Julia Barrett's World

Siren-Bookstrand authors are running an amazing week-long Valentine’s contest.  You can win ebooks and Strandbucks to buy books from Siren.  Sign into the Siren Reader’s Group for links to the blogs and contest give-aways.  My day is tomorrow, so check back here and find out how to win a copy of my science fiction romance, Captured.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SirenBookstrand/

You can find my interview over at the Logical Lust blog.  Leave me a comment and on Valentine’s Day, I’ll draw a name for a signed hard copy of The Cougar Book.  Link:  http://bit.ly/ZWnZq

Stumbling Over Chaos is running a contest for a copy of My Everything – my suspense romance coming out with Cobblestone Press on February 12th.  The contest runs through the 11th.  http://www.stumblingoverchaos.com/?p=5864http:// Head over and leave a comment.  The book makes for a fun, sexy afternoon read.

There’s a contest running over at Romance Junkies too!  I just don’t know exactly where it is – but I think there are lots and lots of freebies over there!

In other news, my kitty will recover from his life-threatening illness – it was touch and go all weekend and he finally turned the corner.  The vet called to give me the good news.

The winner of Mia Watt’s F.U.?  Linda!  Here ya go!  Mia will contact you.  Congratulations!

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Today is my interview day on the Logical Lust Blog

http://bit.ly/ZWnZq

Drop by, leave me a comment and you can win a signed hard copy of The Cougar Book!

This is one sizzling read, containing stories from twenty-three amazing authors.

My contribution is – You Might Just Get It.  Here’s an excerpt:

Excerpt from You Might Just Get It, by Julia Barrett, The Cougar Book, Logical Lust

Eric lifted his eyes and studied the woman seated across the small table from him.  Her damp curls surrounded her head like a halo.  The first time he’d seen her, in the window across the courtyard, her hair had been damp, just like this.  Sweet.  Very appealing.  He wondered if she had any idea her kitchen window looked directly into his.  Probably not.  She’d only moved in ten days ago.  Eric assumed she was still busy unpacking.  That was one of the reasons he’d invited her to dinner, one reason among many.  He wondered briefly how old Kate was.  It was hard to tell.  She could be anywhere from twenty-nine to forty-five.  But he wasn’t about to ask her and he didn’t care.  Her age didn’t matter to him.  Her laugh did.  Her big brown eyes did.  Her luscious lips.  Her wide white smile.

When he’d arrived home and found her soaked to the skin and shivering on the stoop, he got to play the hero.  That was twice in two days.  There was no way he’d pass up an opportunity to spend time with her.  He’d hoped she’d accept his offer of dinner and he‘d been pleased when she did.  It was no big deal, one of his easy meals.  Oven toasted rustic bread with melted gruyere, roasted tomatoes, baby arugula and a soft fried egg.  Simple and sensuous.  The sandwich was messy and it required the use of all your fingers.  There was a lot of runny egg yolk and licking involved.  Eric hoped he could segue that licking into something else entirely.

God, there was a lot to like about her.  Not only was Kate easy on the eyes, she was intelligent, articulate, mature, and she appreciated his sense of humor.  Plus she blushed at the drop of a hat.  Eric found that adorable.  She wasn’t jaded or flighty, like so many women he’d met recently.  He’d bet the farm she hadn’t grown up in California.  Probably Iowa or Illinois.  Someplace rural.  An old-fashioned country girl.

“Where’d you come from?  I mean, where are you from originally?” he asked.

“Blair, Nebraska.  It’s a little town near the Missouri River.  I went to school there.  Dana College.  You?”

“Minneapolis.”

“You’re kidding?  You don’t have a Minnesota accent.”

“Yeah, well, I worked hard getting rid of that.  I can do it if you like.”

“You mean like…Minnesooooota, North Dakoooooota, ya think?  Like that?”

It was Eric’s turn to laugh.  “More or less.”  He looked at her plate.  “Finished?”

“Oh, yes, thank you.  The sandwich was great.  I can cook, but I guess it never occurred to me that such simple ingredients could taste so good together.”  Kate reached for his empty plate and set it on top of hers.  “Let me help clean up.  That’s the least I can do.”

He watched as Kate rose from her chair and stretched.  He enjoyed watching.  Her breasts were pert.  Not large, but pert with perky nipples.  Two handfuls.  That’s all he needed.

“You have a long day today?”

