Journal Jots – Blog

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found;

Was blind, but now I see.

—Amazing Grace, written by John Newton

Oh, yes, yes, YES! “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound!” For each of us, there’s none better!

But … for an author? Well, there is one sound — although it’s miles away from close to God’s amazing grace — that’s still somewhat “amazing,” at least to me …

And that is … drum roll, please … the satisfied sigh an author makes when they write “The End,” which I just did yesterday on Blake “The Rake” McClare’s novella, Grace Like Rain.

You know, I’ll bet I’ve received a dozen or more readers’ requests for Blake’s story, the lovable and easygoing rogue brother/cousin from the McClare family of the Heart of San Francisco series. But I’ll be honest, for me, Blake was only a necessary part of the series’ plots, an easy way to get Blake’s sisters and cousin together with my heroes.

But as often happens in a novel, some characters take on a life of their own, winning the author’s (or readers’) hearts whether the author intends it or not. That’s what happened to Cluny McGee, the street rat in A Passion Denied. You see, originally Cluny was meant to be no more than a 1-page walk-on, a brief paragraph or two to flesh out the hero Brady’s neighborhood. But something happened on those initial pages. Cluny stole my heart AND nearly the novel, becoming not only an integral part of APD’s plot, but the hero himself in the next book.

In some ways, Blake McClare did the same. A happy-go-lucky sweetheart with a deep love for family and friends, Blake managed to make us care about him. Somehow we didn’t mind so much that he was a man about town, a rogue who followed in his Uncle Logan’s footsteps in playing the field and breaking hearts.

Well, in Grace Like Rain, Blake not only gets his comeuppance, but a new heart, a new life, and a new love … and all because of God’s “amazing grace.”

The whole time I wrote this novella, I listened over and over to a song by the same name written by the very talented Todd Agnew. Without question, it is one of the most beautiful worship songs I have ever heard. Every time I think of Blake now, I hear this song in my mind, so I hope you will give it a listen too. Here’s the link to the incredible video — enjoy!

GRACE LIKE RAIN, by Todd Agnew

Now that Blake’s novella is a wrap, I thought it would be fun to give my favorite reader friends — YOU — the first sneak peek of the first chapter and celebrity- lookalikes pix.

Blake’s love interest in Grace Like Rain is Miss Patience Grace Peabody, none other than Logan’s sweet and shy secretary who has been putting Blake’s ceaseless flirtations off for over two years now. Which is why I love the look on her face, almost an inner eye-roll because she’s got Blake’s number and stays far away from him.

For Blake, I found two pix I kind of like, although Blake has chestnut hair, gray eyes, and a cleft in his chin like his Uncle Logan.

So with these visuals in mind, here is the first chapter of Grace Like Rain, which follows at the end of this blog. This novella will be an April release in a Seeker anthology entitled With This Kiss, including novellas by Mary Connealy, Ruth Logan Herne, Cara Lynn James, and Pam Hillman, so I hope you enjoy it. You’ll find further details here on Journal Jots in the weeks ahead.

Hugs and Happy Reading!

Julie

 

WE HAVE WINNERS!

SUPER CONGRATS to my two winners from the VALENTINE’S DAY CONTEST a few weeks back — the one with the most points and the other a random drawing of everyone who entered in order to give everybody a chance. Each of the winners receive their pick of any of my books (including a PDF or paper ms. copy of either of my two novellas, A Whisper of Hope or Grace Like Rain).The 1st place winner — who had the most points in the contest — will also get their choice of a second book from my personal library of top CBA novels.

MEGA HUGS to everybody who entered — you guys are THE BEST, and I wish I could send books to everybody, but since I can’t, here are our two winners:

1st Place Winner (Two-book win)

Deanne Patterson

2nd Place Winner (One-book win)

Meaghan Swaim

Super congrats again to our winners — I will be in touch this week to arrange for your prizes, okay?

 

SPEEDBO IS HERE!!

