A Passion Denied by Julie Lessman

I am thrilled to host good friend Julie Lessman here at Net's Book Notes today. We're featuring her novel "A Passion Denied," Book Three in her Daughters of Boston series.

Recently she and I discussed the passionate nature of her novels. There has been a little "controversy" around her writing, but for the most part, readers are eating it up. I personally love her writing, though I did have some questions for her following this third book. You'll also get the scoop on her upcoming series!

Wanna win an autographed copy of one of Julie's books? Read on for details about our BOOK GIVEAWAY.

Here's the blurb from A Passion Denied:

Young Elizabeth O'Connor is the little sister John Brady always longed for. But she wants much more than that from her spiritual mentor. As she blossoms into a beautiful young woman intent on loving John, he must push back the very real attraction he feels for her. His past just won't let him go there. Unfortunately, Lizzie won't let him go anywhere else--until she discovers he is not all that he seems. Can true love survive such revelations? Full of the romance and relationships Lessman readers have come to love, A Passion Denied is the final book in the popular Daughters of Boston series.

Has she fallen in love with a man who cannot love her back? Elizabeth O'Connor has been like the little sister John Brady always wanted, sharing his love of literature and his thirst for God. But in the throes of the reckless Roaring Twenties, Lizzie has grown up. Suddenly she wants more from the man who has been her friend since she was a child. When this shy little bookworm blossoms into a beautiful young woman bent on loving John, she discovers that his past won't let him return that love. But Lizzie refuses to give up--until his shocking secrets push her away. Can true love survive the betrayal and deceitful of a painful past . . . or will it be shattered like the fairy-tale dreams of a girl in love? Brimming with romance, longing, and redemption, A Passion Denied, will quicken your pulse and gladden your heart with a riveting story of the true power of love. Julie Lessman is the author of A Passion Most Pure and A Passion Redeemed and is the recipient of ten Romance Writers of America awards. She resides in Missouri with her family.

And some info on Julie:

Julie Lessman is a debut author who has already garnered writing acclaim, including ten Romance Writers of America awards. She is a commercial writer for Maritz Travel, a published poet and a Golden Heart Finalist. Julie has a heart to write “Mainstream Inspirational,” reaching the 21st-century woman with compelling love stories laced with God’s precepts. She resides in Missouri with her husband and their golden retriever, and has two grown children and a daughter-in-law. A Passion Most Pure is her first novel.

And now, for a conversation with Julie:

Welcome, Julie! So glad you could drop by. From the moment I picked up A Passion Most Pure, opened to the first page and began the journey into your series (The Daughters of Boston), I knew I was in for a read like few I’ve ever seen. The trademark of your fiction is passion, sensuality. You portrayed marital passion wholesomely, and believably (I might add, having been married only a few years younger than the married parents in this series.). I liked the novel very much. The Christian romantic fiction marketplace has been careful to maintain strict boundaries around portrayals of sensuality and passion, even in romance. What you’ve been able to do is push the envelope, giving readers a more real depiction (for good or bad—in other words, the characters can make wholesome decisions or not, but if not, you painted the bitter consequences). I read books One and Two with interest, noting your veering from the norm. Book Three (the one we’re featuring today—A Passion Denied) seemed to go further than the others. For me, the issue with this most recent book was the seduction element, which I felt occasinally pushed the limits further than the others.

Julie: Annette, your assessment that A Passion Denied goes “further than the others” as far as the “seduction element” is probably true regarding this third book in The Daughters of Boston Series. The reason for this is that in this book, I am not only dealing with the romantic relationship between the unmarried hero and heroine, but also the romantic and obviously more intimate relationships between three married couples as well—the mother and father, Marcy and Patrick and the two married sisters and their spouses.

You see, when I fall in love with a hero and heroine in a series book, I hate to see them relegated to a shallow cameo appearance in the next novel. I desperately wanted to have a flesh-and-blood family who evolved with each successive book, just like the hero and heroine do. I guess like any author, I pour my heart and soul into my characters, literally, and I don’t like to leave them behind when a book ends. And, I have a strong desire to try and impart some of the valuable moral lessons I’ve learned in my marriage into the marriages of all my characters.

One of my biggest pet peeves in romance is when a story focuses primarily on 1.) Young People and 2.) Unmarried Couples. I’m sorry, but I am an older woman who has a passionate love affair with my husband, and frankly, I want to be able to write about the power and potential of having a relationship like that and the vital part that romance plays in a godly marriage. In book 3, because of the married couples, I was able to do that, which resonates with some readers, but certainly not with all.

It absolutely resonated with me. Thanks for explaining that. The Daughters of Boston Series contains three books so far: A Passion Most Pure, A Passion Redeemed and A Passion Denied. Great titles. Tell us about your latest book, and will it be in the same series? (I know it centers on Katie, one of the sisters in your series.)

My next 3-book series will finish off the saga of the O’Connors in grand style, but I must emphasize that this will be a BRAND-NEW series, NOT a part of The Daughters of Boston Series.

