Journal Jots – Blog

Close your mouth, Devin Caldwell, you’ll swallow a fly.

—Megan McClare from Surprised by Love

HAPPY FRIDAY!!! And it is, too, at least for me, and all for FIVE wonderful reasons! Ready?

 

Reason #1: 

Did you catch the title name in our quote today? Yep, I finally have an official title for book 3 in the Heart of San Francisco series, which was formerly titled, Dare to Hope. Ta-da! Book 3 is now officially, Surprised by Love, and that quote above is the very first line of the book. Hopefully it’s piqued your interest! And just for fun, here’s a sneak peek at the plot, moral premise, Scripture theme and the celebrity pix that match my vision of the characters.

Surprised By Love

From Ugly Duckling to Swimming with the Swans …

but is she over her head when it comes to love?

As a shy and pudgy child, Megan McClare has always been ridiculed by her classmates, but when she returns from her senior year in Paris, the wallflower has suddenly blossomed into a beauty. Hopeful of becoming a lawyer or doctor to help the disadvantaged women of the Barbary Coast, Megan accepts an internship at the District Attorney’s office.

Much to her angst, Meg soon discovers she’ll be working with the boy who mocked her in school and on whom she had a crush. She turns to her best friend Bram for support and advice, and Bram—fighting an unwelcome attraction to a friend he’s always perceived as a little sister—encourages Meg to forgive Devin and pursue a friendship. The friendship with Devin evolves into a serious romance, but when a sailboat accident tosses Bram and Meg into the seas of attraction, both her heart and her emotions capsize, threatening to change the course of love … 

Moral Premise: Rejection, insecurity and guilt can skew our choices, resulting in misery and lack of peace, but acceptance, confidence and faith in God can shape our choices, resulting in contentment and peace. 

Scripture Theme:  The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. —Psalms 138:8

Reason #2: 

WHOO-HOO … my writer’s workbook entitled ROMANCE-ology 101: Writing Romantic Tension for the Inspirational and Sweet Markets is “hot” off the presses and ready to purchase in paperback!! The ebook is coming soon, so I hope all you writers out there will consider picking up a copy or giving one for Christmas. Here’s the AMAZON link with ALL the info, so please check it out!!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER!!

Reason #3: 

Look out, people, a blue moon is rising because A PASSION MOST PURE—book 1 in the Daughters of Boston series and American Christian Fiction Writers 2009 Debut Book of the Year—is available for FREE DOWNLOAD for a limited time, so I have a HUGE favor to ask each of you. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE ask your friends, your family, your dentist, your dog—whoever—to download it whether they plan to read it or not because every download helps to push it to the top of the free lists where it gets noticed and downloaded by others. Even if you have it in paperback, PLEASE download the ebook as well because it will definitely help.

Click below for free ecopy:

AMAZON, BARNES & NOBLE, CHRISTIANBOOKSTORE.COM, iBOOKSTORE

 

Reason #4: 

You asked for it, guys—or at least some of you did! It is with GREAT excitement that I announce that A Light in the Window will be available in paperback for Christmas!!! Yep, Marcy and Patrick’s story will see the light of day (and pulp!), and the timing is perfect.

You see, A Light in the Window has won two contests—2013 International Digital Awards and 2013 Readers’ Crown Award—and finaled in a third—the 2013 Book Buyers Best, winner yet to be announced. And I’m sorry, but I gotta believe that the judges’ decisions have a LOT to do with Patrick O’Connor! I mean, come on—look at the montage my good friend, Salyna, put together—talk about HUBBA, HUBBA!! But then we all knew that the O’Connor patriarch had glimmers of the rascal and rogue in him, so NOW those of you without ereaders get to see how Marcy tames him! 😉

I hope you will consider either purchasing A Light in the Window for yourself or as a gift for Christmas and if you do, I will be happy to send you a signed bookplate for it or any of the O’Connor books you own or purchase.

 

Reason #5: 

HAPPY 6^th BIRTHDAY, SEEKERVILLE!! As many of you know, I am a member of a 13-author blog called Seekerville, which teaches, encourages and inspires those on the road to publication and beyond.

