Julia Barrett's World

stays in Minnesota.

Mostly that means crashing after weeks of extreme sleep-deprivation with a little sumthin’ sumthin’ thrown in!

The weather isn’t bad, the lakes are beautiful, no mosquito bites so far, went boating on the St. Croix today.  Heading north to the Boundary Waters on Monday morning.

Wolfgang Puck is a god.  I swear it.  Wolfgang Puck is a God.  Ate at his restaurant, 20.21 Minneapolis, in the Walker Arts Center last night.  OMFG!  I could live on his udon noodles with yellow curry sauce for the rest of my fucking life.  I want Wolfgang to move in with me and make me those curry noodles every single day.  That and a tray of his very own dim sum creations.  My mouth is watering at the memory.  Talk about a spiritual awakening to food…Wolfgang – your flavors caressed my soul!  Dear Mr. Puck, please read this blog so you’ll know how much I loved 20.21 Minneapolis.

Got some more edits – these for Daughters of Persephone Book Three Reborn and Book Four Red Demon.  I’m going to take advantage of this brief moment of quiet to work.

Tweet This Post

This picture is labeled ‘funny cat fight’.  Fighting ain’t so funny.

Just before we leave, life gets crazy to the point of insane.  I think I will be happy to be without a cell phone and the internet for a week.

I doubt I’ll have time to post Friday – we leave at 4 a.m., so ya’ll be good, read lots of books and I’ll see you when I see you.

Drop by Rhobin’s Rambles:  http://rhobinsrambles.blogspot.com/

She’s posted one of the best blogs I’ve read on why some of us love to write science fiction and science fiction romance – you get an overview from many wonderful authors, including moi.  Just FYI.

Much love, Julia

Tweet This Post

Remember to drop by Michelle’s Book Blog and give yourself a chance to win a signed print copy of Captured – you can read my interview too and see one of my new head shots!  http://michellesramblins.blogspot.com/

She’s posted both an interview with me and a lovely review of Captured, one of my favorite books to write.

This is head shot number one.  I climbed a tree for this shot.  I look happy and it seems as if I have cleavage.  I don’t.  It’s the push-up bra and the tree branch I’m leaning on.  Jewish people may have cleavage, but they get nervous when they look happy – it attracts the evil eye.  And no, I’m not wearing make-up.  Make-up makes me look like Bozo the Clown.  Or maybe Ronald McDonald.

Anyway – I’ll be posting head shots this week and you all can choose the one you want me to use for my blog.  You decide.  As I said, this is option number one.

I finished reading Catching Fire, How Cooking Made Us Human – it’s a great fast nonfiction read.  The author, Richard Wrangham, kept me enthralled with his very easy to understand theories on the cooking of food and how it influenced the rapid and astounding evolution of the human brain, the human body, and the division of labor between the sexes.   My next book?  Spice, the History of a Temptation, by Jack Turner.  Cannot wait!  In my TBR pile?  Mukiwa, A White Boy in Africa and When a Crocodile Eats the Sun, both by Peter Godwin.  On ebooks I’ve got romance author, Katalina Leon‘s entire libraray – yummy!  I plan to start with Noblesword.

The puppy, Jake, is out in the backyard running his little feet, oops, his big feet off, after his doggy cousin who is visiting for a few hours.  She’s an 18-month old German shepherd-coon hound mix.  I used to think she was crazy.  Compared to Jake, she’s an angel.

Many thanks to those of you who’ve signed up for my newsletter.  I still have three unconfirmed email addresses I cannot access.  Check your spam folder and see if the confirmation letter is there.

Oh, one more thing – I got word from Siren yesterday that the release of my full-length cowboy romance, Anytime Darlin’, is scheduled for August 26.  I won’t be around – I’ll be canoeing in the Boundary Waters in Northern Minnesota.  I love all my books, but Anytime Darlin’ is very, very special.  I encourage you to give it a try!

