Saturday, October 23, 2010

Gone With The Posts Blogaversary last day

CAUTION: LOUD MUSIC. TURN THE VOLUME ON COMPUTER DOWN, UNLESS YOU LIKE BLARING LOUD MUSIC, LIKE ME.
"Scarlett: What are you doing?

"Scarlett: Oh, Rhett! *Scarlett watches Rhett walk to the door*
Scarlett: Rhett! *runs down the stairs after Rhett*
Scarlett: Rhett, Rhett! *catches him as he's walking out the front door*
Scarlett: Rhett... if you go, where shall I go, what shall I do?
Rhett Butler: Frankly, my dear, I don't give a dime. *Rhett walks off into the fog*"

*sniffle, sniffle*
Well, we’ve come to the last day of my 1 year blogaversary party. *sniffles* Thank you guys so much for all the great comments that were left! I’m sorry if I haven’t replied to Y’all’s comments yet , but I’ve been sick all week…and perhaps a wee bit lazy. But, I just wanted to let ya know that they really made me day.
Anyhow…


The fun is not over yet. Today I brought some pecan pie, Sweet potato pie, peach iced tea, and Coca Cola (a southern staple) here for Y’all as we enjoy the last mystery interview and a few other fun things.( sorry if the pictures aren't positioned right)  Now grab y’all some grub and let me welcome today’s mystery author. Drums roll please….Julie Lessman!! This is my first interview with Mrs. Lessman, and I am so excited she’s here. She is the author of four books, The Daughters of Boston Series and her new series, Winds of Change. So, without further ado…please help me give a warm welcome to, Julie Lessman!


Q1. If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?
Oh my, I think I would like to be an editor for a big Christian publishing house!! I LOVE to edit and I LOVE to encourage aspiring writers, so I think that would be the perfect fit, reading all those wonderful books that make it out of the slush pile, and blessing new writers in the process. That or an exclusive caterer for small, intimate dinner parties where I could blow the guest away with culinary creations that now only taste good, but look great as well. Presentation and ambiance is KEY with me in anything, especially dinner parties!!

Me: I think you would make the perfect editor, though being a caterer would be a fun challenge. My mom is a caterer and I always help her by busing tables, but it’s the cleaning up afterwards that’s not fun.

Q2. If you could live/go anywhere, where would it be and what would you do there?
 If I could “live” anywhere, it would be on a secluded beach in front of a moody stretch of ocean. If I could “go” anywhere, it would be to Ireland, England, France, Tahiti … and Boston, of course! 

Me: Those places all sound so good. Might I tag along, when you go? We can smuggle me in a large carry-on, if I scrunch up my legs real tight. LOL

Q3. If you were planning your “dream” party, what would it be like?
Well, my husband has a subscription to Architecture Digest Magazine, and OH-MY-GOODNESS, the lavish getaway bungalows you see in that book are sooooo what I could see as my setting for an intimate dinner party with just a few close friends (6-8 max). It would begin with an exquisitely set candle-lit table nestled in a spacious gazebo perched at the edge of a sprawling lawn overlooking the ocean while a warm breeze rustles the palms. Crystal, china, calla lilies and an orange sun sinking into an inky-blue horizon while impeccably dressed waiters serve a seven-course meal that lasts for hours. Gourmet menu, fine wine and good friends to laugh and pray with throughout a magical evening that would end with a bonfire on the beach. Sigh. Where do I sign up???

Me: LOL. Your guest will think they dies and gone to party heaven. ;)

Q4. If you were hosting a party, what favorite (living or deceased) author(s) would you love to invite? Grin … you have to ask??? Margaret Mitchell, of course, then Harper Lee, Francine Rivers, John Grisham and the ultimate “Author” of Romance, Jesus Christ.

Me: So many great and diverse authors. That would some party.

Q5. You’re stuck on a deserted island with one other person and a box of party supplies filled with a helium tank, balloons, noise makers, Care Bear themed paper goods and a giant inflatable bounce house; who would you want to be stuck with and what party supply do you think would be the most useful?
Uh, I’m a romance writer who writes about passion … what do YOU think??? My husband with the giant inflatable bounce house, of course!! 

