Today, the lovely and sweet Julie Carobini is joining us. A fellow ACFW member, Julie lives on California'as central coast and writes seaside novels. She and her husband Dan have three children. A Shore Thing released in July, and Fade To Blue will find its way to the shelves in summer 2011.

Julie, do you have a favorite chocolate indulgence?

Mmmm ... milk chocolate covered toffee by See's. (My family knows that whenever we get a pound of See's candy ... never touch the toffee!) It's kind of an upscale version of a Heath bar. Love it!

It looks like we may have some things in common, as your books often have chocolate and ocean themes. What inspired that? Do you intend to weave them into your future books?

All that chocolaty goodness in Chocolate Beach and Truffles by the Sea provided solace for my poor heroines. (I can relate, can you?) These days I write seaside novels filled with faith, flip flops and waves of grace. While there's not a lot of chocolate in my new series, the Otter Bay Novels, there is a dramatic seaside locale, plenty of conflict, elements of faith ~ and romance. These are the threads I plan to tie and untie in future books too.

Give your own definition of chick lit.

Defunct. Kidding. Maybe I should say "evolving." When reading one, you can't help but feel like Alice falling into the wonderland of the main character's mind. My favorites are written in first person and they don't feel like the heroine's talking to a reader ~ they feel like she's talking to me. Also, the characters often sound unfiltered, like they speak first and think later. An abundance of snarkyness might explain why the genre has tumbled from its throne, but I also see the more attractive traits of -lit books, such as humor, voice and closely-written point-of-view, showing up in other genres.

Do you have any chick lit-like moments from your own life that you could share?

You mean like the time I was so nervous about meeting my new boyfriend's (now husband's) business associates that when taking my seat I shook the table hard enough to nearly topple their drinks? No, I couldn't share that ...

Do you have any writing quirks?

Julee Schwarzburg edited my next book, Fade to Blue, and gave me a list of my "favorite words." This was her very kind way of pointing out those words I overuse. The one that sticks out to me now is 'wag' or variations of it: wagged, wagging, wags ... My characters wag their heads way too much, apparently ;)

If you were going to co-author a novel, who would you choose? Why?

That's a toughie because I already have a few co-authors, namely God and all the characters I talk to in my office. If he or she could get along with all of us, then sure, I'd consider a co-author.

What are one or two of your favorite lit novels from the CBA?

I have a dog-eared copy of My Life as a Doormat (in Three Acts) by Rene Gutteridge. I've read it that often.

Where would you go on your dream “research” trip, and would you take anyone with you? Who?

Any place coastal ~ Italy, French Riviera, Hawaii ~ and I'd take my husband Dan because he's as curious as I am. I would also love to write a novel set on our southern coast some day, however, because southerners are just so friendly!

If you weren’t pursuing writing, is there another dream career you might be chasing?

In addition to writing, I run JuliesBeachShop.com and would love to travel the world searching for quirky treasures to fill it :)

Finally, share two pieces of advice—one writing-related and one not.

1. On writing ~ Go to writer’s conferences. I know they can be expensive, but our God is extravagantly generous. When my college-aged son was a baby, I didn’t have the resources to attend a week-long conference. Then ‘out of the blue’ I was invited to participate in that sought-after conference—for free. It’s a long story, but to this day I’m grateful for the way God answered the prayer for provision. Through conferences I have made lifelong friends, I’ve met editors and, of course, I’ve learned much about writing and marketing. Find a way—some conferences offer grants—and go!

2.  Whatever it is you do for work, take a real break from it each day. No email, phone calls, FB, etc. I need to follow my own advice more often, really, I do. But whenever I do step away from the computer and take a walk by the beach (I live nearby) or go grab a cappuccino, I'm AMAZED at how much better I'm able to tackle what needs to be done!

Thanks for having me here today, Jenness! Best to you and Tracy!

Thank you, Julie!


To learn more about Julie and her writing, check out her website. She has also graciously offered to give away a copy of her recent release A Shore Thing. You can get your name put into the hat up to four times. 1. Tweet this link and let us know. 2. Post this link on your facebook and let us know. 3. Follow our blog. 4. Comment below, telling us about your dream research trip (aka vacation).