Extra powdered sugar, please!

I've been working through the galley of Fade to Blue but needed a break. So I'm thinking about food. Isn't this breakfast ridiculous? I'm not a big breakfast person but we were near Solvang yesterday, a little Danish town not far from the coast, and couldn't resist. Pre-teen girl had a soccer game that got us up before 6, so after the game we popped in to Paula's Pancake House for sustenance. Had to wait a 1/2 hour because dozens and dozens of soccer players had the same idea. So worth the wait, though. Those are "Danish" pancakes in the photo. Thin pancakes that were still too big for me to finish, but yum. Probably learning too much about me but I always order bacon and poached eggs with my carbs, Lol

It's Monday and I'm back to eating a bowl of cereal at my desk. Such is life. Have a good one ...

Smile so they wonder what you've been up to.

Sun's shining and God's answering prayers with specific direction. Can't beat that!

Have a beachy weekend, my friends ~ wherever you are!

Calgon ~ get thee over here

So much drama. So much angst. Have I mentioned I have a pre-teen and two teens in the house? One's heading back to college this weekend, but still. I love my kids, I do, I do! But it's the world I'm not so crazy about at the moment. How do I explain to them why things are often soooo difficult? (Other than the satan issue ...) Ah, well. When there are fallible humans running things, there are going to be issues. Am I right?

Oh, to be a mermaid in a luxurious seaside bath!

Look what I found!

Happy Friday, guys and gals! Saw this beach buggy in a local parking lot and did what I always do ... stopped to snap a photo. Isn't she cute? If you've read this blog for awhile, you know I have a thing for beach cruising. You can read previous posts about my obsession at these links: VW Thing (or Thang :) and Country Squire.

I forgot to look for a name when I abruptly stopped to gawk at this cutey patooty, but it's some kind of Woody. Can't you just see yourself cruisin' in it??!

Sun's out along the California coast! Have a beachy weekend my friends ~ whatever you're drivin' ;-)

If you're near a computer tomorrow, I'll be chatting with host Sharon Leaf of BlogTalkRadio.com on the Gate Beautiful program. Sharon's a California-girl-turned-South-Carolina-girl who often visits this blog and my Facebook. I'm excited to finally "meet" her voice to voice! Here's the link if you'd like to listen in. I'll be on at 12:45 Central time: BlogTalkRadio

You can also check it out later in the archives.

On another note, I got my influencers for Fade to Blue. Thanks all! Books are on their way. Have a beachy day, my friends ~ wherever you are ...

Fade to Blue ~ ARC giveaway

Just received a box of ARCs ~ Advanced Reader Copies ~ of Fade to Blue. These are the copies that go out to media prior to the book's release (which will be in May). UPS accidentally delivered them to my neighbor and she didn't open the box right away (she gets deliveries almost daily). Thankfully she opened this one up before the weekend ~ yahoo! We had a little gushing session at my front door :)) It's not the final-final yet, but pretty close. And it has a coffee table-worthy cover, so it's a good day.

If you're interested in reading the ARC of Fade to Blue, I have five copies to give away to influencers. To be legit, all I ask in return is that you write up a review and post on some of the biggies, such as Amazon, B&N, your blog, etc, around the time of release. Interested? Drop me an email: julie at juliecarobini dot com.

Have a beachy weekend, my friends ~ wherever you are!

Chocolate Beach, the eBook

My mom left for TX via train yesterday, and with her she took the Nook my brothers and I gave her for Christmas. She bought one book and downloaded a bunch of freebies. If she runs out of reading material, no problem ... she'll just download more. From the train. In the middle of nowhere. Times are a changin', people!

Even though I'm still a bit of a purist when it comes to reading for pleasure ~ I still keep a book made of PAPER on my nightstand, for goodness sake! ~ I do have a Kindle app on my iPhone and I've been known to use it. Lol

I've also stepped into the e-reading phenomenon as a writer. My Otter Bay Novels are all available in eBook form, but my earlier chocolate books never quite got that far ~ until yesterday when I uploaded the first one to Smashwords and Amazon. Thanks to some of my family and blogger friends, Chocolate Beach, my zany debut, now has recipes! It also contains a very special interview with Doug Stone, the protagonist's hubby.

If you've never had the chance to read it and would like to, you can download it to just about any device for $2.99. (I know, right?) Here's the link to Smashwords, or if you have a Kindle, go directly to Amazon. (It's not available on B&N yet, but will be within a couple of weeks.)

Happy reading! Special thanks to Diane & Samantha Carobine, Diane Estrella, and Stacy Johnson for sharing your recipes with me. The rest came from Bri Stone's kitchen :)

Have a beachy week, my friends ~ wherever you are!

Elephant Seals!

As much as I LOVE my work, I'd rather be heading up north to see the elephant seal pups being birthed this time of year. If you ever get the chance to visit the central coast Dec. through March, DO! Here's a link to some great viewing spots near San Simeon that cost nothing but gas money (which, I know, can be a lot, but still ...): Friends of the Elephant Seal. (The website's a bit involved, but if you're at all interested, it'll give you the info you need.) Or go here for quick info: elephant seals

If you decide to stay in the area, one of our favorite places is the Fogcatcher Inn on Moonstone Beach Drive. If you've read any of my Otter Bay Novels, you'll find the area, um, quite familiar :) We like the Fogcatcher because the rooms are comfy, a decent size for our family, and they have great breakfasts (what can I say ... my kids love to eat). If you're looking for a romantic spot, there are lots of cozier, beachfront places along Moonstone, too. We've stayed at quite a few, so feel free to drop me an email if you're looking for a recommendation.

Ah, well. It's back to work today. I've got endorsements to write, a proposal to finish, and that eBook to complete and upload. But that doesn't mean I won't be dreaming about heading north ...

The wonder of seashells ...

My friend, Angel, posted this on my FB wall. Our daughters went on a little photography excursion in the neighborhood and this unbroken shell was one of their finds. It's exquisite, if you really look at it, and makes me want to stop and smell the seashells for a moment. I don't seem to do enough of that anymore, so thanks, Ang, for the brief interlude.

Hope y'all enjoyed it too. Have a beachy week, my friends ~ wherever you are :)

Chocolate post

My amazingly generous web designer, Kelli Standish, gave me a Chocomize card for Christmas. I can choose my own chocolate base (dark, milk, or white) and add up to five ingredients from over 100. Woot-woot! I'm open to suggestions! (But just know that in the end I'll change my mind ten times then do whatever I want ... haha.)

Speaking of chocolate, we visited Dylan's Candy Bar in NYC a couple of weeks ago. The place was PACKED! But that didn't stop my girls from visiting the chocolate fountain (they dipped rice krispy treats) and me from standing in one super long line just to buy a stack of chocolate bars. Hubby and son were patient through the entire obsession ... they didn't even have one bite, though. Hard to understand. Don't they understand the wallowing value of chocolate? Were they never teenagers? :-)

One last note about the almighty chocolate ... I'm looking for a few creative chocolate recipes to include in an upcoming e-book. Already have the majority, but if you'd like to submit yours for possible inclusion, please do! There's no monetary compensation, but if your recipe makes the cut, I see a free book in you future ;-) Send it on over through the Contact Page of my website and I'll let you know either way. Best to you!

Have a beachy week my friends (rain or shine!) ~ wherever you are ...