Author Interview (& GIVEAWAY!): Julie Lessman

In lieu of Mystery Mondays, I am very excited to bring to you another author interview! Julie Lessman, author of the Daughters of Boston series (A Passion Most Pure, A Passion Redeemed, and A Passion Denied), was kind enough to answer a few of my questions as we celebrate the recent release of A Passion Denied. I have been very fortunate to exchange many emails with Julie during the last few weeks and have really come to appreciate the author behind all of these amazing, passionate inspirational novels.

I hope you enjoy learning a little more about her and her books--I know I did, and I'm looking forward to sharing my review of A Passion Denied tomorrow. It's another page-turner!

Welcome to Melissa's Bookshelf, Julie!

What led you to decide to write Christian fiction, especially from a more passionate point of view? When did you know this was what you wanted to do?

Four life-altering words: Gone With the Wind. When I read that novel at the age of twelve, I was swept away into the world of romance for the very first time. It captured me like no other book had done, and 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 begin writing (150 single-spaced pages worth) of a story that became the basis (some forty years later!) for my debut novel, A Passion Most Pure.

Fast forward to June 2001, when I was sitting in a beauty shop 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 said, “Now is the time to finish your book.” I started A Passion Most Pure the next month, finally selling it to Revell 4-1/2 years and 45 rejections later.

And why Christian fiction? Because I have two raging fires burning inside of me—one for heart-pounding, toe-curling romance and one for God. For me, when you merge the two, it not only leaves you with what I hope is an unforgettable story, but an inspirational lift that may last even longer. :-)

What author has influenced you the most in your writing?

For me, that’s a no-brainer: Margaret Mitchell. The moment Scarlett seared Rhett with a look on the winding staircase of Twelve Oaks in Gone With the Wind, I was a goner, my brain irrevocably branded with the burning desire for romance. God help me, I was only twelve at the time when some innocent, unsuspecting person put a copy of that book in my hand. I swear to this day that the binding not only burned my fingers, but also seared my life forever. Today, I like to think that not only are Margaret Mitchell’s fingerprints are all over me in my religious devotion to passion, but God’s as well—merging my passion for romance with my passion for Him.

A Passion Denied is your third book. How do you approach writing these stories now, in comparison to working on your first book, A Passion Most Pure?

Oh, great question. And the answer is—very carefully! You see, I am first and foremost a “seat of the pants” writer versus the more methodical “plotter” method, which means for A Passion Most Pure (and A Passion Redeemed also), I had a vague idea of where I was going with the story, but little else. For me, it was just a matter of writing that first line (be it the first line of a scene, chapter or even the book), and BOOM, off I would go, letting the story take me where it wanted to go.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t that easy with A Passion Denied, primarily because by the time I got to that story, I had six years of family history to contend with (i.e. birthdays, ages, anniversaries, etc.). Suddenly I had to focus hard on details because not only did they have to line up with the prior stories, but they also had major bearing on future stories in the next 3-book series. As a result I have an age/birthday/anniversary chart that would boggle your mind for FOURTEEN characters. Not only that, but because I couldn’t afford to trip up on the details, for the first time, I crafted extensive and detailed synopses for each of the three books in the next series, which not only outline the stories for the hero and heroines, but a substory for each of the rest of the couples in the family. YIKES!!! Can you say complicated???

Do you have a favorite O'Connor? If so, who might it be?

This may freak out some people, I’m sure, but my favorite O’Connor is Charity. I think the reason is because she is SO much like I used to be (without the beauty) as a young girl and woman before Christ. I love Faith O’Connor, but in all honesty, she is more like the woman I am today—heavily dependant on God, emotionally involved with Him and a person who prays at the drop of a hat, so I almost feel one with her. But Charity—goodness, my heart goes out to her and the woman I used to be—selfish, manipulative, lost. I think that’s why she fascinates me so much, because I look at her (and women like her) in the same way I suspect God looked at me back then—with eyes full of love. And quite frankly, I think she is just downright funny and quirky and such a hoot that she makes me laugh. Mind you, many of the things she did/does are thing I did as a young woman who didn’t know God, so Charity comes by all her quirkiness quite naturally, I’m afraid. :-)

I saw the exciting news on your web site that you will be continuing this series with the O’Connor family for three more books, starting with Kate’s story. Can you give us any hints about what to look forward to?

