Lori DeJong (pronounced DeeYung) is an award-winning contemporary Christian romance author who enjoys penning stories full of grace and the redemptive power of God’s love that inspire others to hope regardless of circumstance, find joy in the moment, and grow in their faith.
Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Lori arrived in Texas in 2005 and dug those roots right in. She currently resides in beautiful Georgetown, north of Austin, with her husband of thirty years. Other than their two fur-babies, their nest is empty, as their daughter and son-in-law are settled in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.
Lori loves to write about love and romance and all that fun stuff, with a firm foundation of faith. Clean but sassy, sparkly, and even goose-bumpy romance, with God in the middle and characters seeking and learning and changing, couldn’t be more heartwarming or spine-tingly.
Lori's debut novel, Love's True Calling, released in 2023, was the 2022 winner of the ACFW Genesis Award for Romance, a double finalist in the 2024 Selah Awards, and was named the 2023 Scrivenings Press Contemporary Book of the Year. Love’s True Home, released in June 2024, was also a Selah finalist. Love’s True Measure, released in June 2025, won second place in the Angel Awards, and Lori's Christmas novella, Jingle Bell Matchmakers, a part of "A Match Made at Christmas" novella collection, was named a 2025 ACFW Carol Award finalist and place first in the Angel Awards.
Visit Lori DeJong online
Mistletoe and Malice, Guarded Hearts Series, Book One
He’s sworn to protect her life . . . but guarding his heart may be his biggest challenge. After barely escaping an attempted abduction, Houston attorney Riley Hudson is forced to accept her wealthy father's demand for private security. The last thing she wants is a bodyguard—especially one as maddeningly arrogant, bossy … and handsome as Colton Blankenship. Yet as the threat against her escalates, she begins to rely not only on his skills, but his steadfast presence. Colton isn’t thrilled about giving up his hard-earned holiday vacation to protect a spoiled heiress. But he soon learns Riley is nothing like he expected. Fierce, independent, and unwavering in her faith, she’s everything he thought he’d left behind after tragedy shattered his own beliefs. As the unknown threat circles closer, the tension between them ignites into something deeper ... and far more perilous. When a second attempt on Riley’s life nearly succeeds, Colton faces a terrifying truth. Protecting her means risking more than just his life. Haunted by a past he can't outrun, and a faith he’s all but lost, he must decide if he can trust God again ... before he loses Riley—and his heart—for good.
- ISBN: 1649175353
- Publisher: Scrivenings Press
Interview With Lori DeJong 2025
When did you feel called to become an author?
I believe I felt the pull or call to be an author early on. In the early 2000’s, I came across a list of goals from several years before where I had written for a long-term goal, “to be a published author.” I wasn’t even writing when I jotted that down, so there had to be something inside of me pulling me that direction. I joined a writers’ group in 2002 and finally dedicated myself to write Christian fiction in 2004.
What did you learn while writing this book?
That if I put my mind and a lot of hard work behind it, I can learn and accomplish new things. I might not be able to build a car from spare parts, no matter how much I research it. Haha! But this romantic suspense was a challenge since my first three novels and novella were strictly contemporary romance. I really enjoyed diving into it, working through all the twists and turns, and am happy with the result.
What is the toughest part of writing in your genre?
In romance, the reader already knows how it ends when they pick it up, that the protagonists will be together. The fun or suspense is in the journey. The author has to make that journey worth the reader sticking around to see the ending. A satisfying pay-off only comes if the investment in the rest of the story was worth the time the reader gave to it.
If someone were to look at your Google search history (all for research of course!), what types of things would we find?
Lots of bodyguard and security services information, inquiries into the appeals process for Texas, all things Houston, and prison visit regulations, to name a few. For the second book, I’m having to do quite a bit of research into large animal veterinary practices, including animal behavior, ailments, treatment, and so on. I’ve also researched gambling addiction and nefarious ways one might employ to pay that off. I’m sure that would look very odd to someone who doesn’t understand I’m a writer.
If you could have coffee with an author, dead or alive, whose work you admire, who would that be? What would you ask him or her?
I’m a huge Anne of Green Gables fan, so I think it would be Lucy Maud Montgomery. I’d love to know how she came up with such an endearing character and story concept that has stood the test of time so well.
What’s your go-to drink while writing?
Just plain old water. Very cold water.
If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Start writing earlier. Short stories, journaling, short novels or novellas. Find a writing community and learn the craft. And when life gets hard, don’t quit. I didn’t write from 2009 to 2020 because of some upheaval in our lives that made it hard to keep my focus or stay inspired to keep writing. I’d love to have those eleven years back, but I can only move forward. I’m so thankful for my friend who invited me to her ACFW chapter in late 2019. That’s when the fire started burning again.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not writing?