“Not too bad.  Really.  It would have been better if I hadn’t locked myself out.  But…what can you do?  I was sort of hoping to curl up in a hot bath with a good book, but I left my book in the car and then the key…well, you know the story.”  Kate carried the plates to the sink.

Eric followed with the empty glasses.  “You can still have a hot bath,” he said.

“Yeah, I guess,” she replied, rinsing off the plates.

Eric set the glasses down on the counter and ran a hand lightly through the chestnut locks that hugged the back of her neck.  He watched goose bumps rise as he trailed his fingers along her shoulders.  He heard Kate’s sharp intake of breath.  He waited momentarily to see if she’d move away, but she remained still.

“I mean, if you’re interested, you could have a hot bath…with me.”

***Today begins the Siren-Bookstrand Valentine promotion.  Win ebooks and Strandbucks.  Contests will run all week on

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SirenBookstrand/

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It never rains but it pours!

Let me try to pull my thoughts together:

The contest for F.U., by Mia Watts, is still alive!!!  Write the words – Enter me!  Enter me now! – and you’ll be entered in the contest for a free copy of F.U.  I’ll draw the winner at random on Monday and announce right here.

My own contest, hosted by Stumbling Over Chaos, runs through February 11th.  Stop by the site and leave a comment and you could win a copy of my Romance/Suspense, My Everything, from Cobblestone Press.  Damn, that cover is hot!  The book comes out February 12.  The link:  http://www.stumblingoverchaos.com/?p=5864http://

You can find My Everything over at Cobblestone:  http://www.cobblestone-press.com/

Other news – The Cougar Book, with Logical Lust comes out on Valentine’s Day.  My short story, You Might Just Get It, is one of twenty-three fun, sexy, hot reads.  The book is available for pre-order in both ebook and print and I think if you order early, you can get a copy of Swing!, another sizzling anthology.  Here’s the link:  http://www.logical-lust.com/cougar.html

Every day in February, a contributing author from The Cougar Book is being interviewed on the Logical Lust blog.  My day is Sunday, February 7th.  Please drop by and leave a comment.  If you do, you’ll be eligible to win a copy of any book from my backlist, including Captured, my new sci fi with Siren.  Link:  http://bit.ly/ZWnZq

Katie Couric is officially a Cougar – dating a man 17 years her junior.  Go Katie!

Last but not least, the authors over at Siren-Bookstrand are running a seven-day event, beginning tomorrow.  You can win Strandbucks by visiting blogs all week.  There will be lots of contests.  Head over to Siren-Bookstrand and join the Siren Readers Group.  It’s a great opportunity to get to know some fabulous authors in all genres and pick up some Strandbucks to buy a few books!  http://www.sirenbookstrand.com/

Paranormal and Sci Fi Day is Tuesday, so stay tuned for my blog and my contest!  You can win a copy of Captured!

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I have a contest going on at Stumbling Over Chaos:

http://www.stumblingoverchaos.com/?p=5864

The link will go live after midnight tonight, Pacific Time.

Drop by.  Leave a comment, and you might win yourself a copy of my new romance/suspense with Cobblestone Press – My Everything.  The contest will run through February 11th and the book releases on the 12th.

In other contest news – check the post below regarding Mia Watt’s menage/multiple, F.U.

Leave a comment with the words – Enter me!  Enter me now! and put yourself in the running for a copy of her fantabulous book.  I’ll choose a winner, at random, on Monday and announce it right here.

In the meantime, enjoy the cover and stay tuned for exciting announcements over the weekend and next week.  Interviews!  Contests!  A week of Valentine’s fun and prizes from Siren-Bookstrand authors!

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First thing, I’m going to admit that I’m not a big fan of menage.  That doesn’t mean I think it shouldn’t be written, it means I don’t usually read it.  I’m a flaming one man/one woman fan and for me, a work of menage is generally a big, fat, red stop sign.  Why?  The ick factor.  While the concept of menage on paper is intriguing, not to mention stimulating, the reality can be somewhat less than scintillating.  There are only so many things of so many sizes that can fit into so many orifices at one time and still be pleasure inducing.  There…said it.

As a result, unless a friend writes a menage, I pass right on by without a second glance and yes, I know how popular menage is right now.  That message has been drummed into me by many, many writers…editors…advisers.

