FADE TO BLUE - Julie Carobini - Free Book

Welcome back, Julie. Tell us a little about yourself and your background.

Sure! I write seaside stories filled with faith, flip flops, and waves of grace. My family and I make our home on California’s central coast, and I’ve written five novels plus hundreds of published articles on everything from parenting, to team building in the workplace, to Christian surf dudes on a mission.

How did you become interested in writing?
                                                                                                                

My father wrote magazine articles on the side, including interviews with entertainers such as Fred Astaire and Fred MacMurray. Always loved that! I too became an article writer almost twenty years ago, but I always yearned to create fiction. I wrote two novels that did not sell, but as they say, third time’s a charm, and my debut novel, Chocolate Beach, released in 2007 (re-released with recipes in 2011 as an eBook). By that time, I had a renewed faith in God as well as a redefined focus on the kinds of stories he was leading me to write.

                              

What compelled you to write a book on this subject?

Ever since the inception of the Otter Bay Novels with Sweet Waters, I’ve wanted to set a book with the famed Hearst Castle as its backdrop. So much intrigue and mystery about that real castle on the hill and its eccentric, yet astute owner. Of course, novels are more than their location.  So after writing the 2^nd of these stand-alone novels, A Shore Thing, even I longed to know what happened next for the big-hearted, single mom from that story.  Fade to Blue satisfies that curiosity … J

What is the main theme or point that you want readers to understand from reading your book? Are there any other themes present in the book?
                                                                                                                     

Writing this story was much like holding a seashell, constantly turning it over in my hand.  Though they’re often tossed into the sea with nary a glance, seashells are intricately beautiful—even when broken.  The more I examined the shattered life of Suz—the heroine of Fade to Blue—the more beauty I found.  Only the One who restores our souls can make that happen.

Are there some specific lessons you hope readers will learn and apply to their lives after reading your book?

I hope readers get lost in the story and the beautiful setting, that they revel in God’s creation as much as I did while writing it. I also hope they experience the Good Shepherd’s gentle leading (Psalm 23), and fall in the love with the concepts of forgiveness, sacrifice, and grace—as  much as they do the breathtaking locale. 

What makes your book different than any other books similar to yours that are in circulation today? 

     

Although I’ve been compared to some amazing writers—something that humbles me—I also know that God made each one of us uniquely. I knew you even before you were conceived. Jeremiah 1:4-5. One unique aspect of my books is the focus on God’s creation of the sea and everything in it. My characters have loved dolphins, sea lions, otters—even giant, glowing sea anemones. But they take that admiration a step further by drawing closer to the God who made such beauty.

                                                                                                                                                                               

How does the book intertwine with God’s call on your life and how you are currently serving Him?     

     

This story reminds me not to dwell on the past, but to prayerfully, joyfully—and ‘hope’fully—move forward. Such lessons there! Suz Mitchell made mistakes in her past—so have I—yet healing brokenness and restoring souls is God’s business. Praise him for that!

                                                                                    

Do you have a favorite Scripture verse?

I have more than one favorite, but this one’s been spinning in my mind again lately: Psalm 19:14     NIV, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

When you are not writing, what do you like to do? Do you have any hobbies?  

      

I love to comb the beach, to jog the sand with Charlie the Dog, and take coffee breaks with my husband—so adore that man!
                                                                                                                                          

As we close, is there anything else you would like to add?

Just that I hope people reading this are encouraged to follow their heart’s desires with the Good Shepherd as their guide. God took all the lows and highs in my life and created something new with them. Although I’d always wanted to write, I had no inkling that I’d be writing beach-themed novels one day. I just kept praying and writing and seeking until an idea popped into my head. I followed that idea, and now find myself talking about my fifth novel filled with ‘waves of grace.’  Be encouraged!

How can my readers find you and your new book on the Internet?

Website: www.juliecarobini.com

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Fade-Blue-Otter-Bay-Novel/dp/0805448748/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_5

Barnes & Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Fade-to-Blue/Julie-Carobini/e/9780805448740/?itm=2

CBD.com: http://www.christianbook.com/fade-to-blue-otter-bay/julie-carobini/9780805448740/pd/448743?item_code=WW&netp_id=864211&event=EBRN&view=details

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The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 6 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

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Author Julie Carobini - TRUFFLES BY THE SEA - Free Book

I can't think of anything better than two of my favorite things together--chocolate and a large body of salt water with a nice beach. That's why Julie Carobini's books caught my attention.

Welcome, Julie. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

Life is tough, so I like to write books that incorporate aspects of humor and faith into trials. Frankly, this is how God has worked in my life.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

Marrying my husband Dan because that set the stage for many other happy days, like giving birth to my kids—and my books :-)

How has being published changed your life?

Finally seeing my books in print is a dream come true, but I have found that there’s less time to write because of all the marketing that is required—ha! Yet ‘getting the word out’ is important so that readers can find my books, so I’m learning ways to balance it all. Sometimes, though, I just chuck the work and go to the beach ;)

What are you reading right now?

Jane Austen’s Emma.

What is your current work in progress?

I’m working on the story of a woman’s quest to honor her father’s memory by talking her sisters into moving back to their small, coastal hometown. Once there, she uncovers secrets that destroy the fairy tale life she believed they all had once lived.

Sounds interesting. What would be your dream vacation?

I long to relax on a sunny beach in a swimsuit that’s kind to me, hee-hee! Seriously, I’m not someone who likes to fill every minute of vacation with stuff to do. Instead, I’d love to wander and linger and not have to set foot in a kitchen.

My kind of vacation, too. How do you choose your settings for each book?

I set my books in coastal areas as a way to point readers to God’s infinite creativity. I also choose places that have quirky, interesting qualities, so that the setting is almost a character in itself.

If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

Wow, what a fun question! I’d probably hang out with Brittany Spears and tell her about Jesus.

Interesting that you should say that. I've prayed for her salvation and for Paris Hilton's for years. What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

With three kiddos and a career, there’s not a whole lot of extra time for hobbies, however, in spring and summer, my husband and I love to kayak in local waters. And my teen daughter and I regularly watch chick-flicks together—bonding time, you know.

I often take my daughter and granddaughters to chick clicks. What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

Focus. My mind works fast—too fast sometimes, and I’ve got to work hard to rein it in and finish the task at hand. I give myself treats, like a dog, to stay motivated (although my treat of choice is a hunk of chocolate as opposed to a bone ;).

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Surrender the career stuff to God through prayer, and learn the craft because strong writing draws interest. Some ways to do this: take an editing or journalism class at your local college (I did this as a refresher and learned a ton), attend writing conferences and practice what you’re taught, and study books on craft, such as Jim Bell’s Plot and Structure.

Now, Julie, tell us about the featured book.

Sure! Truffles by the Sea is the story of Gaby Flores, a gal with a penchant for disaster. After breaking off another relationship, watching her apartment building burn to the ground, and discovering that her dippy delivery guy has run off with most of her business, our heroine decides it’s time to turn things around.

So she moves to a tiny waterfront loft and takes on a new motto: “Be gullible no more!” But when legal troubles and quirky neighbors and two surprising romances enter her beachy world, Gaby’s motto and fledgling faith are put to the test.

And, of course, there are the truffles…

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Thanks so much for having me here today Lena! Readers, for more info please stop by my website at www.juliecarobini.com or blog, where I occasionally give away chocolates ;): www.juliecarobini.blogspot.com

Thank you, Julie, we'll all have to check out your web site and blog. Who wouldn't want to win chocolate.

Readers, want to win a free copy of Truffles by the Sea? Leave a comment.