I love to read, and I enjoy jigsaw puzzles (usually online—no missing pieces). I also like to watch competition shows on Food Network. The holiday baking ones are my favorite.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
Way too many to list them all here. At the top are What Brings Us Joy by Teresa Wells, When Plans Go Awry by Denise Colby (and the next two in that series), the next few books in Robin Patchen’s Wright Heroes of Maine books, and the Jeopardy Falls series from Dani Pettrey.
What can we look forward to next?
The Quiet Watch, Book Two of the Guarded Hearts Series, releases next September. I’m busy writing Trevor and Kinsley’s story with a brother’s best friend trope and a wounded warrior trying to outrun guilt and self-recrimination over circumstances outside of his control. Which becomes more of a challenge as he realizes Kinsley’s in trouble and there’s nobody else with his particular skill set who can help, if only she would let him.
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Jessica Baker loves sharing her passion for reading with others and connecting readers with authors. In addition to blogging at A Baker’s Perspective, Jessica is a virtual assistant, proofreader, and runs her own business. Though she wishes she had a library like Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Jessica realizes the importance of sharing her books with the world to tell the story, and donates many books to her local library. Jessica Baker lives Central New York with her husband, three cats, and two ducks.
I believe I felt the pull or call to be an author early on. In the early 2000’s, I came across a list of goals from several years before where I had written for a long-term goal, “to be a published author.” I wasn’t even writing when I jotted that down, so there had to be something inside of me pulling me that direction. I joined a writers’ group in 2002 and finally dedicated myself to write Christian fiction in 2004.
What did you learn while writing this book?
That if I put my mind and a lot of hard work behind it, I can learn and accomplish new things. I might not be able to build a car from spare parts, no matter how much I research it. Haha! But this romantic suspense was a challenge since my first three novels and novella were strictly contemporary romance. I really enjoyed diving into it, working through all the twists and turns, and am happy with the result.
What is the toughest part of writing in your genre?
In romance, the reader already knows how it ends when they pick it up, that the protagonists will be together. The fun or suspense is in the journey. The author has to make that journey worth the reader sticking around to see the ending. A satisfying pay-off only comes if the investment in the rest of the story was worth the time the reader gave to it.
If someone were to look at your Google search history (all for research of course!), what types of things would we find?
Lots of bodyguard and security services information, inquiries into the appeals process for Texas, all things Houston, and prison visit regulations, to name a few. For the second book, I’m having to do quite a bit of research into large animal veterinary practices, including animal behavior, ailments, treatment, and so on. I’ve also researched gambling addiction and nefarious ways one might employ to pay that off. I’m sure that would look very odd to someone who doesn’t understand I’m a writer.
If you could have coffee with an author, dead or alive, whose work you admire, who would that be? What would you ask him or her?
I’m a huge Anne of Green Gables fan, so I think it would be Lucy Maud Montgomery. I’d love to know how she came up with such an endearing character and story concept that has stood the test of time so well.
What’s your go-to drink while writing?
Just plain old water. Very cold water.
If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Start writing earlier. Short stories, journaling, short novels or novellas. Find a writing community and learn the craft. And when life gets hard, don’t quit. I didn’t write from 2009 to 2020 because of some upheaval in our lives that made it hard to keep my focus or stay inspired to keep writing. I’d love to have those eleven years back, but I can only move forward. I’m so thankful for my friend who invited me to her ACFW chapter in late 2019. That’s when the fire started burning again.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not writing?
I love to read, and I enjoy jigsaw puzzles (usually online—no missing pieces). I also like to watch competition shows on Food Network. The holiday baking ones are my favorite.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
Way too many to list them all here. At the top are What Brings Us Joy by Teresa Wells, When Plans Go Awry by Denise Colby (and the next two in that series), the next few books in Robin Patchen’s Wright Heroes of Maine books, and the Jeopardy Falls series from Dani Pettrey.
What can we look forward to next?
The Quiet Watch, Book Two of the Guarded Hearts Series, releases next September. I’m busy writing Trevor and Kinsley’s story with a brother’s best friend trope and a wounded warrior trying to outrun guilt and self-recrimination over circumstances outside of his control. Which becomes more of a challenge as he realizes Kinsley’s in trouble and there’s nobody else with his particular skill set who can help, if only she would let him.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Jessica Baker loves sharing her passion for reading with others and connecting readers with authors. In addition to blogging at A Baker’s Perspective, Jessica is a virtual assistant, proofreader, and runs her own business. Though she wishes she had a library like Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Jessica realizes the importance of sharing her books with the world to tell the story, and donates many books to her local library. Jessica Baker lives Central New York with her husband, three cats, and two ducks.
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