However, author Mia Watts sends me sliding down that slippery slope toward M/M and Menage without even trying.  Because the sex is so great?  Well…yeah, that goes without saying, but more because her writing is so evanescent.  She writes about love, whether it’s male-male or multiples, like her new work, F.U. I read it in one afternoon.

As I told her, it’s not your usual menage.  Most menages that authors send me are about shifters and I rarely read them, other than Fran Lee’s Hallie’s Cats, which is a spicy little number.  I skip most shifter menages because after reading a few, I began to feel like the cougar or were or bear should just pee on the woman’s leg and be done with it.   The machismo and territory marking become almost comical.  And…here’s where the ick factor comes in for me – sometimes the contortions these characters go through during sex are just god-awful unrealistic and flat out painful and I have to assume they are thrown in for shock value.

Here is why Mia’s F.U. multiple, cuz it ain’t menage, works for me.

The story is damn good.  The writing, superb.  The style, spare, clean and clear.  Despite the fact that four men share one woman, there is a building love story between the guy I consider the alpha dog and the woman, who I consider his mate.  When he shares her, he still directs all the action.  It’s as if the secondary characters, who are drawn quite vividly, are an extension of the alpha dog’s own personality and soul.  F.U. may be a multiple, but it’s overarching theme is that of soul mates – two sets of eyes meet across a room and you know to the depths of your soul he or she is the one and it scares the bejeezus out of you.  Because there are four men involved, the story could easily have crossed the line into sleazedom, but thanks to the author’s skill at shaping characters and situations, it never does.  The female character is an assertive, confident woman and the male characters not only want to fuck her…they respect, cherish and protect her.  It’s actually pretty dang cool.

This is probably the only time I’ll ever post something remotely resembling a review because I believe – to each his own and I respect the time and effort writers put into their creations.  In this case, I have to tip my hat to Mia Watts.  She’s made a believer out of me.

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I recently read an op-ed piece by Joanne Douglas of Shine about the New Hollywood according to Vanity Fair and the lack of ethnic diversity.  The photo says it all.  The New Hollywood is…oh…pretty much all white.

Don’t get me wrong.  These young starlets are photogenic, gorgeous, elegant, talented, slender – as most young starlets tend to be – and they are certainly deserving of their cover.

But let’s look at the facts.  America is becoming increasingly diverse.  Racial definitions are expanding.  Inter-ethnic relationships are far more common than they were fifty years ago and, especially out here in California, children come in all shapes, sizes and colors.  We are various shades of red, brown, black, white, pink and tan.  While traditional white groups make up approximately 68% of all Americans today, according to census figures, that number will fall to approximately 46% by 2050.  Interesting…

I am not so presumptuous as to accuse Vanity Fair of prejudice for featuring the above women.  They are the young women Hollywood is currently fixated on, and whatever Hollywood loves…I suspect that as ethnic diversity in all fields continues to grow, Hollywood and the popular media will catch that train.  Hopefully sooner rather than later.

I consider myself a Jewish mutt, with ancestors from Argentina, Sweden, Hungary, France, and Romania.  My skin color is what my father has always described as milk chocolate, my eyes are golden, my hair is auburn and thick and wiry.  When I was a kid, our community didn’t consider us white and we were banned from joining the local swim club.  All that changed by the time I was twelve, it changed legally, but still…in the minds of our friends and neighbors, we weren’t officially white.  We’ve come a hell of a long way since I was a child, and I don’t know that white is still white.

I’ve always resented forms that ask my race.  Checking one of those little boxes is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.  Look at our genetic history, none of us truly fits into any one category.  My father is as pink-skinned, green-eyed, white-blond as they come, yet when you look at his genetic profile from The National Geographic Genome Project, his genome never left the Middle-East.  On the other hand, my dark-haired, nearly black-eyed, dark-skinned mother’s genetic ancestors are scattered all over the world.

The Temptations:  Beauty’s Only Skin Deep

My friends ask what do I see in you? But it goes deeper than the eye can view
You have a pleasin’ personality and that’s an ever lovin’ rare quality
Now show me a girl, a girl that’s fine, an I’ll choose the one with true lovin’ every
time

Because I know that beauty’s only skin deep ya,ya,ya
And I believe that beauty’s only skin deep oh,ya

So if your lookin’ for a lover, don’t judge a book by it’s cover
She may be fine on the outside, but soooo untrue on the inside

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Enough with the nicey nice nice posts.  I’m  a MILF!  It’s official.