Speedbo, the Seekerville  annual Book in a Month Challenge, starts March 1. Sign up now for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card.  Details here bit.ly/17EHzIF.

 

GRACE LIKE RAIN

Chapter One

San Francisco, February 1905

Ka-boom!

Patience Peabody literally jumped in the air with a squeal, as if goosed by the bolt of lightning that lit up the galley kitchen of McClare, Rupert, and Byington. Heart slamming like the waves of water that battered the window, she poured a steaming cup of coffee with shaky fingers, staring out at a sodden sky that was still two hours from dawn.

“Sweet soul-saving mercy, I hate thunderstorms,” she muttered, feeling foolish for being such a baby at the age of nearly twenty. She shuddered, the motion rippling her coffee as she sipped on her way to the door, eyelids fluttering closed to savor the scent of cinnamon—the secret recipe her mother used for everything from coffee to handmade soap.

Crrrr-rack! Another clap of thunder crashed, knee-jerking her arms while she fired a panicked look out the window.

“Ah, hot coffee, Miss Peabody—you’re a lifesaver.”

“Oh!” Head lashing back, she jerked her cup and saucer in startled reflex, showering a second slosh of coffee on the soggy white shirt of Mr. Blake McClare, junior associate counsel in his uncle’s law firm.  

And her superior.

Dripping from head to toe with rain—and now coffee—he glanced down at his waterlogged shirt before peering up with an endearing smile. “Of course, I rather hoped for a cup.”

“Oh … oh … I am s-so s-sorry, Mr. McClare,” she stuttered, voice quivering as much as the cup in her hands. She spun around, spilling more coffee as she darted to the sink, china clattering to the counter before she doused a dishrag under the tap. Frazzled enough to faint, she rushed to where he stood in a puddle of coffee and rain and commenced banging the sopping rag against his chest as if it were a washboard.  

A very taut, muscled washboard.

She gulped, cheeks flaming hot when her skittish gaze rose to meet his.

“Why, thank you, Miss Peabody,” he said with a boyish grin, soggy dark curls framing a handsomely sculpted face, “this should serve nicely as my morning ablution since I didn’t make it home.”

Her cup rattled in its saucer. “Oh … oh … a towel …yes, I’ll get you a towel …” Whirling to head to the sink, she boomeranged back with a firm clamp of his wrist, nearly bouncing off his thoroughly wet chest.

“Not necessary,” he said with a broad smile, steadying her with a brace of her arm. “I assure you I won’t melt.” He slipped his coat off and hooked it over the door knob with a wink. “Unless, of course, you start scrubbing again …”

Blood from every part of her body converged in her face while he calmly removed the leaking dishrag from her grasp and squatted to wipe up the floor. She put her palms to her hot cheeks, mortified that Blake McClare, the one lawyer in the firm whom she frequently prayed about—dreamed about—was cleaning up her mess! “Oh … oh … I am so embarrassed, Mr. McClare, I could just die …”

“Oh, don’t do that, Miss Peabody, please,” he said in a mock stern voice that was clearly a playful plea. He rose, along with one thick, dark brow, his trademark twinkle glimmering in clear gray eyes that always reminded her of bottomless pools of tease. “Then Miss Murdoch would make the coffee, and I’d be the one who would die.” A tell-tale smile twitched at the edge of lips that had flirted, teased, praised, soothed, and encouraged her more times than she could count. A knot ducked in her throat.  

And tempted … ?

The thought nearly asphyxiated her, bloodying her face to heatstroke proportion. Snatching the rag from his hand, she wheeled around, praying she wouldn’t pass out before she made it to the sink. “I’ll p-pour you another c-cup, Mr. McClare,” she said in a shaky voice as she glanced over her shoulder, “then if you’ll kindly leave your s-shirt on the knob outside your office, I will attend to that stain immediately.”

“No need, Miss Peabody. I keep a fresh change of clothes in my closet for occasions just such as this.”

