Julia Barrett's World

I feel like I’m living in a clown car! How on earth did we cram so many books into so few rooms?!?

When we moved here, we had three kids, a dog, two smuggled pet mice (Chocolate was one of them, along with his wife, Skunky), a beat up old couch, my grandmother’s dining room table, bookcases of all shapes, sizes and colors, and books.

Over the years, we’ve accumulated more…books! Along with the usual assorted kid games, sports gear, clothing, uniforms, cleats, National Geographic Magazines…you shoulda seen me lying on my stomach using a fishing net to haul all the soccer gear and elementary school year books out from under my daughter’s bed. I don’t even want to mention what else I found.

So, what science needs to figure out is, just like that old Monsanto ride at Disneyland, how did all this stuff shrink to fit in my kids’ rooms? Because when I pack it up all neat and tidy in brand new packing boxes, the stuff from the smallest room alone covers nearly every square inch of my garage. Most of the boxes contain books and magazines.

Lest you think we live in a house filled to the rafters with garbage, nope, not the case. I’m not a pack rat and I recycle. That’s why I don’t get it. Where did all this stuff come from? Who squeezed it in here when I wasn’t looking?

I’m dividing books into categories: Forever keepers. For now keepers. Each kid keepers. Those that someone will ooh and aah over several generations from now keepers. Donations - OMG - I’ve already made six trips to the library and I have to return again tomorrow morning - I foresee many more trips in my future, believe me.

So that’s what I’ve been doing - reorganizing one room after another. Four more rooms to go. The end game? A place to call my own. Yes…fist pump!

Okay so, other news. Just finished reading So Much for That, by Lionel Shriver. The last two chapters were beautiful, the rest of the book not so much. Not a keeper. I’m starting Cutting for Stone, by Abraham Verghese. I hear the book is magnificent, but Under Heaven, by Guy Gavriel Kay, is a very tough act to follow.

I’m super excited about my new contract for the menage, All Four One - that means I’ll have three books out this summer and possibly another by fall. In the meantime, when I’m not packing boxes and cleaning rooms, I can focus on my three longer WIPs. I noticed that My Everything has just gone up on Fictionwise. Fingers crossed! Night all!

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Beauty and the Feast is hot on Fictionwise and All Romance Ebooks. That scares me. Yeah, I guess I’ve paid my dues in a sense, but the way we see things in my family, any success whatsoever attracts the evil eye. Wooooooooo. It’s like when my husband says - Gee, my car is running great! - and I slap my hand over his mouth and knock on wood - I remind him that speaking of good things is a surefire way to guarantee an immediate blown head gasket!

To make a long story short…thank you for buying my books and please keep buying them. Maybe one of these days I’ll be PAN Eligible. I don’t want to talk dollars and cents so if you are wondering what that is, feel free to look it up.

I think my newsletter will be out today or tomorrow - for those of you who don’t receive the newsletter, I have a new contract with Siren for my very first menage - All Four One. This is a futuristic work of science fiction - the story takes place maybe 150 years from now in the Pacific Northwest. I do love sci fi. My husband says that erotic sci fi is a bit of a contradiction in terms but I find it heavenly to write.

Many thanks to Chris from Stumbling Over Chaos for her sci fi recommendation, Babel-17, by Samuel R. Delany, an unknown-to-me author and work published back in 1966. I told her the story is like a cross between Ringworld, Albert Einstein and The Left Hand of Darkness. The premise of the book is that language influences thought and perceived reality - not the meaning, but the words themselves. Deep stuff! http://www.stumblingoverchaos.com/

Many thanks to Susi over at The Geeky Bookworm who asked me to guest post this past week. If you want to win one of my books, leave a comment - she’s extended her contest for a couple days due to her school schedule. http://thegeekybookworm.blogspot.com/

Today is Memorial Day - my dad and all my uncles served in various branches of the Armed Forces so thank you, men and women, who put your lives on the line for us everyday! You are never forgotten.

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I really want to draw a sign that says: Eli Whiteside One-Woman Fan Club - and Andres Torres and Jonathan Sanchez. And I want to post it right here!

