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17 March 2008

Interview and Giveaway with Julie Lessman

A Passion Most Pure
Julie Lessman

ISBN: 978-0-8007-3211-0
Price: $13.99
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Revell

AUTHOR BIO FOR JULIE LESSMAN

Julie Lessman is a debut author who has already garnered writing acclaim, including ten Romance Writers of America awards. She is a commercial writer for Maritz Travel, a published poet and a Golden Heart Finalist. Julie has a heart to write “Mainstream Inspirational,” reaching the 21st-century woman with compelling love stories laced with God’s precepts. She resides in Missouri with her husband and their golden retriever, and has two grown children and a daughter-in-law. Her first book, A Passion Most Pure, was released January 2008. Visit her Web site at www.julielessman.com.


Firstly thanks Julie for doing an interview for my blog.

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Well, I’m a baby boomer (how’s that for neatly side-stepping the age issue?), married to an incredible artist, the love of my life for 30 years this September. We have two children, a son married to a beautiful med student in Omaha, and a gorgeous daughter who is completing college in three years before heading off to law school. We are blessed, not only because they are amazing kids, but because God is extremely important in both of their lives. I am quitting my travel writer job (after over 30 years!) to write fulltime, and hope and pray I won’t starve!! J My favorite things are Gone With the Wind, old movies, great romance novels, and dinners with good friends.

2. How did you know you wanted to be a writer, have you always had the desire or did it come later?
From the moment I read Gone With the Wind at the age of twelve, I was hooked on romance. So much so, that 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 (grin), but I did write 150 single-spaced pages of a story that is actually the basis for my debut novel, A Passion Most Pure. 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!

3. If
you were not a writer what would you like to be?
Oh, gosh, either a psychologist or a motivational speaker, I suppose. Either way, I have a heart to encourage people, especially when it comes to having an intimate relationship with God. But the true desire of my heart is … and has been since the age of twelve … to be an author. And, WOW, to actually be an author who writes for God – pinch me!

4. What was you motivation for writing A Passion most Pure?
Without question, I strongly believe my motivation for writing A Passion Most Pure was God. Although Gone With the Wind was my original inspiration at the age of twelve, I can’t deny the prompting of the Holy Spirit forty years later to finish my childhood novel. It came about while I was waiting to get a haircut in a beauty parlor in 2001 and reading a Newsweek magazine cover article about Christian entertainment. It said Christian books, movies and music were on the threshold of exploding. My heart jumped, and something in my spirit said, “It’s time to write your book.” Now, I have to be honest—up until that moment, I had never seriously considered writing a book. But the pull was so strong, that I started writing A Passion Most Pure one month later—almost forty years after penning those first 150 pages.

5. How do you come up with the characters for your books and are they modeled on people you know?
Well, at the risk of sounding narcissistic (gulp), three of my sister characters are based on different aspects of my personality. Basically, I like to delve into characters on a deeply emotional level, and so I draw upon the wealth of emotional baggage from my own past. And trust me, we’re talking the mother lode! For instance, Faith, the sister heroine from A Passion Most Pure, is my spiritual self while Charity, the “wicked” sister is my sensual or worldly self before I came to Christ. In book 3, A Passion Denied, the sister heroine is Lizzie, who is a bookworm and dreamer, which is how I used to be as a child. I will have to say, however, that in book 4, which will be the youngest daughter’s story, Katie, her character will be based on my own daughter, who was a real pistol growing up.

6. What was the Hardest part of writing "A Passion Most Pure"?
Well, if there was a hard part, it would have been sitting down and starting that very first paragraph (of which there were MANY!). After that, there was NOTHING hard about writing that book whatsoever. Every word, every scene was sheer pleasure to write and rewrite. Now getting it published? Another story altogether, and THAT is was actually the “hard part” of this book for me—five years and 45 rejections hard!
By the way, talking about the first paragraph made me curious as to what my original first paragraph had been, so I looked it up and winced. Here it is:
Faith O'Connor would have given anything to trade places with her sister. To be the second rather than the firstborn … or at the very least, the firstborn of a mother who didn't cling to the catechism of the Holy Mother Church in the naming of her offspring!

