Julie Lessman Interview!

I am so thrilled to have Julie Lessman on my blog today! It has been a dream of mine for a VERY long time to interview her for the SST blog, and the day has finally arrived. :o)  For those that may be unfamiliar with Julie, her trademark is passionate Christian novels that show what God intended for romance. Her first novel, A Passion Most Pure, earned her the 2009 ACFW Debut Author of the Year award. Julie recently wrote her fourth novel, A Hope Undaunted, which is the first book in her new series, Winds of Change.
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Welcome, Julie!

You attribute your dream of becoming a writer to reading Gone With the Wind at a young age. What was it from this epic story (Scarlett’s sassy attitude, Rhett’s dashing good looks, the Civil War setting) that steered you toward writing?

GRIN … are you kidding??? The ROMANCE, of course!! Yes, Scarlett was sassy and selfish, but what drew me was the pull she had over Rhett—a man who wanted her but couldn’t have her. To me, seeing a strong male type like Rhett Butler “who wasn’t the marrying kind” give in and marry her because he loved her and wanted to cherish her, spoke volumes to me.

Even as a little girl, I sensed that was what romance was all about—finding a man who couldn’t do without you and to whom you were the most important woman in the world. It wasn’t until I gave my heart to the Lord that I learned it was a foreshadow of how God sees romance in Ephesians 5:25: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” Now I am not saying that Rhett Butler typified the kind of love Christ had in mind, but he wanted Scarlett so badly, he was willing to give of himself to get her. No other woman alive could do that to him, only her. Now to me, that’s romance!

All of your characters are so realistic with ups and downs like everyone else. How do you manage to keep a balance between the good times, the bad times, and the romance in your novels?

DOUBLE GRIN … honey, all I do is emulate life (mine, anyway!) with its constant ups and downs, good times and bad, all tightly anchored by my faith in God and the romance in my own marriage, both of which keep me afloat through it all. As an EXTREMELY passionate person in every thing I do (whether it’s brushing my teeth with a vengeance, piping guest initials into twice-baked potatoes, or nearly getting arrested by Facebook for spam charges when I responded to too many comments too quickly at my Facebook Party last week), I tend to live a VERY dramatic life, much of which I breathe into my novels! I have to laugh at readers who liken my books to a roller-coaster ride because honestly, that’s everyday fare for me—in my mind, in my life, day in and day out—so I see it as normal for the most part. All I know is that my husband always says what Mitch Dennehy says about Charity in A Heart Revealed:

"Yes, she was a handful and challenging and infused his life with more drama than any woman he’d ever known, but life with Charity was never boring, never dry and always an adventure. She was the most passionate woman he’d ever met, loving her family, her friends—him—with an intensity that took his breath away."

I’ve heard rumors about a Marcy and Patrick prequel. Is this just a rumor, or is it actually a possibility?

Oh, it’s WAY more than a possibility, I can tell you that! I have this burning desire to get Marcy and Patrick’s story on paper, so I fully intend to, maybe after I finish Steven’s story, which is the last book in the “Winds of Change” series AND the last book about the O’Connor clan. I don’t know if it will be published, but to show you how serious I am, here is a glimpse of what I have in my mind:

A LIGHT IN THE WINDOW

An Irish Christmas Love Story

I am the light of the world:
he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness,
but shall have the light of life.
— John 8:12

A Light in the Window is the prequel love story of Marcy and Patrick O’Connor whose discovery of each other is as turbulent as the era in which it takes place. The year is 1894, and following a decade of explosive industrial growth and immigration that Mark Twain called America’s “Gilded Age,” the nation plummets into the worst economic depression thus far. But in the midst of these trying times, in an O’Henry-style “Gift of the Magi” tale that wrenches the heart, one woman discovers that although two men have professed their undying love, only one has responded to “the light in the window.”

Your trademark for all of your novels is “passion with a purpose.” Have you ever considered writing a book that could help couples jazz up the passion in their marriages?

Okay, Christy, you’re making me laugh WAY too much here!! With zero training in counseling or psychology, the only thing I have to back me up is the success of a marriage literally “made in heaven” through the application of God’s precepts. Trust me, they work—HE works—when He is front and center in a marriage. It is my personal belief that most “normal” marriages (i.e. those not involving spousal abuse, infidelity, addictions, etc.) can become passionate love affairs between mates when one or both parties diligently apply God’s precepts. Period. And when that marriage lines up with His precepts, I guarantee you from personal experience, the result is PASSION galore!!