Me: Hahaha. I guess that was sort of a stupid question on my part. I’m just going to blame it on the flu meds I was on. LOL;)

Last, but never least...

Q6. Do you have a favorite verse from the Bible about celebration and joy that you’d like to share, or a verse that still speaks to your heart no matter how many times you read it?
YES!! Philippians 4:4-7: Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.


I love this Scripture, particularly the first two sentences, because it underscores a deep-rooted belief of mine that we are to praise God in the midst of ALL things, good and bad. It’s easy to praise God when things are going good, but the true test of our faith comes when things are not so good. When a believer praises God in the midst of pain and trial, I believe it not only deepens his or her faith and trust, but it releases God’s power and blessing in his or her life in that particular situation and beyond. And quite frankly, I take great pleasure in rubbing it in satan’s face (I NEVER capitalize that name!) that God and only God is to be praised because the devil tries SO hard to get us to curse God and die, just like he did with Job. But when I am able to grit my teeth and praise God instead, I actually feel like I’m spitting in the devil’s eye, which, to be honest, feels REALLY good!!


One time when I was a new Christian, I was barefoot and moving really fast in my bedroom and rammed my toe (I have VERY sensitive toes!!) into the steel leg of my bed. The pain was SO excruciating, that a once-familiar curse word sprang to my lips and at the last minute, instead of screaming it out like I would have before I came to Christ, I forced the following words out through gritted teeth as I fell on the bed:


“Praise God, praise God, praise God!”


I said it over and over again until I was laughing so hard that tears came to my eyes. It was a WONDERFUL feeling, and I almost felt like God was laughing with me for the simple victory He gave me over the devil. God showed me that day in that very simple way that we need to take great pleasure in our obedience to Him because He equates obedience with love (John 14:15 — "If you love me, you will obey what I command”), so to me, it’s one of the easiest and most simple ways we can tell God we love Him AND spit in the devil’s eye at the same time! ;)
Me: What encouraging verses and so true. My whole family is going through some hard times now, and you’ve reminded me that I need to praise God now more than ever.

Julie has the tag line “Passion With A Purpose” and Boy is that true! Her books have equal parts passions and romance with a mega dose of God’s love and precepts mix tighter to make to some of my favorite books. I recommend them to everyone I meet, even to a Wal-Mart greeter if I got the chance.

To learn more about Julie Lessman and her books, you can go to:

There is plenty of Iced tea and pie left, tough it seems someone has taken all the Coke. Hmm… who could be the Coke Caper ?!?! Well, since Mrs.Lessman is a huge fan of GWTW, I thought we could test our knowledge of the infamous book/movie. How much do you know about Gone With The Wind? Click on that link and let’s find out.

I just did it and I got 18 out of the 20 questions right. WOO HOO! After watching the movie enough times to be legal and that jazz, I’m just glad I hadn’t fried my brain. So what did y’all get? Leave a comment and let me know. Are you a GWTW Fanatic or is the notion of reading/watching it, gone with the wind?

Oh, you didn’t think I forgot about the giveaway, right?
Well, Mrs.Lessman is SOOO sweet, and she has offered to give away not just one, but two books.
The winner of the giveaway will receive a signed copy of Julie’s book and a "surprise" top CBA book.
It’s simple to enter . Just leave a comment with your valid e-mail address. That’s it, just remember you must  have a valid U.S mailing address, as well.

As a recap, all Gone With The Posts blogaversary party giveaways are still open and will be so until next Saturday. That’s one week left to enter, so scoot your boot and  leave a comment with your email address to enter.
This is the link to GWTP day 1
Here is the link to GWTP day 2

Alright Y’all, it’s been a great year, and I’m so glad I got into blogging and I got to meet you guys. I hope we’ll have another year of fun to come and that y’all have a blessed Saturday!
Love Ya,
Ashley

33 comments:

  1. When a believer praises God in the midst of pain and trial, I believe it not only deepens his or her faith and trust, but it releases God’s power and blessing in his or her life in that particular situation and beyond"""

    Amen, Julie!! Great interview, Ashley!

    julesreffner(at)gmail(dot)com

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  2. Yippee! I'm so glad that you interviewed Julie!!

