Low Tide

Beautiful weekend on the coast! Summer is often foggy here, so late fall/early winter is the best. The tide was so low on Thursday that I could walk out (almost) to the end of the jetty. Sooo fun--at least I thought so. Doggy didn't seem to care for it, ha.

Ah, well, I'm back to work. Have a beachy week, my friends ~ wherever you are.

Happy Black Friday! (Does that look as weird as it sounds?) Hmm. Anyhoo, wanted to let you know that ALL of my beach reads are discounted in my beach shop and include FREE shipping in the USA. I'd be happy to sign any or all for gift giving. Just let me know.

You can reach Julie's Beach Shop on the button bar above, or go directly to the beach read category here.

Happy shopping (and wrapping) :)

Mind Over Madi

UPDATED: 11/23/11 Congrats to Lauri! You're the winner of Mind Over Madi. Woo-hoo! Thanks, everyone, for playing!

Fellow ACFW member, Lynda Lee Schab, and I met online several years ago after she read one of my books and dropped me a note. (Thankfully, it wasn't a scathing review or anything, ha ha.) I'm SO excited to announce that Lynda has a book of her own now, Mind Over Madi, published by OakTara.

Here's the blurb:
All men cheat. At least, that's what Madi's mother has always told her. Madi McCall admits her husband lacks a little in the romance department, but all in all, he's been a good husband, a good father. Now, though, she suspects Rich is having an affair with Fawn Witchburn, the mother of one of his fourth-grade students. To say Fawn shows off her "assets" more than should be legally allowed in public is an understatement, and Madi's insecurities kick into high gear. When, in a heated moment, she asks Rich to leave and he complies, Madi is forced to deal with her issues. Issues of love and trust she's tried so hard to avoid. Issues that trail all the way back to her childhood and make her act like a total moron.

Julie here. I've got an extra copy and would love for one of my readers to have it for the holidays. Just comment on this post with your email address AND tell me what time your family has Thanksgiving dinner. (I won't be showing up or anything ... just checking to see who's paying attention :) I'll let you know the winner's name on Wednesday at noon, PST.

Now, go forth and comment! (p.s. Just learned that IE sometimes prevents people from commenting. Until I figure out why, try Mozilla. Works great :)

You like?

Kelli Standish of Pulsepoint Designs lightened up my website and blog for me. Amazing what a new shade of lipstick, er, background colors can do for the psyche. Know what I mean? I wanted the same design, but a little less, oh I don't know, boom. I wanted some softness with my sizzle, some seaglass inspiration for my beachy website.

So anyhoo, she's lighter and brighter and that fits me--and my mood--just fine. Now if only I could find that perfect shade of lipstick ...

I have disappeared ...

If you're looking for my website, it's a bit under the weather today. Hang on ... my trusty web designer is on it!

Updated: I'm back. Thanks for noticing I was gone in the first place ... :)

p.s. Busy schedule lately. If you're on FB, feel free to connect with me there. If not, I'll try to post something fabulous here soon. Pinky promise.

college daze

This is the building that houses the admissions office at Drexel University in Philly. Doesn't it make you want to go to school? Outside the locale is urban and hectic, but inside evokes reverence. The hallowed halls of learning and all that ...

Teen girl is deep into application time, which for a fashion design student means more than transcripts, essays, and test scores--as if that weren't enough. It means creating dazzling portfolios for each school. Have I mentioned that my drawing talent goes no farther than the stick figure? Yeah. I'm not much help to her.

I honestly don't remember things being this complicated when I applied to college. But then again, I applied to one, got accepted, and went there. Bada bing bada boom.

Anyone else going through the college app process with their child? How's that going for you? :-)

Live in the 805

My son, Matt, attends BIOLA University and works as a school ambassador. He gives tours, makes phone calls to prospective students, and he blogs for the university. His blogging gig even landed the school in the Huffington Post and you can read about that here.

Anyway, Matt usually blogs about dorm life, but this weekend he came home and waxed poetically about that instead. (He even posted a gorgeous photo of the Ventura coast that makes me want to walk to the beach this instant!) Thought you'd enjoy a snippet of life in Ventura from a college kid's perspective. Notice the first two draws on the list are food, hmm ...:

Matt's Blog

Four states in seven days

If you're a friend on Facebook, you've probably already seen some of the photos I posted from our trip back east. My daughters and I arrived home late Saturday night after a week of travel. We flew to NYC and visited colleges, then drove through NJ to Philadelphia where we toured Drexel University. The first photo is of Independence Hall (close to wear the Liberty Bell resides). One special benefit from the timing of this trip is we were able to enjoy vibrant fall color. We don't see much of that at the beach :-)

We then drove to Northeast Pennsylvania and stopped in to see my sweet father-in-law, Geno. By that time, the weather had turned colder, drizzle had begun, and leaves had fallen. My daughters are in the second photo, strolling through weather in the low 40s. By the next day, the temp had dropped to 26 degrees! (And yes, we had a light dusting of snow).

