Posts Tagged ‘contest’

Mia Watts pours her heart out.

June 24, 2010 - 10:08 pm 3 Comments

Author Mia Watts is my friend and she’s written a post that felt like a kick in the gut.

Oh…she wrote about both the good and the bad in her post, Mood Swings and Reviews.  Everything she said resonated with me as I’m stuck in a big fat down period in my life, both as a writer and in general.  I’m quoting her:

“You want a look into the writer’s psyche? Here’s your look. We’re mostly solitary people because we hunker behind a computer and pour our hearts into our work. We believe in our characters. We believe in their struggles. We believe they will end up happy, because our faith in those characters is more real than fiction. We hurt for them when they don’t understand their lovers. We laugh when we’re typing a line that came out of nowhere and surprised us with its humor. You have to understand, we aren’t crazy… we just feel and know those characters so well, they are almost real to us. Yes, we know the difference between actual real people and fictitious people. But we created these guys and we care about their stories.

So, when we hear bad things it’s like a knife.”

Her site is well worth the visit and you can read the post for yourself:  http://miawatts.blogspot.com/

In other news…you can still be in the running for the tote!  Cats not included!  And here’s a shot of my new tattoo – not the greatest view but it was hard to hold the camera and push the button with my left hand (yes, those are my jeans and white tee shirt on the floor – just getting into the shower):

I miss my boy…

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I’m a bold-faced liar. Or am I?

May 9, 2010 - 7:46 pm 18 Comments

My dear friend, author Sandra Cox, over at http://downtownya.blogspot.com/ ,the very first person to befriend me when I signed my very first contract, has called me out!  She awarded me this Creative Writer Award.

I’ll quote her:  “The award comes with strings…I have to nominate seven other creative bloggers and list either six outrageous lies about myself and one truth….or vicey versey.”

If you can tell me which statement is a lie, I will put your name in a drawing for…a copy of Captured, a copy of Beauty and the Feast, or a copy of My Everything.  Three books, three winners!  Your odds are excellent!  Just pick out the one lie.

1.  I minored in Religious Studies.

2.  I had a brief affair with a famous African author.

3.  I keep Kosher.

4.  My husband and I discovered we are distant cousins.

5.  Among other jobs, I worked as a nude model to pay my way through college.

6.  I hitched a ride with a man who turned out to be a Mafia boss.  He took a turn too fast on a steep road and the car rolled over the side, coming to rest upright and undamaged on the switchback beneath.  We kept driving.

7.  My uncle, a well-known journalist, interviewed both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones on their first North American tours.

Got it?  Let’s see who can ferret out the untruth!

I’m going to choose these great authors to continue the tradition.

1.  Fran Lee:  http://fran-lee-romance.angelfire.com/index.html

2.  Mia Watts:  http://www.miawatts.com/Mia_Watts_The_Art_of_Seduction_is_Watts_Beneath_the_Covers.html

3.  Penny Watson:  http://www.pennywatsonbooks.com/index.html

4.  Stacey Espino:  http://staceyespino.blogspot.com/

5.  Amber Skyze:  http://amberskyze.blogspot.com/

6.  Sandy Sullivan:  http://www.romancestorytime.com/

7.  Beth Carter:  http://www.bethdcarter.com/

Good luck!

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Larissa’s Bookish Life – my interview

April 20, 2010 - 8:08 am 2 Comments

I’m featured over at Larissa’s place this morning:  http://www.larissaslife.com/

Stop by!  You can win a book!  love, julia

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Amazon Kindle

March 5, 2010 - 8:42 am 4 Comments

A quick note and I’ll stop by later!

Captured is up on Amazon and available for download on your Kindle.  Go for it!  My hubby did!

http://www.amazon.com/Captured-Siren-Publishing-Classic-ebook/dp/B00371V7WO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267807147&sr=8-1

Remember the contest – I want your sexiest recipes!  Oh…and I received my hard copies of The Cougar Book yesterday.  It’s fabulous!  Anyone want a signed copy?  Leave me a recipe and you could win one of those too!  This book is hot!  My story, of course, is hot and sweet, ‘cuz, you know, it’s kinda like me.

Releases:  Out of the Shadows, by Cammie Eicher, the first in the Shadow Ancient series,  Resplendence Publishing. This vampire romantic suspense creates a new mythology of vampires, and features a dark and sexy vampire hunter forced to protect the Ancients’ child of prophecy — and the woman who eventually must choose between her love for him and her promise to protect the newborn.

