Interview with Jeanette Levellie

      Jeanette Levellie is here today to share a bit of her insight and trademark wit and wisdom. I am excited! 

    

      I met Jen shortly after I started blogging; she's a faithful friend and delightful writing buddy who always makes me laugh. Her book, Two Scoops of Grace with Chuckles on Top hit the shelves this spring and is a big hit. It is currently in the #10 slot for Christian Humor/Family/Parenting on Amazon. 

Jen's generously offered a copy of her book for a giveaway. Details on that and her $100 Gift Card Giveaway follow the interview.

        

Karen: Welcome, Jen! Congratulations on your book's success. I imagine you are pretty excited. When did you start writing for publication?

Jen: Thank you, I am! It's great to be here. When my son was a baby, I wrote several poems for La Leche League, which they published in their international calendars.  I was thrilled to see my work in print, delighted that people all over the globe were reading it. LLL offered me a job editing the newsletter for our local region, but I turned them down, since I had two small children at the time, and wanted to devote all my time to them. When they were a bit older, I started writing for a large church’s daily devotional, and then my first article, Felines: Friend or Foe? was published by an educational magazine. Since then I’ve had hundreds of columns, articles, and stories published. Several of the columns I wrote for our local newspaper are included in my book, Two Scoops of Grace with Chuckles on Top.

Karen: What is Two Scoops of Grace with Chuckles on Top about? 

Jen: It is a light-hearted look at God’s enormous heart. I’ve taken 72 stories of everyday battles, brouhahas, bliss, and added a touch of humor. My goal is to make you laugh, help you like yourself, and enable you to receive God’s love. I’ve aimed it primarily at Christians, but it has some “salt” sprinkled in it as well, to make pre-believers thirsty to know Jesus.

Karen: Where did you find the inspiration for your stories? 

Jen: Mostly from stupid things I’ve done or messes I’ve gotten myself into. I share what I’ve learned about God’s bottomless grace from my own misadventures. I also love to observe other people’s nutty behavior, and draw funny conclusions from those. Every happening and encounter in my life is a potential story to write about, and I see humor in nearly everything and everybody. So be careful if you ever hang out with me—I may use you in my next book! 

Karen: I'll have to remember that. :) I'm curious about the process of finding an agent. How did you find yours?

Jen: I went to the Write to Publish conference in Wheaton, IL. I did what they told me to do, and researched the staff ahead of time. I picked out Diana Flegal of Hartline Literary as my top choice, since she represented non-fiction writers, and she looked like a gentle soul. I had no idea she was also a pastor’s wife, like myself. When I met with her, we just clicked. It had to be the Holy Spirit guiding my steps, because she is the perfect agent for me. She gets my nutty sense of humor, and we’ve become great friends and prayer partners. But you really must do your homework on this one. It’s better to have no agent than a bad one. You can check out a potential agent on a website called Preditors and Editors. Also, find out some of the authors they represent, and interview them. 

Karen: Thanks for the info and for joining us today. It's been a pleasure! Wishing you much success with all your writing endeavors. :)

Jen: Thank you, and thanks for having me!

Stop by Jen's blog or Facebook page; she'd love to see you. Don't forget to check out her $100 Gift Card Giveaway.

For more info on Two Scoops of Grace with Chuckles on Top, click here. To read my review, go here.

Book Giveaway 

Jen has offered a copy of her book, either in Kindle, hard copy, or pdf file. Here are the details: 

• You must be a follower and leave a comment, with your email address.  

• Gain bonus entries (+1 each) by posting this on Facebook, your blog, and/or Twitter. Please total your entries and include link with your comment where applicable.

• Open to residents of the United States.

• Deadline to enter is midnight EST, Friday, June 29, 2012. Winner will be notified via email and will have 36 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. Winner will be announced Monday, July 2, 2012.

Do you have any questions for Jeanette? What are you reading now?

Happy writing,
Karen