Pardon me for a moment while I paraphrase Kohelet, or as he’s known by his more common name, Ecclesiastes:

Vanity…vanity…all is vanity.

I admit it…I am as vain as they come.  A couple weeks ago I headed over to Whole Foods and I got the look…in fact I got several looks…you know the head down, eyes up appraising look, the interested double take…got it from three guys having coffee in front of the store -sitting at three different tables.  I called my daughter and I said, “I am so vain…I tell you, I am so fucking vain.  The day I no longer get those looks is the day I hang it up.  Does that sound awful?”

Like mother like daughter, she replied, “No, mom, I totally get it.  I feel exactly the same way.”  Thank you Jesus!

I’m not vain in the plastic surgery or makeup or short dresses or manicured nails way.  Never had plastic surgery, don’t wear makeup, hardly own a dress and I bite my nails.  But I am vain in the I like the attention of the opposite sex kind of way.

Follow me here…

1.  Two days ago, my husband and I went out to our favorite local dive with a couple friends and I ran into a guy I used to hike with…he’s maybe ten, fifteen years my junior and hot.  And married.  And I like his wife.  A lot.  He gave me a hug and took down my new cell phone number so he could call me about going on a hike.

2.  Yesterday afternoon, I had to go for a mammo because there have been some issues lately that I am not ready to discuss until I have the good word – anyway – the little Hispanic mammo tech, as she’s fitting my small breast into the machine of squish torture asks me if I have kids.  Grimacing, I say, yeah, three.  She replies, three kids!  You are one hot mama!  You are what my sons would call a MILF! I burst out laughing while she giggles and tells me to hold my breath and says – See, now it don’t hurt so much!

3.  Last night, my old friend (see no. 1)  sent me a text and then he called.  He said – I was so happy to see you the other day!  I felt like a teenager again.  You look so good, I wanted to jump your bones. His words rendered me speechless, which doesn’t happen very often, but I finally said…we’re both married buddy.  He said, Yeah, I know, but damn girl!

4.  It’s called the stress-related don’t eat, don’t sleep, exercise excessively, along with a lot of hot, hard middle of the night lovin’ from your sweetie school of MILFing.

5.  I am gloriously happily married to love of my life and the best fuck I ever had so ain’t nuthin’ ever gonna happen, but  damn girl…I’m gonna enjoy my MILFing while I still got it!

In other news, my good MILF bud, Mia Watts, has a new release and if you head over to Resplendence you can pick it up along with any book you like and get a discount in the bargain – so go!  Type in: Mia20 and receive 20% off your book purchase!!!

http://www.resplendencepublishing.com/

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Yee-hah!  My romance/suspense, My Everything, will be released on February 12th with Cobblestone Press.  Just got word this morning.

Never had so many releases in such a short period of time.

Check it out in the coming soon section.

My Everything, by Julia Rachel Barrett

http://www.cobblestone-press.com/

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My Cat is a Newt Addict

Did you know that newts are poisonous?  They have glands on their skin that secrete a neuro-toxin.  The toxin is similar to that of a pufferfish.  Did you know that ingesting one rough skin newt can kill a large college student?  In fact, the second most poisonous newt in the world is the California Newt.

The picture above is of an Arboreal Newt.  My cat brings in three to four of these a night – all sizes.  Apparently, now that our court is half-empty and has been for over a year – with neighbors turning their homes over to the bank, nature has returned with a vengeance and we are overrun with Arboreal Newts.  I really don’t care…they’re kinda cute in a squishy sort of Martian-like yucky way, but they are poisonous and my cat carries his newt around as if it’s a delicate crystal figurine, gagging and wheezing and frothing at the mouth all the while.  He drops it on my foot – if I happen to be awake, or on my neck, if I happen to be asleep.

As a consequence, I’ve stopped sleeping.  I’m terrified he’ll drop a newt on my face and it will crawl into my mouth.  This habit he’s developed is taking a toll on me.  I go flying out of bed at the slightest movement, sound, imagined slow-motion newt wiggle.

I’m trying to decide what the fascination is – does my cat get this weird newt high from the toxin, you know…like toad licking?  Or does he just want me to know newts are intruding upon his territory?  Or does he want me to lick them and join in on his newt-induced acid trip?  He doesn’t eat them – he would be very dead if he did, and he doesn’t kill them either.  We release them in various areas and the next night, he finds more.  My husband says the cat is probably building up an immunity to newt toxin much like the Dread Pirate Roberts did in The Princess Bride with iocaine poison.

