Journal Jots – Blog

CHRISTIAN FICTION SCAVENGER HUNT WINNERS HERE …

PLUS MORE GIVEAWAYS GALORE!!!

My deepest thanks to each and every one of you who participated in last week’s Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt, and I hope it was as big as blessing to you as it was to me and the other authors involved. Without further ado, SUPER CONGRATS to the winners of this year’s Fall Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt:

The GRAND PRIZE of a Kindle Fire and 31 brand-new paperback releases goes to:

Jennifer Friedley

The two $50 gift certificates go to:

Laura McEwen

Gretchen Michels Garrison

My BONUS giveaway of a $50 gift card,a signed copy of any of my books and having a character named after them in my next book, Love at Any Cost goes to:

twomainecats

MORE GIVEAWAYS!!!

As some of you know, my Christmas e-book, A Light in the Window: An Irish Christmas Love Story, releases November 9, and not only is this book near and dear to me because my artist husband designed the cover and my daughter is the model for it, but because it is a deep and moving love story “aglow” with the true meaning and Light of Christmas.

The good news is there are LOTS of ways to win it in e-book form OR a signed manuscript for those without e-readers and those who cannot afford the $7.38 cover price. For instance, throughout November on Facebook, I will be posting about ways each of us can share our light at Christmas, so stop by and leave a comment to have your name tossed into the hat for one of FIVE giveaway copies of A Light in the Window. Details and my FB Author Page link can be found on my CONTEST page, where I am also giving away a Kindle Fire loaded with A Light in the Window or an equivalent Gift Card to Amazon AND also have another contest to have a character named after you and a $50 gift card and free book. Here’s more about the story:

One Woman. Two Men.

One stirs her pulse and the other her faith.

But who will win her heart?

Marceline Murphy is a gentle beauty with a

well-founded aversion to rogues. But when two of Boston’s

most notorious pursue her, attraction, dreams and faith only

muddle her mind. Can the light in the window

illuminate the path of true love?

 

Thank you again for coming by Journal Jots, and I invite you to scroll down to check out some of my past blogs for spiritual lessons I’ve learned or the latest news about my books.

And if you have never read my books before, I invite you to check out my “Passion with a Purpose” style of writing on my EXCERPTS tab of this website, where I have listed my favorite spiritual and romantic scenes for each of my books.

Finally, in addition to the giveaways listed on my CONTEST tab of this websit, you’ll find more giveaways listed on my website CALENDAR, so please check it out!

May each of us embark upon the upcoming holiday season with the glow of Christ in our hearts, embracing and reflecting the true LIGHT OF THE WORLD!!

Hugs,

Julie

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.

—Exodus 14:14

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

—Psalm 46:10, NIV

I don’t know about you, but being “still” is no easy task for a CDQ (caffeinated drama queen), especially one two and half month’s behind on impending deadlines. Heck, even in church, my leg goes a mile a minute until Keith very slowly and calmly places his hand on my knee, yet another gentle signal that I am driving him crazy. Again. Of course, I immediately freeze, staying still until a tic finally twitches in my eye and then I start kicking all again without even realizing it.

One time in the first grade, a nun threw a book at me because I wouldn’t be still, and as luck would have it, that hardback book grazed my eye. Of course, being the CDQ I am, I capitalized on that with a very effective bout of tears that coerced the nuns into sending me home so my dad (whom I very tearfully and wisely informed was an eye surgeon) could attend to me. Worked like a charm because I’ll tell you what—I may be a wired CDQ, but I’m not a stupid one.

And then there was that time when I was sixteen and crying in my bed late at night because I had something the doctor’s diagnosed as middleschmertz, which basically boils down to ovulation cramps at a very high level of pain. Well, there I was sobbing, writhing and moaning like I was dying when my little sister runs to get Daddy, who promptly “stilled” me in his usual no-nonsense manner. “Knock it off and lie still,” he growled, “and tell me where it hurts.” More effective than a stun gun, my ophthalmologist dad could paralyze all fidgets and hysterics with a single glance, forcing me like nothing else to just “be still.”

