(I’m sorry that I forgot to bring Jen Knox’s excellent memoir with me when I did the video. But she is giving away two copies, hosted on this blog.)

Don’t forget to check out the full giveaway listing at www.JTimothyKing.com (with more books coming, continuing into February).

Meet Bri Stone, a laid-back beach chick from Ventura, California. Bri has it all: the man of her dreams and their surf-ridin’ teenage son, a chocolate-loving best pal, an adorable beach bungalow, and a kicky job as a Southern California tour bus host. She also has a few things she didn’t ask for: a know-it-all friend, a snobby mother-in-law, and a Fabio-meets-Dilbert boss. Ack! All three of them seem eager to share their strong opinions and suspicions about Bri’s relationship with her husband, Douglas. When Bri’s rose-colored sunglasses crack after she finds evidence that Douglas has grown tired of her carefree ways, she resolves to win him back. Can she reinvent herself—and recapture her husband’s heart?

I’m giving away a new, autographed copy of this Christian beach read, Chocolate Beach, Julie Carobini’s debut novel, which arrived at my home office this past weekend direct from Julie’s online beach shop. See the bottom of this post for instructions on how to enter the giveaway.

I actually read Julie Carobini’s debut novel Chocolate Beach some time ago. But I’m doing a teaser on it today, because I’ve got a beautiful, brand new, autographed copy of it, which I will be giving away in a post that’s going up tomorrow.

Chocolate Beach is what Julie calls “beach-lit,” or what I had been calling “Christian chick-lit.” As Julie explained in an interview she did with me last year on a different blog:

I began using the term beach-lit around the time that my first book, Chocolate Beach, was released because my heroine, Bri, was more of the “anti-chick.” By that I mean she wasn’t the usual pink-clad gal who loves name-brand shoes and high-end fashions. She was a working mom who preferred flip-flops and casual hoodies— and of course, being at the beach.

So instead of focusing on the “chick” I focused on the location, the beach. More than that, though, my stories tell of how God offers “Waves of Grace” to those who love and serve him.

I’m chatting here in my virtual living room today with Julie Carobini, author of what she calls “beach-lit” novels: Chocolate Beach, Truffles by the Sea, and—her latest—Sweet Waters. As always, what I say is in italic type, like this, and what Julie says will be in a plain font.

Hi, Julie. Thanks for doing this interview for BeTheStory.com.

You’re welcome! Thanks for inviting me, Tim!

You’ve said that the sea is a demonstration of God’s creativity. I imagine this is what inspired you to write “beach-lit”? (I almost feel like you chose that tag to correct people like me, who was calling Chocolate Beach “Christian chick-lit.” :-))