Getting to Know Julie Arduini

Author Julie Arduini has been to kind to stop by and tell us more about herself and her newest release. Please join me in welcoming her! 

​Julie Arduini loves to encourage readers to surrender the good, the bad, and ---maybe one day---the chocolate. She’s the author of ENTRUSTED: Surrendering the Present, as well as ENTANGLED: Surrendering the Past. The last book in the series, ENGAGED: Surrendering the Future, is coming in June. She also shares her story in the infertility devotional, A WALK IN THE VALLEY. She blogs every other Wednesday for Christians Read, and also is a blogger for 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 subscribe to her monthly newsletter full of resources and giveaway opportunities.

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Trish Maxwell’s back in Speculator Falls with egg on her face and a lot of apologies to make. She left the mountain town for her dream job in New York City, only to come back unemployed. With no prospects, she works at her mom’s department store and makes amends as she finds a new passion creating window displays for Adirondack businesses. She works hard and tries to convince the people of Speculator Falls she’s changed for the better.
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As Trish pitches in with community events, she meets paramedic Wayne Peterson, the one man who doesn’t seem to judge her. She even makes friends with Jenna Regan, who helps Trish when people demand to know what’s next in Trish’s life. Living in New York City has been her goal, but the more she’s around Wayne and the Adirondack area, the more she’s drawn to revising her plans. Just when Trish thinks the plan for her life’s coming together, a second chance comes her way that could give her every career goal she’s ever wanted, but threaten to tear her and Wayne apart. Can Trish surrender fears about her future and discover God’s plan for her?

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Author Interview

Me: Hi, Julie! Thanks so much for being here today.​ If there’s one thing you hope readers come away with after reading your book, what would it be?
Julie: My prayer is that through Trish’s experience, readers will find freedom through surrender. In Trish’s case, she needed to let go of her dreams to find God’s best plan for her. I believe God wants to do that for all of us.
 
Me: What is one of the most challenging things you’ve faced as an author?
Julie: I really struggled writing ENTANGLED. The anxiety that comes with writing the second book is real. I also knew Carla’s story about surrendering regret was important, but I couldn’t relate to her as I could Jenna (ENTRUSTED) or Trish. It was also my first book where I was publishing it under my own imprint as an author and speaker as Surrendered Scribe Media. I re released ENTRUSTED and released ENTANGLED at the same time. Two weeks before the release my step son married and our son graduated high school. I literally made myself sick from the stress I put on myself. That said, the feedback was amazing.

It sounds like writing ENTANGLED was a real challenge. Sometimes I think those books end up reflecting the emotions that we go through as we write them. I'm sorry you ended up so stressed and sick!

Me: Is there a special treat or drink that helps you during your writing process?
Julie: With ENGAGED, I found a coffee smoothie that I enjoyed. It was during this book I found more lower carb items to enjoy, and this drink hit the spot.

Me: Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
Julie: I tell people I am an introvert’s introvert. Through other ministries I am often with others serving. I mentor women a lot through encouragement and one-on-one Bible study. I’m a Sunday School teacher, I work with teen girls, and I lead Bible studies online. I pray a lot with women from across the country, often online. These things take a lot of energy, and I physically need space and time apart to regroup.

Me: What project are you working on now?
Julie: This summer I am working with our daughter on a series for tween girls about surrendering lies they believe. We think the series will be called Surrendering Stinkin’ Thinkin’ and I am excited. Hannah can plot books better than I can, and her ideas are amazing. She is a teen with rare health issues that are not always visible, and her strength and endurance is inspiring.
 
This fall I’ll start book one of six in my new series about Surrendering Opinions. It’s about sextuplets who are thrust in a national spotlight because of their birth, and then forever in the limelight because of a tragedy. Now young adults, they are trying to find their own identities amidst the community that helped raise them. They are also each trying to find love as strong as what their parents had. I have a series prologue included in ENGAGED, and I’m very excited about it!

Wow, both projects sound awesome!! 

Me: What inspired the cover for your latest book?
Julie: I was looking for something to complement the other books in the series. Because it is the last in the series, I went with a sunset, and a glimpse of what could be the Adirondack Mountains. The couple really felt like Wayne and Trish to me, so I’m very pleased with it.

Isn't it great when you find the perfect cover?!

Thanks so much, Julie. It's been wonderful visiting with you. Congratulations again on your new release!