She blinked, suddenly noting the rumpled tux, loosened tie, and dark bristle that shadowed his jaw. Another flash of fire scorched when she realized what that meant.

He rubbed a hand to his stomach with a gleam of white teeth. “Although I would offer a week’s wages for something to eat …”

“I … I … h-have a muffin,” she whispered, hand knuckled to the counter to hold herself up.

His little-boy grin almost buckled her knees. “What flavor?”

“Cinnamon r-raisin.” It was little more than a croak.

Chuckling, he cocked a hip to the door, coat now haphazardly slung over his broad shoulder. “I’m drooling already. Do you mind if we share?”

Did she mind? “You c-can have it,” she said in a rush, willing to give this man almost anything … at least in her dreams.

“Absolutely not. We share 50/50 or I go hungry, Miss Peabody, is that clear?”

She nodded her head like a dolt, wondering how gray eyes the color of a winter sky could shine with such warmth. When he looked at her like that—both tender and teasing as if she mattered far more than she did—her tongue tangled more than the knots in her stomach.

“Good.” He stood to his full height with a firm square of shoulders. “Give me five minutes, and I’ll meet you in the conference room for coffee and said muffin.” Turning, he lobbed a glance over his shoulder, the mischievous smile back in play. “Oh, and napkins, if you will, Miss Peabody—lots and lots of napkins.”

Okay, I’m pathetic. I’ll just go ahead and admit it. Me and Drew—two suckers for romance in any form. Scarlett and Rhett, Harry and Sally, Lady and the Tramp, you name it. If there’s even a hint of romance, I am soooooo there!

And while we’re being honest, let me just go ahead and get it all out there:  I watch Hallmark like other people watch the news, I have 14 shelves in my house crammed with romance novels and boxes more in the basement, and every time I see a scarlet cardinal at my birdfeeder, my pathetic heart skips a beat when the little Mrs. flutters by.

No question I’m addicted to romance. I suppose that’s not as bad as being addicted to Twinkies or Ho Hos because at least it won’t slap extra pounds on my hips. But it does compel me to hunt down romance in every conceivable form like a heat-seeking missile. Books, movies, date night with my husband or just getting a “fix” by writing my own romantic novel — to me, it’s all good.

So when a good author friend of mine asked me to do a guest blog a few years ago, I strained my brain trying to come up with some romantic event that was so sensational that sighs of envy would drift forth into cyberspace. 

But the honest-to-God truth is that my husband has never danced with me in the dining room (a la another good author friend of mine, Janet Dean) or hidden a piece of jewelry in a fortune cookie like author Gail Martin’s clever hubby, or even kidnapped me from work on our anniversary like one of my other friends. Her hubby not only surprised her with a romantic stay in a theme suite at a posh hotel, but he provided a video he made of a cute trip down memory lane that highlighted all the important places in their life—where they met, where they had their first date, where he proposed, etc.

Sigh.

True, Keith brings me coffee almost every morning, holds my hand in the car, and sent me roses when I gave birth to his son and daughter. But as far as a heart-melting, knee-weakening moment that swept me off my feet, I was alarmed to realize that I—a card-carrying romantic—was drawing a blank. 

So that got me thinking—hard! I mean, I’ve been married over 36 years to this wonderful man and consider our relationship to be one of the most romantic I have ever seen. But I can’t validate that with stories that would qualify for the Romance Hall of Fame. So what makes our relationship so special, I wondered?

And then I thought about what romance is really all about. Being cherished, loved, made to feel like you are the most precious thing to someone. It’s basically Ephesians 5:25 in a nutshell—Husbands, love your wives. Or Zechariah 2:8, where God calls each of us the “apple of His eye.” It’s why romance sales exceeded one billion dollars in 2013. Women want to be cherished.

