November's Author of the Month: Julie Lessman

Greetings to all of my fellow HCR addicts! It's November, can you believe it? (I do know this is a few days early, but with  my personal schedule it was now or a few days late and I chose now...*big grin*)

October was wonderful and I LOVED having Stacy and Joanne in the spotlight. Please tell me you've read their stuff! Well, if you haven't yet, there's still time to repent... *just teasing!* They really are fabulous authors and they have more books in the works--yay for us!!

This month I am beyond excited to feature, the one, the only: JULIE LESSMAN!! As you know, I just recently read ALL of her books and I loved every single one. She is a dear, sweet lady with a hilarious sense of humor and a killer writing style! Her books will have you sucked in with the first sentence. No, I'm not just saying that--they really will. Along with creating living, breathing characters, her messages of faith and Christ are very inspiring!

(Now, all you readers may be wondering about the GIVEAWAY! Well, I am happy to say that I will be doing the drawing on NOV 8! So, if you want to be entered to WIN, please SHARE this post on FB, TWITTER or by FOLLOWING this blog!!! And you will RECEIVE 1 point for DOING each of those things for Julie's CONTEST!!! YAY!!! So, you MUST tell me what you did so that you can get all the points you deserve, whether it be 1, 2 or 3! Make sure when you include your email that it's a spam-free format, IE: historicalchristianreview(at)gmail(dot)come. You will love her books if you haven't read them and you'll want to be entered in her contest for sure!!)

I must try and reign in my excitement over this interview...down, Amber down. {teehee} Below, you will find her answers to my questions. Be prepared for a good time, y'all! This woman is 100% lovable!

Tell us about yourself! And please, include one fun/silly/unique fact that people may not already know!

Well, I’m a baby boomer (how’s that for side-stepping the age issue?) married to a man who makes me feel like I’m living my own personal romance novel. I have a 29-year-old son and a doctor daughter-in-law (for whom I prayed since my son was a baby) and a precious year-old granddaughter. I also have a 25-year-old daughter that just graduated from law school who hates to read (and, yes, it’s true—I paid her $20 just to read the first chapter of A Passion Most Pure. I’m happy to say it hooked her, and the rest of the books didn’t cost me a dime! ).

My romance-writing career began at the tender age of twelve when I read Gone With the Wind, after which I immediately sat down to begin my own novel, a 150-page, single-spaced manuscript that is actually the basis for my debut novel, A Passion Most Pure. I was SO hooked on romance after reading GWTW, that when I was in high school, I actually dressed up as a nun to go to a free showing for the local religious and clergy. One of my friends had a sister in the convent, so she loaned us novice habits and off we went! I sat there mesmerized, shoving free popcorn into my mouth as I watched the tug-o-war between Rhett and Scarlett. It was one of the most fun times of my teens … until we ran into the nuns from our high school! Whew, we got into trouble … but it was soooo worth it!

You have created SO many wonderful characters in your books. If you could BE any of the O'Connors who would you pick?

Uh-oh … probably Charity, because I’m pretty much a pistol just like her and, well, Mitch Dennehy happens to be my favorite hero of all those I’ve written—hubba, hubba! But to be honest, both Faith and Charity reflect my personality A LOT. Faith, the sister heroine of A Passion Most Pure, is my spiritual self and mirrors the intimate relationship I have with God. Like Faith, I talk and pray to Him as naturally as if He is my best friend (and He is!), but I also get angry with Him too. You might say that Faith and I are emotionally engaged with the God of the Universe—we laugh with Him, tear up at His goodness, and worship Him with all our hearts.

Charity, the sister heroine of Book 2, A Passion Redeemed, is my rebellious and “passionate” self, before I came to the Lord. You see, I was a wild child of the seventies, like so many of us today, and actually pulled many of the shenanigans that Charity pulls on Mitch in book 2. Hard as it may be for some people to believe, I absolutely LOVE Charity (just like I loved Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind), maybe because she is so wonderfully flawed and needy of love, not unlike I used to be before Christ. In fact when my husband read A Passion Redeemed, I was shocked to discover that he didn’t like Charity AT ALL. The poor guy—I didn’t have the heart to tell him he’s been married to her for over 34 years, although clearly without the looks!

