Journal Jots – Blog
Welcome to my Journal Jots blog! This is a broad mix of what’s on my mind, allowing me to feel a little bit closer to some of the most important people in my life—YOU! From news on sales, freebies, giveaways, new releases, and excerpts from works in progress … to my thoughts on my walk with God, daily devotionals, or photos of my family, this is where you’ll find the most current glimpse into my books and my life. I invite you to subscribe in the “subscribe” box on the right side of this page to automatically receive an email whenever I post a blog. Till then, God bless and HAPPY READING!
Saturday, January 7, 2017
“See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
— Isaiah 43:19
Happy New Year, My Friends!
I hope you had a BLESSED holiday season and wish you even MORE BLESSINGS in the year ahead!
Are you guys as excited as I am?? I have this giddiness in my soul, an anticipation for good things in 2017. Spiritual things that will create a ripple effect through our lives in every single way. And all I can I say is …
BRING. IT. ON!!
Because I’m rarin’ to go! But … first things first!
Evie Update!
Oh my goodness, our little miracle is growing by leaps and bounds, and we couldn’t be happier! Again, thank you SO much for your love and prayers during a difficult time that God turned around for our good!
And MORE good news for Juju and Papa is that my son and daughter-in-law and three grands are moving from Spokane to Omaha, which is only a five-hour drive for my hubby and me, so we are OVER THE MOON!! Now we can see the little critters whenever we want instead of limited cross-country flights each year, so PRAISE GOD!!
Writing Update!
And because of a contract glitch in my Western series, I’m laying that aside for now to tackle book 3 in my Isle of Hope series, Unchanging Love, which as many of you know is Cat & Chase’s story. Your prayers are greatly appreciated for God’s anointing, creativity, wisdom, and productivity. Here’s the blurb:
A bold and independent woman
challenges the ideals—and the morals—
of a pastor who loves her
no matter what.
And the Scripture theme for this book will be either:
Who is a God like Thee, Who pardons iniquity
And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession?
He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love
— Micah 7:18
OR
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end;
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
— Lamentations 3:22-23
Which … brings me to a question. Originally I wanted the title of this book to be Unchanging Love, but I’m starting to waver, leaning toward His Steadfast Love instead, so what do you think? Which of these titles below do you like the best? I normally don’t open comments up, but this week I am in order to get your opinion, so let me know in a comment below, okay?
Unchanging Love
Love Unchanging
His Steadfast Love
Revision Update!
Soooo … guess what I did over the holidays? I wrote three additional chapters for my A Glimmer of Hope novella! Why? Well, I kind of just slapped A Glimmer of Hope together last year as a means of promoting my Isle of Hope series, which is what a lot of authors do. I wasn’t completely satisfied with it, but just figured it was because it was a novella, and I like my books a lot deeper.
But since it’s been e-pubbed, I’ve gotten a number of lower-star reviews primarily because they felt I didn’t give them the background they wanted on Tess’s and Ben’s marriages. So I decided to remedy that.
The new version will go up on Amazon, B&N, and Kobo this month — and it will still be free — so when it does, I will let you know. However, if you already downloaded AGOH, Amazon will not let you download it again. As a result, I am offering my very special Journal Jot readers a revised Kindle version when I have it done. Just wait for me to announce its release in an upcoming Journal Jot, and then let me know if you want the updated version via email, either through the CONTACT JULIE tab of this website, e-mail, or Facebook message.
❤️Valentine Surprise!❤️
Oh. My. Goodness!! I am sooooooo excited to announce that I will be the featured author in the February issue of Splickety Magazine!! Splickety Magazine is a totally cool flash-fiction magazine and guess what? They asked ME to write an alternate ending for a favorite classic of mine in … are you ready for this? … a mere 1,000 words! I know, I know, it’s hard to believe that this door-stopper author who writes 500+ page books could actually writing anything in 1,000 words, but I DID IT!!