The interesting thing about our lack of neighbors is the very notable increase in birds, frogs, hawks, owls, newts, snakes…we’ve always had raccoons and possums, skunks and squirrels, but now we’ve got a bobcat hunting in the court – he grabbed a raccoon off our roof recently.  Those of us remaining on the court have noticed a dramatic increase in wildlife – we live just a road away from open space – in a single year of decreased human activity.

Tonight I’m locking the cats in.

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The following is an article I wrote for a woman’s magazine.

It was rejected.  Pity.

Does the Perfect Pair of Jeans Exist?

Shopping for jeans is the very worst thing a woman can do next to trying on a bathing suit – which is THE VERY WORST thing a woman can do. Duh, no shit.

I recently went on line to purchase a pair of $200 “designer” low-rise, stretch jeans that guaranteed a womanly fit – not too low rise and no gapping in the back. Their stylish and very appealing ad promoted their supposed philosophy that jeans should be made for the real woman. I bought a pair online because they weren’t available at any store in my area. My jeans arrived today and within 30 minutes, mired in a pit of self-loathing, I’d repackaged them and sped to my neighborhood mailing center to return them.

Yes, they were sized correctly and they fit, but not as advertised. To describe these jeans as low rise was an understatement. They reminded me of my plumber when he’s repairing my dishwasher. The gap in back could best be described as, Grand Canyon-sized. I believe the average American woman is 5′4″ tall. I’m 5′6″ tall, but these jeans have apparently been designed for the women of the WNBA. I found myself stepping on at least six extra inches of leg and I don’t think I should have to pay $200 plus shipping and then fork over the cash to have them altered. In case you were wondering, the website didn’t offer a choice of lengths.

So I have to ask myself, what does the term womanly fit mean to a designer? As far as I can tell, the phrase means Twiggy in her hey-day will be wearing the jeans, not you, no matter what the claim.

Are we all built like prepubescent boys? Some of us have hips and butts. Oh, once I lost mine, when I was anorexic and starved myself into negative numbers.  But, gee, silly me, I nearly died. So what’s a woman to do? Stop wearing jeans? They’ve been the staple of my baby boomer wardrobe for well over 35 years. I may not wear purple when I’m an old woman, but I plan to wear jeans until the day I die. My will states that I will be buried in my favorite pair of frayed and ripped blue jeans – the jeans I’ve worn since I was fourteen.

Instead of all my Levi’s and Lee’s, I’d like to buy one single pair of  designer jeans. I find myself with a few extra bucks and I’m willing to part with them for the right denim. What is so difficult about producing well-fitting jeans for women sizes 8-12? Oh wait, I get it, they want designer jeans on the body of Kate Moss, because she’s a walking advertisement.  I’m not. Do you know that there is a designer label that advertises and embraces the fact that they are not made to fit every woman? Their honesty, while pretty insulting, is also refreshing. At least I don’t have to waste my time and my money on their product.

If I sound angry, it’s because I am. My good old fashioned American Woman self-esteem hangs by a thread in the best of times. For nearly two generations, I’ve been bombarded by images of fabulous fashion icons who maintain their looks by spending a lot of money and time on personal chefs, trainers and shoppers, and have estheticians, dermatologists, plastic surgeons and those high-colonic guys on speed dial.

While the media worships them, at the same time we’re told that by that same media that we shouldn’t try to emulate them — that they are unreal women — talk about mixed messages! Fat people only make the cover of People if they’ve lost weight.  How many times and on how many magazine covers at the check-out line do I have to look at the newest starlette’s disappearing body or read about her anorexia-related death? I guess until my eyes glaze over and I lose 50 IQ points.

The newest media darling, whoever she may be, is just as much a victim of our preoccupation with appearance as I am. Except she can probably find designer jeans to fit her concentration camp minus 8 butt a whole lot easier than I can find a regular size 8. Am I the only person who sees a problem here?

How hard could it be to market to me? And women like me? I don’t mean pretend marketing, like the maker of the jeans I just returned. There are a lot of us real women out here in the real world with real money to spend who don’t wear a size zero. I challenge some designer who’s managed to hang onto a few IQ points and common sense to rethink his/her world view. I’d like some jeans that fit, please.