Well, this week I learned just how important God thinks it is to “be still” and you know what? It’s a good thing, not a bad thing. It’s that moment when someone or something is about to impart blessing to you in some way. Be it a teacher who needs you to zip it and be still so she can convey a truth or lesson … or a pastor who needs you to be still so He can convey God’s message. Maybe a parent who needs a child to lie still so they can get well … or a mom who needs a little one to be still so she can remove a splinter.

Be still. Not an easy thing for some of us, is it? It sure wasn’t for me until this week when I was so close to TILT that I broke down sobbing to my prayer partners, discouraged and ready to throw in the towel. That’s when God dropped the two Scriptures above in my lap during my morning devotional reading. The first one, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still,” is what God told the Israelites when they fretted over their enemies. And the second Scripture, “Be still and know that I am God,” is what He told me in the midst of my despair. But … it wasn’t until I read the Message translation of that very same verse that it hit me hard, not unlike that textbook the nun threw at me in the 1^st grade—“Cease striving and know that I am God.”

Cease striving. In anotherwords, stop it, Julie—all the worry, all the dread, all the fretting that you won’t meet deadlines or worrying those endless hours of promotion for your Christmas e-book won’t achieve squat. Cease it—now!

Yeah, right. Not an easy thing to do, God, I think to myself, and then all at once it hits me—hard. The second part of the message—know that I am God. The same God who pulled me from the mire when I was a hard, calloused, hopeless wild child of the 60s/70s on the brink of destruction. The same God who scooped me up in His loving arms and set this orphan from a dysfunctional family of 13 into a family where a godly husband cherishes her and godly children bless her. A God who wants me to quit my yapping and complaining and crying and … just … be … still. To let Him do what He does so well in our lives and what He has never failed to do in mine: defend us, empower us, heal us, love us …

To just cease our anal striving and let God be God, leading the way to that elusive peace, calm, hope and joy that this CDQ has experienced more times than she can count but all too often fails to remember.

So repeat after me:

I will cease striving. I will remember Who God is and what He has done for me. Then I will be still … and let God be God in my life, directing my path with His power and wisdom, not my own.

Even if it takes a bloomin’ straitjacket to do it …

 

FABULOUS GIVEAWAYS!!! (Note: Pic shows all the books you can win at the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt listed below.)

THE ENTIRE MONTH OF OCTOBER, 2012!

PRIZES GALORE  TO CELEBRATE SEEKERVILLE’S 5TH BIRTHDAY!!! Free books, Kindle Paperwhite, gift baskets, computer, gift cards and more, so stop in to win!

Seekerville Birthday Party Giveaway

THROUGH OCTOBER 22, 2012:

FIVE CHANCES TO WIN A Love Surrendered at a giveaway on THE BOOKCLUB NETWORK blog at:

The Book Club Network Giveaway

THROUGH OCTOBER 22, 2012:

YOUR CHOICE OF ANY OF MY BOOKS at Finding Hope Through Fiction at:

Finding Hope Through Fiction Giveaway

OCTOBER 15 – 19, 2012:

YOUR CHOICE OF ANY OF MY BOOKS at Sarah Forgrave’s blog at:

Sarah Forgrave’s Blog Giveaway 

OCTOBER 25 – 28, 2012:

Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt!! Please join me and 31 top CBA authors including Lisa Bergren, Liz Curtis Higgs, Kristen Heitzmann, Robin Lee Hatcher, Laura Frantz, MaryLu Tyndall, Tracy Higley and Tamara Alexander, to name only a few (entire list below) for an opportunity to win a Kindle Fire and 31 New Releases from these  authors. The hunt features exclusive material from each author about their new release, not found anywhere else and a wide selection of prizes from each author. 

My giveaway will be choice of any of my books, a $50 gift card and having a character named after you in my next book! The hunt begins at www.LisaBergren.com at Noon MST onThursday, October 25. The hunt can be completed anytime that weekend, so you have plenty of time to visit all 31 author sites and collect a clue. It’s fun … it’s easy … and it’s a great chance to win great prizes!! So remember … on OCTOBER 25 at Noon MST …click here to begin.

