Monday, May 11, 2020

You’re Brilliant: Interview with Mother-Daughter Authors Julie Arduini & Hannah Arduini



Julie Arduini is a inspy romance author who uses Upstate NY settings, surrender issues, and a chocolate mention in her books. A couple years ago her daughter completed middle school with extra challenges. As they processed the experience, Hannah began explaining how she wished she could help encourage other girls before they go through similar things. Hannah processed it by storytelling, and Julie realized there was a worthy story. She encouraged Hannah to continue the story, and Julie would make sure it was published. Hannah plotted a three-book series. The last, You’re Brilliant, releases May 22.

What’s You’re Brilliant About?

Hannah: It’s realizing that even if you’re weird or you don’t think you/re good enough, you are.

Julie: It uses a mentoring ministry to weave a story between girls in high school and a pastor’s wife in a new environment. The girls and the women are all in different ways struggling with believing the lie they’re failures and incompetent. The series is Surrendering Stinkin’ Thinkin’.

Do you have a favorite character in You’re Brilliant?

Hannah: No. I love them all.

Julie: I feel the same as Hannah. I can relate to Cheri. Even as an adult I struggle with insecurity, especially when I try something new. However, I love Bethany. She’s got spunk and a sense of justice. KJ was a new character and she’s important. She appears to have everything going for but she’s in a bad situation. We created her to show anyone can enter an issue like that, and it is not their fault.

What do you hope readers take away from You’re Brilliant?

Hannah: I hope with all the books that readers would know deep down they have value.

Julie: So many things. I want readers to know they are deeply loved and highly valued by our Heavenly Father, no matter who they are or what they’ve done. I hope they find a support system much like Linked, a trusted group of friends and mentors who can pray, laugh, and help them. And I really hope in KJ’s story, if any girl/woman is experiencing abuse, even verbal, that they seek help and leave the relationship without blaming themselves.

What’s next for you? Will you keep writing?

Hannah: I might. Maybe.

Julie: Hannah has what it takes if she wants to keep writing. As for me, I’m back writing clean/contemporary romance with a new series called Surrendering Opinions. It’s about sextuplets who remain in the national spotlight after a tragedy. Each book features a sibling and their quest to find a love as strong as what their parents had. The first is Anchored. Jordyn Bell Collins is the oldest sibling and dotes on everyone and everything with care and control. When she learns her career goals aren’t going anywhere where she thought it would, can she surrender her carefully laid plans for her life----and everyone else’s?






Amazing things happen when a group of high school students and women discover they are more than competent.

Bethany’s not excited to start high school in a new community where she doesn’t know anyone. She quickly befriends KJ, a popular sophomore, and it looks like the transition will go well until Bethany discovers KJ’s boyfriend is a bully. With a strong sense of justice, Bethany challenges Brent Sullivan, and he’s determined to make her suffer.

Cheri takes on an additional job in a school to help pay for Sabrina’s wedding. It’s a different atmosphere than at the church where she feels more comfortable as the pastor’s wife and mentor with the Linked ministry. After several mishaps, Cheri feels like she’s found an assignment where she can make a difference until a teacher belittles her work.

Can Bethany and Cheri resist the lies about their competency and hold on to the fact they’re brilliant?

The final book in the Surrendering Stinkin’ Thinkin’ series for tweens, teens, and women of all ages by mother and daughter authors Julie Arduini and Hannah Arduini.


Print version coming soon.



Julie Arduini loves to encourage readers to find freedom in Christ by surrendering the good, the bad, and ---maybe one day---the chocolate. She’s the author of the contemporary romance series SURRENDERING TIME, (Entrusted, Entangled, Engaged,) as well as the stand-alone novellas, MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN and RESTORING CHRISTMAS. She also shares her story in the infertility devotional, A WALK IN THE VALLEY. Her other latest release, YOU’RE BRILLIANT,is for girls ages 10-100, written with her teenaged daughter, Hannah, and is book 3 in their SURRENDERING STINKIN’ THINKIN’ series. She blogs every other Wednesday for Christians Read, as well as monthly with Inspy Romance. She resides in Ohio with her husband and two children. Learn more by visiting her at http://juliearduini.com, where she invites readers to opt in to her content full of resources and giveaway opportunities.









5 comments:

Julie Arduini said...

Thank you for letting us share, Laura!

HeidiDruKortman said...

Excellent post.Laura. Great series, Julie and Hannah!

Marie Bast said...

Thanks for posting, Julie. Your books are wonderful and this book is positively Brilliant. All the best to you and Hannah!

B. J. Bassett said...

Love the series, and so needed.

Kathleen said...

Great interview! I love the tag-team answers, Hannah and Julie. Thank you, Laura, for featuring this talented mother/daughter duo on your blog.

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