Julie is very graciously giving away a copy of her new book to one winner. There must be five entries or more to generate a giveaway.
Interview and Giveaway with Julie Arduini
Julie Arduini recently released the second book in her small-town romance
series featuring Christian surrender themes, Surrendering Hearts. Let’s find
out more about her and the series.
First things first. How do you pronounce your last name?
The joke is I couldn’t make life easy and marry a Smith. It’s Are-due-we-knee.
That’s not so bad. How did you get your start writing romance?
I believe it’s the call on my life. I was always scribbling, always reading as a child. In my teen years I
re-wrote favorite movies and TV shows with my spin. By high school most of my bus friends were
captivated by my daily chapters I’d pass around that was basically a silly soap opera based on The
Outsiders. Silly stuff!
Once I became a Christian, I struggled thinking a “real” Christian author wrote non fiction.
Afterall, that’s what I was told. The pull to write romance wouldn’t leave me. I realized God is the
author of romance and He wanted to use me to bring readers closer to Him. Once I embraced that, I
took the Jerry Jenkins course, wrote for FaithWriters, and then took the plunge into my own
manuscript.
How did you land on writing a series about sextuplets?
Around the timeframe I had my first child, the MCcaughey septuplets were born. I was fascinated by
their story. I remember former NBC anchor Ann Curry interviewing them each year. In fact, I
modeled “Aunt” Julia Turmeric and her annual interviews with the Hart sextuplets after Ann. The
series really took root when my sister asked if I would write about a unique family situation. She had
donor families in mind. I didn’t feel ready to tackle that, but many ideas came to mind thinking
about sextuplets.
Once I started praying it through, I was watching This is Us. I admired how they showrunner and
writing team kept all the characters, their years, and their everything so organized. Few outside the
writing world would understand what an undertaking that was. It was then I realized I had to write
Surrendering Hearts. Not only was it a God thing, it was a challenge. Could I write about a large
family and make them dynamic and memorable in an accurate and organized way?
What is the series about?
Surrendering Hearts is about the Hart sextuplets and how they discover their own identity and try to
find a love like their parents shared.
Julie Arduini invites you to surrender with her the
good, the bad, and ---maybe one day---the chocolate. She’s the author of the
new small-town romance series with Christian surrender themes SURRENDERING
HEARTS (Anchored Hearts, Repairing Hearts, +four more). Her other
romance series is SURRENDERING TIME (Entrusted, Entangled, Engaged). She
also co-wrote a YA/Women’s Fiction series with her daughter, SURRENDERING
STINKIN’ THINKIN’ (You’re Beautiful, You’re Amazing, You’re Brilliant). Her
stand-alone romances include MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN and RESTORING CHRISTMAS.
Julie maintains a blog at juliearduini.com and participates in the team blog
Christians Read. She resides in Ohio with her husband and daughter. Learn more
by visiting her at http://linktr.ee/JulieArduini.
That does sound interesting. Who are the Hart sextuplets?
Each sibling will have their own book, and of course they all intermingle within the other books.
Jordyn is the oldest and featured in Anchored Hearts. Her surrender issue is letting go of control and
anxiety.
Ryan is next. He’s the star of Repairing Hearts, my new release. Ryan is the brooding loner who
doesn’t love being part of a large, known family. He needs to surrender anger and pride.
Evan is the hero of Building Hearts, releasing this year. Evan refuses to be forgotten as a middle
child because he’s always coming up with plans to keep the family in the spotlight.
James and Kelly took their time figuring out their career paths, so they are about to graduate college
and start in their respective fields.
That leaves Paige. Paige had a huge secondary storyline in Amchored Hearts that really moved
readers.
One event ties the siblings together and how they reacted to it. Each book has the same prologue so
readers understand and keep track, whether they read the series or a stand alone.
Let’s learn more about Repairing Hearts.
What happens when a reality show creates a blight on sextuplet Ryan Hart’s life harsher than his
dump of a home?
Ryan, the independent, brooding second oldest of the Hart sextuplets, can’t enjoy the solitude he craves
when he agrees to star on a reality show. The plan is to discover a project manager to renovate his hole
of a property. The show reveals that it's more about Ryan’s dating life. Can he keep his guard up
when everything around him is falling apart faster than the shingles on his roof?
BJ Wallace loves her quiet life in Wisconsin that she’s created far from her traumatic childhood.
Everything changes when she learns she's competing on Repairing Ryan's Heart. As the show focuses
more on Ryan than the house, BJ falls for him. Will she win the show and destroy Ryan with her
secret, or sacrifice her heart to protect Ryan?
A small-town, reality show romance with family drama and a Christian thread of surrendering pride
and anger.
A romance featuring a reality show? That had to be fun to write. Share where
we can find Repairing Hearts, and follow you on social media.
It was fun to write. Anchored Hearts and Repairing Hearts are on Amazon and are free for Kindle
Unlimited. I also put purchase links on my Link Tree, which is also the place to follow me across
social media and book sites. https://linktr.ee/JulieArduini
Repairing Hearts Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Repairing-Hearts-Christian-Surrender-
Surrendering-ebook/dp/B0CLCTD289
Repairing Hearts Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Repairing-Hearts-Surrendering-Julie-
Arduini/dp/1733687653
Thank you so much for letting us get to know you and the Hart sextuplets
better.
Thank you for having me! I’d like to give one Kindle copy of Repairing Hearts away. I’d love for your
readers to leave a comment, and I’ll choose one from Wheel of Names. Must be US resident.
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