We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Julie Meyer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Julie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.

I was walking with a friend in December of 2019, and we started talking about how we were going to make Christmas intentional for our family this season. She mentioned something about the Jesse Tree Advent. I had never heard of this advent before, and I was instantly intrigued. There is something absolutely magical about the Christocentric interpretation of the Bible. Before the beginning of time, God planned to give us Christmas. He knew that He would give Jesus to be born, to serve as the Greatest Gift to all who know Him. This is news that makes me stand in awe of our God.

When I started reading the Biblical stories for each night of the Jesse Tree Advent, I couldn’t get enough. I was yearning for more and desperately wanted to share what I was learning with my kids, my family, my friends. When COVID hit in March, writing became my “escape.” I loved the quiet moments that I could sit and read and write. So I took my research of the Jesse Tree Advent, and I started to write. I prayed, and I wrote.

My initial goal was have to a manuscript to read to my own kids the following Christmas season. As I wrote, I started to dream bigger. After months of writing, I had a rough, unedited manuscript and had absolutely no idea what to do with it. In a casual conversation with another friend, she mentioned an editor. I immediately called this editor who took on my work. She edited for Biblical fact, grammar, etc. In the midst of the editing process, I searched high and low for an illustrator. I had a very specific vision for my book, and the illustrators that I was interested in were not interested in me. God closed a lot of doors on illustrators before leading me to Kate Gouws. I cannot imagine a better fit for the project. Not only are her illustrations extraordinary, but her knowledge of the Bible shows in each illustration.

With the text and illustrations ready, I used Star Print Brokers to design the book. Nancy Starkman is an extremely talented and professional book designer. She took my vision and made it even better. It was a very fun process to watch the book come to life!

Julie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I live in Dallas, Texas with my husband, David, and my three children, Walt, Alice, and Kate. They were my inspiration for Our Long-Expected Gift. After learning of the Jesse Tree Advent, I yearned for a book that David and I could read to our children each night in December. I also have a passion for God Word’s and a desperate desire to share God’s incredible story and deep love with everyone. I often tell people that nothing qualifies me to write a book. I do not have any English background (I was actually a pediatric oncology nurse before having kids), and I didn’t go to any type of seminary school, but I have a passion. I have a love for Jesus, and I truly believe that He put Our Long-Expected Gift on my heart to write.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

With the excitement, the chaos, the energy, and the weariness that December brings, all hearts need a resting place. It can be hard to focus on Jesus when there are so many other dazzling distractions around us. Our Long-Expected Gift is meant to help bring Jesus back into focus. It is meant to give families a reason to stop, to sit, and to listen to God’s Christmas story. My true mission and desire is to bring the focus back to Jesus at Christmastime. With this book, families come together for a short devotional each day in December. The rhymes and watercolors are able to capture the attention of people of all ages.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

One of my favorite stories is how I found my illustrator. I had a specific vision for what the illustrations would look like. I knew I wanted watercolor, and I wanted the artist to somehow incorporate the Biblical stories into modern-day Christmas scenes. I searched for a long time for what I thought was the perfect illustrator. I did my research. I had meeting after meeting with artists. I got my hopes up too many times to count. In the end, every artist told me they were not interested or too busy. In the midst of my despair over this situation, I was looking at a piece of art at a friend’s house and fell in love with it. When I asked about the artist, she told me it was her sister, Kate Gouws. I looked at Kate’s business Instagram account (@madebykateg) and prayed that she would illustrate my book. But I had very little faith that she would want to do it. When we had our first call, her passion and excitement for this project was palpable. I gave her my vision, and when she came back with her first drafts, I was completely blown away. It was more than I could have asked or imagined. What I didn’t know before finding Kate was how important it would be to find an illustrator with a profound knowledge of the Bible and a deep relationship with God. To me, her illustrations are pure genius. We like to say there are hidden meanings in plain sight. Not only are the watercolors gorgeous, but they provoke thought and discussion. They make you dive even deeper into God’s Word.

Contact Info:

• Website: julieowenmeyer.com
• Instagram: @ourlongexpectedgift

Image Credits
Libby Herwig