7. How many books will there be in "The Daughters of Boston" series and how long do we have to wait for the next book?
There will be three books in this series. Book 1 is Faith’s story, A Passion Most Pure, and is in stores now; Book 2 is Charity’s story, A Passion Redeemed, and will be released in September 2008; and Book 3 is Elizabeth’s story, A Passion Denied (working title), which will be released in February 2009.

8. Can you tell us about any upcoming projects?
Well, there are four “Daughters of Boston” in the O’Connor family, but my publisher tells me they only do 3-book series. But I am compelled to tell Katie’s story (the fourth and youngest O’Connor daughter), especially since she is a pistol who comes of age during The Roaring Twenties, right before The Great Depression. That said, I am hoping to pitch another 3-book series to Revell which would feature Katie as book 1, the oldest brother, Sean, as book 2 and the youngest brother, Steven, as book 3 of that series. I am also toying with the idea of doing a prequel on Marcy and Patrick because you get a glimpse of their past in book 3 of the original series, and it’s a pretty exciting story. So time will tell.

9. Do you have any final thoughts for us?
I just want to thank you, Jenny, for hosting me on your blog. It’s been fun! And I LOVE to hear from readers, so they can contact me through my Web site at www.julielessman.com, either by sending an e-mail via my site or by signing up for my newsletter.
Currently, I am giving away a signed hardback copy of A Passion Most Pure to a winner drawn from those who sign up for my newsletter. The newsletter will be an “insider’s circle” of updates on The Daughters of Boston series, with sneak peeks inside the publishing process, fun tidbits and up-to-date info on book releases and signings. I also invite your readers to visit The Seekers, a group blog of which I am a part, at http://seekerville.blogspot.com/. It is a blog about “The road to publication. Writing, contests, publication and everything in between.”

Finally, thank you so much for agreeing to this interview and sharing your time with us.

(Jenny here)I for one am looking forward to book 2.


Julie has kindly donated a copy of "A Passion most Pure" to be given away on this blog for All readers (international also). To enter just leave a comment and a way for me to contact you. the giveaway will be open til midnight Sunday March 30.

You can read my review
here

30 comments:

Janna said...

Great interview Jenny and Julie! I found out some stuff about Julie that I didn't know yet, like your son and daughter-in-law being in Omaha - I was just there yesterday! Please enter me in the contest, I don't think I'll ever see my copy of Julie's book again so I need a keeper copy!

Janna
ryanx6[at]msn[dot]com

Anonymous said...

Great interview. I'm from New England and love Boston. I LOVED A Passion Most Pure and can hardly wait for the rest of the series! Please enter me in the drawing.
Kay C.
kayscmalbums at tx dot rr dot com

Karin said...

Sounds good. Enter me please...thank you!

Daniela6968 said...

Great interview! Please count me in. I'm adding it to my must read list. daniela6968[at]gmail[dot]com

Julie Lessman said...

Oh, Janna, and there's no one to whom I would rather send a signed "keeper" copy than you, my friend! Thanks for stopping by!!

Wow, Kay, THANK YOU for your kind words and for taking the time to leave a comment. You know I've never been to Boston, but I have always loved it for some reason and especially now that it's my series "home."

Karin and Daniela6968, thank you for dropping by and thanks to sweet Jenny for hosting me on her blog. I wish everybody could win!

Hugs,
Julie

Toystory said...

How wonderful and what a need today for inspirational material!! Put me in the contest.

Anonymous said...

It sounds like an interesting book and I trust your judgement Jenny. I'll have to find a way to get a copy of it.

Bel

Ausjenny said...

Thanks to all who have commented and dropped by.

Bel I know you would love the book.
Good luck to everyone it is a book well worth reading.

Jewelz said...

I have read heaps of glowing reviews about this book, and I would love to get a copy of it.
Please enter me.
itsmyemail (at) bigpond.com

pennyponders said...

Another great interview Jenny I will add this book to my "must read" list. I very much enjoy meeting new authors. Please enter me in the draw! Pick me, pick me!!!
Blessings
Penny

Anonymous said...

This sounds like a wonderful book I will be looking it up very soon.

Thanks to the Author for caring enough to give us wholesome reading we can trust.

Blessings to Jenny my friend.

transyank

Anonymous said...

What a interesting interview. It made me think how my hubby started writing a book back in 1973 that he never finished and to this day talks about.

I would love to get a copy of your book.

Jo
ladijo40(at)aol(dot)com

Mimi N said...

