Writing Where God Leads

My friend, Julie Cosgrove is an award-winning, productive writer. When I asked where she gets her ideas, she says that first of all she follows where the Holy Spirit leads her.

Julie, tell us a little about yourself. I am a native Texan raised in San Antonio during the school year and set free to roam the Texas Hill Country at my family’s cabin on the Guadalupe River in the summer. Now I am widowed, a part-time church secretary, and live in Fort Worth with two spoiled housecats I lovingly dub my “beastie boys”.

How did you get started writing? My late husband had an unusual knack for finding insolvent companies to work for, so we moved seven times in the last ten years of his life. As a result, I became unemployable in my field of medical office management. But God had a better plan. While emailing folks asking for prayer as I job hunted— AGAIN!—three people in three different cities told me I should try writing for a living. I had dabbled in high school and won a few awards. But make money? I took an online e-book course and became a freelance writer, immediately landing jobs. One thanksgiving I promised God I’d tithe my writing day to Him first, and then write for my clients. I did this for six years, even into my widowhood. Then as an answer to a prayer I never verbalized, a church secretary job plopped in my lap three years and nine novels ago. Now I write solely for my Lord.

What kind of books do you write and why? I write devotional and inspirational nonfiction. Besides publishing three Bible studies and two inspirational books, I also write regularly for seven devotional publications and web-based companies.  I also have my own blog, Where Did You Find God Today? But my love is fiction.

Tell us about your books. My suspense romance trilogy consists of Hush in the Storm (2014), Legitimate Lies (2015). and Freed to Forgive (2015). Freed to Forgive won the 2016 Best Religious Fiction Award by the Texas Association of Authors. Two novellas, Greener Grasses and Navy Blues, are part of the Love Is Anthologies  encompassing fifteen novellas based on the love attributes in I Corinthians 13:4-8. My cozy mystery trilogy is what I am excited about because I am a mystery buff.  They are light-hearted, fun reads called the Bunco Biddies Mysteries about a group of retired ladies who live in a 55 plus community and play Bunco every Thursday night. They also help the local detectives solve crimes, whether they like it or not. After all, it is their civic duty and the Chief Detective, the son-in-law of one of the ladies, is so overworked he hardly has time to spend with his family, her daughter and grandkids. The first, Dumpster Dicing, launches on June 3, 2016.        

Where do you get your ideas? The Holy Spirit, life experiences, and my publisher, in that order.  I am what is called a pantster, meaning I write by the seat of my pants. After my first novel, the Editor-in-Chief with my publishing house, Prism Book Group, kept contacting me with ideas. I’ll whip up a brief synopsis, she’ll approve it, contract me, and off I go. Often times I discover that God has guided me in a particular plot direction for a reason. However, I do a lot of research and interviewing as well, which my freelance writing prepared me adequately to do.

Where can readers purchase your books?  Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and TexasAuthors.com. All can be reviewed on my website, www.juliebcosgrove.com. Just click on the Inspired Fiction or Enlightened Nonfiction tabs. You can view the covers, watch the trailers, and read a snippet of each. You will find link icons you can click on that lead to my author pages in order to purchase them.

Thank you Julie for speaking with us about your writing.

Julie has graciously offered to give one lucky reader the e-book version of Green Grasses and Navy Blues. Just leave a comment to this post and one name will be drawn on April 1 to receive both books.

• Uncategorized