    Hi, Julie! First, I love your answer for the deserted island. I WOULD MAKE THE SAME CHOICE:)
    Secondly, I love the statement you made:
    " When a believer praises God in the midst of pain and trial, I believe it not only deepens his or her faith and trust, but it releases God’s power and blessing in his or her life in that particular situation and beyond."
    THE KEY IS PRAISING IN THE MIDST OF PAIN AND TRIAL! It's hard to do because satan keeps us wallowing in the pit, but PTL we can defeat him just by praising. I also like it that you do not distinguish his name as a proper noun!!BLESS YOU!!

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  3. Julie,

    Love the toe story. I don't think I've ever heard one like that before. I don't think most people would do what you did, and that is what makes you such a wonderful person! When I came to this blog I was like this is right up Julie's ally because it has gone with the wind every where! Anyways I hope you are having a wonderful weekend! Trying to win for my sister again! god Bless and Good Luck!

    Your Friend and Fan- Kayla

    P.S. Ashley- Thanks for the wonderful interview with Julie and giving us another chance to win one of her books.

    Book: A Hope Undaunted
    happygurl1807[at]yahoo[dot]com

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  4. Oh, ASHLEY ... every time I come here this week, I feel like I died and went to heaven ... LOVE the music, LOVE your blog and LOVE you, my friend!! I'd give anything if you and I (and the rest of our wonderful blogger friends, and you KNOW who you are!!) could have a PJ party and watch GWTW together. That would be SUCH a blast, and then I could scare the pejeebers out of you all with the SCARIEST story you ever heard. I usually tell it in the dark with a candle held just below my chin, but it's SO scary, that I once told it at work in broad daylight to a table of women in the work cafeteria, and when I got to the punchline at the end, several of the women screamed, turning every eye in the cafeteria our way!! :)

    And whoever wins the two books, they will have their choice of six top CBA books I am offering for one of them or both of them, if they already have all my books.

    FINALLY ... just GOTTA brag right now ... I got 20 out of 20 in the GWTW quiz, girlfriend, so I'm guessing I've seen the movie and read the book a few more times than you, eh?? With me turning 60 next month, I'm guessing that stands to reason, right???

    Have a blessed weekend, sweetie, and GET WELL!!!

    Hugs,
    Julie

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  5. Thanks for the great interview. Great reminder of your theme verse. It's one of my favorites. Although I must admit it's still hard to lift my anxiety to Him sometimes. I'm still learning to do this. Thanks for the chance to win your latest book.
    cynthiakchow (at) earthlink (dot) net

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  6. Thanks, JULIA, soooo glad you agree!! And you know what? If more Christians felt the way we do, there would be a lot more blessing in their lives!! Good luck in the contest ... I have some great books to give away ...

    CHARLOTTE ... whoo-hoo, another person who doesn't capitalize the devil's name!!! And, oh girl, if you're talking "wallowing," satan usually trips me up in the self-pity area before I even know what's happening. One time I was depressed and didn't know why, so I bound up the depression in Jesus' name and loosed the joy of the Lord (because it's my strength), plus praised God in the midst of it, which usually zaps the depression pretty good. But this one time, it never left and I didn't know why. All at once, I felt as if the Holy Spirit whispered, "it's the self-pity, Julie," and I blinked, thinking what a goof I was for not realizing it, so I used spiritual warfare against self-pity in Jesus' name, and poof ... the depression left, just like that.

    So, I'm just saying, I know ALL about "wallowing." :)

    Good luck in the contest!

    Hugs,
    Julie

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  7. KAYLA ... sooo glad you like the "toe story." Trust me, when it comes to all the radical things God's done in my life, I have a million stories like that!! And if more people realized just how powerful application of His precepts is when combined with prayer and praise no matter how much of a fool one has to make of one's self (smile), they would be BLOWN AWAY at the blessings that they would reap in there lives, no joke.

    Good luck in the contest, my friend, and here's to a win for your sister!

    Hugs,
    Julie

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  8. CYNTHIA ... "anxiety" is a tough one, girl, no doubt about it, otherwise God wouldn't have put more "fear nots" in the Bible than just about anything else. BUT ... with something like fear/anxiety/dread/etc., it often takes spiritual warfare along with praising God to really win the battle.