Jenny, thanks for interviewing Julie! It's so much fun reading different questions and finding out more about her and how this series came to be! Thanks for the offer to enter to win her book, too.

Blessings,
Mimi

mnjesusfreak[at]gmail.com

Carole said...

I enjoyed this interview and would love to win a copy of Julie's book. Thank you for the opportunity.

cjarvis [at] bellsouth [dot] net

Unknown said...

Hey Jenny!
Enjoyed reading your interview with the author. It was very informative and thorough.
Also enjoyed reading your review of the book. Sounds like a book that you would have a hard time putting down!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and comments and for allowing us the opportunity to receive a copy of this book.
~Pam~

Mary Connealy said...

Julie, You SHOULD be a motivational speaker. I can totally see you doing that. You motivate me every time we talk.

Don't put me in the drawing, Jenny, I've got my copy. I loved A Passion Most Pure. I can't wait for the sequel.

Jennifer AlLee said...

I love reading Julie's interviews because I always find out something new and fun about her. Thanks for another great one, Jenny & Julie!

Please enter me in the drawing... I'm gonna get this book one way or another. Be blessed!

jallee725 [at] hotmail [dot] com

Naomi said...

Wow Jenny you have so many comments. I love it. Please enter me in this comp.

Ausjenny said...

Thanks Noami, Pam, Cathy, Penny and Jenny for popping by, (i love seeing my friends here.)

Good to see you too Jewelz.

Jo maybe your husband will be insipred to finish his book.

Mimi, I to enjoy reading different interviews. I love to see what people would want to do if they were not doing the job they are now. (I have asked a few sports peopole this same question)

welcome Carole, and Jennifer, I know that determination. I did this recently with Missy Tippens new book posted on every blog tour and said one way or the other I would get the book. I finally won this week but I was ready to order it.

Mary Thanks for popping in I love seeing my friends here (and I count you as a special friend)

Its so great to see comments when I wake up in the morning.

TK Williams~Hurlston said...

great interview, I look forward to reading this book and others from this author. Please enter me in your drawing. Thanks TK. vcw1476{at}gmail{dot}com

Carla Capshaw said...

Julie, lovely interview. That's too funny, though. If I wrote anything besides Inspirational Historicals, I'd want it to be about travel.

Thanks, Jenny for inviting me today!

Julie Lessman said...

JENNY!!!!!! Oh, my, I just finished two 15- and 17-hour days at work and look at all the lovely comments I missed!! Please forgive me, Jenny, for being out of commission so long.

Toystory, Bel, Jewelz, Penny, Transyank, Jo, Mimi, Carole, Pam, Mary, Jennifer, Naomi, TK & Carla -- Whew! Thanks sooo much for posting a comment!!

Mary, darlin', I have sooo been out of commission that I haven't been able to reciprocate, but yesterday was my LAST day at work, so hopefully I will get better ...

Carla!!! I missed posting on your Seeker blog -- please forgive me! But to be honest, I think YOUR blog was our all-time high, so I'm guessing you didn't need any more. Have you rested up yet????

Have a blessed Easter, everyone!

Theresa N. said...

The book sounds wonderful I'd love to read it.
Theresa N.
weceno@yahoo.com

KT said...

I would really love to win this book, it is actually on my must be read list!

kt_dug@yahoo.com

Ausjenny said...

Carla thanks for stopping

Theresa and Katie good to see you here also.

Wyn said...

Hi Jenny, you published a great interview. Congratulations.

Wyndy from Ruth

Anonymous said...

Please enter me in the FREE BOOK contest...Thank you and Gods Peace!
Karen aka LyonsLady

Rel said...

Don't enter me, Jen - loved the book as you know. Really enjoyed learning more, Julie, in addition to the interview you do on my blog :) Great questions, Jen

Bring on those sequels, Julie!!!

Julie Lessman said...

Theresa, Katie, Wyn, Karen and Rel -- thanks sooo much for your comments!! I sure wish everybody could win!!

Rel, you sweetheart you, I just quit my day job so I can devote full time to writing those FUTURE novels (all three in the Daughters of Boston series are written and done, so I'm not talking about them). Now if I can just get my publisher to offer me another contract ... (praying here!):)

Hugs,
Julie

Anonymous said...

Love the review can't wait to read it!!!

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