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Welcome to the Blog Tour for What’s the Story, Morning Glory? by Julie Lessman, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! I’m delighted to have Julie on the blog today to talk about the first book she ever loved & how it shaped her decision to be a romance author!
WHAT’S THE STORY, MORNING GLORY? by Julie Lessman
GENRE: Memoir Devotional (half fiction/half nonfiction)
PUBLISHER: Julie Lessman LLC
RELEASE DATE: October 1, 2024
“DEAR LORD, JULIE … OUR WHOLE LIFE IS IN THIS BOOK!”
My heart went out to my sweet husband as he walked into our kitchen one day with a noticeable gulp, ashen-faced after reading my latest novel.“Yes, I know, babe,” I said with a repentant smile and a conciliatory hug, “but nobody really knows that.”
Ahem. Until now …Trust me, “What’s the Story, Morning Glory? A Memoir Devotional with a ‘Novel’ Approach to Practical Christianity ” is not a book I wanted to write. As a novelist, I have never been partial to nonfiction, either reading it or writing it, but I had little choice when God convinced me otherwise through a number of point-blank arm-twistings I couldn’t deny and not-so-gentle proddings from family and friends.
Despite all the encouragement, I wasn’t really sure where to begin. “It will be fiction and nonfiction combined,” the Holy Spirit whispered within, and just like that, the idea for this book took flight. First, I would tell my “real” and very personal story behind the life-lesson stories in my novels, then I would follow it up with the excerpt from my books where I teach that same life lesson to my characters, finally culminating in corresponding Scriptures, a bulleted “Takeaway” list, and a related prayer.
Thus, What’s the Story, Morning Glory: A Memoir Devotional with a “Novel” Approach to Practical Christianity was born. A memoir devotional that when combined with scenes from my novels, becomes a “novotional” where I relate the life lessons God personally taught me through His Word. I am simply a child of God who applied these lessons and Biblical precepts to every situation in my life and consequently, saw nonstop answers to prayer and blessings galore. It is my profound hope and prayer that through my own very simple and personal stories and examples, I can do the same for others. Therefore, the format for each chapter of this book will be as
1. The Real Story (How I learned and applied the spiritual lesson in my own life)
2. The Novel Story (The scene where I teach the spiritual lesson to my characters)
3. The Scripture Story (Scriptures applicable to the spiritual lesson)
4. The Takeaway Story (Bulletized points for spiritual lesson in easy-to-read/apply format)
5. The Prayer Story (Specific prayer related to the spiritual lesson)I pray this bottom-line, albeit somewhat quirky, 1-2-3 devotional blesses you as much as God’s spiritual life lessons have blessed me!
Hugs,
Julie Lessman
affiliate links used
the first book I loved
by Julie Lessman, author of What’s the Story, Morning Glory?
Without question, the first book that captivated me like no other was Gone With the Wind. From the moment Scarlett seared Rhett with a look on the winding staircase of Twelve Oaks, I was hooked, and my “romance-writing career” began. That novel so impacted me, I immediately began writing my own romance novel at the tender age of twelve—a 150-page, single-spaced manuscript entitled When Tomorrow Comes, which, by the way, is now a Janette Oke title! But that initial effort was actually the basis for my award-winning debut novel, A Passion Most Pure. I used to read it to my little sister, Katie, when she was nine and I was twelve, and she loved it. But then adolescence hit, and I soon abandoned paper romance for the real thing as a teenager. 🙂
So, because of Gone With the Wind, I knew I wanted to be a romance writer when I grew up. I had read the book a zillion times, of course, but had never seen the movie, which back then, was re-released every seven years. So when I was sixteen, 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 who 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 thrilling times of my teens … until we ran into the nuns from our high school! I must have looked pretty convincing in the novice garb, though, because one of our nuns started talking to me about a vocation. Are you kidding? A nun who writes romance? Uh, no!
Fast forward almost forty years later—I was sitting in a beauty parlor reading a Newsweek magazine July 16, 2001 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 finish your book.” Now, I have to be honest with you—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.
Although I won the American Christian Fiction Writers booby prize for the most rejections in a year, I finally sold A Passion Most Pure to Revell 4-1/2 years and 46 rejections later in a 3-book deal. Imagine my shock and awe when a few years later I stood on the same stage on which I’d received a booby prize for the most rejections, to receive ACFW’s 2009 Debut Book of the Year. Now if that doesn’t instill hope in aspiring authors, I don’t know what will!
Julie Lessman is an award-winning author whose tagline of “Passion With a Purpose” underscores her intense passion for both God and romance. A lover of all things Irish, she enjoys writing close-knit Irish family sagas that evolve into 3-D love stories: the hero, the heroine, and the God that brings them together.
Author of The Daughters of Boston, Winds of Change, Heart of San Francisco, Isle of Hope, Silver Lining Ranch, and The Cousins O’Connor series, Julie was American Christian Fiction Writers 2009 Debut Author of the Year and has garnered over 21 Romance Writers of America and other awards. Voted #1 Romance Author in Family Fiction magazine’s 2012 and 2011 Readers Choice Awards, Julie’s novels also made Family Fiction magazine’s Best of 2014, Best of 2015, and “Essential Christian Romance Authors” 2017-20, as well as Booklist’s 2010 Top 10 Inspirational Fiction and Borders Best Fiction. Her independent novel A Light in the Window was an International Digital Awards winner, a 2013 Readers’ Crown Award winner, and a 2013 Book Buyers Best Award winner.
Julie has also written a self-help workbook for writers entitled Romance-ology 101: Writing Romantic Tension for the Sweet and Inspirational Markets.
Connect with Julie by visiting julielessman.com to follow her on social media, read both romantic and spiritual excerpts from her books, or subscribe to email newsletter updates.
(1) winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card, a character named after you in Julie’s next book & a signed paperback copy of that book, plus a signed paperback copy of What’s the Story, Morning Glory!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight September 24, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on October 1, 2024. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only for print copies. Gift card open to all locales. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
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This giveaway is hosted by JustRead Tours, not RimSP
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
What about you? What makes you want to read What’s the Story, Morning Glory by Julie Lessman?
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