Tweet This Post

My hero:  Steven Slater of Jet Blue.  This Chinese re-enactment is priceless.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBvakgglAPM

Purchase these tin banks from this man:  http://www.blueq.com/shop/114-catId.117440656_114-productId.0.html

He and my sister had a wonderful conversation via the internet.  She kept trying to purchase a tin bank, but the site repeatedly refused her credit card.  As instructed per the site, she emailed the webmaster about the problem.  The webmaster is, of course, the owner of the store.  He responded – My dear sweet (let’s call her) Mary.  I believe the problem may lie in the year you’ve entered.  I don’t recall credit cards being readily available in the year 1012.  Perhaps you’d like to purchase the bank with a bag of grain or a wheel of cheese or a skin of wine? Thus was born a friendship!  I love these banks!  See if you can view both sides.

I’m an interviewee at Michelle’s Book Blog today, Saturday – please drop by – http://michellesramblins.blogspot.com/

You’ll even get to see a real photo of me and you might win a prize!  Here’s her review of Captured.  It’s lovely.

Captured is the first book I have read by author Julia Rachel Barrett and I really enjoyed it.
Mari Damon never in her wildest imaginings, thought she would find herself being held captive in a cage on a spaceship. Trying to get her bearings, Mari listens as her captors discuss their cargo. The language sounds familiar – Mari can almost pick out a word or two – and with time and patience she is sure she can speak this language.
Ekkatt has never had one of the females wake ahead of schedule. When the red haired female speaks to him – he responds in English, telling her she must go back to sleep. But when the female attempts to carry on a conversation with him – Ekkatt is amused and curious. Surely it would not hurt to allow her to remain awake.
Mari sees befriending Ekkatt as her only chance of survival – but she is not aware of the strict laws the Attun race have in place. Human women are seen as nothing more than cattle – and the Attun do not interact with cattle.
Captured is a great read. The entire premise of this book is unlike any I have read before and I would be happy to read more.

I give Captured 4 out of 5 stars.

Tweet This Post

What am I reading?  I am a huge-amongus fan of nonfiction.  My current massively enjoyable read is Catching Fire, How Cooking Made Us Human, by Richard Wrangham, professor of Biological Anthropology at Harvard University.

“A man does not live on what he eats, an old proverb says, but on what he digests.”  Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, The Physiology of Taste: Or Meditations on Transcendental Gastronomy.

Love this book!

What am I watching?  Baseball, mostly.  Haven’t been to a movie in ages and I’d love to go.  I want to see Salt and Inception and The Kids are All Right.

The puppy is angel pup by day, devil pup by night – keeps me busy!  I have to carry around this thirty pound 9 1/2 week old puppy.  He’s a big guy!

I got my first review for Daughters of Persephone from Happily Ever After Reviews:

“I’ve read other books by Julia Barrett, so I was eager to start Daughters of Persephone. I commend Ms. Barrett for the time and devotion in creating a realistic sci-fi world with its own terms and rules. You are pulled into the realism of a new world and kept there by the larger than life characters.”

Here’s the link:  http://hea-reviews.blogspot.com/2010/08/review-daughters-of-persephone-by-julia.html

Michelle, over at Michelle’s Book Blog – posted this great review for Captured.  Here’s the link.  I’ll post the entire review tomorrow:  http://michellesramblins.blogspot.com/

ATTENTION:  THREE PEOPLE HAVE SUBSCRIBED TO MY NEWSLETTER BUT HAVE NOT CONFIRMED.  PLEASE CONFIRM OR YOU WILL NOT BE ADDED TO THE MAILING LIST.  I CAN’T ACCESS YOUR EMAILS.  IF YOU ARE HAVING PROBLEMS CONFIRMING, EMAIL ME AT:  Julia@JuliaRachelBarrett.net and I will get you confirmed!  Thanks!

Tweet This Post

Science fiction and romance…can ever the twain meet?

One of my all-time favorite works of science fiction is Ringworld, by Larry Niven.  He creates a colorful cast of characters who set out on an epic journey to explore an anomaly, a ring-shaped, artificially created, giant planet containing an earth-like atmosphere and ecosphere.  The crew includes the giraffy guy…that’s how I like to remember him, and the lucky guy – because in this story, luck is genetic.  Ringworld is my husband’s very favorite work of science fiction.