Book 1 (working title Refuge From the Storm) will be the story of the youngest daughter, Katie, who is a pistol who comes of age in the Roaring Twenties, right before The Great Depression. Book 2 (working title Far Above Rubies) will be about the eldest O’Connor brother, Sean whose love interest will be—guess who? Emma, Charity’s gentle and scarred friend from Dublin! And then book 3 (working title Beside the Still Waters) details the tale of the younger O’Connor son Steven, during the exciting era of speakeasies, dance marathons, gangsters, G-men and era criminals like Bonnie & Clyde and John Dillenger. Steven will be a tall, brooding G-man-type modeled after Elliot Ness, a la Robert Stack from the Untouchables. I’m very excited because all three plots are very involved, include detailed sub-stories for ALL the character couples (can you say “complicated”???) and each plot has surprises that I hope will blow my readers away!

Sounds fantastic. Can’t wait to read them! Your bio mentions you have won ten RWA awards. Tell us about them. (i.e. were they the unpublished contest, or for short stories, or full length. Were any of your currently published novels among the winners?)

Yes, I won ten RWA awards, everything from 1^st place to Honorable Mention in RWA unpublished contests for A Passion Most Pure (which was then A Chasing After the Wind) and a few for A Passion Redeemed (which was then Chaff Before the Wind), including The Golden Heart, The Maggie, The Molly, The Stepping Stone, The Jasmine and the ACFW Noble Theme to name a few.

Very impressive. Let’s talk about the recent “controversy” around the sensual nature of your writing. What’s been happening?

You know, Annette, I’m not really sure there’s any real “controversy” other than in my own mind when I receive a pretty harsh review. I know with A Passion Most Pure and A Passion Redeemed, there really wasn’t much “controversy” AT ALL, other than one or two 1-star reviews that clearly indicated displeasure with the passionate nature of my books. And I have to admit, I prefer the term “passionate” over the word “sensual” because for me, the first implies more of a “heart” passion (whether for God or for a loved one) versus the second, which indicates a more sexual passion ruled by the senses rather than the heart.

But with A Passion Denied, I do sense a faint undercurrent of “controversy,” real or imagined, that has given me pause. Not only with one or two harsh reviews (i.e. “In my opinion, smut is smut. Even if you slap God's name in it on occasion it's still smut.”), but in veiled comments in otherwise really great reviews that have made me question (again!) whether the level of passion in my books exceeds boundaries in the CBA. Clearly in the ABA, my novels would be nothing more than the tamest “sweet romance,” but I am an Inspirational author whose market is Christian women, so naturally I do not want to overstep any bounds in that market. Although to be honest, my real concern comes from overstepping bounds set by God, so I do pray about the direction of my writing constantly, both in my own prayer time and with my prayer partners. I truly believe that I have been called to write passionate romance for God—I feel it in my bones—but as with anything where fallible human beings are involved, I want to make sure that I am following God’s direction for my writing and not my own.

You and I have had conversations about this before. Please share with readers what your calling is in your writing. And please share how you came to understand your calling. (How God showed you your niche.)

Well, I thoroughly explain both my “calling” and how I came to it in a blog I wrote for The Seekers entitled “Life on the Edge …” (http://seekerville.blogspot.com/2009/05/life-on-edge.html), but basically I feel I am called to draw people to an intimate relationship with God through “passion”—both romantically and spiritually. You see, according to the American Religious Identification Survey conducted by the Barna Group, “nine out of ten women nationwide (90%) consider themselves to be Christian.” The sad truth is that most of these women who do read romance wouldn’t choose Inspirational romance to save their soul.

Why, you may ask? Well, I can only speak for myself and my friends who wanted more heart-pounding, 21^st-century realistic romantic tension interlaced with God’s precepts (i.e. on the "edge," like mine), which in years past, hasn't been overly prevalent in the Christian market. As a result, most of my friends, Christian and non, read secular romance, which, of course, generally promotes the world’s amoral lifestyle rather than God’s. What’s wrong with this picture? I mean if the world can take something that God created and use it to sell its amoral agenda, then why can’t Christians utilize this God-given passion to promote Him and His precepts?

(Note from Net: I couldn’t agree more.)

So when God tapped me on the shoulder in a beauty shop (figuratively, of course) while reading a 2001 Newsweek cover article on how Christian movies, books and music were on the threshold of exploding, I was nervous. Now is the time to finish your book, the thought came, and I knew that meant the book I’d begun at the age of twelve after reading Gone With the Wind. But romance? The "subgenre" that literary snobs (myself included) looked down upon? Yes, the thought came again, write for Me. Mmm … passion for God, an interesting concept. Thus was born my tagline and my ministry—Passion With a Purpose.

I mean, look at the world today—it’s obsessed with illicit passion. Hollywood promotes adultery and unmarried couples sleeping together as sexy, and I can count on one hand how many young, unmarried women I know who are still virgins today, Christian or no. Why? Because passion is important! Not just to romance readers, but to everyone on the planet. We were created that way by a passionate God who analogizes His own depth of love for each of us in a very passionate love letter called “Song of Solomon.” And what happens? The world uses this beautiful, God-given gift to shove sin down peoples’ throats, and I, for one, am really sick of it. I want to use passion the way it was intended—to teach people God’s precepts and therein, His love. It’s the cry of my heart, and I hope and pray that for my readers, my stories of romantic passion translate into passion for God.

