Are you like me? Do you find yourself Googling Did that really happen? while reading a book or watching a movie or TV show that has roots in real life? (I’m looking at you,The Crown).
That’s one reason why my novel, Chasing Valentino, was such a kick to write. The book’s setting is Hollywood by the Sea, a real place with a storied past on the California coast. The silent film that made Rudolph Valentino a heartthrob in the 1920s, The Sheik, was filmed among the area’s tall dunes. Other movies were made there as well.
The Sheik’s setting was supposed to look like the Sahara Desert, hence the use of those mountainous dunes. Back then, it took actors hours to travel from Los Angeles to film, so lore has it that this enclave was given its Hollywood moniker to help them feel more at home.
I lived in Hollywood by the Sea for a couple of years, but that was a long time ago. It hasn’t changed all that much, though. Well, except for the real estate prices! But you can still stroll down the street and find homes from a previous era.
Case in point: My husband, Dan, took this picture of Casa Valentino, a house rumored to have hosted Valentino all those years ago. If you squint, you can see me standing on the beach, watching the surf.
A few years back, I found myself thinking up a new heroine and setting her story in Hollywood by the Sea. I wanted to include bits of yesteryear in a contemporary novel. Then, I ran across a true story in the New York Times about a 100-year-old postcard that showed up in someone’s mailbox—complete with a one-cent stamp on it!
I had so many questions after that. And I realized that my heroine, Greta, would have questions too. So the postcard came into play when Greta needed a reason to move from Indiana to the shores of Hollywood by the Sea.
And that’s how my novel, Chasing Valentino, was born.
By the way, I’m new to the InspyRomance Blog and this is my first post. Thanks so much for having me! I’d like to give one commenter an eBook of Chasing Valentino. Giveaway is open to both US and international readers. Enter to win by answering the following question through Monday, April 11 (my birthday!):
What’s the last TV show, film, or book that had you wondering, Did that really happen?
JULIE CAROBINI writes inspirational beach romances. She is the author of two dozen novels known for spirited heroines, charming heroes, quirky friends, and the secrets they keep. Her bestselling titles include Walking on Sea Glass, Runaway Tide, Beach Sunrise, Reunion in Saltwater Beach, and more. She has won awards from The National League of American Pen Women and ACFW, and her books have received bestseller status many times. Julie is Mom to three young adults and lives on the California coast with her husband, Dan, and their rescue pup, Dancer. Grab a free eBook here: www.juliecarobini.com/free-book
Hi Julie, Welcome to Inspy. I have read some of your earlier books and a few are now in the church library. I remember them being by the sea.
Yes I do google things to check. I remember reading a historical set in the French Revolution and the author using metric. I learnt that is when metric came into being. I like Frankie Drake private detective and have googled things watching that show too.
Hollywood by the sea sounds interesting I didn’t know about that. I like the sound of your new book and the historical connection
(I am one of the aussies)
Welcome – I love discovering new authors as I am a voracious , in South Africa.
I often Google things in books, especially geographical areas, to make sure that I visualising the setting correctly.
I have been reading Jessie Gussman’s Cowboy books set in North Dakota, and had a geography lesson at t the same time.
You now have me searching Hollywood by the Sea….
Welcome to this site. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us. There are many times I have asked if that really happened. Sometimes my husband just seems to know (thanks) and then there are other times where he pulls out his phone and googles it right then and there. Then there are times where I google it and wound up on a squirrel chase across the web. LOL I call those my instant history days.
I am going to sound like a snob, but I don’t watch a lot of TV on my own. I do stream an embarrassing amount of gardening shows and documentaries tho. One show casually mentioned 18th century botanist Jeanne Baret and I was curious. I looked her up to discover she had dressed as a man in order to accompany her boss on a voyage to South American where she helped to collect more than 6000 specimens. I love when a random mention ends up in a cool find.
I don’t watch television but in books I never have really thought about if it really happened
Hi Jenny – I remember you! Thank you for the kind welcome. I haven’t heard of Frankie Drake but I watch Acorn TV sometimes, so I’ll look for it there.