*I wrote this article a year ago…here’s an update to the above post – boyfriend jeans fit me great! I have three pairs and I love them! Thank you makers of boyfriend jeans!  And considering today’s economy, I’m glad I didn’t waste $200 on a pair of jeans!*

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I may be a very weird person

but I never, not once, allowed my children to watch a horror or slasher film.  Gratuitous killing was and is not welcome in my house.  Now…on the other hand, if there was a good film that included sex and/or adult language, that was a different story.  By a certain age, after discussion, my kids were allowed to watch a movie that contained sex.

I have never understood the appeal of slasher/torture/horror films.  Yes, I know…studies indicate that in the same way amusement park thrill rides appeal to us, we like scary movies.  We like to be scared out of our wits.  We love that adrenaline rush.  But I have never understood how a society can accept and even glorify violence on the one hand and be so incredibly prudish about sex and nudity on the other.  Not talking about porn here – not in any way shape or form.  I will not even go there.  Porn, in its various manifestations, is another subject altogether and I am not a fan.

I flat out don’t get it.  Allowing small children to immerse themselves in violent movies, television shows and video games is okay, but a naked body is not?

My children are now adults.  Young adults, but adults.  I am pleased to say that none of them has any interest in slasher films.  They read, they play computer games that do not involve murder, mayhem and violence against women and they watch great cinema.  I’m not the perfect parent, but in this one thing, I did achieve my goal.

I repeat, I really don’t get it.  Violence good.  Sex bad?  Don’t.  Get.  It.

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I’m the first to admit that I have a potty mouth.  Some days, well, lately, it  seems like every other word out of my mouth  is the ‘ef’ word.  It’s not my fault!  It’s the way I was raised!

No, not really.  I was raised to be quite lady-like, but that’s one thing I’m not – know how to be…can be if it’s really important…but these days the ‘ef’ word fits the bill.  I need an appropriate and very descriptive expression of my inner frustration and outer hair pulling.  And it’s use is probably good for my cardiovascular system.

My website seems to be on the mend after a three-week long ethersphere illness – not quite up to par but improving daily thanks to two hard-working professionals.

But you know, what really got to me was something so insignificant that it is  ridiculous for me to even think about it.  I entered a writing contest and received the critiques from four judges.  Fortunately for me, I guess,  the contest coordinators dropped the lowest score.  I had three fab scores and one so low as to be an ‘ef’.  If this was high school, I would have failed the class.  I read the critique from the low scoring judge, figuring I might learn a thing or two.  I learned, in reading this judge’s own words,  that he or she was offended by my use of the ‘ef’ word, so offended, in fact, that she couldn’t read the story.  Which makes me wonder why oh why did this person volunteer to read an erotic romance.  Erotica is loaded with words, that in my opinion, are waaaaay worse than the ‘ef’ word.

Besides, the ‘ef’ word is a good, solid all-purpose Anglo-Saxon word with multiple levels of meaning and many appropriate uses.  I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t resort to the ‘ef’ word under the appropriate circumstances!

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I don’t have a release date, but I received some fabulous cover files from the artist at Cobblestone Press.

The results are stunning.  She managed to get the visuals exactly right, from the bodies to the tattoo to the L.A. skyline.

Here’s a blurb for this work of romantic/suspense.

Security consultant Ben McCall is alone.  His wife and unborn child are dead, victims of an assassination attempt meant for someone else.  Grieving, he disappears.  When his best friend is in danger Ben resurfaces, only to find his friend isn’t the target of a murderer, he is along with his sister Angel.  On the night of his return, Ben unexpectedly comes face to face with a woman from his past.  She needs his help.  He learns that he needs hers even more.   
Grace Adams is one of the walking wounded.  Her husband died two years ago.  One night she is incapacitated.  A man comes to her aid.  He’s the man she fell in love with years before, Ben McCall.  As the passion between them reignites, Grace too becomes a target of the madman who stalks Ben.  She, Angel and Ben must use their wits to stay alive as they fight a man desperate for revenge.

Coming soon!

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was kind enough to answer some questions for me.

I love the site:  http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/

Smart Bitches, Trashy Books is amusing, irreverent, informative and it tops my daily must read blog list.  When I emailed Sarah about an interview, I didn’t really expect a response.  I figured…why would she bother?  But sometimes you want to know a little about what’s behind the public persona.  Here ya go!

