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?

Laboring in the summer sun ...

After a couple of chilly, foggy days, the sun showed up bright and early this a.m. Wa-hoo! A sunny Labor Day! My husband declared that I should enjoy the day since I was in labor three times over the years (delivering the kids, he meant). I can accept that! So after some house and yard "labor," hubby and I took a leisurely ride along the state beach bike trail. Lots of peeps out and about, but we tried hard not to hit any of them ... ;-)

Portions of the bike lane had been crumbling into the sea for years, but finally, the trail has been fixed. This second photo shows how pristine and wide open it is now. Nice!

Hope the weekend was a beautiful one for you, too. I pretty much ate my way through mine ~ not proud of it, but hey, it was a holiday! (She says as she wads up another Dove chocolate wrapper and tosses it into the trash ...)

Here's to a beachy week, my friends ~ wherever you are =)

One lump or two?

So a writer-pal started a discussion on Facebook about whether or not she should give up the pen and apply for a job at Starbucks. Got me thinking. Maybe I should apply? Did you know that employees receive a pound of coffee per week. Can you imagine? Sumatra one week, Espresso Bean the next, and French Roast after that ... Would be like a veritable smorgasbord of morning wake-ups every day!

Maybe I'm not really joking. Sometimes my eyes are tired and so is my creativity. The waiting for everything in this business ~ decisions, contracts, sales figures, emails ~ can make a young girl like myself ;-) feel downright old and decrepit. Not to mention all the sitting that must occur before and after said decisions are made. (Sitting too long can shorten the lifespan they say!)

So I'm thinking coffee should be my next career. A couple of local stores are hiring. Hubby says I'm nuts, that they'll make me get up at 4:30 am to open the store. "They're open till 11!" I tell him. Ah, but he thinks that newbies will get that oh-so frightening early morning shift. "But think of all the neat coffee tricks I'll learn!" He hesitated at that.

Maybe I could be one of those baristas who etches works of art into the froth. Hearts are so yesterday. I'm thinking bigger, like writing DREAM or JOY on top. Or maybe a nice GOD LOVES YOU (would that even fit?). Oh, but drat. It all comes back to writing, doesn't it. Sigh. Maybe writing and editing has become more than a career ... maybe, it's become my addiction.

Kind of like that first cup of coffee in the morning ...

Beachy weekend

First off, The Marketplace in Tustin is HUGE! You know you're from a small town when you can't believe you can drive through an outdoor mall for more than five minutes and still not figure out where you're supposed to be! Of course, I've always been directionally-challenged, but whatever :)

The good news is we found the big LifeWay store at The Marketplace in Tustin and I made it to my signing. Woo-hoo! I walked in to a flurry of activity (VeggieTales characters were there :) and began signing books nearly immediately. Not only did buyers pick up Fade to Blue - oh, how I love that story - but the store sold out of the other Otter Bay Novels too! Thanks to Karl, the manager, and the staff of this beautiful, new store for making me feel welcome!

Also thanks to ACFW members Scott T. Barnes, Paula Michelson, and Marlayne Giron for stopping by too! So enjoyed meeting you all in person.

Today is GORGEOUS in Ventura. I'm stuck in front of the computer with some writing/editing stuff, but in a few minutes I plan to pull on my Nikes and hit the beach for a nice run. Okay, a slow jog. But, still.

Have a beachy week, my friends, wherever you are! (And prayers for those in Irene's path ... may she skip right over you and into oblivion.)

Veggietales and Me

This Saturday, I'll be signing Fade to Blue at the NEW LifeWay store at The Marketplace, 2902 El Camino Real in Tustin, CA. Can you believe it? A NEW bookstore??? With the demise of so many, this is definitely something to be celebrated. (The photo's from a previous signing at a different LifeWay store.)

So in honor of the Tustin store's grand opening, I'll be there. As will Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber of VeggieTales fame (I kid you not!). I keep telling my friends that maybe I'll dress up like "Julie the Jalapeno" and vie for a role in the next VeggieTales DVD. Could happen =)

If you're in SoCal and want to check it out, I'll be there at 1 pm (the fabric/human veggies will be there before me). And I'll also be giving away a "beachy" Lazy Susan too. Hope to see some friendly faces!

Beach reading ...

Something about summer and reading that just goes together, you know? Kind of like fall and reading; and winter and reading; and spring ... you get the picture! Anyway, I've been writing and editing for so many years that, sadly, my reading time has been cut drastically. So in July, I decided to pick up a few titles that I'd been eying for a while.

Started it all off with In the Company of Others by my favorite author, Jan Karon. Savored every morsel of this beautiful book. It's set in Ireland and I just learned that a good pal of mine is headed there next month. So guess who I'm loaning my copy to?

Next I read The Help. I've written here about this book before because it's amazing. Kathryn Stockett wrote it in first person, in three different points of view. I loved each one of the characters whose minds we were allowed into. The movie was terrific BUT not as good as the book. What can I say? There's something about allowing the characters' voices to sprout into real, live human beings in one's own mind that visual productions can rarely match.

I've loved Kristin Billerbeck's writing for years, and her earlier first-person novels inspired me to write a few of my own (I loved What a Girl Wants, for example). Her newest, A Billion Reasons Why, is a fun and romantic story set in New Orleans. Never been there, but reading this story made me feel as if I'd visited. SO hungry for a beignet now ...

Just finished Ten Beach Road by Wendy Wax. Never read Wax before, but the title and cover just drew me. Big surprise there, huh? Some sketchy language but you know what? It wasn't gratuitous; the words fit the characters. I grew to love not only this story, but the characters themselves. And I learned a ton about Florida, which is cool because I now have several family members living there. Hopefully, I'll have a chance to visit ... after hurricane season ;-)

I'm back to writing today and for the rest of the week. But I'm on a roll, so I've got another book started on my nightstand. How about you?

