Interview with Julie Klassen and Giveaway

Today I have the pleasure of interviewing award-winning author, Julie Klassen.

JULIE KLASSEN loves all things Jane—Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full time. Her books, The Girl in the Gatehouse (2011) and The Silent Governess (2010), have each won the Christy Award for Historical Romance. Julie and her husband have two sons and live near St. Paul, Minnesota. For more information, visit www.julieklassen.com 


Welcome, Julie.  Congratulations on your latest novel, The Girl in the Gatehouse, winning The Christy Award for Historical Romance—you must be thrilled. Please tell us about your book and what inspired you to write it.

Thank you. I was very excited to win, especially because I had just quit my day job to focus on writing. Winning seemed like a very welcome and timely confirmation of that decision!

 Inspiration for this book came from several places. For example, my main character, Mariah Aubrey, was somewhat inspired by a secondary character in Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park. In that book, Maria Bertram makes a serious mistake and because of it, is sent away from her family forever. Of course in Mansfield Park, we do not admire vain and adulterous Maria Bertram and most readers likely feel she earned her just deserts. But I found myself thinking, Wow, that’s harsh. One strike, you’re out. If Maria were a character we actually cared about, would we be content to leave her in her lonely exile? As someone who has made her share of mistakes in life, I am thankful for forgiveness and second chances. And I enjoyed giving my character hers as well.

Where can our readers buy The Girl in the Gatehouse?

It’s available in print or e-book through bookstores as well as online retailers like amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, christianbook.com, etc. or as an audio book from recordedbooks.com.

How did you go about doing the research for your book?  Do you have any anecdotes or interesting experiences related to your research to tell us?

My main character is a secret novelist. So, to write this book, I enjoyed researching the lives of early women authors, like Maria Edgeworth, Fanny Burney, and of course, Jane Austen. I also enjoyed learning a bit about publishing in the early nineteenth century.  As someone who worked in publishing for sixteen years, I found this fascinating. (So much has changed technologically speaking, yet so much remains the same: deadlines, pressure to sell more copies, critical reviews....)       In fact, I sprinkled into the novel a few actual reviews of Jane Austen’s novels from the time of their release. It ought to make writers everywhere feel better to know that even Miss Austen received the occasional snide review.

How did you weave in a spiritual thread without being preachy?

Many writers I know struggle with this (including me), and there aren’t any easy answers. Of course, we don’t want spiritual content to feel tacked on, as in, “and now a pause for station identification,” (i.e. a sermon).  We want the Christian content to be germane to the story and interwoven within it. In Lady of Milkweed Manor, for example, my character finds herself in desperate straits, so calling out to God in prayer seemed a natural response. In The Silent Governess, I took the expected route and had the vicar deliver the spiritual wisdom, but in other books, the clergyman is not the good guy. Sometimes the spiritual thread comes from the main characters’ own searching. Other times, truths can be delivered by older characters who have experienced God’s forgiveness and grace in their own lives. In my case, writing in the Regency era (early 1800s England) including Christian content is somewhat easier, than in say, contemporary novels, because in this time period, many people went to church, had daily prayers, invited the vicar to dine, gave alms to the poor, etc. So it would be less natural, in my mind, if I didn’t mention some of these things. Don’t forget, Jane Austen herself was a clergyman’s daughter!

Did you have any particular Bible verses running through your mind as you wrote?

The Girl in the Gatehouse has a theme of forgiveness. But I also enjoyed using the unique setting and title word “gate” as a subtle message in the book through the words of Jesus: “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.” (John 10:9) And, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:14)

What do you hope your readers will take away from your book?

My goal is to write compelling, romantic stories that glorify God. I believe a novel must first of all be a good story. But I also hope to reflect the reality that while people are imperfect and make mistakes, God offers us forgiveness and second chances though His son.

Do you enjoy reading books with foreign settings? Any favorites?

I am quite an anglophile these days and primarily read books set in the England. I recently enjoyed The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South.

If you were given an all expenses paid holiday anywhere in the world to research a novel, where would you choose to go? Why would you choose this location?

I imagine you can guess at my answer by now! My husband and I had the privilege of taking a research trip to England in May (only our second time there). Now we’re beginning to dream about visiting Ireland or Scotland next, so I would choose one of those places.

Please tell us about your current book/project.

My next book will release in December 2011. It’s called The Maid of Fairbourne Hall and tells the story of an upper-class lady who finds herself thrust into the below-stairs world of a housemaid in the home of a former suitor. It’s available for preorder online (ISBN 978-0-7642-0709-9). I hope you will enjoy it! Thanks for having me here.

Thank you for the interesting interview, I look for forward to reading The Girl in the Gatehouse.


Julie has kindly offered to give away a copy of The Girl in the Gatehouse to one lucky reader. Please note the draw for the book is only open to readers living in America. If you wish to  enter, please leave a comment or question for Julie before Friday 23rd September, ALSO state that you'd like to be in the draw AND LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS. 

The giveaway is void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international law.

Ruth Ann Dell writes children's stories and international Christian fiction from her home in a sunny South African suburb. She is a member of several writing groups including the American Christian Fiction Writers and Writer's Ink. Her desire is to craft gripping stories which draw her readers into a closer relationship with God.

Ruth Ann and her husband have lived in several countries and are renovating a cottage in the heart of Ireland.