Jocelyn Green
One commenter will win a copy of
Jocelyn's book:
Spy of Richmond
Jocelyn's book:
Spy of Richmond
Scroll down to see how.
In the Dark, Still, Isolated Time in Alaska
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AND sign up to receive my newsletter -in the right column
(subscribers to my newsletter will receive a special Christmas gift)
AND/OR sign up to receive posts by email if you aren't already
Mary here. I'm so happy to welcome Jocelyn to Let's Talk this weekend. What I appreciate the most about historical fiction is the way authors like Jocelyn make actual events come to life. They paint colors, create smells and tastes, and help us feel events we've never lived through. I asked Jocelyn to tell us how God led her on her writing journey. Here is what she said:
In the Dark, Still, Isolated Time in Alaska
Ever since I was old
enough to hold a pencil, Iāve been writing. My first book, as I saw it, was me
writing captions for my Bugs Bunny coloring book that told a story. My goal
from that point on was to become āan arthurā (author).
Fast forward to college
graduation. I had a degree in English with a concentration in writing, and I
got a job as an editor working for a nonprofit on Capitol Hill. Two years later
I married a Coast Guard officer and we moved to Alaska, which was a great time
for me to try freelance journalism. I had a lot of time on my hands, with my
husband often at sea, and no children yet. I would have loved to write a book
at that point, but I read something that stopped me. The quote was: āBeware of
writing when you have nothing to say.ā That quote scared me to death! So in
that dark, still, isolated time in Alaska, I waited on the Lord.
And oh, did He show up.
Not in the way I expected, but in fresh and beautiful ways. I was learning so
much about God, not in spite of being a military wife, but because of being a
military wife. Spiritual insights and verses sprang to life in ways they never
had before. I thought, surely, there had to be a devotional book out there
pointing out all these spiritual riches to military wives. When I searched and didnāt
find one, I decided to write it myself, with contributions of other military
wives from every branch of service.
Three years after
signing with an agent, which was also two years after I had given up any hope,
we finally landed a contract with Moody Publishers. Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives, was born in
2008.
My next several books
were also nonfiction for military. But my husband was no longer active duty,
and I was growing more certain every day that my time writing for military was
coming to a close. I couldnāt think of anything else to say, and I could see
the Lord raising up other wonderful military wives who were writing and
speaking to this group of women. I honestly thought my writing well had run
dry.
Then one rainy October
day, I visited the Adams County Historical Society in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania,
to do research for my then-current project, which was Stories of Faith and Courage from the Home Front. My mission was to
gather stories from the civilians of Gettysburg to include in the book. But as
I read the diaries and letters written by women who lived through the battle
and its aftermath, I was so astounded by their bravery and contributions. Iād
paid attention in history classes, but Iād never heard of what women actually
did during the Civil War beyond a few token examples. I thought to myself, āSomebody
ought to write a historical novel about these women. Fiction would be a great
vehicle to convey the drama of this period.ā I did not have myself in mind.
The next week, Moody
Publishers called and told me they wanted to start a fiction line. They wanted
to know if I had ever thought about writing fiction. āIāve thought about it,ā I
replied, ābut thatās not the same thing as actually having done it!ā When she
asked if I had any ideas, I told her about the women of Gettysburg, the nurses
who came to help, and about other women in the Civil War who greatly inspired
me. She asked for a book proposal.
My dear friends, I had
no idea how to write a novel. Iād been an avid reader of them all my life, but
didnāt feel I could just sit down and do it. So I hightailed it to Barnes &
Noble and bought almost every book they had on novel writing. Then went through
the process of writing the synopsis and first fifty pages of the book.
A few months later, I
signed a four-book contract for Heroines Behind the Lines Civil War series.
As I look back, I can see Gods hand guiding my writing career so clearly. Now my Civil War series is complete, but I'm still writing historical fiction. God continues to open doors to me that I never even dreamed of knocking on. This is not to say it's easy. Writing, in and of itself, is hard work. HARD. The way I see it, God provides opportunities, but I need to work hard enough to be worthy of them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jocelyn Green is the
award-winning author of ten books, including fiction and nonfiction. A former
military wife herself, she offers encouragement and hope to military wives
worldwide through her Faith Deployed
books and The 5 Love Languages Military
Edition, which she co-authored with best-selling author Dr. Gary Chapman.
