Chocolate Beach by Julie Carobini
Julie Carobini’s debut novel, Chocolate Beach, was released by Bethany House in February, 2007. She’s the writer of more than 100 articles and stories for magazines and books, such as Decision, Expecting, Focus on the Family, Key Magazine, and the God’s Abundance book series. Her work often spotlights her family, the sea and God’s timely work in the lives of those around her. Previously, she worked as a ghostwriter for Trade Press Services.
Julie’s love of coastal California, and her faith in Jesus Christ, play integral roles in her writing choices. She lives with her husband Dan and their three children in California.
Even a laid-back beach girl has her doubts…
Bri has it all: the man of her dreams and their surf-ridin’ teenage son, a chocolate-loving best pal, an adorable beach bungalow, and a kicky job as a Southern California tour bus host.
She also has a few things she didn’t ask for: a know-it-all friend, a snobby mother-in-law, and a Fabio-meets-Dilbert boss. All three of them seem eager to share their strong opinions and suspicions about Bri’s relationship with her husband, Douglas.
When Bri’s rose-colored sunglasses crack after she finds evidence that Douglas has grown tired of her carefree ways, she resolves to win him back.
Can Bri reinvent herself—and recapture her husband’s heart?
Interview with Julie
Tell us a little about your family and your call to write.
I’m married to Dan, the man of my dreams (big sigh here), and we have a son and two daughters, ages 15, 12 and 8, respectively. I started out wanting to write romance novels and even tried a few times, then I was sidetracked by illness and my renewed faith in Christ. Yes, my faith sidetracked me. That’s because once I met the Savior, I no longer cared to write the things I’d always wanted to before. Soon after, I learned that I had a brain tumor, and by then I couldn’t write much even if I’d wanted to. Eventually, God gave me back health and the desire to write under his direction. How cool is that? I ended up writing more than a hundred articles and stories for all kinds of publications before selling my first novel.
How did you get your first “writing break?”
After marrying and having our first child, I thought staying home from work with my baby (who’s 15 ½ now!) would be so easy. But it wasn’t. He cried a lot. This was in the early 90s, so I sat down one night and wrote out my angst, and how important the cordless phone had become in my new lifestyle. When I looked down at my three legal sized pages and read what I’d written, it made me laugh. I sold that to Expecting, a magazine distributed to obstetricians’ offices by Parent Magazine, and it ran on their back page. Because their clientele changed every nine months J, they published it four times in subsequent publications!
What do you write and why this genre?
First, I love to write. I discovered this when, after too many rejections, I gave it up. I MISSED the craft of writing during that year. Then one day I picked up a hysterical Christian chick-lit novel. I plucked it right off the shelf at Barnes and Noble, not knowing the genre or the author. I laughed so hard, and thought, okay, this gal gets me. Within a year I’d written my own proposal for a book in that genre, Chocolate
What do you hope to accomplish through your novels?
I want to entertain people, and to do it in a way that reflects my worldview. This world can always use more quality, clean, redemptive entertainment, and I hope to provide that through the books I write.
And now for the tough questions… How do you balance being a mom, wife, and writer?
A wing and a prayer? Seriously, each day is not necessarily “balanced”—with three kids, nothing’s all that symmetrical—but my life as a whole has found balance. For starters, I’ve got a very supportive husband. I’ve blogged about his marketing antics; he’s that supportive. As for my kids, I started writing seriously when our first child was born more than 15 years ago, so they’re used to me being a writer. They also know that they come first, i.e., I drop everything to take them to the doctor or dentist or whatever, so that’s all that matters in their world. They know they’re loved, even when the laundry isn’t done. So I guess the answer would be that the scale is always tipped in their favor.
Do you think it’s possible to give yourself fully to raising children, writing, working full time, and keeping in shape? If not, which one for you has to take a back seat?
Well, it’s tough to be all things. I’ve definitely gained weight since landing my first book contract. Sad, but true! I started off this year by signing up for a spinning class twice a week at noon. I figured that having it actually on the schedule would force me to plan the rest of my day better. So far, it’s not only helped me lose some of that extra weight (a little, anyway), but I’m also able to handle the long stretches of sitting better. And the class takes place while the kids are in school, so they don’t have to wait around for me. The bonus for them is a more content mom.
When do you find the time to write, and do you ever feel like you’re neglecting your children when you write?
I write about half the day, while they’re in school, and then late at night—after I’ve helped them with homework, tucked them in, and cleaned up the kitchen. (I really like to wake up to a clean kitchen!) When they were little I did the writing-at-nap-time thing, and then I had a deal with my husband that I’d write after dinner until 10pm. Then we’d meet to talk and eat a late night bowl of ice cream (great for the relationship, not so great for the weight J )
How do you handle interruptions in your writing life? When I’m on deadline, interruptions stress me. But being a parent means learning to adjust. When I was on deadline for Chocolate
How do you get back into the flow of writing after you’ve been interrupted?
I pray and ask the Holy Spirit to refill me, then I usually read over the last thing I wrote and dig in.
What do you do to encourage yourself during those stormy days every writing mom has?
Eat chocolate, call a girlfriend, vent, pray, and then ask for forgiveness for not praying first!
How do you position yourself to
I don’t have the corner on this by any means, but I absolutely do know that if I pray and study the Bible before heading off to my home office, then my thoughts will be more aligned with his. He’s proven that to me time and again. I’ve also learned that I need the discipline of a regular Bible study. Accountability’s a good thing!
If you do feel your priorities slipping, what do you do to get back on track?
Give myself the gift of grace, and then work hard to re-prioritize. That may mean I need to set aside a project and pull my 8-year-old onto my lap for some cuddling, or it may mean something more drastic, like pulling out the cookbook and planning an actual meal! (As opposed to the quick mom’s surprise type dinners that I often throw together when times are terribly busy.)
Has there ever been a time God told you to set aside your writing to focus on other areas of your life? If so, how did you handle that?
Yes! This has happened for short and long stretches. But let me tell you about a particular time. I was on deadline to write a story I’d pitched to our local paper about some Christian surfers who were taking waves for Jesus. It was Friday night, the only time my husband could be around all weekend to help with the kids—who were quite young then. All of a sudden, my keyboard blew out. I tried rebooting, but it didn’t work. I literally got on my knees and put my face on the ground, and asked God to help me. I heard him tell me to turn off the computer and walk way. Walk away?! How could I do that? The article was due on Monday, and my husband was going to be gone all weekend! So I argued a little with God, but then got up, and turned off that computer.
Well, the next afternoon, the kids “miraculously” fell asleep at the same time, and my computer “suddenly” started working again. I wrote that piece in one sitting, and it’s my favorite one to date.
Did you ever feel like you’ve “missed” God in regards to writing, that maybe you should be doing something else?
I did feel like that a few years ago. My kids had all reached school age, and I was offered a part time job as a resource coordinator at my church. I took it to kind of see what God wanted me to do, because frankly, my writing career had pretty much stalled. I learned so much during that time, but it also became clear that God was priming me for what he was about to do next—and that was to give my novel writing career wings and a giant blast of air!
What advice would you give to writing moms who are have their hearts set on publication?
Try to have fun with it. Set some goals, but realistic ones. Ask God to give you the resources and time to attend a yearly conference. Oh, and you must write down those funny antics of your children! (Yeah, I know—they probably won’t seem funny at the time.) If you write them down, though, they’ll inspire you years later when you really will have more time to devote to writing. (And your sense of humor will be back intact J )
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Thanks so much for having me, Gina. Thought-provoking questions! Thanks also to you who’ve spent time with me today. Feel free to stop by my website and drop me note: www.juliecarobini.com