When you’re not writing or popping up all over the web, what do you love to do with your free time?

Oh, you mean how I USED to spend my free time? That’s easy: watching old movies (Gone With the Wind, That Touch of Mink, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Susan Slept Here are some of my favorites), reading more books, gardening and hosting elaborate dinner parties a la Martha Stewart. I’m pretty driven in whatever I do (anal might be a better word). And, yes, I’ve been known to cut napkin rings out of real lemons to hold lemon green beans as well as make a toasted almond-encrusted, dark/milk/white-chocolate streuseled bowl just to HOLD the white-chocolate mousse I was making, all of which would sit in a pool of raspberry sauce!

Which … was fine when I was younger and had the energy to do it, but these days, sitting at my computer with a candle burning and a cup of Hazelnut Cinnamon coffee is my pastime of choice. Although … I do enjoy occasionally lying out in the sun while listening to oldies, bike riding on the Katy Trail, chatting with friends and family around the fire pit on our lower deck, or just dinner out with people I love.

Where can readers find you on the web?

I LOVE to hear from readers, so they can contact me through my Web site 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 one right now to have a character named after you or a loved one in my next book. Also, I have a cool feature on my website called “Journal Jots” (http://www.julielessman.com/journal-jots/), which is a very laid-back, 3-or-4-times-weekly journal to my reader friends that would give your readers an idea as to my relaxed style of writing. Then finally, I can be found daily at The Seekers blog (http://seekerville.blogspot.com/), a group blog devoted to encouraging and helping aspiring writers on the road to publication.

Thank you, Christy, for hosting me on your blog—it’s been fun!

God bless and hugs,

Julie

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Julie, for making this reader’s dream come true, and sharing some time with me today! I hope you’ll stop back by again soon! :o)

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Now, the fun begins!!  Julie is offering to give a way one signed copy of any of her four books to one special reader.  To sign up for the giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post with your email address so that we can reach you.  No email addy...no entry.  Be sure to get your comments in before October 29th, and US addresses only, please.

Book Review: A Hope Undaunted by Julie Lessman

About the book:

What happens when the boy she loved to hate ... becomes the man she hates to love?

The 1920s are drawing to a close, and feisty Katie O'Connor is the epitome of the new woman--smart and sassy with goals for her future that include the perfect husband and a challenging career in law. Her boyfriend Jack fits all of her criteria for a husband--good-looking, well-connected, wealthy, and eating out of her hand. But when she is forced to spend the summer of 1929 with Cluny McGee, the bane of her childhood existence, Katie comes face to face with a choice. Will she follow her well-laid plans to marry Jack? Or will she fall for the man she swore to despise forever?

My thoughts:

I have been anticipating A Hope Undaunted for well over a year now, and before I even cracked the spine, I knew I would be in for a rollercoaster ride of passion and drama.  In that respect, A Hope Undaunted did not disappoint one bit.  But I have to confess that while Julie Lessman is on my favorite authors list right under Francine Rivers, I just did not love this book.  I know I'm probably one of the few in that category, but I have to be honest.  I liked it, but I didn't love it...there really is a difference.

Having gotten to know young Katie O'Connor in the Daughters of Boston series, I knew her personality wouldn't have changed much from childhood to an older teenager.  She was a spoiled brat in the first series, and she was a spoiled brat through about the first half of this book.  I couldn't seem to get past her selfish nature that popped up all over the place.  And the other half of the time, she couldn't seem to make up her mind which I chalked up to immaturity and wanting to be free from her father's strict rules.  Another thing that bothered me in regards to Katie was that she was eighteen years old, and in between two guys with lots of emotions flying all over the place.  In spite of her father's summer plans to keep her away from bad boy Jack, she still managed to get into, what I thought were, compromising situations with Luke at the Boston Children's Aid Society.  Now, her parents really liked Luke over Jack, as did I, but I think if they knew what was happening between Katie and Luke in the workplace, that whole situation would've been nipped in the bud quicker than a blink.  All that aside, how Katie responded to all of her emotions was completely normal for someone her age.  She wanted so badly to exercise her freedom that she sometimes made unwise decisions regarding her feelings, not to mention that both Luke and Jack were on the receiving end of her emotional decisions.

