Time always appeared as a predictable element. Seconds into minutes. Minutes into hours. Hours into days, on into a lifetime. He couldn’t stop it or slow it down, rewind it or influence its course. It was a simple fact: Life keeps moving and one must move with it.
~Across Oceans, Hope or High Water series Book 1
Latest News
Happy Halloween to my readers and a very happy one it is!
After ten months of researching and drafts, it’s finally time to edit Broken Lines! Let me just say, I love editing. Absolutely love it. Writing for me is the hard part; give me a red pen any day. It’s a truly incredible experience to see a horrid first draft turn into a beautiful final product. If you’re a writer, go find the first draft of the first project you ever wrote and pick any part. Then read the same part in the final product. Now read your favorite part of your current work in progress. Believe me, your mind will be blown at how far you’ve come. And if you’re working on your first project now, don’t give up! Keep writing, keep learning, and focus on what drives your passion. Remember, every book you see on the best seller list was once an awful error-filled first draft. One day, you’ll be glad you stuck with it too.
If all goes according to plan, I aim to spend the next two months immersed in edits with plans to distribute a draft to beta readers in January. Estimated publication date is late March or early April.
Recommended Reads
If you’ve followed my page for a while, you know I’m a fan of Julie Lessman’s edgy inspirational novels. Last year, I reviewed her Daughters of Boston and Winds of Change series (found here), but realized I hadn’t yet reviewed her Christmas novellas. I know it’s Halloween, but the Christmas season is right around the corner, so if you’re looking for a quick read with some steamy yet (mostly) clean inspirational romance with a holiday flare, I recommend giving one of the O’Conner Christmas novellas a try. While the series focuses on the four sisters from the original novels, you do not need to have read them prior. In fact, if you haven’t read any of Julie Lessman’s books yet, a novella could be an excellent place to start.
What I enjoyed most about these stories is that, while they are technically romances, each one centers around a relatable marital issue rather than a new romance. In A Whisper of Hope, the conflict stems from a desire for more children (or less), A Dream Fulfilled deals with outside friendships, The Best Gift of All centers around time devoted to children versus time devoted to one’s spouse, and A Gift Like No Other is about when the romantic spark fades and how to find it again. Even the best marriages have their troubles and sometimes any one of these topics can quickly leap from tiny concern to monumental issue. Often, like the characters discover, one may not even know exactly how they ended up there. While I enjoyed all four, I think The Best Gift of All was my favorite, and would recommend it to all married parents especially.
One note on A Gift Like No Other. While all of Julie’s novels contain romance steamier than typical inspirational novels, this novella’s subject matter lends itself to a higher level of written romantic passion.
For more information, visit julielessman.com
Upcoming Events
University City Library Local Author Event – February 25, 2020
PennedCon Writers Conference – September 17-19, 2020
Do you know of an organization, book club, fair, coffee shop, book store, etc. that would be interested in hosting an author talk, book signing, or needs an event speaker? I’m working on my schedule for the upcoming year and would love to meet some new faces! If so, send me a note via the contact page.
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Kelsey Gietl 
Kelsey! Another writer who loves editing! Yay! Good luck with the project you are working on.
Thanks for your thoughts on A Gift Like No Other. I like the insight you had that each of the novellas focuses on a particular marital relationship topic. I love the passionate and faith-strengthening moments Julie puts into her stories which gently offer encouragement to heal relationships. Beautiful!
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KELSEY!! Gosh, until I saw Sherida’s comment, I didn’t know comments were even open, so my apologies for not writing sooner!
I can’t thank you enough for not only reading my books, but agreeing to be part of my tour — I appreciate it (AND you!!) more than I can say, so God bless you for your kindness.
Hugs and more hugs,
Julie
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