Well, we are celebrating our sixth birthday in a BIG WAY, with daily and weekly prizes and a grand prize of an iPad Mini! All you need to do is leave a comment, and for every day that you do leave a comment through October, you rack up another entry in the contest. The odds are realllllly good for a win because we have TONS of free books we’re giving away PLUS wonderful prizes such as a $100 gift card for housecleaning or whatever you want, tons of Amazon gift cards in denominations of $10 on up, chocolate, vials of silver (you gotta read the post to know what I mean), writer’s critiques or phone chats, and the list goes on and on!! So we hope to see you there—here’s the link:

TAKE ME TO THE SEEKERVILLE BIRTHDAY PARTY!!

Okay, guys, that’s more good news than I can handle, NOT TO MENTION that I FINALLY got my iPhone, iPad Mini and Mac all in sync (and, no, I didn’t do it myself—what are you thinking???). Now I can take advantage of all the 21^st-century technologies from calendars being in sync, FaceTime, emails from my iPhone and iTunes!!! I am in HOG HEAVEN (especially since I just got back from vacation and put on extra lbs.!!), so I will spare you my adrenaline high and simply bid you a wonderful weekend!

Go forth and bless someone!!

Hugs,

Julie

 

WE HAVE WINNERS!!!!

 Joanne Bischoff’s Blog Tour is over, and the contest is now closed. BUT … winners are announced below and Joanne’s blog that follows is STILL fun and very inspirational to read, so enjoy!

Thank you to everyone who visited with Joanne and me during the blog hop. We were all so touched by your comments and stories.

The five winners below will each win one of Joanne’s books and one of the hosting author’s books. 

From Katie Ganshert’s blog: Morgan Tarpley

From Carrie Turansky’s blog: Linda Finn

From Beth Vogt’s blog: Wilani Wahl

From Jocelyn Green’s blog: Juanita Decuir

From Julie Lessman’s blog: Micaela Wood

And the GRAND PRIZE winner of the bundle of country goodies + the eReader is:

Ruth Anderson

CONGRATULATION, LADIES!!!

Julie, here and you know what?  I can’t count the number of times I’ve received e-mails from readers telling me they experienced such extreme emotions when reading my novels, that they either threw one of my books across the room or wanted to. I always smile when I read that because quite frankly, as a CDQ (caffeinated drama queen) who LOVES drama and angst, that’s what I live to do as an author — wring every last drop of emotion out of my readers!! 🙂

Or at least I did.

That is, until I experienced it myself, reading Christy-nominee Joanne Bischoff’s new Cadence of Grace series. No, I didn’t throw Joanne’s book against the wall, but I did have to resort to sleep aids when I finished book 2, something that’s never happened to me before. Because there was NO WAY I was going to peacefully nod off to sleep. Not after Joanne put me through the wringer with her powerfully written novels of Appalachian romance. Let me tell you, people, those babies grabbed hold of me hard and would NOT. LET. GO!!

I’m sorry, but in my book, that’s fabulous writing, so it’s no surprise whatsoever that Joanne’s debut book Be Still My Soul, book 1 in the Cadence of Grace series, was up for a Christy Award this year. That alone, along with the lack of sleep and angst the woman put me through, should be enough to tick me off. But when you read an author of Joanne’s caliber and talent and then she turns out to be one of the nicest, sweetest, most humble human beings you’ve ever met, well boo, you just gotta take a step back and give the little brat her due! 🙂

And so, it is my extreme honor and privilege to sponsor Day Five of Joanne’s “Something for Every Reader” blog tour so that you, too, cannot only experience the beautiful literary talent of this amazing new author, but have FIVE chances to win Joanne’s book plus one book from each of the following hosting authors:  Katie Ganshert, Carrie Turanksy, Beth Vogt, Jocelyn Green and me! The grand prize is a country basket with peach butter, wild blueberry soap, a cookbook, and your choice of E-READER (up to $350 value!), so be sure to check out the link at the end of Joanne’s blog below for all the details.