All of a sudden, I realized that my husband does that for me every day of my life. A tender look, a lingering kiss, or just spooning at night. Telling me he never gets tired of being with me (yeah, I know, his boredom threshold must be pretty high), or dancing with me at weddings when I know he’d rather have a root canal. And then there were all those times he supported me and took my side in front of the kids, even when I was wrong. Followed by gentle conviction and prayer when we were alone. It’s a big, hulking guy reading my debut novel instead of Sports Illustrated and then tearing up when tragedy befalls a favorite character. It’s swooning at the sink when he kisses me from behind, purposely mimicking a scene in my book. It’s a man who makes me feel like I am the moon and the stars to him and tells me life with me is never dull. 

And … it’s a God Who not only feels the same way about each one of us, but actually made the moon and stars for us! The Lover of our Souls and the true Author of Romance, Who “cherishes” you and me more than we can ever imagine.

So married or not, in a romance or not, let’s celebrate Him this Valentine’s Day, because He not only invented love, He IS Love.

Hugs and Happy Heart Day — show somebody you love them!

Julie

 

WE HAVE WINNERS!

Remember my impromptu contest last week where I wanted to thank those of you who voted in the Family Fiction Magazine contest? Well, I told you that if you sent me an email, telling me you voted in the contest (whether or not you voted for me), that I would hold a random drawing for one of three copies of a PDF of either Mitch and Charity’s Christmas novella, A Whisper of Hope from the Hope for the Holidays Historical Collection OR … ta-da! … a PDF of Blake “The Rake” McClare’s (the rogue brother and cousin in the Heart of San Francisco Series) very own novella to be released this spring, entitled Grace Like Rain.

I am happy to announce that those three winners are …

Sarah Claucherty

Brittany McEuen

Sasha Photenhauer

SUPER CONGRATS to each of the winners and MEGA hugs to every one who entered and who voted in the Family Fiction contest — you guys ROCK!!

VALENTINE’S CONTEST!

HELP!!!

This is it—my first FREE DOWNLOAD ever—for my award-winning indie novel, A Light in the Window, THROUGH SATURDAY, 2/14, so I need your help spreading the word!! 

A Light in the Window is the winner of the 2013 International Digital Award, 2013 Reader’s Crown Award, and the 2013 Book Buyers Best Award and currently has 178 five-star reviews on Amazon and a 4.7 rating, so check out the video starring my daughter for a sneak peek here: ALITW VIDEO.   

So … because I need your help in spreading the word (and downloading the book if you haven’t already), I am implementing another contest this week only to promote free downloads. Points will be awarded every day you promote the sale on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, with family, friends, wherever. CONTEST BEGINS FEBRUARY 10, so just check out the Rafflecopter box below at the very bottom of this post and GOOD LUCK!!

UPCOMING SPRING RELEASE!

COMING SPRING 2015 … a novella about Blake “The Rake McClare” from the Heart of San Francisco series, so check back for when and where.

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 NOTE: “Christian Fiction Rocks” Winner Below AND New Contest!

Embracing what God does for you

is the best thing you can do for Him. 

—Romans 12:1, Message Bible

What? Somehting I can do for God? To make Him happy, to bless Him, to express my love to Him and convey just how important He is in my life? Wow, sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? But what exactly does it mean to “embrace”?

 1 em·brace, verb \im-ˈbrās\: To accept (something or someone) readily or gladly.

Mmm … so when God gives me something or does something for me, I’m to accept readily and gladly? Still doesn’t sound too hard.

Until I think about Christmases with my daughter after she hit those dreaded teens. Trust me, the old adage “it’s better to give than to receive” did not apply here because suddenly, I couldn’t buy a Christmas present she’d like to save my soul. Of course, all she wanted were clothes, but finding something she “readily or gladly accepted” was a little bit like winning the lottery. Which, by the way, I never did.

And trust me, I tried. One year I scoured her closet and studied what she liked, then went to her favorite store and picked out similar items.

Eerrrrrrnnnnntttttt!! She took everything back.

The next year, Keith and I scoped out a young salesgirl at Amy’s favorite store who was dressed very hip or cool like young people like to dress, so we figured we couldn’t go wrong, right? We had her pick out just about everyone of Amy’s presents that year.