So last night, hubby was reading my book, Daughters of Persephone, on his Kindle.  Since I’m stuck downstairs with the new puppy, he came down to discuss his thoughts.

“I really like it,” he said, “but I’m feeling an existential conundrum coming on.”

“Oh?” I asked.  “What sort of existential conundrum?”

“Can science fiction and erotic romance exist in the same book?”

“I don’t know,” I replied, “but they coexist in both Captured and Daughters of Persephone .”

“Yes,” he said, “but true science fiction aficionados might go into shock when they come upon an explicit sex scene while fans of erotic romance might not get the science fiction, especially the science fiction references you’ve included.”

“Well, hmmm, but that’s what I’ve written.”

“But is there a market for this?  Is there an audience?”

Good question, hubby!  I don’t have a clue.  I hope so!

Can the two genres meet in the middle?  In Dune, for example, while the romance takes a backseat to the overarching messianic theme, there is love in the book.  In George R.R. Martin’s series, A Game of Thrones, there is sex, not what I would consider erotic sex or romance, but sex nonetheless.

Science fiction romance is not Paranormal, i.e., Vampire Romance, Shifter Romance, Were Romance, Faerie Romance, time travel romance…those fall more in the realm of fantasy and are a sort of pop-culture genre right now. Science fiction is not necessarily post-apocalyptic, although it may contain post-apocalyptic elements, nor is it quite Steam Punk – which does contain elements of science fiction.  I don’t know whether science fiction romance is a separate genre, a sub-genre, a new genre, a finding its way genre…and I have no idea if there is a fan base.  From what I’ve read on the blogs, there isn’t, not really.

Here’s what pops into my head when I imagine a damn good science fiction story containing romance and sex in addition to outstanding science fiction elements – The Terminator.

Any ideas?  Yes?  No?  Regardless, I don’t plan to stop writing ‘em.

Tweet This Post

Since my house is a mess and my puppy is a handful, you get eye candy.

This is the new cover for my cowboy erotic romance, Anytime Darlin’.  Here’s the teaser:

Devlin Barre lies near death, her family destroyed, her hopes for the future, dashed. Jake McKenna saves her life. Worried she’s becoming dependent on him, Devlin runs off without a word. Years later, Jake and Devlin meet again. Has their deep connection survived? What of the murderer who still hunts her?

This book is very close to my heart.  It’s the first romance I wrote. When it was first published, it sat buried on a virtual-world shelf somewhere in Never Never Land.  I can’t tell you how happy and grateful I am for the opportunity Siren has given me to re-write and re-release this tender love story.

The release date?  Coming soon – mid to late August.

Tomorrow – Science Fiction Erotic Romance….is it a contradiction in terms or just too weird to survive?

Tweet This Post

Damn you sportscasters!  Damn you all to hell!  I saw Andres Torres first!  I picked him out last year as a baseball stud and I became a fangirl – now you all jump on my bandwagon!  Ha – I say – ha ha!  Really, ask my husband…the very first time I saw him play with the San Francisco Giants, I said, Who is that man and why doesn’t he get more playing time? Like, why isn’t he starting every game?  Of course he had some injuries last year, but anybody with half a brain could see what kind of athlete he is!

Thursday’s San Francisco Chronicle – The Sporting Green headline – Torres, as in torrid.

I like it – Torrid Torres!  On Wednesday, against the Marlins, he had a Splash Hit.  He now has two.  My other favorite Giants player, Aubrey Huff, also has two.  So…here are my guys – and they have been since the first time I saw them – Andres Torres, Juan Uribe, Aubrey Huff, Travis Ishikawa, and Jonathan Sanchez.  Yeah, sure, everybody likes The Freak, Matt Cain, and Brian Wilson.  Man, that Bumgarner can throw and Buster Posey is amazing -  why the heck wasn’t he brought up sooner???  Hmmmm???  I like every guy on that team, but I love me some Andres Torres!