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

Check out Cindy Spencer Pape, she tagged me!  http://cindyspencerpape.blogspot.com/

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To Kick Off Beauty and the Feast…a recipe!

March 4, 2010 - 8:45 am 5 Comments

Beauty and the Feast

releases with Resplendence on March 16th.

The contemporary romance includes Eva’s recipes – you can find them at the end of the story.

To celebrate, I’m hosting a recipe contest.

Send me your sexiest, your most sensual recipe sometime over the next month, and I will choose three winners!  I’ll feature your recipes and your fake names (real names if you like) on my blog and send each of you a copy of Beauty and the Feast.

Feel free to leave your recipe as a comment here or email your recipe to me at Julia@JuliaRachelBarrett.net

I’ll announce the winner on April 1st, along with the winning recipes.

I’ll start!  Here’s one of Eva’s favorites!

Eva’s Wet Sauce

1 cup tomato sauce

1 small can tomato paste

½ cup dark balsamic vinegar

½ cup dark brown sugar

¼ cup molasses

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup soy sauce

1 tsp. granulated garlic

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1 tsp. smoked paprika

2 tsp. Tabasco

Whisk together and store in fridge.  Use as a marinade or dipping sauce.

Enjoy!


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Down Time – a little trivia.

February 18, 2010 - 10:33 pm 14 Comments

I love mindless movies.  Totally love them.  The more mindless, the better.

Here’s a little mindless movie trivia.  I’ll leave the questions up for a few days.  Whoever can come up with the most correct answers will win a very nice prize – a copy of my upcoming contemporary romance from Resplendence, Beauty and the Feast, and ten dollars in Strandbucks for use at Siren-Bookstrand!  Yay!

Leave a comment here and email me your answers at Julia@JuliaRachelBarrett.net

Who says, and in what movie does he or she say the following -

A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.

Who says, and in what movie does he or she say this -

That left of yours is a thing of beauty.

Who says, and in what movie does he or she say this -

Didn’t you guys ever watch the show?

Who says, and in what movie does he or she say it -

Let go of her, you bitch.

Who says, and in what movie does he or she say this -

Death…is but the beginning.

Who says, and in what movie does he or she say this -

Fuckin’ Chuck Norris.

Who says, and in what movie does he or she say this -

Caviar should be round and hard and of adequate size, and it should burst in your mouth at precisely the right moment…

Who says, and in what movie does he or she say this -

...and anyway, I  really think I’d miss my sixty-two acres in Vermont.  I mean, Elizabeth is so happy there…and…well, you see…there’s this veterinarian that I’m seeing…

Last, but not least, and this is not from a mindless movie, but from one of my very favorite movies adapted from one of my very favorite stories…who says, and in what movie…

Maybe all I really know about Paul is that he was a fine fisherman.  “You know more than that,” my father said.  “He was beautiful.”

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Guest Blog/Party Over at Tina’s Place!

February 13, 2010 - 7:02 am 1 Comment

While I’m working my little heart out on the day job, Tina’s hosting me today, so head on over and leave a comment – maybe it’ll ping you back a copy of My Everything!

http://www.tinadonahue.com/blog/

Ya’ll be good while I’m gone – and Dana, if you’re reading, hope you enjoy your book!  love, julia

P.S.  Got a sweet review of Captured from Roni over at:  http://romancebookscene.blogspot.com/2010/02/romance-book-review-captured.html

Author Cindy Spencer Pape gave me a nice mention so right back at her:  http://cindyspencerpape.blogspot.com/

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Interview with Logical Lust – The Cougar Book

February 6, 2010 - 11:30 pm No Comments

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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Christmas Present for Anyone Paying Attention!

December 24, 2009 - 8:45 am 10 Comments

May be setting myself up for some disappointment here, because I know you’re all busy making holiday merriment…

but…check the website over the next couple days, comment or sign up for my newsletter and win yourself a copy of something -

Beauty and the Feast, a contemporary romance with Resplendence coming in March.

Captured, a romantic science fiction story with Siren coming in April.

Daughters of Persephone, books one and two, a futuristic romance with Resplendence coming in July.

Daughters of Persephone, books three and four, see above, coming in August.

My Everything, romance/suspense with Cobblestone coming 2010.

First five people – go for it!

Merry Christmukah, everyone!

 

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