Hi all! Today is one of my favorite posts. Sharing a great author! Don’t you love it when you find and author you love and you want to tell everyone about them? Well, today’s my day to do that. Some of you may have already read her books. She’s a Love Inspired author.
I’d like to welcome Jill Lynn!
I recently found Jill’s book Her Hidden Hope. I loved the story and couldn’t wait for Raising Honor to release. I bought it in time to take it to the beach with me. (Excuse the bathing suit picture, but my family has already shared it on FB, so, I figured, oh well!)
There I am reading Raising Honor while on vacation. What a great book! I contacted Jill and she graciously agreed to come on the blog and visit with us. We did an interview type question and answer session. I know you’ll all join me in welcoming Jill.
Lindi: Can you give us a brief introduction and tell us how you started writing?
Jill: In high school I started writing a screen play. Ha! I had no idea how to do that. When I look back now, I realize I was simply writing a story. Over the years, I always knew I wanted to write a book. I loved to read—it was such an escape for me. When my daughter started kindergarten I finally started writing. She’s fifteen now. 😊 As with everything, it took time. I cringe when I think about some of the first story ideas I had or the writing itself. I often joke that I wrote “in a closet” for a long time. I needed time to get comfortable and practice before I shared my work with others. And then once I did reach out for help, I still had a long way to go!
Lindi: Do you have a certain theme that seems to show up in all your stories? Or does that differ depending on the story?
Jill: I definitely see the theme of control coming up in my stories. I struggle with trust and with handing over control to God, so I don’t think it’s a huge surprise that this comes across in many of my characters.
Lindi: Which one of your books is your favorite and why?
Jill: That is a tough question! I think The Bull Rider’s Secret is one of my favorites because of the banter and the chemistry between Jace and Mackenzie. They have such a special relationship that was broken over time, and it was a lot of fun to piece them back together.
Lindi: In Raising Honor, Honor was the child’s name. Was there any special reason for her unique name, which is beautiful by the way.
Jill: Oh, I love that you brought that up! 😊 I remember reading the name Honor (in a book, of course) though I can’t remember which one. It was years ago. I just loved it and I tucked it away for future use. This character wasn’t actually named Honor when I started writing, but the little girl’s name just didn’t feel right. I made a switch and loved it. I can’t even remember what name I used first!
Lindi: When is your next book coming out and can you tell us anything about it?
Jill: The final book in the Colorado Grooms series, Choosing His Family, will be releasing in late January 2021. I’m so excited for readers to get their hands on the final wrap up to this series. Each book is connected but can also be read as a standalone. I think those who know each of the characters will really enjoy how everyone is present in the last book.
Lindi: What is your favorite part of the writing process? Writing the rough draft, editing? Do you have an outline or are you more of a we’ll see how it plays out kind of writer?
Jill: I think seeing my book in print is the best part! 😊 But that’s not really what you asked. 😉 Writing is tough. I write a really rough draft so that I can start fixing it. I’m a loose plotter in that I have a general idea of how things are going to go, but it often gets tweaked as I’m writing.
Lindi: I notice you have pets in your stories. Do you have pets at home? If so, what kind.
Jill: I love writing about pets and I had the BEST doggo growing up, but we don’t have pets currently due to allergies. I am fond of them though. 😊
Lindi: Do you have a favorite Bible verse? Can you share that? How does that come into play with your stories?
Jill: Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.
This was my confirmation verse. I’ve always thought it was such a fit for me because I struggle with anxiety and hurrying into the future while forgetting God is with me now and will be with me then. I hope that I’m able to portray characters who are flawed and real and a God who loves them dearly just as they are.
Wow! I love how much we now know about Jill and her love of writing. And to celebrate Jill being on the blog, we’re giving away a print copy of Raising Honor. Tell us how you hear of new authors. Word of mouth? Advertisements? Social media ads? Libraries? We’d love to hear. Or you can ask Jill a question. All commenters will be entered into a random drawing for the book.
Jill: Thank you for having me! It was so much fun to chat about Raising Honor. And thank you for hosting a giveaway! Just a note for you avid readers, I also have a free novella—The Start of Us—available across eBook retailers. 😊
Ways to connect with Jill:
Jill’s Amazon page where you can find all her amazing books.
USA Today featured author Lindi Peterson lives in north Georgia, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with her husband and a lively array of cats, dogs and birds. She loves sharing life with her family and friends. Her passion for reading led her to writing, and then God spoke words of love into her heart and changed her life forever.
I love to meet new authors via other authors, via a website like this (lol), via catalogues or the library. I don’t use social media that much.. I’m curious about Raising Honor! It will be definitely on my list.
I always like finding new authors to follow and Jill’s books sound like something I would enjoy reading.
Marilene—First, what a pretty name! Like Honor–unique and beautiful. Thanks for visiting Inspy Romance.
Lori—I know you’ll enjoy Jill’s books. I do love finding new authors. :) I love having a book to look forward to reading—that sounds weird, but I think you know what I mean. :)
I’ve found new authors by giveaways for ebooks, by blogs like this one, and from FaceBook parties. This series sounds great!
Trudy! It’s always great seeing you here. And yes, this is a great blog to find amazing authors, and let’s say the truth here…..you can’t have too many books!!!
I love meeting authors ! Books are always my escape from reality especially important now in these strange times.
I hear about new books via many sources. Social media, BookPage, word of mouth. Thank you kindly
Lori–So true—and what I love about Jill’s stories is that she doesn’t run away from real life, but puts it in a perspective that we see the challenges and the redemption.
Kelly–we are living in a information world for sure–it has its downs, but learning and hearing about new authors is an upside to the tech age for sure!
I Love meeting New Authors I usually hear of New Authors on FB or from one of The other Authors sites! Thank you for this amazing giveaway as I Love reading the print books and this one of Jill’s sounds awesome Have a great Day Blessings !
I learn of new authors from Facebook groups, goodreads reviews, other author endorsements and book blogger reviews.
Sarah—Thank you for visiting Inspy! These social media platforms are a great way to find new authors. And I like the boxed sets, too, with multiple authors. I see a lot of those advertised, especially now with Christmas ones coming out.
Maryann—Yes! Goodreads. What a great way to find recommendations. I love Goodreads.
What a great verse to share today. Thank you.
Lucy—Thank you!!! Always great “seeing” you here. :)
I’ve learned about a lot of new to me authors from other authors I really like and from blogs like this one. Its so fun to discover different authors, and it’s so nice how supportive you all are in Christian fiction by recommending one another’s books.
Thank you so much for introducing me to a new author, and her book sounds like a very good read and the book cover is Gorgeous , I love it!
Megan—it’s truly a privilege to have guest authors. :)
Alicia—I loved the cover as well!!
I’ve read many books by Jill & love her writing! I hear of new-to-me authors from reader friends on Facebook, blogs, recommendations from Bookbub or Goodreads, and newsletters.
What a lovely author spotlight, I always enjoy these! :-)
Trixi—Yay—another Jill fan. How fun! Good “seeing” you here always!
Jill is awesome <3
How I hear of new authors… word of mouth – authors recommendations, Facebook parties mostly.
Natalya—-Word of mouth is the very best form of advertising!!
Usually through word of mouth by friends or other authors.
Great to hear about a new author. Yes, I am more likely to read a new author if I have heard about them by word of mouth, but nowadays, I am far more likely to hear about new authors by other author’s newsletters. By the way, The Start of Us is not free on the Amazon.ca site.
I learn of new authors through current author newsletters, which then leads to blogs and other online sites introducing new authors.
I find many of the new authors by emails like yours or social media. I have been watching email zooms as well as podcasts. Thank you for introducing me to Jill.
Thanks for introducing us to Jill and her books. I find a lot of new authors on these blogs, on Facebook, and other authors’ newsletters.
Hi, Lindi,
Thanks for introducing us to Jill. It’s always nice to have a little digital word of mouth. Most often I come across new authors from BookBub and occasionally from here at IR and also from following links at Amazon.
I hear about new authors from looking online for books by different subjects & also from other authors online.
I have heard about new authors by online like Amazon & Indigo but also other authors.
Thank you!
Denise—Yes—we love to tell each other about new, fun, great books!
Sandra—Don’t you love how great the writing/reading community is? We love promoting each other. :)
Judy—Reading/writing communities are the best. I love all the love floating around!
Debra—-I love when technology is used for purposes like these. We have so much at our fingertips!!
Kathy—You’re welcome! Sharing authors is something I love to do. :)
Lincoln, Hi again!! Yes, Book Bub is a great place to find authors. Especially when there are promos going on. Good deals and good authors all in one place. Nice!
Amy—Thanks for visiting Inspy! These online platforms are great advertising!
Sylvain—Thank you for visiting Inspy–and sharing! Liking the other authors sharing nod. We love our community.
I check several websites that show sales on kindle books almost every day and find many new authors that way. I also find some through the library, Facebook pages,Facebook ads, and some blogs/emails.
Cami—Thank you for sharing all those tips!! Yes, great way to find new books and authors to love.
I have found such great authors through other authors! (Blogs)vi also find some through Amazon – “you might like these books” suggestions.
Hi, Nancy! yes–the you might like these books is a great feature!