I’ve read about you on your site, but I’d love to hear, in your own words, where you are coming from.  I’d like a little background, nothing too personal, but…for instance, have you been reading since you were, say, three years old?  Was reading valued in your family?  What genres do you read?  Only romance, or do you throw in some nonfiction, biographies, straight science fiction?  Do you have a favorite all time book?

I learned to read late, and had a lot of trouble with it. I’m not sure if it’s because I didn’t want to read or because of my eyesight or what, but I was moved backwards in reading groups and got it into my head that I wasn’t intelligent. This is how I discovered romance: when I saw the class valedictorian in high school reading a huge thick paperback, I got all angsty but worked up the nerve to ask what she was reading. It was Catherine Coulter, and she dragged me over to the romance paperback rack to tell me all about the different books. I was hooked from there.

Reading was valued in my family, but my tendency to go completely deaf and become completely absorbed into the book was not terribly valued or popular!

I read romance, mysteries, nonfiction, and a LOT about cooking and the science thereof. I don’t have an all-time favorite book but I have some that never lose their power with me:

Lamb, by Christopher Moore
The Duke and I, by Julia Quinn
Bitten, by Kelley Armstrong
Cry Wolf, Patricia Briggs
Charms for the Easy Life, by Kaye Gibbons

Be honest, do you read romance for the sex?  Or do you read romance for the story?  Or are both a must?  How do you feel if a book has great sex, but the story sucks, or if the sex is merely insert tab a into slot b, but the story rocks?  I would like to know what you think about the fact that romance/erotica has become increasingly graphic – both scenes and language - in recent years.

I absolutely do not read romance merely for the sex. I read for the story, the emotional power of a writer who can truly communicate the risk and fulfillment of a happy ending, knowing that no matter how bad the circumstances may become, it will all work out in the end. Sex is optional. I dislike it intensely when sex is, pardon the visual, wedged into the story for whatever reason. Sex is a complication, a form of progress or regression in a relationship – and its role or absence in a romance is important, but not the only reason I read.

I think erotica is popular for the same reasons that paranormal stories are popular: there are a lot of people who want to read them, and if that’s what someone wants to read, more power to ‘em. I think people should be able to read whatever they want, without comment or judgment.

How do you feel about authors who jump on the bandwagon, say switch from historical to steampunk or YA simply because it sells?  Do their voices sound inauthentic, or can a very special artist successfully pull it off?  Among the authors you’ve read or follow, who is able to switch voices and genres in a very satisfying way?

It always depends on the author. I don’t think a writer needs to be limited to any one subgenre. Many have written across genre lines and done marvelously well with it. Some haven’t. It depends on many factors, most of which rest on the talent of the writer.

Are vampires dead?  LOL!  Is the genre dead or is there life within it yet?  Has it been done to death?  Do you miss the good old days of bad vampires or do you like the new and improved versions?  What about the shift to were-animals?  Interesting?  Not?  I’ve skimmed a couple stories in which the characters have sex while in animal form and I’m not a big fan.

I’m very tired of vampires, personally. I am way over tales of angsty courtship with maudlin immortals. I do love were stories, particularly those that explore violence, anger, and gender roles, but I haven’t encountered many that feature graphic depictions of sex in animal form.

I may be taking my life into my hands here, but are you a Twilight fangirl, or would you prefer to say, no comment, and sparkle on your hard as marble merry way?  Oh, and I must ask, Eric or Bill?

I read Twilight and gave it a D, but was very fascinated by the power and draw Edward as a character had and continues to have over a large group of fans. If folks are into Edward, they can sparkle on, though I wish they wouldn’t do creepy things like mail actors pictures of the hey nanner nanners because Lord that’s unnecessary. Eric or Bill? Neither, thanks!

Are you a BSG-er?  Or perhaps you prefer Lost?  Or are you more of a Thirty Rock kind of gal?

I’m a big ol’ loser in that question! My favorite shows to date are Bones and NCIS, and a few cooking shows I cannot get enough of. Sorry!

Tell me about your toughest post?  I mean, what did ya’ll put on your website that drew the most ire or caused the most controversy?  Do you ever back off because of controversy or do you dig in your heels and stick to your guns?

Toughest post? I honestly don’t know if there’s one that was hardest to write. I know the post I wrote after Kate Duffy died was among the most painful to write, because I wanted to say so much about her, and was afraid I wouldn’t say nearly enough.