Without further ado, I give you my good (and very talented) friend Joanne Bischoff.

A bit about how I met Julie

A mutual friend introduced me to Julie while we were both in St. Louis and I confess, I was a bit star struck! Back home, a few weeks later, a comment came through on my blog. It was the Julie Lessman…I nearly fell out of my chair! I’d blogged on the makings of a hero along with a giveaway and Julie commented, entering to win the books. Completely amazed, I wrote her to tell her thank you for her sweet words and that I would love to send her some. She wrote right back, and in her gracious spirit, offered to send me some of hers!

She also warned me that if I didn’t like her books, her feelings wouldn’t be hurt and I mentioned that she might not be too pleased with Gideon O’Riley, the hero of my story, when she first meets him. It dawned on us that we had something in common.

We chatted about the nerves that go into writing a story where characters do things that can send the reader’s jaw to the floor. The knowledge that a reader just might want to throw it across the room (both Julie’s and my books have taken flight a time or two!) But we agreed that it’s worth that risk in hopes of reaching hearts with a story of transformation. It has nothing to do with the shock factor, and everything to do with the picture of how people can change.

I’m reading A Passion Most Pure… and while I didn’t throw the book across the room, I’ve most certainly put Collin McGuire in a time out. *wink* The other day, I emailed Julie that Gideon and Collin would have been friends. Oh yes. Those Irish boys would have gotten into quite a bit of trouble together.

Flawed characters…finding their way home

I’m about halfway through A Passion Most Pure right now, and my favorite part about Julie’s book is the way the O’Connor family has welcomed Collin into their home. It’s his happy place. The place where this wandering and lost soul sees something different in a group of people—and himself—when he’s with them. A light in his life. I can tell he’s not entirely sure of what to make of that, but there it is, drawing him closer to them. Not because of who the O’Connors are, but because of Who is alive in their hearts. There’s just something about it… It’s so clear how Collin needs this family and at the same time, there’s a deep sense that the O’Connor’s may just need him right back. I can’t think of anything more fulfilling to that young man’s aching spirit, then to be loved and needed in all the right ways.

I’ve been thinking a lot over the last few years about families. Mentors. Those people who come into our path at just the right moment. It’s a God-thing, isn’t it?

Often when people ask me where the Cadence of Grace series came about, I tell them how it began with the heroine and hero…

But before that, which I never really share, is that I’d already had the Bennetts tucked in the back of my mind and heart. For those of you who don’t know the Bennetts, they are the older couple who takes the young O’Rileys under their wing.

Months before I began the first words of Be Still My Soul, I had woken from a dream with a heavy, heavy heart. The dream had been of an older couple living in the rural mountains of Appalachia. They were working alongside one another, both of them wondering—that with no living children—what the future might hold for them in the years to come. I woke and couldn’t shake the melancholy of that memory, so I quickly jotted down the image of who the Bennetts were, determined that somehow, I would not only write this older couple’s story, but I would find a way to bring them the hope of a family they yearned for. Little did I know that soon after that, Lonnie and Gideon would be wandering the mountainside lost and alone. So desperately needing guidance. A shelter, a home. And a story was in the making.

For there are times that a family can be born through circumstance, faith, and love.

 ***

Julie again, and I want to thank you for visiting Joanne and me on the “A Book For Every Reader” blog tour! Leave a comment answering one of the questions below to be entered to win not one but TWO books — one of Joanne’s and one of mine.

PLEASE NOTE: YOU MUST PUT YOUR NAME AND EMAIL WHERE IT SAYS “AUTHOR NAME” AND “AUTHOR EMAIL” OR I WILL NOT KNOW WHO YOU ARE!! 😐

Also, to enter in the grand giveaway prize which includes country goodies and an e-reader (up to $350), simply hop on over and fill out the entry form at the following link, where you’ll also find all the official details:

CLICK HERE TO ENTER FOR GRAND PRIZE

Finally, be sure to stop in at each of the following author blogs to increase your chances of winning Joanne’s book as well as one from each of the hosting authors: Katie Ganshert, Carrie Turanksy, Beth Vogt, Jocelyn Green.