Yes, there is no contradiction…you can write science fiction/romance and still love baseball.  My guys have always been baseball players.

So…Thank you very much Steph, at Fangs Wands and Fairy Dust, for letting me take over your blog yesterday and many thanks to those of you who stopped by.

Today, Friday, I’m over at Anna’s place.  She’s posted an interview with The Thousand Year Empress, Aja Bokina, a Daughter of Persephone.  Come see what makes her tick and maybe win an e-copy of this fun, sexy, romantic, kick ass science fiction book.  http://s7anna.blogspot.com/

The ladies at Happily Ever After Reviews informed me today that Beauty and the Feast is up for cover of the month.  I’m going against some great covers.  If you feel like voting, here’s the link:  http://hea-reviews.blogspot.com/2010/07/july-book-of-month-and-cover-of-month.html

Off to play with my puppy!  He has that sweet puppy breath and he gives me kisseeeees!

Tweet This Post

A puppy, Daughters of Persephone and a nice book blogger!

Yes!  We got a puppy, Jake, a long-coated German shepherd puppy, 8 1/2 weeks, suffering from big puppy syndrome – the poor guy is so big for his age that people expect more of him than he’s capable of delivering!  But he’s sweet, smart and gorgeous!  Of course my cats won’t come near him.  They’re like…Crap!  Not another dog!  We thought we had the house and yard all to ourselves!

Daughters of Persephone is now available for Kindle and over at All Romance Ebooks.  I’m happy.

Stephanie at Fangs Wands and Fairy Dust has a feature on Daughters of Persephone today (Thursday) – I’m the guest blogger.  She’s running a contest – you can win an e-copy of Daughters or one of two hard copies of Captured.  Yum!

http://fangswandsandfairydust.blogspot.com/

That’s all for today – I have  a big puppy sitting on my lap!

Tweet This Post

Anny is an author of erotic fantasy.  She just contracted for Book Six of her Mystic Valley Series, Blue Paradise.  We recently had the most interesting discussion…

Let’s talk fantasy.

What attracts you to the genre?

I believe the thing that attracts me the most about the genre is the ability to create something totally new–the ability to create a mythos, a culture, a belief system, a new world (including flora and fauna). Think about how entranced people are with the new world created for Avatar. I am the “creator” every single day.

How do your characters pop into your head and evolve?

My characters evolve over a very long time. I’ve spent thirty years with my characters for the Mystic Valley series. Though I only began writing the stories four years ago, I’ve spent my life getting to know them. They are nothing like they were in the beginning. There were many compromises necessary before I could write their stories. And there will be more. Some of those compromises were necessary due to publishers guidelines. Others were simply changes the characters went through as they matured and evolved. “New” characters are usually pretty “old” for me. I’ve walked around with a huge cast populating my head for many, many years…just waiting for their turns in the spotlight.

How do you build your world…do you plan it out or does it just come to you?

I would estimate I spend about six to eight months planning a new world. I usually start by drawing a very basic map of the shape of the landmasses. Then I add mountains, lakes and rivers. And only then can I decide where the towns and villages would be placed logically. With the first version more or less complete, I start working on the overall culture. Are the people hunter/gatherers or farmers? What type of commerce do they have? What type of government, monetary system, and religion? What is their belief system? If there’s more than one, how do they differ? What type of oaths do they swear? What type of healing system/science and technology do they have? How is the flora and fauna of the world connected? Finally, I start developing the individual villages, deciding on building style, transportation, personal technology (how do they cook? what type of sanitary arrangements do they have? how do their markets work?) In that process I decide who lives in each village, what they look like, what skills they have, what their history is, and what type of clothing they wear. At each stage, I have forms I fill in so that I have them for reference. All of them go in my “bible” for that book (or series). When the initial stages are complete, I usually start thinking about story ideas. As I allow the story idea to gel in my head, I also let the world settle around me for a little while. Often I will put everything aside while I work on another project. When I get back to this new world, they may be changes or…additions. During the second round I will refine the world and it’s rules. This is a critical stage because once you’ve decided the rules for your world, your story’s characters must conform to the rules. Careful thought must go into deciding what gifts, talents, and limitations the characters will deal with. Finally, I start to write. I may not settle into the story until three or four trial chapters. I may have to begin all over at the beginning. But by the time I’ve reached this point, I pretty much know my world. Does all of this information make it into the book? Of course not. But if you write a contemporary novel, consider how much of the extraneous information you are aware of regarding our world will actually make it into your novel.