We finished up our trip in Ohio, where the sun came back out to greet us. When we arrived home--after a 3.5 hour delay in Phoenix, of all places!--we learned that parts of the east were snowed it. Yikes.

All-in-all we toured five colleges: Marist (Poughkeepsie), Pratt (Brooklyn), FIT (NYC), Drexel (Philly), and Kent State (Kent, Ohio). Loved the trip, but so glad to be back at the beach--and to write to all of you again!

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

our divine romance

Our 21st wedding anniversary is coming up next week, but it's sunshine and roses around here all the time anyway. LOL ... doesn't that make you gag? Seriously, I love my husband. People ask, What will you do for your anniversary? And I have no idea. He gave me these roses weeks ago for no apparent reason, so I guess that's why we're not particularly organized about the anniversary. (Although I do have to say that he surprised me last year with an amazing dinner out, but still.) The truth is that the man's a romantic, through and through, no matter what time of year.

Maybe it's because our early years were tough ~ something I've begun to (finally) write about. We met when our lives, individually, were deeply painful. And God's been working on me for the past two years (maybe longer ... was I listening?) to write the story he gave us. Every time I tried, though, I gave up. It became tough both emotionally and creatively and I always turned to something else. Ever done that?

I'm not sure how long it will take me to get this story out. I've got editing projects, a writing assignment, plus several proposals floating around that may be picked up soon. When it comes to God, however, you can run, but you can't hide! Or I guess you can, but who wants to hide from the Savior of the World?

Not me :-)

A little editing humor to start your Tuesday

Unless you don't find this particularly funny (as I obviously do ;-)

Soar on

College Boy's having a blast working as an Ambassador for BIOLA University. He blogs, makes phone calls, gives tours - and writes the occasional ditty to advertise the school. How cool to do something you love AND earn gas money! (Mommy is thankful ...)

So anyway, you've heard of "planking"? That thing crazy kids do where they lie down like a "plank," often in weird places (say, across the tops of bathroom stalls, which is pretty gross, but apparently popular ...)

BIOLA students, however, are being encouraged to "soar." And their mascot is an eagle, so why not? There are cool photos on the school's FB page showing students "soaring," i.e., suspended in mid-air. Some are pretty funny, and you have to wonder how many takes those took.

In this video, Matt (on the right) and his friend, Seth, are singing a song Matt wrote about soaring. I'm shy and would never sing in public, but Matt inherited the hambone in our family (my dad is super hammy ...), so that explains it ;-)

Cel-e-brate good times, c'mon ...

It's birthday weekend in the Carobini house starting today with pre-teen girl becoming Teen Girl II (because we already have a Teen Girl ...).

Tomorrow College Boy turns 20 - wha?! what?! When did THAT happen?

Then on Sunday, Hunk o' Burnin' Love turns, ... well, another year older =)

Yes, three, count 'em three, family birthdays in a row. God has such the sense of humor, don't you think?

Happy Birthday to all of my dear ones. Let the par-tay(ing) begin!

Sweet Waters on Kindle

Learned this morning that Sweet Waters, the 1st of the Otter Bay Novels, has been experiencing a second-wind with brisk sales in the digital market. PTL! To celebrate, my pub decided to drop the price on Kindle to $2.99 for a limited time.

Something's up because paperback sales of A Shore Thing, the 2nd book from Otter Bay, have also been on an uptick. My guess is readers are missing summer and all the beachy-goodness that goes along with it, so why not take a virtual vacation to Otter Bay?

No magic formula exists for book sales (well, other than begging Justin Bieber to hold up a copy at one of his concerts or something =), and there's so much vying for readers' attention these days (think: "Squirrel!" from the movie, Up), that all I can say is Thank you so much! for giving the Otter Bay Novels a spot on your nightstand. I'm honored and tickled pink! (Insert squeal here.)

Mobile Office

BEAUTIFUL day here on the coast! Now that fall has arrived, fog has been lingering lately, grey and web-like. The kind that sends even a beach-lover like me fleeing eastward to Ojai (where you can find lots of heat, mountains, and celebrities hiding on their ranches ...)

Okay, fine. Not really. I only threaten to head to Ojai. Like the skies care when I beg them to turn blue? Anyway, today the fog managed to dissipate early - hooray! I'm working on a project that requires concentration, so instead of staying in my home office surrounded by disarray of all types, I packed a bag and hit the beach. Came home sandy, and turning pink, but - voila! - I have something ready to be typed. I think I'll treat myself to a piece of Dove chocolate. =)

My daughter's watching last night's episode of Giuliana and Bill on our DVR in the other room and I'm smiling. Have I mentioned how cute those two are? (And SuziQ, I must get a copy of their book! Thanks for telling me about it.)

Okay, back to work, in my normal, desk-outfitted office. At least there's still sand between my toes!

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

Whipped cream with that?