Contest open until midnight Friday, September 27, and winners will be drawn on Saturday, September 28 and contacted via email. Thank you for joining us!

Hugs,

Julie

QUESTIONS:

Has there been a mentor in your life who showed you God’s love?

Has there been a time you were able to be that guiding light for someone else?

And… if you’re up for a bit of fun: have you ever wanted to throw a book against the wall? *smile*

 

JOANNE’S BIO:

Christy Award-finalist and author of The Cadence of Grace series, Joanne Bischof has a deep passion for Appalachian culture and writing stories that shine light on God’s grace and goodness. She lives in the mountains of Southern California with her husband and their three children. When she’s not weaving Appalachian romance, she’s blogging about faith, folk music, and the adventures of country living that bring her stories to life.

  http://www.joannebischof.com/extras/blogtour/

 

“Therefore we do not “lose heart.”

Even though our outward man is perishing,

yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.”

— Corinthians 4:16-18

As some of you may know, I attended the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) conference last week in Indianapolis, and it was, as always, simply AMAZING!!

But … I don’t usually feel that way on the first day. Why? Well, call it baggage from my past or just pyschological idiosyncrosies of a CDQ on endless cups of Starbucks, but … I usually cry in my room on the first day of every single conference.

Of course, Keith is always there to comfort and support me, praying with me to let go of my fears and just ENJOY the blessing of seeing old friends and meeting new ones. And I had a number of dear friends who were praying for me as well (and you KNOW who you are!!), so I popped out of the malaise quickly and had SO much fun connecting with people.

I am basically a one-on-one type of gal, so I suspect groups jolt me back to my childhood where as a wired drama-queen who was #12 of 13 kids, I was the butt of family jokes and ridiculed by classmates in grades 2-4 because of my psoriasis. That’s the only reason I can figure for sinking into a mind morass that sucks the life (and passion) out of me on day one of every conference, on which I always feel very insecure and lonely.

Which is why the Scripture above SO spoke to me when my dear friend Joy Bollinger sent it to me along with a companion devotional she wrote, which I am going to include below. The lines that literally jumped out at me were:

The verse, “…we do not lose heart,” is a declarative statement. It doesn’t say, “We shouldn’t lose heart” or “Do not lose heart.” It makes a declaration that as Christ followers, WE DO NOT LOSE HEART. That is part of our re-born DNA.

WOW!! Because when I read that I realized that it is not just a declaration, it is a PROMISE that in the midst of any situation that is sucking the life from us, JESUS — looking UP into HIS face, focusing on HIM and HIM alone instead of the situation — helps us to not only “not lose heart,” but to be “renewed” with a mindset that says, “I matter to Him, I am special to Him, and He has endowed me with a heritage and inheritance of HIS peace and joy and hope.”

So … because of my AMAZING GOD who banished all insecurities and loneliness … I had a BLAST at ACFW!! Highlights were dinner with my amazing editor, time spent with the Seekers (my group blog partners), a workshop I co-taught with my fantabulous agent, and connecting and spending time with SO many AMAZING friends (and you know who you are!!). Oh, and Carol Moncado’s cookies … the brat! 😉

At the bottom of this post, I have included LOTS of fun pix from ACFW and some upcoming giveaways, so be sure to scroll all the way down to check them out. But first and without further ado, I give you the anointed words of my precious mentor and friend, Joy Bollinger, without whom I would not be here today, on fire for the true LOVE of my life, Jesus Christ.

DEVOTIONAL BY JOY BOLLINGER

Although I have been reading and studying the Word, I have neglected my book of devotions for some time. However, this morning, I felt led to open my devotional for today’s Word:

“Therefore we do not “lose heart.” Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things, which are seen, but at the things, which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal”(II Corinthians 4:16-18).

To “lose heart” means to become disheartened. Disheartened means to become discouraged, demoralized, cast down, depressed, disappointed, dismayed, put off, deterred, unnerved, daunted, intimidated, or crushed.

