ENTANGLED
Julie Arduini
I was about two-thirds done revising
my first Adirondack romance, 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” from 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.
Entangled was my hardest book
to write. I was a new indie author re-releasing Entrusted and releasing Entangled
at the same time. Our son graduated from high school and our other son got
married in the same time frame, out of state. It was stressful. On the writing
front, I couldn’t relate to Carla. She was a single mom. She wasn’t honest. But
the reader feedback to this day remains strong. Readers can relate to Carla.
Guilt, shame and regret are things that hold us back. Through surrender in
Christ, we can find freedom.
In Entangled, 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 re-enters 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.
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?
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:
Amazon
(Kindle and Print): http://www.amazon.com/Entangled-Surrendering-Past-Time/dp/0692713476/
ENTANGLED EXCERPT: Julie Arduini
Chapter
One
A twenty-minute run. That’s all I need. Just enough time to feel
free.
Instead, the Hamilton County DA places a neon green gift bag in my
hand. He then looks to the crowd. “Just forty-eight hours and our very own
Carla Rowling will go from handcuffs to haircuts.”
The Piseco Inn meeting room is wall-to-wall people. My fellow law
enforcement, paramedic, and fire and rescue colleagues hand me gifts and joke
at the idea of me leaving for beauty school.
I paste on a smile as I lift a pair of black running shoes with
hot pink trim from layers of tissue paper, but my focus is on my breathing.
Steady and even. Like when I’m running.
“From squad car to standing all day. What a switch.” Fred Beebe,
retired bank president, grins.
I stand and balance my arm on Joanie, the county dispatcher, as I
slip off the three-inch heels I borrowed from my best friend Jenna and try on
the comfy shoes.
“Hey, Carla! Will you wear those as you run with scissors to chase
perps out of your hair salon?” Jack Hunt, my replacement, snorts from laughing
too hard.
“Do they fit?” Joanie looks to the empty box on the floor where
wrapping paper and ribbon litter the area.
I nod, let go, and sit. “They’re so comfortable I’m going to wear
them for the rest of my party.” And as soon as I can, break these sneakers in. There's nothing like the feel of new
running shoes, and no better time to use them than when the walls feel like
they’re closing in.
Will Marshall, my truck-driving boyfriend of less than a year,
adjusts his bright orange hunting cap and places his hand over mine. “Carla,
those shoes are going to be great for the long days at your salon.” He turns to
Joanie and winks. “What a nice gift. You all have the best ideas to transform
our favorite sheriff to our new stylist.”
Looking around, I see my former colleagues from around Hamilton,
the only county in New York State that doesn’t have traffic lights. The people
smile and chant my name. Their grins seem sincere as they point to the table
full of packages. Gifts I’ll never deserve.
“C’mon, keep opening your presents so we can have cake.” My
thirteen-year old son, Noah, never wastes time, especially when it comes to
food. He walks over and grabs a stack of wrapped boxes
I sigh and rest my moist hands on my lap. “Okay. Hand me another.
By the looks of that pile, we’ll be here all week.”
Will chuckles. “Sweetie, you don’t have that kind of time. You
start beauty school in two days.”
I glance at the door, my breathing no longer steady, but fast.
Beads of sweat form at my hairline and I regret not putting my hair in a
ponytail without bangs. Probably everyone’s counting the perspiration drops
falling on my jeans.
I have to run.
About Julie:
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.
Contact/Social
Media Links:
Facebook:
http://facebook.com/JulieArduini
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/JulieArduini
Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/JulieArduini
Instagram:
http://instagram.com/JulieArduini
Snapchat:
@juliearduini
Goodreads:
http://goodreads.com/JulieArduini
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Julie-Arduini/e/B00PBKDRSQ/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1427852247&sr=8-1
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