Here’s the author list and the pic to the left are all the books you can win, along with a Kindle Fire!!

•  Tamera Alexander
•   Ruth Axtell
•   Lisa Bergren
•   Lyn Cote
• Liz Curtis Higgs
• Margaret Daley
• Melanie Dickerson
• Melanie Dobson
• Laura Frantz
• Sibella Giorello
• Leslie Gould
• Winnie Griggs
• Robin Lee Hatcher
• Kristen Heitzmann
• Tracy Higley
• Sharon Hinck
• Vicki Hinze
• Ronie Kendig
• R. J. Larson
• Julie Lessman
• Judith Miller
• Nancy Moser
• Nicole O’Dell
• Marta Perry
• Sandra Robbins
• Susan Sleeman
• Janice Thompson
• MaryLu Tyndall
• Kim Vogel Sawyer
• Stephanie Whitson
• Jill Williamson

Happy weekend and Hugs,

Julie

 

SCAVENGER HUNT STOP #6!

WHOO-HOO … this is it!!! Your chance to win a Kindle Fire

and 31 new releases from 31 TOP CBA authors.

OR

$50 Amazon, B&N, CBD

or BookDepository.com gift certificate.

OR

Your choice of my books, a $50 gift card

and have a character named after you in Love at Any Cost.

PLUS

LOTS of individual prizes from each of the 31 authors in the hunt.

You game? Then let’s get started …

WELCOME TO THE FALL CHRISTIAN FICTION SCAVENGER HUNT!! The dates are Thursday, October 25 from noon MST … to Sunday, October 28 at midnight MST, so you have LOTS OF TIME to cover 31 stops where you will discover new and old authors with exclusive insights into their new releases. It’s fun … it’s easy … and it’s a great chance to win great prizes!!

 

Here’s the scoop:

1.) Collect the clues in RED on each post, beginning with Stop #1. Be ready to provide the completed clue quote, gathered from all 31 stops, within 24 hours of email notification or another winner will be randomly drawn. No need to email/submit it, unless you are notified on 10/29/12.

2.) Grand Prize is a new Kindle Fire, plus 31 new paperback novels! NOTE: You must comment on every Scavenger Hunt post in order to be eligible for the Grand Prize. 

3.) 2^nd & 3^rd Prizes: $50 Amazon, B&N, CBD or BookDepository.com gift certificate.

4.) Contest is open to international entrants. If the winner lives outside the United States, they shall win the equivalent in gift certificate funds to the prize in US dollars.

5.) Bonus prizes—your choice of my books, a $50 gift card and have a character named after you in Love at Any Cost

 

IT’S MY PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE KRISTEN HEITZMANN:

As part of this Scavenger Hunt, I have the honor of hosting one of the very first authors I ever read in the CBA and one of my all-time faves! Kristen Heitzmann is the best-selling author of historical and contemporary romantic suspense novels, including Colorado Book Award finalist THE STILL OF NIGHT and Christy Award winner SECRETS. She has a love affair with the Colorado Rocky Mountains where she lives with her husband, extended family, pets, and wildlife. Pick up a copy of Kristen’s book at Amazon, Barnes & Noble,   Christianbookcom or your local bookstore. Connect with  Kristen at http://www.kristenheitzmannbooks.com/ or follow her on Twitter at KFHeitzmann.

 

Here’s a quick summary of Kristen’s new release, The Breath of Dawn, releasing from Bethany House Publishers, November 1^st:

A grieving widower, and a courageous woman oppose a conman who plays a prophet—but he’s no saint. Quinn crossed him before, and now he’s out of jail. When the threat turns deadly, corporate mogul Morgan Spencer and Quinn Reilly, a woman he hadn’t planned on, choose an unorthodox solution with pitfalls of its own.

 

THE SCAVENGER HUNT BASICS:

After you have enjoyed Kristen’s interview below, your next stop is Kristen Heitzmann’s very own blog, so keep moving to STOP #7: Kristen Heitzmann to get to know her better and pick up your next clue!

