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Fabulous Friday Feature-Jocelyn Green



Today we welcome author:
Jocelyn Green

One commenter will win a copy of
Jocelyn's book:

 Spy of Richmond

Scroll down to see how.


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, I’ve 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 ā€œan 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: ā€œBeware 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 didn’t 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 But my husband was no longer active duty, and I was growing more certain every day that my time writing for military was coming to a close.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 couldn’t 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. I’d paid attention in history classes, but I’d never heard of what women actually did during the Civil War beyond a few token examples. I thought to myself, ā€œSomebody 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. ā€œI’ve thought about it,ā€ I replied, ā€œbut that’s 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. I’d been an avid reader of them all my life, but didn’t 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 America’s 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.

Jocelyn loves to connect with readers. You can find her at:
   Facebook|Twitter
Website|Pinterest
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



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, Sophie’s espionage becomes more and more dangerous. If her courage will carry her through, what will be lost along the way—her true love, her father, her life?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Enter the contest to win a copy of Jocelyn's book:
Spy of Richmond

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

Mary Preston said…
Such a lovely post thank you. SPY OF RICHMOND looks like a great read.

marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Janice said…
A super Fabulous Friday interview. Much more encouraging than shopping on Black Friday. I would love to win this book. The whole series would be great for the church library. Does it come in large print? Also, are the books available on Audible?
Virginia Winfield said…
That is cool how you learned to write a novel. You did well.
ThereadmasterAtmeDotcom
Abby B said…
Hi Mary and Jocelyn!! Awesome post!! Thanks for the reminder that dreams don't always happen in our timing, but in His! I'm still working on being patient....again....

alander87 at allcom dot net
Kim Hampton said…
Sounds like a fantastic book, and I will also be checking out the military series. I signed up for the newsletter and also for posts by e-mail.
Kim Hampton
imaclogger23 at yahoo dot com
Jocelyn said…
Hi Janice! I'm so sick of all the Black Friday ads too! :) The first three books in the series are in large print, and Spy of Richmond will be released in large print in a few months. Widow of Gettysburg is also available as an audio book on Audible. Thanks for your interest!
Jocelyn said…
That's such a difficult lesson to learn, isn't it? Blessings on you as you wait!
Jocelyn said…
Thanks Mary for joining us today!
Jocelyn said…
Thank you so much, Virginia. I am always learning new ways of improving. I don't think we authors can ever stop honing the craft. :)
Jocelyn said…
Hi Kim, that's wonderful! Thank you!
Jocelyn said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Morgan said…
Thanks for such a great interview! I'm going to have to get a few copies of Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives for some of my friends whose husbands are in the military! And your fiction novels look great. I'd love to read them!
Morgan said…
Mdp94 (at) bellsouth (dot) net
I'm a subscriber :)
Unknown said…
Mary trust you had a great Thanksgiving, I did. Thank you for another good interview and giveaway. redeemed1ru (at) comcast (dot) net
Hi, Mary,
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!!
Janice, so nice to see you today.
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!!
Virginia,
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!!
Hi Abby,
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!!
Good morning, Kim,
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.
Good afternoon, Morgan!
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.
Ann,
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!!!
Jocelyn said…
Hi Morgan! That would be great if you could get Faith Deployed for your milwife friends. Mary, the Faith Deployed books are geared specifically for the wives and the challenges of military spouses. I do have other books the active duty men could enjoy as much as the women, though, such as Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan, and The 5 Love Languages Military Edition.
Jocelyn said…
Ann, so nice to see you here! Thanks for stopping by! Mary, enjoy your feast today!!
Beth said…
Great post! What a wonderful question to ask Jocelyn! I loved hearing about her journey!!
Beth said…
bethlisteningtohim@gmail.com
Jocelyn said…
Hey there Beth! So fun to see you here today! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Stella said…
Jocelyn your interview really encouraged me. So glad you listened to God so you can bless us with your wonderful novels. spotts06 at comcast dot net
Oh that is good! There are a lot of men who also need helps like these. Thanks for letting us know. So readers if you know of any military men consider recommending these books to them.
Beth,
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.
Good words, Stella. I'm sure you've had those moments of knowing God smiled when you followed His leading. Sure feels good doesn't it? And with Jocelyn, not only did she follow God's directions, but she has shared with us readers the reapings. How awesome is that?
Sur hope you have a happy Thanksgiving, Stella.
Jocelyn said…
Hi Stella, I'm so glad to hear this encouraged you! Thank you so much for letting me know. Enjoy your weekend!
Pam K. said…
I enjoyed this post from Jocelyn. Please don't enter me in the drawing. I have all of her Heroines Behind the Lines series. I highly recommend these fabulous Civil War books.
Unknown said…
Nice interview. Thank you for the opportunity to win what looks to be a really good book. l.bergh@sbcglobal.net
Jocelyn said…
Hello Pam! I so appreciate you stopping by and commenting just for the fun of it. You've always been so supportive! Thank you! I'm thrilled you enjoyed this series.
Jocelyn said…
Laurie, it's so great meet you here. Mary asked a great question to get me rolling on this post, so I'm thankful to her for that! Blessings!
Pam, your comment means so very much knowing you've read and enjoyed Jocelyn's books. What I appreciate when I am in these same shoes is reading the author's story behind the scenes. Wasn't it nice to read what stirred Jocelyn's heart?
You are so welcome, Laurie. I'm extra happy to have you join our chat today and hope your Thanksgiving has been a blessing. Help yourself to some virtual pumpkin pie, fresh from the oven and sit with us a spell. :)

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