Do you like…hear your characters speak to you?

In some fashion. Some more than others. Some are very pushy. Others are shy and difficult to understand. Sad to say some I allowed to hide behind a superficial mask. For those, I did not do my best. I believe some were not ready to tell me their story. As I’ve developed as a writer, I’ve learned how to listen more carefully.

Do your stories head off in directions you never imagined?

Absolutely. The WORLD is planned meticulously. The story…well, I’m a consummate pantster. Occasionally, my characters careen off the road and we never get back on track. Chrysanthemum is a primary example of a story zooming off into the wilderness. It bounced off track at the second paragraph and never, ever made it back. By the second page I knew it never would. But there is a certain freedom in letting the characters do what they will while you as the writer stand on the sidelines alternately wringing your hands in dismay and wildly cheering their audacity.

Anny’s books can be found here: http://www.annycook.com/

Tweet This Post

http://erotromreader.blogspot.com/?zx=94c63e54148e7932

Janna, at Erotic Romance Reader featured a clip yesterday from Daughters of Persephone, Book One Exile.  Yikes!  I wrote that, eh?  Cool!

Here’s her main link in case you can’t get in the back door – http://erotromreader.blogspot.com/

All next week while Janna’s on vacation, you can read guest posts and win books – I’m giving away a copy of Daughters, Mia Watts and Bronwyn Green are also providing prizes.  Make sure to stop by Janna’s place for some goodies!

Wiping the sweat from my brow!  Whew!  Sixteen hours straight of revising Anytime Darlin’ - my cowboy rancher/farm girl romance with Siren.  I had to get it done…we may be getting a new puppy tomorrow.  This was a major re-write and it took me days as this honey-bunny is a full-length romance/suspense.

I just this minute got a review for my very popular romance/suspense, My Everything, from Happily Ever After Reviews:  http://hea-reviews.blogspot.com/2010/07/review-my-everything-by-julia-barrett.html Ben and Grace seem to be characters readers love.  They are lovers reunited after ten long, heart breaking years apart.  Five Tea Cups!

Drop by tomorrow as author, Anny Cook, gives us her take on fantasy.  She writes very hot, very fantastic books – we’re talking major world-building!

Tweet This Post

For the first time in my entire life, I have a room of my own.  No, not this room, although a few years ago I did rent a flat for a week that had this exact view.  In fact, this picture is taken from a window in my flat!  Yes!

But that’s beside the point.  I went from my father’s house where I shared a room with my sister to college where I shared rooms with dorm mates to my first husband’s house to my father’s house where I shared a room with my infant son to my second husband’s house which we filled with kids and their friends.  Although my husband has an office of sorts, my office had been the kitchen table or the dining room table or the back of the couch or a chair.

After packing up my daughter’s room and injuring my back schlepping boxes and boxes and more boxes, today hubby and I put together my desk and matching desk chair, a totally cool leather armchair with matching ottoman, and a mega-amazing daybed/sofa.  OMG!  We sat up there, each sipping a Kir Royale – yay Mia – enjoying the fruits of our labors!  I have my own room with a glorious view of our backyard and its huge redwood trees and gigantic maple.  Sigh!  I’m an adult at last!  (Not really.)

Now I can slip away to my writer’s retreat and write like a real writer.  You think?

This week – still the major re-write.  Anny Cook will be guest blogging here and I think I’ve been assigned a blog meme. Gotta check it out!

