"True Romance" by Julie Lessman + Book GIVEAWAY

Welcome to my new Sweet Treats & Inspiration blog!  I'm so glad that you decided to join me today, because you're in for a "sweet treat" indeed!  On a day when many are thinking about love and romance, Julie Lessman has graciously offered to be my guest, and share her thoughts on "True Romance".  And for those of us who can't get enough of Julie's writing, it's a happy, happy day here in the blogging world!  In addition, one lucky winner will receive a signed copy of one of Julie Lessman's novels (see rules at the end of this post).  The winner can choose from A Passion Most Pure, A Passion Redeemed, A Passion Denied, A Hope Undaunted, or A Hope Revealed) YES!!  You heard that right!!  A Heart Revealed which comes out September 2011.

AUTHOR BIO FOR JULIE LESSMAN

Julie Lessman is an award-winning author whose tagline of “Passion With a Purpose” underscores her intense passion for both God and romance. Winner of the 2009 ACFW Debut Author of the Year and Holt Medallion Awards of Merit for Best First Book and Long Inspirational, Julie is also the recipient of 13 Romance Writers of America awards and was voted by readers as “Borders Best of 2009 So Far: Your Favorite Fiction” at http://www.borders.com/online/store/ListView_best2009favefiction. She resides in Missouri with her husband, daughter, son and daughter-in-law and is the author of “The Daughters of Boston” series, which includes A Passion Most Pure, A Passion Redeemed, and A Passion Denied. Her “Winds of Change” series has recently released with A Hope Undaunted, which ranked #5 on Booklist’s Top 10 Inspirational Fiction for 2010. You can contact Julie through her website at www.julielessman.com.

 

True Romance by Julie Lessman

I have a confession to make: I am addicted to romance. I suppose that’s not as bad as being addicted to Twinkies or Ho Hos because at least it won’t slap extra pounds on my hips. But it does compel me to hunt down romance in every conceivable form like a heat-seeking missile. Books, movies, date night with my husband or just getting a “fix” by writing my own romantic novel—to me, it’s all good.

So when one of my Seeker buds, Myra Johnson, asked me to do a guest blog a few years back on something romantic in my marriage, I strained my brain trying to come up with some romantic event that was so sensational that sighs of envy would drift forth into cyberspace. But the honest-to-God truth is that my husband has never danced with me in the dining room (a la Janet Dean) or hidden a piece of jewelry in a fortune cookie like Gail Martin’s clever hubby. True, Keith brings me coffee almost every morning, holds my hand in the car, and sent me roses when I gave birth to his son and daughter. But as far as a heart-melting, knee-weakening moment that swept me off my feet, I was alarmed to realize that I—a card-carrying romantic—was drawing a blank.

That got me thinking—hard! I mean, I’ve been married over 32 years to this wonderful man and consider our relationship to be one of the most romantic I have ever seen. But I can’t validate that with stories that would qualify for the Romance Hall of Fame. So what makes our relationship so special, I wondered?

Well, to answer that, we have to talk about what romance is really all about. To me, it’s being cherished, loved, made to feel like I am the most precious thing to my mate, which is basically Ephesians 5:25 in a nutshell—Husbands, love your wives. It’s why romance is the top-selling genre in the fiction market with 13.2 percent market share and 1.36 BILLION in sales in 2009. Because pure and simple—women want to be cherished, a subject I explore in more depth in a recent blog I wrote for my group blog, The Seekers, entitled “Stupid in Love” (http://seekerville.blogspot.com/2011/02/stupid-in-love-bookcritique-giveaway.html).

All of a sudden, I realized that my husband does that for me every day of my life. A tender look, a lingering kiss or just spooning at night. Telling me he never gets tired of being with me (yeah, I know, his boredom threshold must be pretty high), or dancing with me at weddings when I know he’d rather have a root canal. And then there were all those times he supported me and took my side in front of the kids, even when I was wrong. Followed by gentle conviction and prayer when we were alone. It’s a big, hulking guy reading my debut novel instead of Sports Illustrated and then tearing up when tragedy befalls a favorite character. It’s swooning at the sink when he kisses me from behind, purposely mimicking a scene in my book. It’s a man who makes me feel pretty, sexy and like I am the moon and the stars to him, and who tells me life with me is never dull.

Yes, my name is Julie Lessman, and I am a romance addict. And my husband is my biggest supplier.

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Julie!  Thank you so much for being my special guest today, and helping get my blog off to a fantastic start!

Oh happy day!  Now is your chance to win a signed copy of any of Julie Lessman's novels (A Passion Most Pure, A Passion Redeemed, A Passion Denied, A Hope Undaunted, or A Hope Revealed).  To get yourself entered into the drawing, all you need to do is leave a comment that includes your email address.  

NO EMAIL ADDRESS = NO WIN

You also have a chance to receive two extra entries by doing one, or both, of the following,(please leave a separate comment for each entry) . . .

+ 1 entry ~ Become a follower of Sweet Treats & Inspiration.
+ 1 entry ~ Post this contest on your facebook wall. 

Contest is only open in the U.S. and void where prohibited.  Chances of winning are based on the number of entries and winner is drawn from a non-biased third party - Random.org.  After I email the winner, they will have 72 hours to contact me with their address.  I am not responsible for any lost or damaged item for this prize.

Thank you for entering!  Contest ends February 16, 2011 at 11:59 PM PST.