Her Heroines Behind the Lines Civil War novels, inspired by real heroines on
Americaās home front, are marked by their historical integrity and gritty
inspiration. Her first novel, Wedded to
War, was a Christy Award Finalist and won the gold medal from Military
Writers Society of America. Her latest release is Spy of Richmond.
She loves Mexican food,
Broadway musicals, Toblerone chocolate bars, the color red, and reading on her
patio. Jocelyn lives with her husband Rob and two children in Cedar Falls,
Iowa.
Spy of Richmond
The Confederate capital in the height
of the Civil War: no place for a Union loyalist. But just the place for a spy.
Her father a slaveholder, her suitor a Confederate officer, and herself an
abolitionist, Sophie Kent must walk a tightrope of deception in her efforts to
end slavery. As suspicion in Richmond rises, Sophieās espionage becomes more
and more dangerous. If her courage will carry her through, what will be lost
along the wayāher true love, her father, her life?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Enter the contest to win a copy of Jocelyn's book:
Spy of Richmond
here is how:
here is how:
leave a comment (and email address)
AND sign up to receive my newsletter -in the right column
(subscribers to my newsletter will receive a special Christmas gift)
AND/OR sign up to receive posts by email if you aren't already
Thank you, Jocelyn, for joining us this weekend!
We enjoy chatting with you and are looking forward to reading your comments and questions. Or at least your hi, hello, or hey.
Thanks for stopping by!
Don't forget to comment!
Comments
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
ThereadmasterAtmeDotcom
alander87 at allcom dot net
Kim Hampton
imaclogger23 at yahoo dot com
I'm a subscriber :)
I'm so glad you had a chance to stop by today. Doesn't Spy of Richmond sound like a fabulous read. I think the series is well worth the time. I learn so much from fiction stories. Thanks again, for chatting with us, Mary. Happy Thanksgiving!!
I totally agree with you. I'm not shopping today. We are actually celebrating our Thanksgiving today. The turkey will be done in one hour. Want to come over?
I am thankful for books in large print. There are many people of all ages who need to have large print to enjoy a story. Great question!!
Happy Thanksgiving, Janice!!
So nice to see you this morning. My there are a lot of our friends gathering this morning. So nice to see. I was actually up, made the announcement then drove three hours home and put the turkey in.
At least I get to chat with you now. Are you interesting in writing a novel, Virginia? I completely agree with Jocelyn, authors are always learning. We are also willing to teach.
Happy Thanksgiving, Virginia!!
I think we all have to work on the patient part. Then again, there is something mighty special to the moments when things turn out awesome. One thing that is awesome to me, and makes me really thankful, is the gathering we have here on this blog. I truly enjoy chatting with each of you and with our guest authors. God is so good to us!!
Happy Thanksgiving!!
So nice to meet you. We love to welcome new friends here on Let's Talk. Jocelyn is a wonderful author of historical novels, I hope you can add her book to your must read list. If you like other Christian novels, too, be sure to stop back, we have other authors scheduled for a visit.
Blessings on you and may your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
I am so happy, too, that Jocelyn has fill this important need of military wives. Then expanding her writings to historical fiction to fill these holes. God has opened the door for her writings.
QUESTION FOR JOCELYN...do you think military hubbies would be able to relate to these devotionals as well? Just a thought.
My hubby is a medical person, working in the emergency room. He had to work thanksgiving. So we drove home this morning, prepared the turkey...and I must admit, it is smelling really good with one hour left of cooking to being done. Yum! I hope your thanksgiving was wonderful as well and that you have been able to share the holiday with others. Well, yes, you have! You are spending time with us!!! YEAH!!!
I'm glad you stopped by to read Jocelyn's post and hear about what God has done for her. We sure enjoyed chatting with you!!!
Welcome! What fun to welcome in a new reader. Jocelyn's historical books will make great reads. I really enjoy the specific topics she chooses to write about.
Help yourself to some virtual coffee or tea, or virtual pumpkin pie and sit by the fire with us. Looking forward to seeing you again.
Sur hope you have a happy Thanksgiving, Stella.