About the Book

Book: Love’s True Measure

Author: Lori DeJong

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: June 10, 2025

Shannon Trent has dedicated her life to ministering to teens, even as she hides secrets that haunt her past. Born into privilege, she’s built a simpler life away from the expectations of her influential family. She’s content on her own, believing that to open her heart would mean unearthing her deepest shame. But when her charming neighbor stirs feelings she’s never allowed herself to entertain, his lack of faith provides the perfect excuse to keep her distance.

Hunter Kavanaugh has spent years chasing his dream career. But when his mother’s sudden death leaves him the sole guardian of his teenage sister, his carefully curated world begins to crumble. Struggling with grief, anger at God, and the demands of his job, Hunter is surprised when Shannon’s unwavering faith begins to resonate with him—and her ability to connect with his sister draws him closer.

As Hunter and Shannon navigate their growing bond, unexpected challenges force them to confront their fears and priorities. Both must either choose to trust God’s plan is far greater than their own, or risk losing the love of a lifetime.

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Author Interview

Do you consider yourself a plotter or a pantser (or a hybrid)?
 A hybrid, I guess, but leaning more toward a pantser. I do a huge amount of character
development, and from that my plot tends to take shape. Then I identify the five main
plot points of the book and start writing scenes by the seat of my pants from one plot
point to the next. But knowing my characters inside and out is what makes that work.
Otherwise, I would have no idea where to go because I wouldn’t know how they would
react to certain things, what they want to do with their lives, what their fears are, what
their hopes are. I need to know all of that and so much more in order to have any
direction for the story.

What is your favorite part about writing?
 Apart from actually writing the story, it’s the character development I do for each book.
I take weeks and study up on Enneagram types, birth order, love language, and
personality tests to determine how my characters react to the world around them. I
know their goals, their hopes, their fears, their upbringing. I know their favorite color,
favorite food, what kind of car they drive, where they live, what kind of clothes they
wear, their hobbies, their careers. I know their faith story and whether they’re walking
with the Lord or in a crisis of faith. I live with these “people” day in and day out for
awhile before I ever start telling their story. And it’s a blast.

What is your least favorite part about writing?
 Probably all the business stuff that goes with it. I’m not great at social media, and I
struggle with what to put in a newsletter that I think would interest folks. Marketing is
not my strong suit, especially when I’d rather be writing. But as much as we would
rather consider ourselves creatives putting our stories out into the world, the reality is it
is still a business. Even as Christian writers. I’m not under the impression I’ll ever get rich
as an author. Precious few actually do. But if I don’t market my books, the message God
gave me to tell through that story won’t end up in the hands of someone who really
needs to see it. Someone who needs to know the redemptive love of God, that they can
put their hope and their future in His hands. That they can truly know peace in the midst
of turmoil. That’s why it’s important to do it, even though it’s not exactly in my
wheelhouse.

What is your writing space like?
 Depends on the day. Even the hour. I usually write in a chair or on the couch in our
family room, or sitting up against pillows on the bed. But in our new house, we actually
have a room I’m making into my writing area. It has a little desk, bookcases, and also a
day bed. So, I’ll write sometimes in the family room, then move to my writing room and
either work at my desk or sitting amidst all the cushions on the day bed. I also love to
write other places other than home. Coffee shops or the library. That’s actually very
productive for me to get away from the house to write.

When did you become a writer?
 I’d been interested in pursuing it for a long time before I started writing on my own back
in the late 1990’s. After completing several manuscripts, I decided to join a national
writers’ organization in 2002, and that’s when I realized that writing is a craft that has to
be honed and practiced. I committed myself to learning all I could and went to
conferences, took writing classes, and read more craft books than I can remember.
Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, my family went through a
season of hardship starting in 2009, and I didn’t write for about eleven years, finally
coming back to it in 2020. I wish I hadn’t lost that decade, but it’s been such a joy
rediscovering my love for writing over the last five years. So, I guess the answer to that
question would be I became a writer pursuing publication in 2002, and I became a
published writer in 2023.

About the Author

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-plus years. Other than their two fur-babies, their nest is empty, as their daughter graduated from college and settled in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area with her husband, and the sweetest grand-dog ever.

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”, Book One of her True Calling Series, was the 2020 winner of the Scrivenings Press Novel Starts Contest, winner of the 2022 ACFW Genesis Award for Romance, 2023 Scrivenings Press Contemporary Book of the Year, and a doubl-finalist in the 2024 Selah Awards. “Love’s True Home” was released in 2024 and is a 2025 Selah Awards finalist.

More from Lori

As soon as Shannon Trent showed up in chapter one of my debut novel, Love’s True Calling, I knew she had a story. That there was something underneath all that joy and spunk that haunted her. That she felt she had to hide.

Although born to a life of privilege, she doesn’t want her name to be the measure of her worth. Determined to live a simpler life, she dials in to her faith, only wanting to be and do whatever God says she should be and do.

Hunter Kavanaugh, on the other hand, has overcome the instability of his teenage years to forge his own path. He’s made something of himself by his own grit and determination, and he measures his worth in terms of his success and the things it provides him.

When these two literally run into each other outside their building, his grumpy disposition, and obvious high-powered job, leave Shannon unimpressed. No matter how handsome he might be, she has no intention of getting to know this neighbor any better.

But God …

When these two meet up again, a friendship blossoms. Her heart threatens to take her somewhere she’s never been before, but his unbelief gives her the perfect reason to keep her emotional distance.

When God gave me this story concept, I was a little intimidated. Would I be able to convey the heart of a good man who didn’t have faith? Would I be able to flesh out a woman who had an abundance of faith yet still harbored shame from her past?

But as I started writing this story, I fell in love with these two and their journey to discover the true measure of their worth … and the true measure of love.