She jolted at the sink, eyes expanding when she remembered the toy-littered living room and bed full of laundry. Slapping the light switch off, she dashed into the living room to clean up the girls’ mess, hurling toys into the toybox left and right. Chest heaving, she darted down the hall to her bedroom, determined to get the laundry folded and put away before Luke was out of the shower.

Shaking the wrinkles out of one of her blouses, Katie allowed her mind to stray to Marlene and Addie, grateful she and the girls would be meeting them at the park tomorrow for a tour of the neighborhood. Katie smiled, somehow suspecting this was a friendship ordained by God.

As the baby of the family with much older sisters she’d hadn’t really connected with till she’d become an adult, Katie had been somewhat of a loner most of her life. Ridiculed in early grade school, she’d come into her own in the later years, exercising a control and popularity that drew more admirers than friends. Which had been exactly what she wanted—to be a leader who could remain at arm’s length in the midst of an admiring crowd.

But connecting with Marlene today made Katie realize that this was a friendship—a closeness—she wanted to pursue. And not just wanted, but needed, as if God were directing her path to a blessing she could almost feel. Even if she had no idea yet as to what that blessing might be.

Deep in thought, Katie didn’t register the sound of footsteps behind her while she folded several of Kit’s dresses, her thoughts far too absorbed in the prospect of friendship with Marlene and Addie to pay it much mind. But when two muscular arms encircled her waist from behind, she let out a tiny squeak, stomach tumbling while Luke’s lips feathered the nape of her neck.

Giggling, she spun around, pulse stuttering at the sight of his sculpted body wrapped in a towel cinched low on his hips. Closing her eyes, she leaned against his hard chest, the clean scent of soap and Luke warming her blood while his mouth warmed her body.

“So help me, Sass, I’ve missed you more than I can say,” he whispered, nipping at the soft flesh of her ear while practiced hands skimmed up to tackle the buttons of her blouse. “So how ‘bout I just ‘do’ instead?”

“Mama?”

Luke’s fingers froze on her second button as a hoarse groan escaped his lips. Expelling a quiet sigh, he glanced over his shoulder while Katie peeked around him to see her daughter at the door.

“Yes, sweetheart?” Katie worked hard to stifle the squirm of a smile.

“Daddy forgot to say my prayers with me.” There was a pout in her tone as she rubbed sleepy eyes with a tiny fist

“Well, we can’t have that, now can we?” Katie pressed a kiss to Luke’s bare chest before pushing him toward the door with laughing eyes. “But I’ll just bet if you ask him real nice, he may just read you another book to let you know just how sorry he is, won’t you, Luke?”

“Absolutely,” Luke said, tightening the towel at his waist as he strode toward the door to scoop his tiny daughter up in his arms. But not before searing Katie with a thin gaze tempered by a hint of humor. “And when you and I are done, peanut, then Mama can show me just how sorry she is that she kept you and Ellie out past your bedtime.”

He disappeared down the hall, and Katie grinned, thinking she couldn’t be crazier about Luke McGee if she tried. She immediately tackled a pile of Ellie’s clean diapers, grateful to have bought some time to finish folding. Humming to herself, her thoughts once again drifted to Marlene, and she smiled at just how much they had in common. From their love of strong, thick, day-old coffee, Boston Baked Beans candies, Grape Nehi, and double-fudge brownies, to fear of worms, heights, and snorting when they laughed too hard—a trait they discovered after almost seven hours at the park—Katie felt she’d met her “other self.” Even to the point of physical attributes such as petite frames, strawberry birthmarks, and a skin condition that resulted in ridicule as children—Katie had never met another woman with whom she connected so completely.

So far, the only key difference Katie had been able to discern was that Marlene’s faith seemed to be light years ahead of Katie’s, more in league with the bone-deep faith of her sister Faith or her sister-in-law Emma. Which made her smile all the more.

It had always been difficult for Katie to accept spiritual insight from her older sisters, probably because she was too proud to admit a less-than-perfect faith to women she respected and admired.

But not with Marlene for some reason. And Katie wanted her faith to be strong! So when Marlene had humbly clarified a spiritual point for her with a personal experience of her own, Katie knew beyond a shadow of a doubt this friendship was ordained by God.

Expelling a contented sigh, Katie rolled a pair of Luke’s socks, which immediately dropped to the floor with an abrupt catch of her breath when strong arms captured her from behind. “I believe it’s your turn for apologies, Sass,” her husband whispered in her ear, deft fingers straying to toy with the buttons of her blouse once again.

A sweet moan of contentment escaped Katie’s lips before her eyes flipped open, the mountain of clean laundry way too tall to ignore. “Wait—the laundry!” she rasped, squirming free from his hold. She turned to give him a quick kiss, throat suddenly dry at the fact that he still only wore a towel. “Why don’t you go get ready for bed, Luke, and I’ll get these folded and put away .”

“Oh, I’m ready,” he said with a wicked grin, skillful hands making short work of her blouse. His shuttered gaze never left hers as he slipped it off her shoulders while slowly prodding her onto their bed.

Katie gulped, the dangerous gleam in his eyes pooling a dizzy whirl of heat at the base of her stomach. “B-But, Luke, the laundry, we can’t just—”

“Wanna bet?” He eased down to join her amidst diapers and clothes, absently sweeping them aside while he nuzzled her throat. “Because the laundry can wait, Sass,” he whispered, tugging her body flush with his own. “But I can’t.”

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

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