    I actually wrote a scene about spiritual warfare as I apply it in my life in my upcoming book, A Heart Revealed. In this scene below, Faith is explaining "spiritual warfare" to her sisters, so this will give you an idea of what I mean by that:

    The smile tempered on Faith’s lips as she reached for Charity’s hand and gave it a gentle press, her eyes moist with understanding. “I know, sis,” she whispered, “but there are ways to send the fear packing, I promise.”

    “How?” Katie sat up, her interest piqued.

    Faith smiled. “By applying God’s Word. You can figure he’s pretty adamant about fighting fear head-on when the Bible commands us to ‘fear not’ hundreds of times."

    “Yeah, but that’s easier said than done.” Katie said with a frown.

    Faith leaned forward. “Yes, but doable, trust me. The Bible makes it crystal clear we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

    “A spiritual battle?” Katie peered at Faith, then glanced at Lizzie who nodded her head.

    “Brady calls it spiritual warfare,” Lizzie confirmed.

    Charity buffed her arms. “Hate to tell ya, but it all sounds a bit scary to me.”

    “Not with God on our side. The Bible says ‘greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’” Faith sucked in a deep breath and softened her gaze. “Look, when fear, jealousy, bitterness or any other sin tries to take me down, Mrs. Gerson taught me that I can defeat it with a few simple steps. And believe me, I’ve been doing this for years, so I know it works.”

    Katie propped her chin in hand, challenging Faith with a squint. “Yeah? What are they?”

    Lifting her hand, Faith ticked each point off with a finger. “Well, first you repent if you allow fear -- which is basically trusting the devil instead of God -- or bitterness or any sin like that take hold.

    Then the Bible says what we bind or loose on earth will be bound or loosed in heaven, so if you’re battling bitterness, for instance, bind it in Jesus’ name and loose the opposite, such as love, or for fear, loose peace, etc.

    Then counter it with Scripture. Whenever I’m afraid, I pray 2 Timothy 1:7—Thank you, God, that you hath not given me the spirit of fear; but of power love and a sound mind.

    Next, I praise God for the situation and pray for the person who provoked it. And finally?” One edge of Faith’s lip curled as she angled a brow. “Repeat as often as necessary.”

    Katie scrunched her nose. “And it really works?”

    “Every single time,” Faith said with a grin. “Give or take a few hundred repetitions.”


    Anyway, I hope this gives you an idea of exactly what you can do to help battle that anxiety, Cynthia. Of course, sometimes people need a little assistance in that area with medication, too, so there's nothing wrong with that, in my opinion. That's why God gave men the wisdom and inspiration to create medicines that can help people. I have often seen where the dynamic duo of God-ordained medicine and spiritual warfare (praise, worship, renewing our minds with Scripture, binding and loosing, etc.) can blow a chemical imbalance or depression right out of the water. Try some of the things above (if you don't already) and see if it doesn't help, okay?

    Hugs,
    Julie

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  9. Well gee whiz I only got 18 right out of 20 guess I'll have to go back and read the book again! :-P I'm sooo ready for a GWTW party in that dream bungalow of yours Julie!

    Happy Blogiversary/Birthday Ashley!

    XOXO~ Renee

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  10. Julie, you have made Jesus shine and smile with that scene in the book. Praise Jesus! Are you sure you aren't an ordained minister? Congratulations on getting all the questions right. I only got 9, but I would have had 10, I changed my mind on one answer and changed it to a wrong answer. I expected you to get them all right. Well, here's to another great interview and a hopeful giveaway for a lot of people. Happy Blogiversary/birthday, Ashley. I loved your interview with Julie. Julie can I be one of the 8 guests at that fabulous dinner? Please? Now I need to go see your page to find out where the next giveaway is. You're sure getting around.

    Sharing Christ's Love,
    Barb Shelton
    barbjan10 at tx dot rr dot com

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  11. RENEE ... girl, that's pretty darn good for a young'n like you, so I'm impressed!! And wouldn't that be fun, though?? Having dinner together overlooking the ocean??? The only thing that would make it better is having all my heroes there ... with their wives, of course. I get dibs on sitting next to Luke, Patrick and Mitch ... :) And, YES, Barb ... you can come!