And y’all probably already know which classic I picked! Yep, you guessed it — I rewrote the ending for Gone With the Wind, and WOW, did I have a blast! I’m sure Margaret was turning over in her grave, but I had SO much fun giving my favorite book a new twist, so I hope you get a chance to read it. Because of contract restrictions, I won’t be able to post it here on my blog for six months, so you’ll either have to buy the magazine or wait till I get around to posting it here down the road. Either way, it’s a really fun read, I think, or at least it was for me!
The issue releases February 1st, so here’s the link to check out the magazine and sign up for their cool blog:
Well, that’s all the news I have right now, but keep your eyes peeled for future Journal Jots for cool updates in the future! And be sure to scroll down for some fun pix of my family.
I wish you and yours a happy, healthy, and holy 2017!
Hugs,
Julie
This is the pic from my son’s Christmas card — isn’t it cool?
Here’s Amy with some friends! We spent a wonderful week with Amy and Nate,
but didn’t take many pix since I had a blood-red eye from cataract surgery! Scared
poor Amy so much, she couldn’t look at me for four days! 😉
Finally, had a GREAT time getting together with most of my living siblings. I am #12 of
13 children, but two of brothers and one of my sisters weren’t there. 🙁
Sunday, December 18, 2016
“It took losing everything, Son, including my life,
to finally understand what I was too blind to see.
Everything to liberate me from the same pride that lost Lucifer his soul.
And that is—God alone is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the beat of my pulse.
He is the strength in my bones. He is my beginning and my end,
and there is no hope in anything—anything—except Him.”
—Isle of Hope by Julie Lessman
And that, my friends, is my favorite quote from anything I’ve ever written!
Why? Because Isle of Hope tells the story of God’s first directive to me as a new Christian over 43 years ago—to forgive and love my estranged father. AND it tells the critical lesson I learned while writing it as well, as stated in our header quote above.
God is Everything. The End All, Be All. The reason we live, the reason we breathe, and the reason we are privilieged to be called children of God.
And … He the reason for the season! So my prayer for each of you, me, and my family this year is that amid all the papers and bows, tinsel and holly, and cookies and candy, we take a moment —and preferably several—to thank God for all the gifts we’ve been given, not the least of which is His Son.
The true Light of the World!
I wish each of you a happy, healthy, and holy holiday season!
Hugs,
Julie
Evie Update!
Thanks to your prayers and ours, our little Miss Evie is growing beautifully! She is up to 9 lbs. (from 4 lbs., 15 oz. at birth) and has grown a full three inches! Hear tell she can be a wee bit crabby at times, but I’m told that’s normal after surgery for up to a month or so, although I’ve been assured no pain is involved. But, hey, you’d be crabby, too, if you just had heart surgery, right? 🙂
See more pix below of Evie and my other grands as well as my Christmas tree/hearth (the only things I decorated this year!).
Final Giveaways of the Year!
ONLY TWO MORE DAYS–ENDS MON., DEC. 19:
Join me on Beth Erin’s Faithfully Bookish blog for a really fun interview where I list brief excerpts of my five favorite kisses I’ve written. The giveaway will be a signed paperback or e-book copy of my latest release, book 2 in the Isle of Hope series, Love Everlasting, and an e-book copy of Isle of Hope, so hope to see you there. Here’s the link:
NEW YEAR’S EVE ALL DAY LONG!! Prizes, prizes, prizes — ALL DAY AND NIGHT LONG!! Including a character named after you in my next book, a signed copy, and a signed paperback copy of my latest release, Love Everlasting!
So set your party-hearty calendars for December 31st, when the Seekers of Seekerville lead the way toward pet-love, fun, faith and fiction as we Kick Discouragement to the Curb with our Seekerville Rockin’ It New Year’s Eve party!
Party in your jammies, leave comments to be tossed into hourly drawings, including a Kindle Fire! In honor of the “pet” theme, we invite you to send pics of your fur-friends to loganherne@gmail.com, and we’ll try to include as many beloved buddies as time and space allow!
FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO FAMILY FICTION MAGAZINE! Check out the December issue for a cool article with Julie Lessman on Cowboy Christmas Homecoming along with to-die-for Christmas recipes by Ruth Logan Herne, Julie Lessman, and Lenora Worth. Just subscribe FREE to Family Fiction — one of the top Christian magazines in the CBA — and enjoy great articles on some of your favorite authors like Karen Kingsbury, Francine Rivers, Liz Curtis Higgs, and Mary Connealy.
PLUS … you’ll find an original to-die-for Christmas dessert I created using four of my favorite recipes called Apple-Cranberry Crisp Cheesecake Pecan Pie, and it won an award in a pie contest, I’ll have you know, so you’ll want to check it out! Simply subscribe at the link below and happy reading!
Free Subscription to Family Fiction magazine
ISLE OF HOPE 99-CENT SALE ENDS JAN. 1!
Because the message of forgiveness and hope in Isle of Hope is such an important one, I decided to extend the sale till the end of the year.
So, if you haven’t had the chance yet to read the award-winning, 5-star book 1, Isle of Hope, which made Family Fiction magazine’s Top 15 Novels of 2015, you better hurry because the 90% sale is over January 1st, so you can download it HERE.
YES! A smile from our crabby girl!
Rory enjoyed her first Dippin’ Dots, even if the lady behind her didn’t!
Micah liked them too!
This is my “winter view” from my writer’s chair, all toasty and warm!
Merry Christmas from my house to yours!
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Evie Update!
I cannot thank you all enough for your prayers for my 2-month-old granddaughter, Genevieve, because they carried her (and me and her family) through an emergency heart surgery that has given her the chance to be a normal little girl with a normal life expectancy! Despite a few little hiccups in the process, our girl is now on her way home, where the doctor says she should be treated like a normal baby because she is! So THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for your prayers and friendship. Love you guys!
“Forgiveness is the greatest gift we can give to ourselves.”
—Isle of Hope by Julie Lessman
My first contemporary novel, Isle of Hope: Unfailing Love, is very special to me because as many of you know, it’s loosely based on my own dysfunctional relationship with my estranged father. It was the very first directive God gave me after I became a new Christian, telling me to forgive and love the father who beat me, demoralized me, and kicked me out of the house. It was the first time I actually applied God’s precepts to my life, following Matthew 5:44 to the letter:
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies,bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you,and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.” — Matthew 5:44
And it was the very first time God did a miracle in my life.
You see, after my father kicked me out of the house in a very ugly and violent manner late one night, I didn’t see him for two years. Not until my dear friend and mentor, Joy, introduced me to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That was when I got my marching orders from the Holy Spirit to reach out to my dad, forgive him, and love him.
Yeah, right. How was I supposed to do that? Take him a meal, the thought came, and so I did. I made a big pot of beef stew—one of his favorites—and took it to him one night, asking him to forgive me for any grief I may have caused. I didn’t eat with him, mind you, just stayed and visited for a while, which basically consisted 
of watching TV and talking only during the commercials. Before I left, I hugged him and told him I loved him, but of course he never hugged me back or responded. That was the beginning of many, many such visits with my dad, each and every one strongly girded with prayer for God to heal my heart and my dad’s.
I will never, ever forget the night everything changed many months later as I went to hug him goodbye as usual. “I love you, Daddy,” I whispered, then instantly froze when I felt his halting arms slowly embrace me back for the first time in my life. “I love you, too,” his gruff response came, and tears stung in my eyes.
That was the beginning of a close relationship with my father that healed many emotional wounds from my past. When he died not too long after, I wept for a man whom I’d resented most of my life.
That, my friends, is a miracle. And that is the story of Isle of Hope. A love story of forgiveness and hope that I “hope” you will have a chance to read.
And guess what? Now you have the perfect opportunity to do so!
99-Cent Sale on Isle of Hope e-Book!