Saddle up

College Boy's in the market for a car. He's only got so much mula, but we want to make sure he finds something safe and reliable for his bucks. Guess it's an age-old problem. Lol ...

Editing and ACFW Conference Special

In addition to the ghostwriting assignment I mentioned yesterday, I also work as an editor on various projects. My love for the details feels like a sickness sometimes. I recently picked up the 16th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style (aka the editor's bible) and was positively giddy. I'm involved with an online editor's loop and we get into all kinds of discussions, such as whether to include quotes in internal thoughts or why in the world Jan Karon's latest book uses single quotation marks throughout for dialogue.

Like I said, it's a sickness. But for those who need an editor's eye, such nerdyness (okay, a made up word) can also come in quite handy. So I've updated my editorial services page to include more offerings and details. Find the button above or click on this link: Editing Services

Oh, and I recently joined CEN (Christian Editor Network) too. Members of CEN are required to pass rigorous (read: super tough) tests before acceptance into this nationwide organization. Yowza! T'was like going back to school. Glad to know I've still got it. Lol ...

p.s. One more thing! If you or someone you know is a member of ACFW, I'm offering a special for those attending the upcoming conference: $15 OFF the price of my Fiction Proposal Critique Service. See Editing Services page for what this service includes (scroll down about half way). Just mention the conference when contacting me. Thanks!

Write on

Today, I'm working on a ghostwriting project. At least, I will be when I log off ;) Years ago, I worked as a ghostwriter for trade journals, writing articles for executives in the insurance and banking industries. Yawn, right? That's why I don't do that anymore ... Fortunately, I'm doing something much more interesting and life affirming and I'd tell you about it, but then I'd have to kill you. Sorry.

So we had an amazing weekend, but now it's back to school for one kiddo, and back to a deadline for me. Saw The Help. Liked it, but liked the book better. Isn't that the way??

Also made an impromptu stop at the Ventura County Fair on Friday night to see Trace Adkins. HUGE crowd; so fun! Afterward, we walked to downtown Ventura and joined our girls who were taking photos of the cast of a locally-filmed movie, Bellflower, in front of the theater. My girls handed a camera to a bystander, then jumped into the cast photo (that's them on the right). Lol ... not sure where they get their moxy ...

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

Clear daze

As usual, we've got heavy fog this morning. The good thing about this summer is that most days the haze clears by afternoon. Here's a photo (sorry about the quality) from a couple of days ago. Charlie the Dog and I sat on a bench contemplating life (well, maybe he was contemplating seagulls aka dinner ...), while the water glimmered and beachgoers frolicked. Totally enjoyable.

The Fair is still going on and the nights have been so clear that we can hear the bands from our house. Pretty weird since it's quite a drive down the road from us. Last night I could hear Lifehouse singing Take Me Away from my bedroom window. And a few nights ago, hubby and pre-teen girl sat outside and listened to the Beach Boys (I kid you not!). We sit around and theorize that the night air carries the sound through the cloudless skies then bounces off the water and into our bitty beach home. Or something.

School starts next week for my youngest and I'm not ready. Last year of middle school for her, though, so we're going to savor it. Glad that next year she'll start later in the summer! Hoping to enjoy every moment of her last weekend of freedom :). We're going to see The Help, go to a couple of pool parties, and maybe even stop by the fair one mo' time.

Here's to a beachy weekend, my friends ~ wherever you are :) Feel free to drop me a note about your doings, okay?

Help is on the way ...

I am EXCITED to see The Help this weekend. Wanted to see it today, but I'm waiting for Teen Girl to finish the book. Soon! I love this photo because it reminds me of, well, me. Not that I look--or ever looked--like Emma Stone, but because I was the popular girl in my college dorm whenever someone wanted to borrow my typewriter. I, of course, had one. Even in college, when I studied to find a real job, I dreamed about writing books someday. I bought my electric typewriter with part-time job money and lugged it around with me to writer's conferences whenever I could afford them. Actually, I rarely could afford them, but went anyway.

Since reading The Help, I've read another book, but I'm still thinking about the former. The characters are so real. The images so seared in my mind. The writing so counter to what so many writing teachers advise. "Don't write in first person!" "Don't write in present tense!" Yada, yada, yada ... baloney. I was sucked in from page 1.

Have you read The Help? Plan to see the movie? If you do, tell me -- but don't giveaway any secrets, 'kay? :)

Sittin' on the top of the bay ...

So College Boy's gig as a camp counselor is winding down. Many of the counselors have left to head back to their homes in other states, but since we're fairly local (only about 25 minutes away), Matt has opted to stay on another week or so. As I mentioned before, the group came by one Saturday night for food and fun, but this past weekend, they dropped by again. This time, they brought a ton of sandwich fixins and drinks (thanks for the leftovers, guys :), and just hung around making YouTube videos, watching our youngest daughter's copy of Bieber's Never Say Never, and generally saying goodbye after a long summer of camp counseling. They also kayaked.

When we moved to the beach about 8 years ago, D and I went a bit crazy one weekend and bought three kayaks: 2 singles and 1 tandem. Best. Investment. Ever. Over the years we've acquired a few toys that stuck for a while (trampoline, anyone?), but it's the kayaks that have endured the longest. Now that college days are here and we're sorta broke ;), kids and friends can still grab the boats and the paddles and hit the water. For free. Love!

Have a toy like that? Do tell! And have a beachy week, my friends ~ wherever you are :)