#Interview with Julie Arduini #smalltown #romance #Christian

 

1.     Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m Julie Arduini, Are-due-we-knee, and I write small-town romances with Christian surrender themes and chocolate mentions. I am from Upstate NY, so I base my romances in those places to highlight the gems that are often overlooked. I’ve been married for 28 years to Tom, and we now live in Ohio. We have four adult children and five grandchildren.

 

2.     This November you celebrate a decade as a published author. What was that first book and the process?

That’s a great question! Entrusted was a story I wrote soon after visiting the Adirondack Mountains for the first time. As I walked around the real Speculator village, I pictured the characters and built the story. I shelved it as I married and had kids. About 2007 I felt the nudge to write again. I participated in the Jerry Jenkins Christian Writers Guild and wrote flash fiction. My work then started appearing in anthologies. Then I knew it was time to return to that first story. I believe it took 12 drafts from that first one years before, but I kept working on it. It first published in November 2014 with a small press, and then in 2016 I went indie and re-released it.

 

3.     What were your goals with that first release? Have they changed with subsequent books?

I was probably the most shocked Entrusted was a published book. My heart was to share my writing with friends and encourage and entertain them. I never cared about bestseller lists or big media interviews. When I finished Entrusted, I realized the set-up for book two, Entangled, was already there. That first book launched my first series. I never thought I’d keep writing. I’m definitely not an author with a quick turnaround, but in those ten years I’ve published ten books. I now treat my work as a ministry. I love when I can entertain and encourage, but I want readers to know they can find freedom in Christ when they surrender.

 

4.     What has changed in the industry in the last ten years?

I think a lot has changed. Self-publishing carried a bit of a negative reputation, and I understand. To this day there are books out there where there is little editing or quality writing. However, a lot of great authors who chose indie publishing are producing amazing content and readers see that. Social media has changed. Facebook was the big one back then. Now there’s Instagram and TikTok to consider for marketing. YouTube is big.

 

5.     What has been the most challenging thing about writing in the decade you have been active?

Marketing. When I mentor new authors they believe you write a draft or two and once published, readers find you. That’s rarely how it works. Marketing probably takes me as much time as writing does. As an indie author, I’m on a low-to-no budget. Finding opportunities to meet new readers and convince them my work is worth buying is time consuming, but necessary.

 

6.     You mentioned you have ten releases. What are they?

It all started with the Surrendering Time series. That included Entrusted, Entangled, and Engaged. There are two stand-alone novellas, Restoring Christmas and Match Made in Heaven. I then co-authored a women’s fiction/YA series with my daughter, Hannah. Surrendering Stinkin’ Thinkin’ features You’re Beautiful, You’re Amazin 

Here is the blurb for Repairing Hearts:  What if 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.

Repairing Hearts for Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Repairing-Hearts-Christian-Surrender-

Surrendering-ebook/dp/B0CLCTD289/

Repairing Hearts Softcover: https://www.amazon.com/Repairing-Hearts-Surrendering-Julie-

7.     You use surrender issues in your writing. What kind?

With Surrendering Time I wrote about surrendering regret, dreams, and wanting to belong. Restoring Christmas focused on surrendering grief. Match Made in Heaven was surrendering the past. Anchored Hearts was surrendering control, while Repairing Hearts was surrendering anger and pride. I love using issues we all face and showing that God can transform the hardest person and situation.

 

8.     What do the next ten years look like?

I plan on finishing Surrendering Hearts, and I have two novellas slated for November 2025 and September 2026 as part of the multi author project called Dogwood Creek Matchmakers. My husband also has retirement in sight, so I have no idea what life will look like once that takes place.

 

9.     How do you plan to celebrate your tenth anniversary?

On Tuesday, November 12 from 7-10PM Eastern I’m hosting a Book-A-Versary. Joining me will be Edwina Kiernan, Linda Shenton Matchett, Nancy Naigle, Linda Hoover, Lori Keesey, Laura Poole, Penny Zeller, Lori Soard, Sarah Hanks, Patti Shene and Tracie Corll. We will have fun discussion, games and giveaways, all at https://www.facebook.com/groups/juliearduinireadergroup. You are all invited!

 

10.  How can readers find you?

The easiest way is Link Tree. It has all my social media, web, newsletter, and book links. I love connecting with readers, so be sure to say hello. https://linktr.ee/JulieArduini. Thank you, Laura, for hosting me. This was fun!

 

 

Julie Arduini writes small-town romances featuring Christian surrender themes and chocolate mentions. She’s the author of the series 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. In 2025 she joins Leah Atwood, Robin Bayne, JoAnn Durgin, and Dawn Kinzer with the small-town romance series Dogwood Creek Matchmakers. Julie maintains a blog at juliearduini.com and Substack. She resides in Ohio with her husband and daughter. Learn more by visiting her at http://linktr.ee/JulieArduini.