Julie Lessman

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
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!

Since I penned my debut novel, A Passion Most Pure, which won American Christian Fiction Writers 2009 Debut Book of the Year, I’ve written ten more books for a total of eleven. My tagline is “Passion with a Purpose,” which means my books are a tad more passionate than the majority of fiction in the Christian market today, both romantically and spiritually. Because boy meets girl is fine, certainly, but when boy meets girl and faith, it creates a romance that transcends to another dimension where romantic passion and spiritual passion merge, creating a 3-D love story: the hero, the heroine, and the God that brings them together.

I invite you to check out my website where you can read my favorite romantic and spiritual excerpts from each of my books plus scads of interview questions that will give you an idea of who I am and why I write the way that I do. Here’s the link and thanks for stopping by! http://www.julielessman.com/

What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
That would be Dare to Love Again, which is book 2 in the “Heart of San Francisco” series that launched last April with book 1, Love at Any Cost. The series itself is kind of a poor-man, rich-man scenario among three cousins during the Irish-political landscape of 1902 San Francisco. Think Little Women meets Dynasty. ☺ And for those too young to remember the TV show Dynasty, think family wealth and poverty in a political setting.

This series is a bit of a departure for me because it’s a little lighter and I hope a little more fun than the angst and high drama of my two prior series. And, without question, Dare to Love Again is the lightest, “sweetest” and funniest of all my books so far where spontaneous combustion between the two main characters explodes right off the bat! My spunky, hot-tempered Irish heroine goes head-to-head with my hard-as-nails, Italian police-detective grouch of a hero in the first chapter—or maybe I should say the first round. I have to admit, I had WAY too much fun at the expense of these two in a relationship that goes from fireworks to a flaming romance in the short lick of a fuse.

Here’s the jacket blurb.

She’s a sassy socialite burned by love.

He’s a jaded cop burned by the upper class.

When sparks fly … will love catch fire again?

Spunky Allison McClare is determined to be a fearless, independent woman. But when she takes a notion to explore the wild Barbary Coast, she quickly discovers she’s no match for the unsavory characters that haunt the dark streets.

Detective Nick Barone would rather do almost anything than teach this petite socialite self-defense, but it seems he has little choice. Sparks fly every time the two meet until a grudging friendship develops into something deeper. But is he just a fraud like all the rest of the men Allison’s cared for? Or the one man she can dare to love again?

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Big grin here. Well, I’m quirky and crazy and just a wee bit off center, so I have a number of rituals with my writing such as the must-haves—a constant cup of hazelnut decaf with Half ‘n Half, peppermint tea or cold peach iced tea, lots and LOTS of lip gloss, Kleenex (for the soggy scenes I write), ear plugs if the squirrels or birds get too noisy, pad of paper and pen for quick notes, and a mirror handy for those facial expressions I’m trying to capture.

My biggest ritual, however, is ambiance. My family jokes that I am an “Ambiance Queen” because dim lighting with candles during dinner is a must, as well as a mainstay for my winter writing. During the summer months (basically May through October), I sit outside on my lower deck that runs the length of the house, overlooking a lush, green wooded area that has sunlight dappling through the trees. I have my feet up on this cushy lawn furniture we have at all times (like now!), and a fan gently blowing while I sit with my laptop. In the winter I’m in the hearth room with a crackling fire, all the essentials mentioned above and a picture of my husband on the table beside me for the ultimate inspiration. ☺

What authors, or books have influenced you?
Without question, Margaret Mitchell got it all started for me with her amazing novel, Gone With the Wind. That book instilled a love for romance in me at the age of twelve that I hope carries through into my novels today. And, of course, King Solomon who wrote the “Song of Solomon” in the Bible, which opened my eyes as to just how passionate God’s love is for each of us. As far as craft, the author who had the most influence on me would be Donald Maas and his masterful book, Writing the Breakout Novel.

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m still pretty busy promoting book 2 in the Heart of San Francisco series, Dare to Love Again, which just released in January. Then more promotion to do — first, on my new writer’s workbook Romance-ology 101: Writing Romantic Tension for the Inspirational and Sweet Markets, which I just published in both paperback and ebook. Then my Irish love story, A Light in the Window—winner of the 2013 International Digital Award, the 2013 Readers’ Crown Award, and the 2013 Book Buyers Best Award—now in paperback to accompany the ebook. I have to admit, I just LOVE the video my artist hubby did that stars my daughter, so I hope your readers will check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGKjHddYNeE&feature=youtu.be

Regarding future projects, I’m happy to say I’m going to lay low in 2014 to focus more on God and family and just to enjoy writing unencumbered by contracts and deadlines. I’m really excited to finish a contemporary I started before I got published, about a reformed rebel who’s found God and returns home to her small-town roots after ten years. Although the purpose of her homecoming is to be in her sister’s wedding, she knows deep in her heart that God has led her home to rebuild bridges she burned between an estranged father she defied and a former fiancé she deserted. In a small way, it’s somewhat biographical, so I expect it to be a wee bit therapeutic as well.

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