    BARB ... "an ordained minister"???? Uh, no, just a woman who has made a LOT of mistakes in her life, so she's learned a thing or two with God by her side. :)

    And, sweetie, I love you IN SPITE OF your questionable showing in the GWTW quiz!! :) We'll just make you sit at the end of the table at the dinner, okay? :)

    Mmmm ... I think I smell a win in your future ...

    Hugs,
    Julie

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  12. Lady DragonKeeperOctober 25, 2010 3:42 AM

    @ Kayla --LOL, I had the same feeling when I saw this blog . . . I'm sad to say that I've yet to read or watch "Gone With The Wind" which explains the score I got on the quiz:
    "Almost there. Just refresh your memory a little and you'll get everything right.

    You have correctly answered 9 of 20 questions.

    On average, 931 of users who took the quiz gave 13.87 right answers."

    @ Mrs. Lessman - What?! No way . . . you don't look like you're about to hit the big 6-0. =) I'm sure all of us are hoping to age as gracefully as you have . . . =)

    Ooh . . . and thank you for the excerpt -I'm glad it didn't have spoilers. I love how "Faith" explained it in that scene. ;-)

    Congratulations on your 1st year blogaversay Ashley! Read in your bio that you're home-schooled. Awesome! =) I'm a home-school grad myself . . . are you planning to home-school though high school?

    Thanks for the chance to win!

    jafuchi7[at]hawaii[dot]edu

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  13. 60?! No way! I don't believe it.

    And I uh didn't take the quiz because it would be pathetic. I do have the book [somewhere] and have seen the movie [twice?] but I prefer to think I remember it perfectly rather than realize how pathetic my knowledge is ;).

    Thank you for the chance!

    carol at carolmoncado dot com

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  14. Loved the interview Julie! You are such an encourager.

    Blessings,
    Jodie Wolfe
    digging4pearls(at)comcast(dot)net

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  15. Julie, I always love reading your interviews! I always learn something new and they're so funny :) I've never read Gone With the Wind but I'm definitely going to now if it's this good! I'd love to be in this contest! Thanks :)

    bberry96@aol.com

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  16. JENNIFER ... never read Gone With the Wind OR watched the movie???? You're lucky I like you, girl, or I wouldn't wish you good luck in the contest, but the age comment definitely saved you!!! :) Thank your for your kind words and your wonderful support -- GOOD LUCK!!

    CAROL!!! Believe it ... it's amazing what wonders Photoshop can do, isn't it??? Actually the picture everybody sees was taken four years ago when I was 56, so there ARE a few more wrinkles and gray hairs underneath my Loreal honey brown than when it was taken, but the good news is that I am pretty immature, so I don't act my age ... :) Thanks for coming by -- good luck in the contest!

    JODIE ... apparently so are you, my friend -- THANK YOU for coming by to "encourage" and enter the contest -- here's to a win!!

    BREANNA!!! Sooo glad you plan to read GWTW!! Not sure if most young women like it as well as older women like me, but Ashley (the teenager who writes this wonderful blo) loves it as much I do, so maybe you will too. Let me know, okay?? And good luck in the contest, sweetie.

    Hugs,
    Julie

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  17. Goodness, I leave my computer for two days, and just look at all these lovely comments for Julie!

    Julia~ Hey girl! I'm so glad you were able to come and enjoy the interview. Doesn't Julie take such a simple question and turn it into a conviction message we can all relate to?

    Charlotte~ First off, LOVE your name and isn't that awesome that Julie doesn't capitalize the name saten? From now I'll not be doing that, cause saten doesn't even deserve a name let alone for it to be proper.

    Kayla~ Soooo glad you found my blog. Julie is my FAVORITE author (sorry Ms.Rivers) and I was so nervous about interviewing her, so I'm happy you liked it and that I didn't botch the english language so much so that that you couldn't read it.LOL

    Julie~I love the Tara theme song, in fact, if I ever find some poor soul who is crazy enough to want to marry me I'd walk down the aisle to it, it I could.;) A PJ party sounds great, and with all our blogger friends coming too is even better. And I can tell a scary story or two, myself. Though, they all seem to involve civil war heros and they're wives. I wonder why that is?