Oh, I love that connection and wholeheartedly agree. My own writing reflects as much! With your successful series so far, I’m sure you’ve had feedback where people’s lives have been changed. Please share a testimony (or more than one) where that is the case.

Gladly! My favorite story is about the day I was praying with my prayer partner and her 25-year-old daughter stopped by. Now this was a girl I hadn’t seen in a long time but knew that she had strayed from her Christian roots—living with her boyfriend before they got married, not going to church anymore, heavy drinking, etc. This young women proceeded to tell me that when she read my books, she actually got angry at me. Why? Because the spiritual parts convicted her so much that she wanted to throw the books out. But she didn’t, she said, BECAUSE the intense “passion” and romance so grabbed her by the throat, that she was compelled to finish the books. And when she turned the last page of A Passion Redeemed, she told me it had brought her up to a whole other level with God. I had tears in my eyes when I learned she is now back at church and trying to live for Him. Call me “edgy” if you will, but for me, it just doesn’t get any better than that.

Love that story! Anytime someone boldly goes where God is calling her, despite the resistance, I respect her. You’re out there on your own, it feels. Has your family supported you and where does your husband fit into your writing life?

Uh, yeah, it does feel a little “lonely” at times out on the edge in a market where my style of “21^st-century realistic” and “edgy” writing may ruffle a few feathers. But I have to say that the opposition has been minimal and far outweighed by the positive. For instance, I received an overwhelming response of encouragement on The Seeker blog I mentioned above with 129 comments, all of which were positive except for two, and one of those changed her mind after I answered a few of her questions. Since the series came out last year, I have received over a 1,000 positive e-mails from readers, some that have reduced me to tears over the positive impact this style of writing is making in women’s lives. And, yes, my family has been an amazing support, as well, especially my artist husband who is not only my inspiration for so many of my male characters, but the glue that keeps me together (along with God) when my emotional nature wants to fall apart. And, you will be happy to know, Annette, that it is my husband who is the main factor in my decision to tone down my next series just a tad as far as the “passion” aspect.

I respect both of you and appreciate how challenging this must have been for you (walking out your calling together). Thank you for joining me today on Net’s Book Notes. It’s been a pleasure. How can readers contact you?

Thank you, Annette, for allowing me this time to connect with you and your readers. Anyone who would like to contact me can do so through my website at www.julielessman.com, either by sending an e-mail via my site or by signing up for my newsletter, in which I feature book giveaways. Finally, 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 us at http://seekerville.blogspot.com/.

Hugs,
Julie

And now, my review of A Passion Denied:

Oh, how I enjoy reading Julie’s books, especially the first in the Daughters of Boston Series: A Passion Most Pure. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it.

One of her strengths is prose. She doesn’t settle for traditional wording (clichés) but rather invents new phrases. I should have carried a highlighter around with this novel, because I’d have used it a lot.

Julie’s work intrigued me. As a student of Christian fiction for nearly 20 years, I’d never seen anything like it. She pushes the envelope (see interview above) and honestly, I wondered how she’d “gotten away” with her story elements at times. But what I found was real, believable, "relatable."

A Passion Denied challenged me. I’ve become friends with Julie and had committed to reading this book for review. And I trust her (a key element for readers to have). Though all of her books have sensuality, this third book contained a strong element of seduction. Now, it’s not a traditional secular romance (i.e. no holds barred on sexuality) but it does push at the walls of CBA fiction publications. If you’ve read my own book (Love Letters) you will know I’m not afraid of writing passionate scenes. I’m unafraid of reading them, as well. What unnerved me about A Passion Denied was that seduction factor.

What I didn’t know as I read it was that Julie has a very specific calling. And as we communicated after I finished reading the story, she shared with me her heart (see interview). What a difference it made to hear this from her. Suddenly the intensity made sense. A show of hands please from any woman (Christian or not) who has ever read a conventional romance novel (secular). . . . I haven’t always had the moral reading standards I’ve adhered to now for almost 20 years. So, yes, I saw some elements from days of old. But imagine the impact such a novel (one which speaks of God redeeming someone’s life and his past, and other Christian themes) could have in someone’s life. Say a person picks up the novel, reading for pleasure, but finds she can’t avoid running directly into God and His ways. Julie does not glorify ungodly behavior. She shows the consequences of it. She also points readers directly to the Lord.

In my experience, I haven’t read other authors who are going where Julie is going, attempting to do what she is doing. And I believe God has her here “for such a time as this.” So, I applaud her courage. I plan to continue reading her work. I’ll continue to pray for her to have wisdom, and God’s direction, and that she will keep writing for His glory. May many lives be changed.

Readers, leave a comment for a CHANCE TO WIN AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY of any of the three Daughters of Boston books. You can name the one you’d like to receive if your name is drawn. I’ll hold the drawing late Thursday, June 11^th. If you send someone over to leave a comment, have them mention your name and we’ll enter your name twice. Please leave your email address: yourname [at] wherever [dot] com.