The romance in your stories is THE BEST! Where do you get the inspiration for the romance (and awesome kisses *wink*) in your books?

HA! I keep a picture of my hubby when we were married right next to where I write, and let me tell you, that’s pretty darn inspiring!! But I think I was always meant to be a romance writer because as a little girl, I used to sneak downstairs to watch romantic movies after my parents went to bed, totally enamored with the idea of romance and falling in love. I thrived on wonderfully romantic old movies like Kisses for Breakfast, Pillow to Post, and Susan Slept Here, That Touch of Mink, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and my all-time favorite, Gone With the Wind.

Initially my inspiration was Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara, because from the moment I read Gone With the Wind, I was hooked on romance. So much so that as I said before, I immediately set out to write (along with thousands of other love-struck young girls, I’m sure), what I hoped would be “the great American novel.” Obviously my dreams of grandeur didn’t go anywhere, but in 2001, I was sitting in a beauty shop reading a Newsweek cover article about how Christian books, movies and music were on the threshold of exploding. Something in my spirit said, “Now is the time to finish your book,” so I started it the next month. Hard to believe that almost forty years passed before God breathed new life into that early attempt and inspired me to finish my childhood novel of passion—only this time the “passion” would be for Him!

I have been so inspired by the Christian messages you include in your books and it's obvious you have a strong love of Christ. What is your favorite Bible story/scripture?

Well, when you’re a hyper CDQ (caffeinated drama queen), you tend to have LOTS of favorite Scriptures because frankly you need them to hold you up! But as far as being a writer, my favorite would have to be 2 Corinthians ll:3: Do not let my mind “be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”

Why? Because I wish I’d known what an emotional roller-coaster it was going to be AFTER I got published. Like a lot of unpublished writers, I thought all the anxiety and self-doubt would dissipate after I signed on the dotted line. I mean that would validate me, right? Give me confidence as a writer? But I discovered (AGAIN!) that true confidence is not in accolades from your editor or a really good review, but instead in where your heart is with God. HE is my confidence when my sales rankings on Amazon.com are high or low, which is why I CLING to this Scripture and many others.

Any final words?

Thanks, Amber, for allowing me to connect with your readers. I LOVE to hear from reader friends, so if they like, they can contact me through my website at http://www.julielessman.com, either by sending an e-mail via my site or by signing up for my newsletter at http://www.julielessman.com/sign-up-for-newsletter/. My newsletter is chock-full of fun info on my books and there’s always a contest featuring signed book giveaways including two right now to win a Kindle Fire or have a character named after you or a loved one in my next book. Contest details can be found at http://www.julielessman.com/contest/. Also, I have a cool feature on my website called “Journal Jots” at http://www.julielessman.com/journal-jots1/, which is a very laid-back, Friday journal to my reader friends that would give your readers an idea as to my relaxed style of writing. Or readers can check out my favorite romantic and spiritual scenes from each of my books on the “Excerpts” tab of my website at http://www.julielessman.com/excerpts/. Finally, I can be found daily at The Seekers blog at http://seekerville.blogspot.com/, a group blog devoted to encouraging and helping aspiring writers on the road to publication.

Hugs,
Julie


Was that not AMAZING?! Oh, Julie, I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to do this! I have truly loved getting to know you, and I know that God is working through you to bless people's lives, because I know you have blessed mine. Thank you for sharing your gifts with the world!

Now, all you readers may be wondering about the GIVEAWAY! Well, I am happy to say that I will be doing the drawing on NOV 8! So, please comment below--and tell us your FAVORITE Lessman character --and leave your email address if you want to be entered to WIN!!!

And lastly, Lessman's ebook A LIGHT IN THE WINDOW comes out this month as well!! I cannot wait for that! So, if you are like me and are chomping at the bit for another awesome Lessman story you are in luck! Check out her website at http://www.julielessman.com/ for more details and exciting giveaways such as a Kindle Fire, having a character named after you in Julie's next book, $50 and $20 gift cards, and free books!!

God Bless all you wonderful ladies out there, and HAPPY READING!!