    Cynthia~It's hard for me to lay my burdens at God's feet and leave them there. But I tend to pick them up again and trust myself to shoulder the weight, so I understand what you mean. And I just added your name to the hat, so good luck!!

    Love Y'all,
    Ashley

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  18. great blog! I love all the stories and insights on how to fight the nasty old devil...I love NOT capitalizing satan.. that is awesome! when my girls were little we would STOMP on satan- I'm thinking I need to do more of that now! thanks for writing Julie...looking forward to many more books... Abby (11) just started reading the 2nd book and I'm amazed at her insight already...she's thrilled her name is in your 4th book! blessings! thanks for being such an encourager!

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  19. Well I got 16 out of 20 right. Not bad since I haven't read the book since high school or watched the entire movie since college :)
    Julie ~ as always, such a fun interview to read and see your answers. I LOVE the verse (phil4:4-7) you shared and reminded me of. In fact I wrote it down on a index card and stuck it next to my computer for a good reminder:) it's always such a pleasure to not only read these fun interviews on you, but it also introduces me to new blogs that are a blast to discover and add to my blogs to keep an eye on
    Ashley~ what a great interview & awesome blog giveaway! I also had a lot of fun reading through some of your other fun blog attributes :) You'll definitely be added to my blog list.
    Thanks again ladies! & I would love to be added into the contest, if I'm not too late :) God bless!!
    Sarah

    fireflies_n_stardust@yahoo.com

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  20. ASHLEY -- really??? You want to walk down the aisle to Tara's Theme??? WOW ... that is SOOO very cool, and I just wish I'd thought of it ... :)

    JOETTA!!! I grinned at your statement that you and the girls would "stomp on satan" -- I may just try that because it sounds like FUN!! And can you believe it's only ELEVEN more days till you and I get to meet??? WHOO-HOO, can't wait!!

    SARAH!!! Thanks for coming by, sweetie, and I'm glad that Scripture blessed you. And good for you, writing Scriptures down on index cards. I do the VERY same thing and have about eight in my Bible, several around and taped to my computer, in my purse and in various drawers around the house. :) But everybody knows I'm extreme and tend to go crazy ... :)

    Soooo glad you are adding Ashley's blog to your blog list because hers is one of my VERY favorites, not only because of the GWTW name and music, but because Ashley is hands-down one of the sweetest people I know and a wonderfully fun writer!! Good luck in the contest, sweetie.

    Hugs,
    Julie

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  21. Count me in!
    Ann_Lee_Miller@msn.com

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  22. Always love Julie's interviews!!! I have ALL of her books (loved them) so would like to enter for the others she is offering! Now I need to take the GTW test.....since I live so close to the area, I better do good! lol

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  23. Hey, ANN ... I've missed you, girl!! :) Looking for Christmas presents, are you? Well good luck in the contest, my friend, and if you ARE looking for Christmas presents AND a $50 gift card to CBD.com or Amazon.com, check out the contest on my website, okay?

    JACKIE!! You BETTER do well on the GWTW test, girl, being from Georgia!! And like I told Ann above, if you're looking to win signed books as Christmas gifts, check out the contest on my website, okay? Good luck, my friend.

    Hugs,
    Julie

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  24. Ok, I took the quiz and got 18 out of 20, pretty sure I missed the ones where it said "in the book..." I may need to read it again :-)

    Love you Julie! A highlight of ACFW is always getting to see you - can't wait for St. Louis!

    Loved Katie's story btw, you always keep me glued to the page - I love it!