The nearby foghorn's constant drone finally convinced me that summer has left Ventura. To mark the occasion, I allowed myself a pumpkin smoothie from Jamba Juice. I've been turning up my nose at all the pumpkin-y offerings around town - lattes, muffins, yogurt - because, frankly, I didn't want to see my beloved summer end. It left me anyway and I've settled into resignation. And noshings with nutmeg added ...

On the upside, the beach is still nearby, fall flowers have their own special golden glow, and I'm on to some new editing and writing projects. So I guess you could say that the turn of the season is really Just another day in Paradise.

How are you adapting to the changing season? More importantly, how do you feel about drinking pumpkin?

Otter Bay eBooks for under a buck

Woke up to an email from my biggest fan ~ my mom ~ announcing that my first two Otter Bay Novels are a keen 99 cents on Kindle and Nook.

In Sweet Waters, Tara Sweet longs to live the fairy tale she remembered from her childhood in Otter Bay. When she arrives, she finds a soap opera waiting for her instead.

A Shore Thing is the story of Callie Duflay, an activist in Otter Bay who fights both the development of coastal property and her growing feelings for the architect assigned to the job.

I didn't know about this sale, so I've no idea how long it will last. In other words, get 'em while their hot! =) And please spread the word, too! (UPDATE 6:00 PM: You can also find these 99 cent eBooks on CBD.com and iPad.)

Here are the links: Sweet Waters KINDLE, Sweet Waters NOOK

A Shore Thing KINDLE, A Shore Thing NOOK

Have a beachy day, my friends ~ wherever you are ...

The shimmer of Time Square ...

Teen Daughter and I are planning a quick trip to NYC in the fall (That noise? That's the sound of our savings spilling down Fifth Avenue ...)

Angie's a high school senior and hopes to attend college in NY, or possibly Ohio (I know ... what?). So she and I will head east to tour campuses and buy shoes. I just hope we can hit up all the places she wants to see and have time for a show and maybe some streetside haggling. It'll be a whirlwind, for sure!

This photo is from her summer college program in New York last July (second from left). She spent a couple of weeks out there studying Fashion Design--and was hooked. Like we were really surprised ... ;)

Super-size me

The more I write and edit, the more I have to wear "cheaters." You know, those lovely glasses you pick up at Target? Hubby tells me they look sexy (right), but it feels more like I'm wearing indoor goggles. That's a pretty picture, huh?

Maybe it is the kind of work I do. Yes, that's it. It's not, pshaw, age or anything. It's the work, I tell you. Ha!

Ah, well. If only life were written in large print ...

Giuliana & Bill

Yesterday I called my mom to see if she wanted to help me walk off all the poundage I gained after eating my way through the holiday weekend. Instead, Dad invited me to join them for lunch. What's one more day?

So while we're eating, my dad asks me for the billionth time, "Do you watch The Closer?" I laughed and reminded him that, no, I do not. Nor do I watch Blue Bloods or any of the other TV shows that make you think. My parents actually watch TV to think. Apparently, I was adopted.

So anyway, I don't watch those kinds of show, but instead I'm obsessed with Giuliana & Bill on the Style channel. This is a fairly new obsession. I caught a couple of episodes last year and couldn't get enough of the reality show of a prince and his bride. Okay, he's a winner of The Apprentice and she's an E News anchor, but they're SO cute together. Who cares that their reality show is scripted? She's Italian and he's, well, he's not, but they have great chemistry and what appears to be genuine love for each other.

And they make me laugh. Last week Giuliana stressed over Bill's surprise 40th b'day party. Bill didn't want any big party, of course, so the entire show was spent with her convincing him to have a little weekend getaway with friends ~ which they do ~ only that was really a smokescreen for the BIG bash she planned for him later in his hometown of Chicago. Loved watching her blubber during her speech at his bash, talking about how much she loves him and how much he loves all his friends and family, etc., etc. ... sigh. With moments like that, who needs to think?

Learned today that one of my shop's vendors just sold their brand. So hoping this is a good thing and that my supplier doesn't change much because my little beach shop would be so sad without their beachy products. The Webkinz people bought them and ~ how weird is this? ~ my new rep lives in ... Ventura. A national company and the rep is in my backyard. It's got to be a sign or something (A beach sign, perhaps? Lol ...). Seriously, I think I could sell beach stuff all the livelong day and be happy.

A friend and I were talking about careers over coffee the other day and she said something like, "I know what I do well, and so I do that. But if you ask me what I'd be happiest doing ... well, I have no idea."

As for me, it's hard to say. When a story gels in my head and makes it onto paper, I'm happy. When readers write to me, I'm happy. But I'm fickle. I get bored. Sometimes I wish I could travel the world finding treasures to stock my beach shop. Then again, I'd probably spend more time buying than selling, and there's this little thing that my family enjoys doing called "eating" ...

Ah, well. There's a darling shop in downtown Ventura that draws me in like a cat to catnip. It's filled with beachy signs and shell-encrusted mirrors and seaglass-inspired everything else. I call it my "happy place" and laugh all you want, but just walking in there puts a smile on this girl's face.

Have a place like that too? What's it like? And if you could do anything (and still eat), what would that be?