Thursday, August 11, 2016

Guest post by Julie Arduini

The Book that Fell into My Lap(top)
Julie Arduini

            I was about two-thirds done revising my first Adirondack romance at the time, the manuscript eventually became ENTRUSTED. The heroine, Jenna Anderson, was a strong character with a great surrender message to tell about trusting God with fears about change and wanting to belong. Helping Jenna was her new best friend, Sheriff Carla Rowling.
            The more Jenna and Carla hung out, the more I realized Carla was someone I wanted to know better. As I gave her a secondary story within ENTRUSTED as a single mom who loved to “do hair” as a hobby, I had fun with her. At the time I was trying to finish the first story and wasn’t thinking long term. If I needed to create a series, I figured I’d use the “bad girl” of ENTRUSTED, Trish Maxwell, as a lead in another story. I never dreamed Carla would get her own.
            I revised ENTRUSTED so much from what the first draft was that I ended up re writing the ending. I had no idea how I was going to wrap up some loose ends when it came to Jenna, Ben, and the Speculator Falls senior center. I was praying, and I have a team of ladies that pray for me. One writing session at the laptop not only did all the loose ends come together, it gave Carla her own story. I was floored.
            Fast forward and I’m moving through 2016 as a new indie author. I’m re branding all my writing and speaking to fit under surrender issues and my other favorite topic, chocolate. ENTRUSTED will not only be rereleased as ENTRUSTED: Surrendering the Present, but Carla’s story will debut as ENTANGLED: Surrendering the Past. You will see both available this spring.
            Carla’s been given her dream, to leave her job as sheriff and attend cosmetology school. The gift is so overwhelming that she struggles with feeling unworthy, especially since she still feels guilty for becoming a mom as a teenager. When Wayne Peterson reenters her and their son Noah’s life, Carla creates some tangles between her and her steadfast boyfriend, the flannel-wearing, truck driver Will Marshall. Can Carla release her past and create a future full of highlights, or, will she burn her options worse than a bad perm?
            I love that when I couldn’t see beyond the page God dropped an entire character’s history and transformational story into my laptop as I tried to finish my first novel. I hope everyone enjoys Carla’s story as much as I do.

Intrigued?  Julie is having a giveaway here:  https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/196512-entangled

Entangled: Surrendering the Past
Book #2, Surrendering Time Series
Julie Arduini

“You need to leave me alone. It’s the least you can do.”

Carla Rowling has been given her dream of attending cosmetology school. The gift is so generous she feels unworthy because of choices she made as a teen. The pressure mounts as Carla juggles school, is a single mom, helps her best friend Jenna plan her wedding, spends time with boyfriend Will Marshall, and deals with the fact that her son's father is back in their lives.

Will Marshall is the one Speculator Falls resident everyone can count on. His truck deliveries are reliable. He's the first to help friends like Ben Regan with boat work or be a card partner with Bart Davis. Will's ready to settle down with Carla, loving her is natural. He's bonded with her son, Noah. But when Carla starts cosmetology school, she puts emotional distance between her and Will.

Can Carla release her past and create a future full of highlights, or, will she burn her options worse than a bad perm?

Purchase Link:


Entangled is book #2. Although it can standalone, if you’d like to read Entrusted: Surrendering the Present first, click here: http://www.amazon.com/Entrusted-Surrendering-Present-Time/dp/0692709177?ie=UTF8&qid=&ref_=tmm_pap_swatch_0&sr=


Julie Arduini loves to encourage readers to surrender the good, the bad, and ---maybe one day---the chocolate. She’s the author of the  re-release, ENTRUSTED: Surrendering the Present, as well as the sequel, ENTANGLED: Surrendering the Past. She also shared her story in the infertility devotional, A WALK IN THE VALLEY. She blogs every other Wednesday for Christians Read. She resides in Ohio with her husband and two children. Learn more by visiting her at http://juliearduini.com, where she invites readers to subscribe to her monthly newsletter full of resources and giveaway opportunities at JULIE ARDUINI: SURRENDER ISSUES AND CHOCOLATE and the weekly e mail. SUNDAY’S SURRENDER AND CHOCOLATE.

Snapchat: @juliearduini
Monthly Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dCFG
Weekly Sunday’s Surrender and Chocolate: http://eepurl.com/bJ5yHP
Surrendered Scribe Media Promotions: (Book release info sent as needed) http://eepurl.com/bXAW0L






1 comment:

Julie Arduini said...

Thank you, Laura, for sharing the story behind Entangled. I appreciate it!

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