Oh yeah…email me at Julia@JuliaRachelBarrett.net if you want a signed hard copy of Captured.  Just checking to see if you’re paying attention.  No really, a signed copy.  love, julia

Tweet This Post

http://fangswandsandfairydust.blogspot.com/

Steph is featuring her review of Captured today on her pay it forward blog.  Check it out!

Tweet This Post

Captured

Julia Rachel Barrett
Fantasy erotic romance
Available from Siren Publishing
ISBN: 1-60601-722-5
January 2010

Captured and caged in a cargo hold on a spaceship, Mari accidentally awakens to learn she and a few hundred other Earth females are headed to an extraterrestrial meat market to be sold as cattle. When her captors try to return her to stasis, she strongly resists. The male in charge, Ekkatt, begrudgingly allows her to remain awake even though she injured several of his men when she was first caught. Despite her understandable anger, Mari quickly realizes her survival depends upon connecting with Ekkatt. She must make him see her as a sentient being or she will end up dinner.

Ekkatt has never spoken to a human before. For him, all humans are beasts. They are valued for one thing only, the money they bring at auction. The Attun are vegetarians, but other species prize human flesh and Ekkatt makes good money trapping for them. Then the female with red hair awakens, speaks to him and forces him to admit she has a name. Ekkatt’s discovery of Mari’s sentience throws his entire life and its purpose into question. How can he participate in the sale of thinking, intelligent beings for food?

Julia Rachel Barrett has written an engaging novella in which she fully develops a world similar to, yet quite different from our own. Though the Attun appear technically advanced, their lives are reminiscent of Colonial life on Earth. The book also poses several interesting questions about colonizing different species together and allows its readers to reach their own conclusions.

I thoroughly enjoyed Mari and Ekkatt’s journey, and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys “other world” stories filled with three-dimensional characters living and working in a world that has a long, uneasy history with Earth. We weren’t the first intelligent beings to be created in this universe, and we probably aren’t last; the question is can we learn to live and play well with others?

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Very sensual

Reviewer: Kathryn
July 21, 2010

Tweet This Post

Comes out tomorrow…today…

My daughter…my sister…my daughter…my sister…

So fingers crossed!  If I owe you a copy, drop me a line at Julia@JuliaRachelBarrett.net

I’m swamped with edits right now and while I have a list of contest winners, I might not have time to check it for a while.  I don’t know exactly when I’ll get my copies, but I’ll try to touch base with you within a few days.

Yes, I’m excited!  Yes, it’s been stressful, to say the least!

Okay babies, back to work.

New blurb:

Blurb – Daughters of Persephone, Book One, Exile

Aja Bokinan, of noble blood, is the Thousand Year Empress who has grown to adulthood in exile. Throughout the Empire, women are banned from public life, have no legal rights, and they  have become little better than property.

In an attempt to kill off the royal line and end all resistance, Aja is kidnapped by a General who intends to inject her with a lethal virus, hoping she will infect her family and Women of the Blood everywhere.

Kyr Aram, is a smuggler and secret Resistance fighter. He must find a way to protect Aja from both the General and a traitor on his own ship who wishes to see her dead.  With the Thousand Year Empress, he gets more than he bargained for.

Blurb – Daughters of Persephone, Book Two, Return

The Lady Ennat, has been sent by her mother to Resistance Commander, Karna Aram.  She is a Blood decoy, her role is to protect her sister Aja, the Thousand Year Empress, and draw the bulk of the Coalition forces away from the Resistance fighters.  Knowing she may not live to see tomorrow, she gives into her growing feelings for Commander Aram.

Karna Aram wanted the woman from the moment she set foot on his supply depot, but nobody touches a Princess of the Blood.  He resists his bone deep desire until Ennat challenges him to pick up a sword and spar with her.  All bets are off.  Karna has a different kind of sword play in mind.

When the Ennat and her sister, Aja, are reunited, they know the Coalition is coming after them.  They must risk all to save their followers, and the men they love.

Buy link: http://www.resplendencepublishing.com/

Tweet This Post