Welcome back, Julie. Why
do you write the kind of books you do?
The answer may sound glib, but I feel God calls me to write
them, be it a suspense romance novel or another Bible study. He truly is my
inspiration. I think at heart we are all story-tellers, and as Christians we
are called to tell our story (and His) so others can be led to Christ. As a
writer, I have the humbled honor of taking that a step further.
Besides when you came
to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?
The day my son was born pops into my head, but coming a
close second is the day I learned I was under contract with a traditional publisher.
What an affirmation! God had just granted me my life-long dream.
How has being
published changed your life?
It has humbled me so very much. I tear up thinking about how
gracious God is to let me live out this dream of writing. I am more at home in
my computer clicking away on the keyboard than I am in an easy chair. I’d keep
doing it even if nobody took the gamble to contract me. The fact that I have
three novels contracted to publish in 2015 still amazes me. Yet I feel a burden
of responsibility as well. I think many of us Christian writers do. We are not
writing for ourselves.
What are you reading
right now?
A wonderful cozy mystery by Sharon McGregor called Island Charms. She’s also a Prism Book
Group author. Then I have three more I want to get to, one by my all-time
favorite author Mary Stewart. I have been reading hers since I was in sixth
grade. She passed over fifteen years ago, but I discovered one of her last I
hadn’t read. Cozy mysteries are my favorite, always have been.
What is your current
work in progress?
I have two. I am fine-tuning and editing Freed to Forgive which takes one of the minor
characters from Hush in the Storm
(released Aug 4, 2014) and Legitimate Lies (released Jan 14, 2015)
and tells her story over a ten year period. Then, I am also writing a romance novella
called Navy Blues, based on one of
the love aspects –“love is not self-serving”— in I Corinthians 13.
What would be your
dream vacation?
Returning to England
and taking a course at Oxford .
Britain
is my familial and religious roots. I was blessed to be embedded with a family
for ten days there a few summers ago on a church sponsored tour. My other “dream
come true.”
How do you choose
your settings for each book?
I choose places I have been or want to see. The latter I thoroughly
research until I can “walk the streets” in my mind. For almost two years, I
wrote for a travel website and researched cyberspace for places and attractions
that would appeal to a young family, a pet lover, and a business person, and I
believe that training helps me truly visualize my scenes for my readers.
If you could spend an
evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?
Max Lucado or Joyce Meyer. Both of their writings spoke to
me at very crucial times in my spiritual life.
They are two of my
favorite authors as well. What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?
Word puzzles and vegging out on British mysteries and period
novels on Netflix. Well, I am a Downton
Abbey aficionado as well. Like my main character, Jen, I was weaned on Earl
Grey with cream. A pure Anglophile. I also am a professional public speaker and
workshop leader. I truly love meeting and leading other women to grow deeper in
Christ.
What is your most
difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?
Finding the time to zone out everything else. I literally
itch to write. When I get that feeling, I know I need to carve out at least a
day to “scratch.” But putting a fence around that time now-a-days is hard, isn’t
it? My family and close friends are slowly learning I am serious when I say I
can’t do something or go somewhere because I need to write. It’s not a lame
excuse like, “I need to wash my hair.”
What advice would you
give to a beginning author?
Write until you reach the end, then find a supportive
critique group with at least one or two published authors in it and let them
help you polish it and grow in the craft. Nothing will please them more, and
then someday you will do the same for someone else.
Tell us about the
featured book.
Legitimate Lies is a continuation of Hush in the Storm. I didn’t plan it that way, it just sort of
happened. The Editor in Chief loved Hush
in the Storm so much she encouraged me to write it.
Jen, who has been shoved into witness protection, must learn
to live a legitimate lie about who she is. But one secret in her past keeps haunting
her, and until she deals with that, she cannot move on with her new life. However,
revealing this deep-seated shame may risk her one chance at happiness and love.
Will she decide to just live the lie?
Please give us the
first page of the book.
Did I really want this baby? Yes.
Wait…no. Absolutely not.
The barricade of lies I’d droned into my head over the past
few months, crumbled the moment little Josh Holder discovered her on the front
steps of the Bonita Springs Public Library. She lay on the hard concrete,
swaddled in a pink, crocheted throw. Innocent eyes, tucked into chestnut skin,
widened as they peered into mine. Thick, straight strands encircled her head in
a coal-colored halo.