    Janna
    ryanx6 at msn dot com

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  25. Hi Ashley and Julie! And all of you wonderful ladies here! :D

    I thought you might be running out of food at the party, so I brought a peach cobbler. A little birdie told me that it's someone's favorite! ;-)

    I scored 15 out of 20 on the quiz. I guess that's not too bad for having only seen the movie twice. And would you believe I've had GWTW on my book shelf for about 4 years, and I haven't read it yet?? I know!! Shame on me!! :::hiding in embarrassment:::

    Needless to say, I really enjoyed the interview, and reading all of the comments. You're such a hoot, Julie! :D

    Happy Early Birthday, too! Is it in the beginning, middle, or end of the month? My oldest daughter, Julie, will be turning 14 on November 27th. Her middle name is Susanne. You've told us your maiden name, but I don't think you've ever told us your middle name. Is it a secret, or can I take a guess? I think Ann goes nicely with Julie, so that's my guess. :-)

    I'll end my rambling now, and thank you ladies for another chance to win one of Julie's fantastic books!

    Hugs & Blessings,
    Michelle
    scraphappy71 at sbcglobal dot net

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  26. I would love to win one of Julie's book, I would do a review on it.

    Thanks
    mamat2730(at)charter(dot)net

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  27. JANNA!!! Oh, girl, it's ALWAYS great to see your smiling face on these blogs. I know how busy you are with a blog AND a new baby, not to mention six kids ... or no, wait ... it's seven now, I forgot!! And 18 out of 20 ain't bad on the GWTW test, girlfriend, so I'm proud of you!

    Of course, you KNOW that a highlight of ACFW for me is seeing you too, God's truth!! Why do you think I always volunteer in the bookstore??? Yep, 'cause of you ... and sweet Jolene, of course! :)

    Thanks for your kind words on A Hope Undaunted AND a great review, which I believe you posted on Amazon.com and CBD.com, if I'm not mistaken. You need to e-mail me, girl, with the number of reviews you have posted for all my books on either CBD.com or Amazon.com because I am currently running a contest for reviews posted where you can win a $50 gift card and a signed copies of all my books (for Christmas presents, maybe???). So let me know, okay?

    Hugs and more hugs ...
    Julie

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  28. MICHELLE ... PEACH COBBLER!!! You are THE BEST, girl, at remembering things I love.

    And NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! You haven't read Gone With the Wind and we're STILL friends???? Well, I forgive you because you brought the cobbler, but you need to remedy that, girl, SOON!!

    Your Julie is turning 14 in November??? Mmmm ... old enough to read my books! We need to get her into them, although I think you told me she's not into our type of books, is that right? We'll have to pray about that one ...

    Yes, I am hitting the big 60 (groan!) in early November on ... if you are Catholic, you will know this ... All Souls Day! And my middle name begins with an A and NO ONE would ever guess it. In fact, in my very first newsletter that I ever sent out, I ran a contest to see if anybody could guess my middle name. A sweet reader friend by the name of Assuntina correctly guessed that my middle name is … Assumpta (yes, I was named after the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, an actual feast day in the Catholic Church!). Shockingly, Assuntina was one of FIVE people who guessed correctly, so I drew a name and Assuntina won ... which seemed only fitting because of her own name. I actually liked my middle name growing up because it was so different ... uh, that is until I got into high school and they shortened it ... :)

    Hugs,
    Julie

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  29. EDNA ... this is definitely the way to win a book -- just ask Michelle above, she won two or three!! I hope you pull out a win on this one, my friend, because I am definitely saying one for you.

    Hugs,
    Julie

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  30. Hi Julie! Yes, I definitely need to remedy this "problem" SOON! :D

    You're right, my Julie is not into our type of books . . . yet! We'll definitely need to pray about that one.

    Oh man, I thought for sure that Ann was a good guess for your middle name! I wasn't even close, lol. That's neat that 5 people did get it right in the contest, though. It's very unique; Assumpta is not a name that I've heard before (though I have heard of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven).

    Oh well, I tried, lol. You want to guess my middle name now? ;-) (I haven't already told you, have I?)

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  31. Michelle,

    No, you haven't told me, and I would not have ANY idea what it might be! Spill it, my friend ... :)

    Hugs,
    Julie

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  32. It's Lee. About 75% of my aunts, uncles, and cousins have the same middle name (all named after my grandfather's dad). I guess I could have at least given you the first letter as a hint, eh? ;-)

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  33. I hope this contest isn't over - I loved the interview and would love to be included in the drawing if it is still open! Thanks for the introduction to your blog as well - I look forward to following it.

    Cindy
    thesbgirls(at)comcast(dot)net

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