#SaturdaySpotlight is on Joie Lesin & The Passenger!

 Good Morning and Welcome to the first non-holiday edition of Saturday Spotlight in 2025!

I hope you enjoyed the All Christmas thru Christmas posts and that you are ready for some non-holiday books.

I know I am LOL! I DO love Christmas but with all the year long hype, it's not as fun for me as it used to be.

Anyway, what better way to begin a new year than with an author who is brand new to our blog? 

Please give Joie Lesin a huge SW Louisiana Hoo-Ra!

Tell us a little about your brand new book, Joie...

The Passenger, a 1940s ghost story set in the California wine country, tells a tale of family connections, life-changing choices, and love—lost and found.

Blurb: Burdened with her empathic gift, Elizabeth Reilly wants to be free of it and fit in with normal people. Nevertheless, when the spirit of an old man asks for her help, she travels across the country to help him return home. Gio Clemente is still angry with his father who abandoned him as a child. To help the father pass on, Elizabeth must persuade Gio to let go of his anger. Though he resents her intrusion, they are both stunned to find themselves fighting a profound attraction. Elizabeth can accept his headstrong brand of love, but can Gio accept her gift—and believe in her?

Excerpt: Elizabeth’s stomach churned in nervous knots. She squirmed on the cloth seat, and her foot twitched. If he heard her erratic heartbeat, he’d realize how frantic she was—and hot. Perspiration built up on her forehead. Grabbing the metal handle, she rolled down the squeaking window, and inhaled the pure air. The fragrances of the forest filled her senses—the resinous scent of pine, the earthiness of soil, and damp detritus of fallen branches and decaying leaves. The surrounding land was alive, vibrant, and something more she couldn’t quite identify. Somehow, the vehicle they drove in and the path it traveled seemed out of place.

Gravel on the uneven road crunched and ground under the truck’s tires. Elizabeth sat straight in her seat and stole stiff, awkward glimpses at Giovanni. A frown marked his lips. His lean, well-defined face held soulful eyes bringing to her mind images of the sad little boy he must have been.

A thin red scar stretched down his right cheek and she itched to run a finger along the faded edges. She’d caress his stubble-shadowed chin and tell him how terribly his father missed him. Instead, she stared out the truck window.

**Oh WOW, Joie, if this blurb and excerpt doesn't get readers' attention, I don't know what will! What makes this book special for you?

Perhaps, it’s a bit cliché to say this is the book of my heart, but I can wholeheartedly tell you that it is. To understand why I say this, I need to take you back to the distant (or not-so-distant depending on how one looks at it) past when a girl (that’s me) of sixteen first met the character that would become Paolo Clemente, my ghost from The Passenger. Okay, so I didn’t meet him in the actual physical sense. No, in fact, I was on the bus on the way home from school entertaining myself with my “what if” game where I imagined lives for strangers—complete with backstories. This is where the idea for the character that launched this story first came to life for me. 

Now keep in mind, I’d drafted more than one treatment for this story. Names changed and so did the plot, but what remained constant was Paolo and the woman who would become the main character, Elizabeth. It wasn’t until sixteen years later, that I finally sat down to write what would become book we have today.

So, you see, I had no choice other than to write this story that has lived in my head for so long. What’s more, I now delight in sharing these characters that have become so near and dear to my heart with readers.

**Yep, I think we can all relate to that! Such great inspiration for a story though. Thanks for sharing. Where can readers find The Passenger?

Published by The Wild Rose Press, The Passenger can be found at Amzon in Ebook and Print, B&N, Apple Books, and GoodReads. OR it can be purchased directly from the Publisher.

**Perfect! Do you have a bio, website and links for readers to find and follow you?

Yes! Below are my bio and links...

Award-winning author, Joie Lesin is a life-long fiction writer and poet. She is most recently the author of The Passenger (The Wild Rose Press, 2024). She has long been fascinated by anything otherworldly including mermaids and ghosts. Joie writes character-driven, emotional, atmospheric tales about heartache and hope.

Originally from Massachusetts, at six years old, Joie moved to her mother’s birthplace, Minnesota. By eight, Joie lost her New England accent, however, it's gradually returning as the years go by. She grew up in Minneapolis but now resides in St. Paul with her husband and their blended family—which includes a rambunctious grand-corgi.

Joie misses the ocean, but she often finds herself walking by one of Minnesota’s many lakes and travels to one of the coasts as often as she can. In fact, she considers California her home away from home. When she’s not writing, reading, or walking, you can find her listening to music. She absolutely loves music—especially live—and songs have sparked most of her story ideas.

Find and follow Joie at her Website, Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok

THANK YOU SO, Much, Joie for sharing with us today! We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with your books.

Well Friends, I hope you enjoyed this week's spotlight. Join us every week for a new author and his/her book(s).

Until next time, be blessed and keep reading.

PamT

PS: If you love to travel, check out my travel blog Bathroom Blues as I reminisce over the places I've been. AND if you love spiritual development and growth, follow my journey on Rainbows, Potholes & Nuggets of Gold!