But before you go, write down this STOP #6 clue: BETTER 

And now, a Scavenger Hunt Exclusive from Kristen—an interview with a character who won’t go away!

Some years ago, Morgan Spencer (one of my faves of Kristen’s heroes—hubba, hubba!) appeared in Kristen Heitzmann’s novel A Rush of Wings and earned himself the lead role in The Still of Night. Given that happy ending, readers want to know, Morgan, why you’re back again?

Morgan: I have a special spot in the author’s mind. It takes little to reinvigorate her interest. In this case, she listened to an old play list, songs I favored in The Still of Night. Just like that, there I was.

Did you anticipate the opening scene she created for you, the loss of your wife?

Morgan: Not in my wildest dreams. It was…heart-rending.

Some have suggested Heitzmann heaps tragedy on you. Any idea why?

Morgan: In her words, I suffer so superbly.

Surely that’s not all that keeps her coming back.

Morgan: No one’s accused me of false modesty, but I’d sound pretty smug saying the rest.

Come on, we want to know.

Morgan: Okay. I have qualities that attract people. I’ve been called the “success guru” because I take problems and turn them around. I find solutions no one else can see. It’s made me highly prosperous in business, but I can’t help applying it to life as well. If I see someone in trouble, I step in. Take Quinn for instance—that’s Quinn Reilly my co-lead in The Breath of Dawn. She asked for a sort of help I couldn’t give.

What sort?

Morgan: Uh, the illegal sort. Not that she realized exactly. She was scared and desperate to disappear. I came up with an alternative.

And she was happy?

Morgan: She asked if I had an antisocial genius disorder.

(Laughing) Okay then. What can we expect to see from you in this book?

Morgan: Well, because of the prologue, I’m not in very good shape to start with. Life’s pretty much as bad as it can get, except for my precious daughter Livie. Quinn starts to change that, but her problems create a crucible that puts us both to the test.

What crucible?

Morgan: There’s a really nasty guy out for payback.

So this is a suspense story?

Morgan: It’s suspenseful.

But?

Morgan: It’s also a love story. And a tale of family and purpose and meaning. It explores the nature of God’s love and our response to it. And the way we live out that love with one another.

Is it safe to say you’re happier about the end than the beginning?

Morgan: Can you see my smile?

 

BONUS GIVEAWAY!!!

If you’d like to be entered in a random drawing of a $50 gift card, having a character named after you in my next book, Love at Any Cost, a signed copy of that book and your choice of any of my other books, then leave a comment about your favorite Julie Lessman hero and why. And if you haven’t read my books, then tell me why and name another favorite literary hero.

For extra entries, “LIKE” some or all of the following by clicking on the link, then return via back arrow and tell me how many you did in your comment, 1 pt. per LIKE. NOTE: I WILL RESPOND TO EACH COMMENT, SO BE SURE TO CHECK BACK!

NOTE: PLEASE leave an e-mail address in a spam-free manner such as janedoe(at)gmail(dot)com or I cannot enter you in the contest. 

WINNER OF MY BONUS CONTEST WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN MY NEXT JOURNAL JOT (THIS PAGE) POSTED NEXT FRIDAY, SO BE SURE TO DROP BY!

1. KRISTEN’S FACEBOOK PAGE
2. KRISTEN’S BREATH OF DAWN ON AMAZON
3. TRACY HIGLEY’S FACEBOOK PAGE
4. TRACY’S ISLE OF SHADOWS ON AMAZON
5. JULIE’S FACEBOOK PAGE
6. A LOVE SURRENDERED ON AMAZON
7. A LOVE SURRENDERED ON BARNES & NOBLE
8. A LIGHT IN THE WINDOW ON AMAZON

 

GET READY, GET SET … GO … to  STOP #7: Kristen Heitzmann to pick up your next clue! But before you go, write down this STOP #6 clue: BETTER. 

IF YOU ARE JUST STARTING THE HUNT,
click here to begin.

 

HAVE FUN AND MEGA HUGS!!

JULIE