Award-winning author Leslie DeVooght writes women’s fiction with faith, love, laughter, and a lot of Southern charm. Her stories are inspired by romcoms, coastal Georgia, and fried okra! When Leslie isn’t writing, she volunteers with several organizations, cheers on her three children, and enjoys date nights with her husband, who loves that she researches kissing.
Harlequin: Tell us about yourself. Our readers want to know!
Leslie DeVooght: My professional life started as a prosecutor and then a magistrate judge in Coastal Georgia. But when my family relocated to Florida, I happily left law behind and focused on my writing. In May, my husband and I will celebrate our twenty-fourth anniversary, and my second child will graduate from high school. I feel so blessed to have been able to raise three amazing children while pursuing my dream of being a published author.
H: What led you to becoming a romance writer?
LD: I seriously believe all great stories include a romance. I think it’s a part of who I am. I’ve never written a story without some romance. Of course, I haven’t really tried because what would be the fun in that?
H: What were the big steps in your journey to becoming a published author?
LD: After I wrote my first book, I went to a writers conference and learned that books about college age people are a hard sell, but I also learned about Love Inspired. The next book I wrote was a contemporary romance, and it landed me my agent and several writing awards. About the same time, I learned about flash fiction and placed in a national competition and had my first romance story published. A few years later, a small group of my friends and I bought Spark Flash Fiction Magazine. Many years and many books later, I won the coveted ACFW Genesis award for a full length contemporary novel. My agent also sent a proposal to Love Inspired. The book was about a soccer player, and they were looking for sports themed books. Before I knew it, I was signing my first contract.
H: What advice would you offer aspiring writers?
LD: Do not give up, but while you are waiting, work on your craft and support other authors. Being teachable is so important to being successful. My community of writers have become some of my closest friends without them I may have given up.
H: What did you do when you got the call from Harlequin?
LD: We had just finished supper, and I don’t even know why I checked my email. When I saw my agent’s name, my heart nearly stopped. I opened the email with Shana’s offer and honestly couldn’t believe it. I handed the phone to my husband as I said, “I think I just got a contract. Read this.” He confirmed the offer and went to the store for a bottle of bubbly to celebrate. I immediately called my daughter at college and my parents. She was in rehearsal and started screaming. When I visited recently, all her friends congratulated me. It was so special for them to see that perseverance pays off.
Now let’s hear from the editor, Shana Asaro:
We had been talking about trying out some sports romances in Love Inspired when I started reading this manuscript, and it was the absolute perfect mix of sports with the home and family elements that define Love Inspired. I immediately fell in love with the hero’s nephew and how the heroine connects with him using soccer and healthy cooking to help bring him out of the grief of losing his parents. The whole story is so sweet and heartwarming, and I can’t wait for everyone to have the chance to read it!