The posts that drew the most controversy and ire were those that revealed the rampant plagiarism of Cassie Edwards. I didn’t think the story would get that much attention but it grew over the course of a week until The New York Times covered it in the weekend edition. We didn’t back off, though, even though a lot of mud was slung our way for being the bearer of unpleasant tidings.

Favorite meal/wine/do you cook?  What do you think about fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies and would you like my insanely good recipe?

Favorite meal: it’s cold out, so soup with barley, please. Wine: cabernet or malbec are my current faves. And yes! Cookies! Bring it on!

Favorite weekend away?  If you could visit any place in the world, where would it be and why?

Favorite weekend away? Anywhere with a beach and a book. And visiting: I’m absolutely hopping to go to Australia and New Zealand. Someday I will.

Anything else you’d care to share with my readers and your fans?  Books?  Movies?  Politics?

I think the best part of running my website is the fact that I’m always meeting new and enthusiastic romance fans. I love how many intelligent, savvy people read romance and love to discuss it.

Thanks for answering my questions, Sarah.  I have to come clean…I am an NCIS addict.  Got it bad!

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Check out Lesli Richardson, over at her blog: http://www.leslirichardson.com/

Here’s the link for the original post…and I love the title – You Are Not A Special Snowflake!

http://leslirichardson.blogspot.com/2010/01/writing-how-to-you-are-not-special.html

She put together a marvelous, informative, coherent manifesto on how to do what we do best…write.  I felt her blog was so important that I contacted her and asked her to elaborate on a few of her answers.  She graciously agreed and took the time to get into a little more detail.

Thanks for having me! I appreciate you asking me to be here.

I don’t think any new writers are served by getting a pat on the head and false reassurances they can do it if they put their mind to it. There’s a lot more to it. On the other hand, the fact that it IS doable if a person wants to work hard for it–just like any other career path–should actually comfort them. There is no magic formula, just a lot of hard work.

A.  It’s a lot of frakking work! When you talk about work, are you talking about the mere craft of writing or are you talking about writing, editing, putting yourself out there, risking failure and rejection yet persisting?  Are you talking about promotion and contacting individuals who might be interested in your book despite knowing that they may never respond?  For instance – not only writing books, but blogging, commenting on other blogs, asking for interviews and reviews, really stretching your comfort zone…

As slow as traditional publishers have been to embrace e-publishing, some writers have been even slower. I don’t understand why. Maybe it’s they feel cheated that they worked hard all those years just to have someone else come up from the ranks and make money the “easy” way. (HA! It’s NOT easy, believe me!)

If your goal as a writer is to make money, then you HAVE to write smart. If your goal as a writer is to write and be an artist and you don’t care if you publish or not, then go the self-publishing route through Lulu.com or someone like that, you’ll make about the same amount of money that way and can claim you’re “published.”

But just like the Edsel didn’t survive, neither will traditional publishing if they don’t shift their business paradigms. Let’s face it–Harlequin started Carina, they see the money they’re losing by not embracing e-publishing. They’re not the only one seeing the light. Over the next few years, I see the big publishers struggling for money and more readily embracing e-publishing now that the little guys have proven it’s more than doable, it can be profitable if an author wants to work hard.

But traditional publishers, despite bleeding red ink from their coffers, didn’t want to take the risk until someone else proved it could make money. Just like erotica, now lots of traditional publishers put out erotica lines. Now it’s e-publishing. We’ve proven there is a viable and rapidly growing market for it, especially as more people get smart phones like iPhones and BlackBerries that can double as e-readers (I use my BB as an e-reader when out and about and stuck in a line).

I’m not saying traditional publishing is dead. The old-fashioned publishing MODEL is dying, however. It cannot sustain itself in the current environment. It will have to change to embrace new technology and reader desires. Look at the current backlash among Kindle readers over windowing e-book releases after hardcovers. Publishers will be forced to start listening to their readers, because they will start losing those customers–and authors–to those readers. I’m surprised more A-list writers haven’t actively started self-publishing. Once you have name recognition, you don’t need to fight a distribution stream battle, you are automatically in the door. I think (and I’m not the only one who’s said this) that you’ll start seeing more writers becoming publishers and cutting agents and traditonal publishers right out of the mix.

Thanks, Lesli, for these words of wisdom!

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