Oh fun! I’m glad I have you searching for it, Jeannette :-)
Welcome to Inspy Romance, Julie! I don’t know if it was “most recent” but I definitely hit Google a few times while watching The Crown!
Me too, Lori. That’s when I need to rewind the show to see what I missed, haha.
Hi Christa, I know what you mean. Finding out something cool and new like that often ends up in a text to a friend that starts, “Did you know …?
Depending on the story, sometimes I’d rather not know too!
Yes, Valerie, that was awhile back for me too, but with Prince Harry living about a 1/2 hour away from me, The Crown comes to mind a lot.
Welcome!
Thanks so much, Merrillee!
Watching any movie which is based on a true story makes me wonder…but they always say truth is stranger than fiction
Welcome! I’m now following you on FB, Amazon, Goodreads and Bookbub! Do you have a newsletter? I’ll follow there, too! There have been a few things that I’ve wondered if it really happened, and, yes, I’ve googled a few!
True, JCP. Your comment makes me think of Inventing Anna, which I watched in very small doses.
Thanks so much, Trudy! Yes, I do have a newsletter w/lots of giveaways and beachy tidbits. You can sign up here and while you’re at it, grab a free copy of One Little Catch, a Hollywood By The Sea short story :-): https://BookHip.com/LWQFHGJ
Actually the book I’m currently reading “Saving Mrs. Roosevelt” by Candice Sue Patterson has me itching to look up historical details about the SPARs! It’s the Coast Guards answer to recruiting women during WW2 & so far the book is so fascinating. I’m not very far into it, but I am just loving it.
I think any of the historical books I read have me asking the question “Did that really happen”, and that’s a very good thing in my book :-)
Welcome to IR Julie! I just love this blog & I’m sure you’ll feel right at home soon. These are a great bunch of lady writers and a wonderful group of readers (like me) too. I look forward to more post from you.
Thank you for the welcome, Trixi! That book does sound fascinating.
Welcome! I follow your NL, and I’m really glad to see you blogging here, as well. :) Honestly, I can’t remember the last book that had me wondering if something actually happened or not. It probably has to do with the fact that most books have things explained in the Author’s Note about which things did happen and which ones they made up (especially with Historical Fiction).
Hi Priscila–and thank you! I used to read a lot of historical fiction too and always learned so much. Kudos to authors of historical fiction who give us background as well!
Hi, yes, there are some movies that I wonder if it ever happened or if it was based on a true story , same as with some fiction books. It makes it all that much more intriguing. Have a great week and stay safe. I am not entering this ebook giveaway, as I do not read ebooks at all, I am not very tech savvy at all but thank you very much.
Thank you, Alicia. It took me a long while to start reading eBooks. Can I admit that I now read them on my phone? (I know–sounds crazy, right? ) Please stay healthy and safe too!
can’t think of anything
I’m reading some Native books & movies about women & kids. I wonder if everything is true or some is added even though I have heard a lot about it from family.
I’ve read 2 books that were teen mom & in the 30’s getting pregnant. They tell a lot of what happened to them in the books but I wondering if some is fake or just added & not real to make it more interesting.
Frankie Drake is set in Toronto after WW1 and I think it may be on Acorn but not sure.
Hi Sylvain, It’s true that sometimes poetic license is taken to give us an idea of what happened, but to also make it feel more dramatic :-)
Ooh, sounds fascinating. I’d wonder too.
Welcome to Inspy. I like seeing if some things I read are true.
Thank you, Lelia!
Welcome to Inspy. I really do not watch much television. I believe the last movie I watched was the Hannah Swensen movie on Hallmark Movies and mysteries. I am not able to give you an example. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
That’s okay!
Thank you for the welcome, Debra. Sounds like you enjoy the stories you watch, and that’s what matters :-)
Happy early birthday, Julie!
So glad to see you here! I loved your Chocolate Beach series. I mean, who doesn’t love chocolate??
Thank you, Meghann ☺️
Hi Sophie!thank you and I know what you mean. I’m on a on a writing retreat this weekend with plenty of chocolate on hand!