Eerrrrrnnnnnntttttt!! She hated everything and took it all back.

Finally, I thought I’d found the winning combination, and I must admit, it came close. I would pay her best friend to buy all of her Christmas presents each year, and I think there was a 50-75% success ratio depending on the year, which is pretty darn good. Because you see, poor Amy can’t fake liking a present to save her soul either, so on those rare occasions (and we’re talking lottery-winning rare) when her face would light up over a present we’d given, I gotta tell you—it felt like I had won the lottery.

So this morning, when I read the Scripture quote above—embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him—I suddenly understood in some small way just how important it is to God that we readily and gladly accept His gifts and blessings. To let Him know as His children just how much we appreciate what He has done for us. And not just appreciate it, mind you, but to “readily and gladly accept” it.

And not just the obvious blessings either, like a close parking space, good news in the mail, or losing two pounds. No, I mean accepting the life, the path, and the direction He has given each of us—readily and gladly—knowing that He “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” —Jeremiah 29:11

The rest of our Scripture quote above goes like this:

Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping,

eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—

and place it before God as an offering.

Embracing what God does for you

is the best thing you can do for Him. 

Our lives. Whatever they may be. Whatever they may not be. To readily and gladly accept them as a gift from a God Whose whole plan hinges on blessing us, loving us, saving us. Kind of “Father Knows Best,” if you will.

Because He does.

Hugs and Happy Weekend!

Julie

YOU DID IT!!

Because many of you took the time to vote in my “CHRISTIAN FICTION ROCKS” CONTEST, I am beyond thrilled to tell you that Surprised by Love made FamilyFiction’s Top Ten Novels of 2014!! MEGA THANKS to each of you who voted and be sure to check out the entire list HERE.

Deep Breath!!

The winner of that contest winning FIVE TOP CBA BOOKS (including one of mine if they like) is (drum roll, please …):

NANCY McLEROY

SUPER CONGRATS to Nancy—I will be in touch with you soon.

I cannot thank you guys who voted for me enough, but you know what? I’m going to try. At least for three randomly selected winners!

If you voted in the Family Fiction Magazine contest, let me know through my website HERE, and I will enter you in a random drawing for one of three copies of a PDF of either Mitch and Charity’s Christmas novella, A Whisper of Hope from the Hope for the Holidays Historical Collection OR … ta-da! … a PDF of Blake “The Rake” McClare’s (the rogue brother and cousin in the Heart of San Francisco Series) very own novella to be released this spring, entitled Grace Like Rain.

VALENTINE’S CONTEST!

HELP!!!

This is it—my first FREE DOWNLOAD ever—for my award-winning indie novel, A Light in the Window, TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY, 2/10-14, so I need your help spreading the word!! 

A Light in the Window is the winner of the 2013 International Digital Award, 2013 Reader’s Crown Award, and the 2013 Book Buyers Best Award and currently has 178 five-star reviews on Amazon and a 4.7 rating, so check out the video starring my daughter for a sneak peek here: ALITW VIDEO.   

So … because I need your help in spreading the word (and downloading the book if you haven’t already), I am implementing another contest this week only to promote free downloads. Points will be awarded every day you promote the sale on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, with family, friends, wherever. CONTEST BEGINS FEBRUARY 10, so just check out the Rafflecopter box below at the very bottom of this post and GOOD LUCK!!

“THE PERFECT KISS”

BLOG GIVEAWAY!

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015:

Just in time for Valentine’s Day!!  Join me in Seekerville when I give my perspective on THE PERFECT KISS with a giveaway of any of my books, including a paper copy of the Charity and Mitch novella or my upcoming Blake “The Rake” McClare novella coming this spring. Here’s the link — hope to see you there!

 http://seekerville.blogspot.com/

UPCOMING SPRING RELEASE!

COMING SPRING 2015 … a novella about Blake “The Rake McClare” from the Heart of San Francisco series, so check back for when and where.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway