As you know from my review last week, I was enamoured with Jocelyn’s powerful story, so I’m thrilled to be chatting with her today about her mum’s cooking, Spunky’s Diary, and the most appealing Marc-Paul Girard! If you haven’t already got your hands on this story, be sure to enter the giveaway below.
The Writer
Please describe yourself in three words (ask your best friend or family if you are struggling!)
Detail-oriented, curious, committed
What’s your favourite season, and why?
Autumn! Cooler temperatures, beautiful foliage, trips to the apple orchard, bonfires and s’mores, all things pumpkin. After spending lots of time outside during the summer, I also love rediscovering the coziness of staying in with a good book!
What is the best part of your day?
Usually, it’s dinner time, when we all sit down to the table again as a family and share about our day.
What do you miss most about your childhood?
I miss my mom cooking for me all the time. 🙂
Which TV talk show host would you like to be interviewed by? Why?
I don’t even know who they are anymore. The only time I see a talk show is when I take my car in for an oil change and the TV in the waiting room is set to one of them.
You are at a fruit market – what do you reach for first?
If my kids are with me—apples. We go through so many. If it’s just me, and everything is perfectly ripe, strawberries.
What was the first Christian Fiction novel you read?
Does Spunky’s Diary by Janette Oke count? That was my very first, and then I read her When Calls the Heart books.
What is one author and/or book you always recommend?
Mark of the Lion books by Francine Rivers.
What book character has stuck in your mind from a book you have read this year?
Tempe Tucker from A Moonbow Night by Laura Frantz.
The Book
After being imprisoned and branded for the death of her client, twenty-five-year-old midwife Julianne Chevalier trades her life sentence for exile to the fledgling 1720s French colony of Louisiana, where she hopes to be reunited with her brother, serving there as a soldier. To make the journey, though, women must be married, and Julianne is forced to wed a fellow convict.
When they arrive in New Orleans, there is no news of Benjamin, Julianne’s brother, and searching for answers proves dangerous. What is behind the mystery, and does military officer Marc-Paul Girard know more than he is letting on?
With her dreams of a new life shattered, Julianne must find her way in this dangerous, rugged land, despite never being able to escape the king’s mark on her shoulder that brands her a criminal beyond redemption.
What was the working title?
The Marked Mademoiselle.
Describe your book in 5 adjectives
Intense, gritty, redemptive, atmospheric, historical, grace-filled
Which character took you by surprise?
The little girl named Lily. Totally surprised me with her personality and the way she saw life.
What was the latest you stayed up working on this story?
Ha! Maybe midnight or 1am. But I have also gotten up many times at 3 or 4am to work on the book before starting the day homeschooling my kids.
Which character’s name was the hardest to choose? Why?
Marc-Paul’s. I had named him something else until halfway through the book I decided my original name for him sounded too feminine. I wanted something stronger, so I changed it. With all the French characters, my challenge was to choose names that were French but easy for English-speakers to read and pronounce to themselves, without causing them to stumble.
What’s something that didn’t make it into the final copy?
I had a great scene set in Marc-Paul’s garden when his Canadian manservant Etienne is giving him some really good life advice. I loved that scene, but we ended up deleting the issue that Marc-Paul needed advice about, so of course we couldn’t use that garden scene either.
Thank you, Jocelyn!
Jocelyn Green inspires faith and courage as the award-winning author of numerous fiction and nonfiction books, including Wedded to War, a Christy Award finalist in 2013, and The 5 Love Languages Military Edition, which she coauthored with bestselling author Dr. Gary Chapman. Jocelyn lives with her husband and two children in Iowa. Visit her at www.jocelyngreen.com.
Relz Reviewz Extras
Review of The Mark of the King
Character spotlight on Charlotte (Wedded to War)
Visit Jocelyn’s website and blog
Buy at Amazon: The Mark of the King or Koorong
February 10, 2017 at 1:10 pm
I can’t remember the name of the first Christian novel I read but I do know that it was by Terri Blackstock.
Thanks for the Chance!
February 12, 2017 at 9:05 am
Kim » I loved Terri’s early books, Kim – have them all on my bookshelves.
February 10, 2017 at 6:11 pm
Jocelyn, it’s lovely that you’ve visited Relz place on the WWW. I’ve read so many positive reviews of The Mark of the King and when Rel raves about a book I especially take notice. It is sitting on my bookshelf with “pick me, pick me” bubbling out of it and I so hope I get to it soon.
February 11, 2017 at 3:04 am
Hello Ian! It’s lovely to be here! What an honor. Thank you so much for having Mark on your bookshelf! I love that it’s calling for you to read it. All in good time. When you get the chance, I hope you enjoy it!
February 11, 2017 at 2:09 am
Hi,
The first Christian novel I remember making an impact would have to be the Zion Chronicles by Bodie & Brock Thoene.
February 12, 2017 at 9:04 am
Marylin Furumasu » Love them! Read them many times over, Marylin 🙂
February 11, 2017 at 2:46 am
Would be a beverly lewis book.
February 11, 2017 at 3:05 am
Thanks so much for the very fun interview! Always a pleasure to join you here.
February 12, 2017 at 9:04 am
Jocelyn Green » Delighted, Jocelyn. Thank you for writing such an authentic and powerful story xo
February 11, 2017 at 3:19 am
I’ve heard so many great things about this author, but have never read any of her books! I’m not sure what my first Christian novel would be (maybe Elsie Dinsmore?) as I’ve been reading them for sometime.
February 11, 2017 at 3:55 am
I was started early on Christian fiction. It was probably the Grandma’s Attic short stories by Arleta Richardson, followed by the Grandma’s Attic novels around 7th grade, that were among my earliest Christian books, but we ordered a lot from Christian Book Distributors catalogs back then, with many historical novels such as the Little House books (including series on Laura’s mother and daughter) and other middle grade series like the Sadie Rose books and Abby’s South Seas Adventures. I had a lot of fun poring over those catalogs and convincing Mom to buy me more books.
February 11, 2017 at 4:37 am
I read Julie Klassen’s The Silent Governess first. It’s a good one. I am so excited to get my hands on this book!! And I like the title that made it on the cover, it makes you wonder: The Mark of the King. Thank you so much for the giveaway!
February 12, 2017 at 9:03 am
Diana Guz » Julie’s story is excellent!
February 11, 2017 at 7:16 am
I have to go a long way back to remember the very first Christian fiction book I read, however I started logging the books I read dating back to 1999. The first fiction book I logged was LEFT BEHIND by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. I also noticed that I only read 6 fiction books and 19 non-fiction that year. But now my fiction books outnumber my non-fiction. My TBR list is so long, there are not enough hours in the day to get to them all.
February 12, 2017 at 9:03 am
Marie B » I know the feeling, Marie! Do you know I haven’t read the Left Behind series?!
February 11, 2017 at 7:49 am
I think my first Christian novel was something specifically LDS (Mormon). It was called Dating: No Guts, No Glory by Joni Hilton. Her series are all sweet and hilarious!
February 11, 2017 at 7:50 am
Enjoying the interesting interview! Probably my first book was of the Westward Chronicles series by Tracie Peterson.
February 11, 2017 at 9:21 am
My first Christian fiction book I read was a Beverly Lewis Amish fiction book. “The Mark of the King” sounds like an amazing read.
February 12, 2017 at 2:39 am
Crossing my fingers for this book!! I cannot remember the first CF book I read but one of the first ones was Sophie’s Heart by Lori Wick.
February 12, 2017 at 8:38 am
Probably The Shunning by Beverly Lewis.
February 12, 2017 at 10:58 am
The first books I read as a kid were The Chronicles of Narnia. The first adult book I remember reading was A Voice in the Wind.
February 13, 2017 at 2:40 am
I believe the first Christian novel I read was An Untamed Land by Lorraine Snelling.
February 13, 2017 at 1:58 pm
Kerry by Grace Livingston Hill. I remember so well when my Mama let me read my first “grownup” book. I was reading library books our teacher would let us check out and books I would order out of the weekly reader papers the teachers sent from school. And that was so exciting to get my new books.
But to get to read a GLH book like my older sister was some kind of wonderful to me. After that first book, every year for Christmas and birthday I wanted GLH. I still have every one of them.
I have already read this book and loved it but if I win I’m going to give one to my best friend.
February 13, 2017 at 3:27 pm
The first Christian novel I read was The Wood’s Edge by Lori Benton.
February 14, 2017 at 8:57 am
It was one of Janette Oke’s books, although I am not sure which one.
February 16, 2017 at 4:29 am
Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke when I was a teenager. I haven’t read her books in years, but I used to read all they had at our small public library back then.
February 16, 2017 at 7:42 am
Oh goodness, I can’t possibly name the first Christian novel I read as I’ve read millions (ok maybe not THAT many) over the course of my life!! I want to say it was either a Love Inspired book or perhaps Beverly Lewis since she first introduced me to Amish fiction. My former local library at the time I was first looking for Christian fiction had a limited supply of books. I sure did do a LOT of inter-library loans though, lol! I couldn’t get enough 🙂
Thank you for the wonderful giveaway! Mark of the King is definitely on my must-read list.