The verse, “…we do not lose heart,” is a declarative statement. It doesn’t say, “We shouldn’t lose heart” or “Do not lose heart.” It makes a declaration that as Christ followers, WE DO NOT LOSE HEART. That is part of our re-born DNA. So why do we allow trials and disappointments to dishearten us? Could it be that fissures of fear have formed in our hearts and have allowed doubt and unbelief to lodge and contaminate our faith?

God wants us to face trials with confidence that He will take whatever the enemy has intended for evil and work them together for our good and for the good of those whom we pray for and love. He has promised to give us a hope and a future. If our carnal eyes focus on a problem, then the enemy has an inroad to our heart. If our spiritual eyes focus on God’s Kingdom and the leading of His Holy Spirit, then faith and trust emerges to conquer darkness and achieve victory.  

Christians are called to be God’s warriors, who stand firm in their relationship with Christ, filled with His Holy Spirit, and clothed with the whole armor of God that they may bring forth His truth and power to a world encased in carnality and spiritual darkness.

Satan’s goal is to protect his kingdom by making God’s people ineffective through intimidation, discouragement, and depression. The good news is this: God daily calls us to boldly move forward with faith, confidence and — trust in His strength, because “WE DO NOT LOSE HEART,” and we know that our “INWARD MAN IS BEING RENEWED DAY BY DAY.” That is a fact! We must believe it.

God reveals the deeper truths in His Word, and when He reveals them, it can be an instruction, a revelation, or His loving correction. They all become a source of joy.

I believe that we all struggle with “losing heart,” and God wants us to know that He built inside of our re-born heart a truth that “we do not lose heart.” We are to live that truth and trust Him each and every day as He renews us. This day, this truth, was instruction and renewal for my heart.

GIVEAWAYS AND FUN THINGS!!

MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23-27, 2013:

BOOKS GALORE, E-READER, & GIFT-BASKET GIVEAWAY!! Don’t miss my Journal Jots on September 27 because I will be featuring Christy nominee Joanne Bischoff and the release of her new book, My Hope is Found. WHICH, I might add, is the only book I have ever read that wreaked SO much havoc with my emotions, I was forced to take a sleep aid!! First time that’s EVER happened!!

Anyway, you’ll have a chance to win both Joanne’s book AND your choice of mine PLUS books from Katie Ganshert, Carrie Turanksy, Beth Vogt, and Jocelyn Green beginning Monday, September 23 as well as a goodie basket with peach butter, wild blueberry soap and your choice of an E-READER (up to $350!), so be sure to drop by and enter, okay? Here’s the link:

http://www.joannebischof.com/extras/blogtour/

 

HEAR MY FAVORITE EXCERPT FROM LOVE AT ANY COST READ BY YOURS TRULY:

I’m thrilled to say I am featured on the fabulous Southern Writers Magazine, both on its Open Mic page AND its Take Five page of the magazine’s website. So take a listen at Take Five, where you can hear me read (more like stumble through) my very favorite romantic scene from my latest book, Love at Any Cost.

 

ACFW PHOTOS!!!

A Seekers dinner … SO fun!!! L to R, Mary Connealy, Myra Johnson,

Missy Tippens, Janet Dean, Debby Giusti, Pam Hillman and moi!

 

WHOO-HOO … got to meet my good bud, Becky Wade, who did the

“Fall in Love … Texas Style” contest with me this summer. Can you tell

why I had Keith fix my height on the poster??

 

My agent extraordinaire, Natasha Kern, who — YAY!!! —  won Agent

of the Year — SO deserved!!

 

My dear friend, Casey Herringshaw.

 

A new friend in Joanne Bischoff and an old (as in friends a long time!)

friend in Carrie Turansky, both authors extraordinaire!

 

Me and Seekers Mary Connealy, Myra Johnson, plus good friend Pepper

Basham at the Awards banquet.

 

Me, Becky Wade and COOKIE LADY Carol Moncado!!

 

Me, Melanie Dickerson and dear friend Debbie Lynn Costello having a blast!

 

FINALLY … fab author Cathy West and I meet AT LAST!!