I knew at once who she was—and that wounded me deeper than
I’d ever imagined it could.
“Look. It was taped to her blanket.” Josh teetered on his
eight-year-old tiptoes to show me.
My business card—“Sheila Williams-Library Assistant.” What
on earth? I tucked a fly-away strand of auburn hair behind my ear. On the back,
in a decidedly masculine scrawl, it read, “She’s yours if you want her.”
Mine, if I want her? The card trembled between my fingers. A
tumult of emotions swirled inside me like a Dervish dancer. Anguish because she
was my now-imprisoned husband, Robert’s, illegitimate child. Anticipation she
could be what I secretly desired—a baby of my own. Anger that she existed at
all. The inner turmoil mimicked the twirling leaves on the sidewalk in front of
the library whipped into a tiny tempest by the tropical storm brewing above us.
Thunder rumbled. Or did my heart thump a warning inside my
eardrums? No one from my past in Texas was
supposed to know I now lived in Florida —except
for Becky, who’d help me settle in my new life. But she wouldn’t tell. Her job
depended on that. So who could have dropped off this child?
I scanned the city block. Then, I saw him. Tom. The one man
I’d almost trusted. A smile eased across my mouth. He’d kept his promise to
Robert after all. He’d made sure the baby lived. Now, Robert’s hold on him was
broken. The old Navy buddy debt paid.
Oh, how I envied Tom’s freedom from my husband’s evil vice grip.
My thumb rubbed the place where my wedding ring once sat on my finger. My faith
told me I remained shackled to Robert—for better or for worse—even though the
Feds had changed my identity and my marital status when I entered witness
protection.
Tom tipped an imaginary Stetson in my direction. My mouth
opened, but no words came out. There was too much to say, and none of it
mattered now. So all I did was return the gesture with a slight nod, hoping
he’d hear my heart beat for his.
Josh tugged on my sleeve. “Who’s that?”
“Just a man saying hello, I guess.”
But Tom had been so much more.
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
My main website is www.juliebcosgrove.com.
I also have a blog: Where Did You Find God Today? http:wheredidyoufindgodtoday.com.
My books are on Goodreads, Amazon, and most on Barnes
and Noble. Hush in the Storm and Legitimate
Lies are featured on PrismBookGroup.com. I am also on Facebook as
juliebcosgrove-tx.Thank you, Julie, for sharing this new book with us. I loved Hush in the Storm, and I know I'll love Legitimate Lies. It's up next on my to-be-read pile.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Legitimate Lies - Paperback
Legitimate Lies - Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
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16 comments:
I would enjoy your book on the witness protection program. What a clever title for that program? Sm. CA. wileygreen1( at)yahoo(dot)com
Thanks Wiley Green. It is just one of many subplot themes. Others are grief recovery, forgiveness and being bold enough to trust God with the outcome when you reveal the truth instead of taking the easy road of living a lie.
I am intrigued and would love to read more.
Melanie Backus, TX
Thanks Melanie-
Parts of Hush in the Storm and Legitimate Lies are set in the Texas Hill Country and Fort Worth area, - I see you are from Texas as well. I hope you check them out on Amazon, or perchance win!
A lovely interview thank you & I enjoyed the first page.
Mary P
QLD AUSTRALIA
Thanks, Mary P. I hope you get the chance to read both of them and maybe even win a copy of Legitimate Lies.
The first page has me hooked! Sounds like a fantastic read!
Beth in Montana
Ok, I'm hooked and want to read the rest of the book. :)
Doreen
priviesandprimsATyahooDotcom
Ah, thanks Dorene.I'm so glad. I hope you consider reading both.
Enter me!!
Conway, SC.
Lol, Sharon, I think you just entered yourself. Thanks for the interest in my novel.
I have not read much bout the witness protection program and think this would make a very interesting book. Both of your books look very good!
Beth from IA
Thanks, Ruby. That is just one of the many subthemes pretzeled together in the plot.
Thanks, Ruby. That is just one of the many subthemes pretzeled together in the plot.
Wow! The excerpt alone was enough to hook my interest. Would love to win the book!
Gosh, thanks Pam. Best of luck! I hope you check it out even if you don't win.
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