SEELIE KAY: Postcards from The Ledge: This week in The Loft, author Jessica James!

Joining me today is award-winning author Jessica James. Jessica writes in a broad array of genres, including military suspense, thrillers, historical romance, Christian fiction, and small-town Southern women's fiction. She has won numerous awards for her books, including the John Esten Cooke Award for Southern Fiction and the Hold Medal from the Military Writers Society of America. Jessica currently resides in Gettysburg, PA, where she works part-time as stagehand, assisting with everything from country bands to stage plays, operas, and the ballet.

Author Jessica James

S: Good morning, Jessica and Happy Valentine's Day!

Tell me, what attracts you to the romance genre?

J: The fact that love can conquer anything! I never set out to write romance in my early novels, but they always ended up with a love story woven into the plot. No matter how great the conflict, love always seems to save the day!

S: (Nods.) You don't really notice how big of a role romance plays in our lives until you start writing. It seems to pop up everywhere.

What other genres do you write in?

J:  I started as a historical fiction writer, but one day at the beach, a contemporary love story idea popped into my head. I fought it, telling myself that I can’t write contemporary, but a string of happenstance meetings and strange events convinced me that the universe wanted me to write this book. It became "Meant To Be," because it was, and is a multi-award-winning novel in the romantic military suspense genre. I have since written three thrillers-- "Deadline," "Fine Line," and "Front Line"--and now, women’s fiction, "Lacewood."

S: Do you believe in love at first sight?

J:  I don’t think I ever really believed in it, until I wrote "Meant To Be," which features two characters who meet by chance on the beach and then again, halfway around the world.

S: If you had to do it over again, would you still chose to write books?

J:  Absolutely! I could never figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. Through my writing I can be anything I want —from a spy in the Civil War to a CIA agent fighting the War on Terror. Another plus for this profession is the research that has to be done. I’ve had the opportunity to target shoot from a fast-moving helicopter and to attend the Special Operations Forces International Conference in Tampa. I enjoy submersing myself in whatever I’m writing about.

S: We tend to live through our characters, don't we? Many of mine have done things I would never have the courage to do!

What's the best advice you have ever been given?

J: When I was very young I was told to “think like man, act like a lady, and work like a dog.” It has served me well.

S: (Smiles.) That is great advice. My mother gave me similar advice.

Tell me about your book, "Lacewood."

J: It is a love story that spans centuries. Here's the blurb--

MOVING TO A SMALL TOWN in Virginia is a big change for New York socialite Katie McCain. But when she stumbles across an abandoned 200-year-old mansion, she’s enthralled by the enduring beauty of the neglected estate—and captivated by the haunting portrait of a woman in mourning.

Purchasing the property on a whim, Katie attempts to fit in with the colorful characters in the town of New Hope, while trying to unravel the mystery of the “widow of Lacewood.” As she pieces together the previous owner’s heartrending story, Katie uncovers secrets the house has held for centuries, and discovers the key to coming to terms with her own sense of loss.

The past and present converge when hometown hero Will Durham returns and begins his own healing process by helping restore the place that holds so many memories. As the mystic web of destiny is woven, a love story that might have been lost forever is exposed, and a destiny that has been waiting in the shadows for centuries is fulfilled.

A powerful and poignant tale that vividly conveys the heartache of war, the tragedy of loss, and the fulfillment of destiny…even when souls are separated by centuries. Lacewood takes readers on a journey that connects the past with the present--and the present with eternity.