Yes, it’s true, book 1 in my Isle of Hope Series is now on sale for 99 cents for a very limited time, which is almost 90% off, so if you haven’t read it yet, I hope you take advantage. I’m happy to say that Isle of Hope: Unfailing Love is an award-winning novel with a solid five-star rating on Amazon out of 167 reviews and made Family Fiction magazine’s Best of 2015 list! Here’s the link:
If you don’t have a Kindle, did you know you can download a free Kindle app to read e-books on iPhone, iPad, iPad Mini, PC, Mac, and Droid? I never thought I would like reading e-books on my iPhone, but I absolutely love it now while I’m waiting in doctors’ offices, in the car with Keith, or whenever I have down time when I’m out and about. And not only will you be able to read Isle of Hope for only 99 cents, but you may never have to buy another book again!
You see, Amazon lists the top 100 free lists in every genre available, fiction and nonfiction, inspirational and secular. Plus there are wonderful inspirational freebie/sale sights like Inspired Reads that you can sign up for that will send you an email every day with the latest freebies/sale Christian books. So get your free Kindle app HERE!
Or, you can watch for Kindle sales over the holidays. The least expensive Kindle is $79.99, but they often go on sale for $49.99, so that would make a great Christmas present for you or a loved one.
And, of course, the prequel novella to Isle of Hope, A Glimmer of Hope is still available as a free download, so here’s the link for that:
A Glimmer of Hope Prequel Novella
Interviews/Blog Giveaways!
Several opportunities have come up for some fun interviews and giveaways, so I hope you check them out.
ALL OF DECEMBER — FAMILY FICTION MAGAZINE INTERVIEW:
I’m thrilled to say that I have an interview in the December issue (out November 30th) of one of my favorite Christian magazines, Family Fiction. Subscriptions are FREE, so be sure to subscribe for some great articles on the top authors in the CBA, including Karen Kingsbury, Francine Rivers, and Liz Curtis Higgs.
Here’s the link, and you’ll find the “subscribe” button at the top right-hand of the page. And BONUS! I also am part of a Christmas recipe article where I feature my own award-winning Christmas recipe for a to-die-for dessert called Apple-Cranberry Crisp Cheesecake Pie!
Free Subscription to Family Fiction magazine
GOING ON NOW — FREE DOWNLOAD ON CHRISTMAS DEVOTIONAL BY FAVORITE CHRISTIAN AUTHORS!
I was privileged to be a part of a very unique Christmas devotional that is going on now and available for free download, so I hope you join me and authors, Mary Connealy, Mesu Andrews, Sandie Bricker, Lenora Worth, Barbara Scott along with a host of others as we explore Christmas through the viewpoints of characters from the Christmas Story as told by Matthew and Luke. I promise you you’ll walk into Christmas with a greater understanding of the importance of this incredible season. Check it out on All Mom Does Blog and be sure to download the free devotional.
GIVEAWAY ON WEEKEND EDITION OF SEEKERVILLE, SAT. & SUN., DEC. 10 & 11:
Come by Seekerville this weekend for a chance to win one of two signed paperback copies of my latest release, Love Everlasting, OR four e-book copies! All it takes is a comment and you’re in the draw, so GOOD LUCK! Here’s the link and hope to see you there!
http://seekerville.blogspot.com/
WED., DEC. 14TH — BLOG INTERVIEW/GIVEAWAY:
Join me on Beth Erin’s Faithfully Bookish blog for a really fun interview where I list brief excerpts of my five favorite kisses I’ve written and my five favorite spiritual moments I’ve written as well. The giveaway will be a signed paperback or e-book copy of my latest release, book 2 in the Isle of Hope series, Love Everlasting, so hope to see you there. Here’s the link:
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 14TH — SEEKER BLOG WITH SIGNED PAPERBACK GIVEAWAYS:
Come on by for my final Seeker blog of the year and toss your hat in the ring for a signed paperback copy of my latest Christmas release, Cowboy Christmas Homecoming OR A Light in the Window PLUS your choice of Love Everlasting or Isle of Hope e-book. Here’s the link:
Seekerville Blog with Giveaway
Whew! And that’s it for a while, I hope! Goodness, if I’d known God had this many promo opps for me after I laid personal promotion on the altar, I might have done it sooner! 😉
Have a great week!
Hugs,
Julie
Meet Julie
