Meet Julie Carobini - Interview & Book Giveaway

It’s my great pleasure to present breath-of-fresh-air author Julie Carobini! Her latest novel, Truffles by the Sea is the follow up to Chocolate Beach Let’s meet Julie.

The Bio

Julie Carobini writes beach stories for the ‘young at heart.’ Her novel, Chocolate Beach, debuted in February 2007, and her second book, Truffles by the Sea, will be released by Bethany House Publishers in February 2008. Inspired by God's grace, coastal living, and her rambunctious family, Julie lives with her husband Dan, and their three children in Southern California.

The Interview

JA: Your current novel is Truffles by the Sea. Tell us a little bit about it.
JC: I’d love to! This is the story of Gaby Flores, the best friend from my first novel, Chocolate Beach. Poor Gaby has a penchant for drama and an unfortunate knack for dating Mr. So Wrong. After breaking off yet 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.

JA: So far, your heroines have quite an affinity for the beach, as do you. Are there any other traits you share with them?
JC: Let’s see. Bri, lovable as she is, can be a bit snarky at times (shame on her, shame on me ;). Gaby’s actually pretty sweet but gullible; she has trouble discerning the truth at times, as do I.

JA: This is the second of your chocolate-themed books. How did you come up with the concept? Per chance, were you on the beach, eating chocolates?
JC: Well, hm, not exactly ;) Bri, the beach chick heroine of Chocolate Beach is a terrible cook, but she bakes a mean tray of brownies. So it made sense to put Bri’s two passions together in that book. In Truffles by the Sea, Gaby’s a single, working woman under a ton of stress, and Bri’s too busy with her own life to bake her brownies. So Gaby turns to truffles from a local chocolatier. What’s especially funny to me is that she’s broke, yet she manages to scrape together a few coins here and there to feed her obsession. Can anyone relate?

JA: I can relate. In college, I would hunt down loose change so I could by M&Ms! What do you hope people take away when they finish reading your books?
JC: I hope readers are entertained, and that they feel as if they were whisked away to a relaxing place. And yet, they’ll hopefully see that while life’s full of curve balls, being grounded in faith will keep them from getting nailed.

JA: I have to say that visiting your website is like stepping into a refreshing, sandy get-away. Great job on setting a mood! Your tagline is Faith, Flip Flops & Waves of Grace. What does that mean to you?
JC: I thought hard about that tagline. While I want readers to know they’ll experience elements of faith in my writings, it will never be heavy handed. We serve a God who liberally offers grace to all who call him Lord, and my stories are about women who need that in heavy doses. And the flip flops represent both the beachy locales of my stories along with the breezy, humorous style I’m committed to writing.

JA: What’s next for you in the writing arena?
JC: Thanks for asking! I’m working on a book about a woman’s quest to honor her father’s memory by moving her family back to their hometown only to uncover secrets that destroy the fairy tale life she believed they all had once lived. This story is set along the majestic Central California Coast.

JA: What’s something that people would be surprised to learn about you?
JC: I can be such a hermit.

JA: If you’re headed out to the beach for some relaxing and lounging, what books might find their way into your tote bag?
JC: You’ll always find a copy of Coastal Living, that’s for sure. As for books, you’d probably find a Billerbeck or a Gutteridge—stuff that makes me laugh. You’d also find a notebook with my scribblings because when I get inspired, I want to write it down!

JA: Last but not least, how can people keep up with the latest Julie Carobini publishing news?
JC: Oh, thanks for asking, Jennifer, and thanks too for letting me visit today! Readers, please stop by my website at www.juliecarobini.com, where you’ll find info on obtaining a signed bookplate, my latest news, and the occasional chocolate giveaway.

Thank you, Julie, and continued blessings on your writing journey!

Win the Book

Truffles by the Sea is in stores now, but you can win a copy here. Just leave a reply to this blog. The winner will be picked at random on February 19th. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!