You bet! My next 3-book series will finish off the saga of the O’Connors in grand style. Book 1 will be the story of the youngest daughter, Katie, which is fun because she is a pistol who comes of age in the Roaring Twenties, right before The Great Depression. Mind you, Katie is, as her father Patrick O’Connor likes to say, “a handful,” an independent spirit who has been struggling to get out from under his thumb for years. So when the Roaring 20s comes riding in with its wave of women’s rights (1922 was when the Equal Rights Amendment was first introduced!), Katie finds her calling. Suddenly she wants to become a lawyer (the first law school for women was founded in Boston in 1910!) and eventually a congresswoman who fights for women’s rights. Only her plan runs into a hitch when she butts heads with another lawyer, Cluny McGee, the pest from her past. And when the Great Depression unleashes in October 1929, it brings a wave of trouble for the O’Connors that changes each of their lives forever.

Books 2 and 3 will be about the O’Connor brothers, Sean and Steven, during the exciting era of speakeasies, dance marathons, gangsters, G-men and era criminals like Bonnie & Clyde and John Dillenger. Sean's love interest will be ... guess who? Emma—Charity's scarred friend from Dublin in book 2, A Passion Redeemed! And Steven will be a tall, brooding G-man-type modeled after Elliot Ness … you’re too young to remember, but a la Robert Stack from the Untouchables, a TV show I used to watch growing up. Hubba hubba. I’m very excited because all three plots are very involved and include detailed sub-stories for ALL the character couples, hopefully with surprises that will blow my readers away. :-)

Do you have any plans for a new book or series after you finish the Daughters (and Sons) of Boston series?

As a matter of fact, I’ve been plotting a semi-contemporary series in my head for a while now, something that would take place in the Baby Boomer era of the 60s, and I’m starting to get pretty excited about it. A series title I’m thinking of at the moment is The Cousins McClare, and basically it would be a love/hate tug-of-war between cousins and their families (and their love interests!) in a small lake community in the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, where, by the way, I have spent many a happy summer!

Thank you, Melissa, for having me as guest on your blog. 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. Currently in my newsletter, I am having a contest to win a signed author copy of Book 4, (Katie’s story) as well as the opportunity to have a character named after you or a loved one in my next novel. Also, I invite your readers to visit The Seekers, a group blog of which I am a part that talks about “The road to publication. Writing, contests, publication and everything in between.” You can find it at http://seekerville.blogspot.com/.

Thank YOU, Julie, for being so kind and for writing such captivating stories! I don't know about everyone else, but I am anxiously awaiting Book 4!!

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And this brings me to the second part of the post, today. Julie has been so kind as to offer a giveaway of any ONE of her three books to one lucky reader!

To enter, please leave a comment stating which book you'd like to win, as well as an email address so I know how to reach you, otherwise I'd have to pick another winner.

For an additional entry, become a follower and leave a comment letting me know you did.

If you are already a follower let me know and guess what--2 additional entries!

For another 2 entries, tweet about this giveaway (@Melsbookshelf) and leave a comment letting me know that you did!

For 3 additional entries, leave a comment on one of my reviews of Julie's previous books: A Passion Most Pure or A Passion Redeemed.

Remember, be sure to comment on this post regarding all your eligible entries and provide an email address! This contest will be open until Sunday, June 7th at 8:00PM Eastern! I will tally the votes and Random.org will choose our winner either that evening or Monday, June 8th!

HUGE THANK YOU again to Julie Lessman, I enjoyed having you as a guest on my blog!