Julie is known for writing edgy, romantic, Christian fiction, and every bit of that was present in this book.  But compared to her 3 previous novels, the edginess was actually toned down in this book.  There was more focus on the relationships between the characters, especially Faith and Collin and Marcy and Patrick.  Even though I wasn't a fan of Katie as a whole, the romance, and especially the kissing scenes, between her and Luke were explosive!  I don't think Julie will ever lose her touch in that department!  Between the edginess and the romance, you'd think there'd barely be enough space for anything else, but the Christian elements in this book were simply perfect.  And if you're not careful, Julie may just step on your toes a bit with more Biblical truths than your Sunday morning preacher.

Even though A Hope Undaunted was my least favorite book featuring the O'Connor clan, I will never grow tired of getting my O'Connor fix just like Karen Kingsbury fans have to get their Baxter family fix.  I hope the wait won't be long between A Hope Undaunted and her next book, A Heart Revealed, which will tell the story of Sean and Emma.  I have loved Emma's quiet nature from the moment she was first introduced in the Daughters of Boston series.  There's no doubt in my mind that their story will be a good one.  :o) 

4 Stars

**Many thanks to Winsome Communications for providing a copy for review.

**Click here to purchase a copy of A Hope Undaunted.

Cover Attraction: A Hope Undaunted by Julie Lessman

Title: A Hope Undaunted
Author: Julie Lessman
Release Date: 9/10/2010
Publisher: Revell Books

About the book:

The 1920s are drawing to a close, and feisty Katie O'Connor is the epitome of the new woman--smart and sassy with goals for her future that include the perfect husband and a challenging career in law. Her boyfriend Jake fits all of her criteria for a husband--good-looking, well-connected, wealthy, and head-over-heels in love with her. But when she is forced to spend the summer of 1929 with Luke McGee, the bane of her childhood existence, Katie comes face to face with a choice. Will she follow her well-laid plans to marry Jake? Or will she fall for the man she swore to despise forever?

A Hope Undaunted is the engrossing first book in the Winds of Change series from popular author Julie Lessman. Readers will thrill at the highly charged romance in this passionate story.

**There are just not enough words to describe how much I cannot WAIT until this book comes out!!!! I feel like a little kid screaming, "Gimme, gimme, gimme!!" Besides the new Francine Rivers book that will be out next month, this book is the one I've been looking forward to reading more than anything else this year. And is not the cover just beautiful?!?!! The girl on the cover looks exactly like what I imagined Katie looking like....a saucy, no-nonsense type of gal. :o)

Oh, how I don't want to wish my life away, but I so wish it was September right now!

Book Review: A Passion Denied by Julie Lessman/5 Stars

About the book:

A Passion Denied, is the story of Faith and Charity’s little sister, Lizzie, a shy bookworm who dreams of a fairy-tale romance. It unfolds a man’s dark past and a young girl’s shattered dreams … and the God who redeems it all.

Elizabeth O’Connor is the little sister John always longed for. With a fire for God in his belly, he has been her spiritual mentor since she was thirteen, sharing her love of literature and her thirst for God. But when his gangly protégé blossoms into a beautiful young woman bent on loving him, he refuses to act on the attraction he feels. His past won’t let him go there.

Unfortunately, “Lizzie” won’t let him go anywhere else…until his dark and shocking secrets push her away.

My thoughts:

If you are looking for the greatest series in Christian fiction right now, then look no further than the Daughters of Boston series by Julie Lessman. I put off reading these books for months (why, I have no idea), but they were so well worth the wait. Never have I read such an edgy series that just sucked me in so much that I couldn’t seem to read fast enough.

I have to admit that this third book, A Passion Denied, was probably my favorite of the Daughters of Boston series. While the first two are wonderful (and you definitely should read them in order), book three brought a little bit more “real life” to the whole picture. Faith and Charity are now married, and thus, have to deal with the joys and challenges that married life brings. Also, Marcy and Patrick’s relationship has a wrench thrown into it that just adds more depth to the story. I felt that Julie did a great job of giving insight to both the good and the bad with each couple, all while giving advice through her characters on how certain situations should be handled. Scattered throughout the book are numerous snippets of Scripture that help prove the points Julie’s trying to get across, and not once does it come across as preachy.

So, with all that said, don’t even think about starting this series if you’re not willing to stay up ‘til at least midnight or later! Every single book in this series has been nothing short of fantastic, and I cannot wait for more!

You can find Julie as well as other info about all her books at http://www.julielessman.com/.

5 Stars

Southern?  No
Sass?  It comes in spades in all of Julie's books!