But I don’t have an ‘effin’ clue how to draw online! I”m tired and goofy and happy my team won. Yay for my baseball team!

Don’t you wonder how God chooses sides? I mean, whenever you watch a football movie whichever team is featured is always praying that God will be on their side and I want to know why, exactly, should God choose your team…let’s call them The Tall Guys, over say…that team over there…let’s call them The Wide Guys? Really? God gets involved in who wins a football game? Maybe if it’s the Superbowl, but that’s a pretty big if and I don’t think God has paid much attention since The Superbowl Shuffle. Well, maybe He kinda likes Pittsburgh…

My husband and I have these great aisle seats right above first base on the field level. They are OUR seats. Really. OUR seats. A couple squeezed in next to us and I heard the guy say to the girl in a loud Homer Simpson-esque whisper - I think they’re sitting in our seats…Remember that episode when the Simpsons entered the Witness Protection Program and they became The Sampsons? And the guy kept saying, now when I say, hello Mr. Sampson, you say, hello. When I say, hello Mr. Sampson and stomp on your foot, you say, hello. And Homer turns to the other Witness Protection guy and whispers, loudly, I think he’s talking to you…

Uh, no, I said, these are OUR seats. Anyway, the woman spent the entire game talking to someone on the other side of her husband/date/brother/whatever and when that person left early, she spent the remainder of the game texting. In the bottom of the eighth inning, when MY team was up eight to one, she looked up from her vigorous texting and asked no one in particular…Who’s winning? Where’s that damn line drive foul ball when you need it?!?

I got to see Buster Posey’s debut! Rising star. He may look like a choirboy, but man, is he a beast when he slides into second to break up that double play!

Sorry guys, I’m a bit of a sports’ freak and I live with sports’ freaks. Forgive me?

***Oh yeah - I love it when you sign up for my newsletters, totally love it. Please remember to confirm so that I will have your email address. If you haven’t received the confirmation thingy, check your Spam folder and if it’s still not there, email me at Julia@JuliaRachelBarrett.net and I will try to get you on the list. Thank you so much!

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I wrote this sweet full-length romance suspense several years ago and it kicked around a bit. The story revolves about a frightened runaway and the young man who saves her life. Siren picked up the story and it will be released, after a re-write, in August. I love the book because it’s the first romance I wrote. I mention a real life location in the story - The Sawtooths in Idaho.

The Sawtooth Mountains near Stanley, Idaho, may be one of my very favorite places on this planet. At one point in my life, I spent a solid two months backpacking throughout the range. I descended into the tiny town of Stanley exactly twice, both times to do three things: take a hot shower, wash some clothes and pick up supplies. In the two months I spent in that wilderness, aside from my traveling companion, I encountered a total of three people, the ranger we checked in with from time to time, and two riders heading up into the mountains on horseback. Otherwise it was just the animals and us. After a while, I never wanted to come out. But then the snows arrived early and our cached supplies dwindled and we moved on to the the High Uintas in Utah for another month before settling into jobs in Ogden.

I’m remembering the Sawtooths, not just because of Anytime Darlin’, but because the June issue of Sunset Magazine has a feature on The Hidden Rockies, the Idaho Sawtooths.

http://www.sunset.com/travel/rockies/things-to-do-sawtooth-mountains-00418000067836/

Enjoy the article and if you ever get the opportunity, make a visit. The Sawtooths are way prettier and much more rugged than they appear in the magazine photos.

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What’s up with my books?

Captured has come out in print on Amazon! Yay! This makes me really, really happy. I can’t wait to get my own copy. There’s something about seeing a book, holding a book, smelling a book, opening a book that just feels good!

http://www.amazon.com/Captured-Publishing-Classic-Rachel-Barrett/dp/1606018582/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275021374&sr=8-2

The book can also be purchased for your Kindle, if you’ve got one! http://www.amazon.com/Captured-Siren-Publishing-Classic-ebook/dp/B00371V7WO/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

Beauty and the Feast is a bestseller on Fictionwise and all it’s outlets. This so takes me by surprise! I’m in good company - Tessie Bradford and Desiree Holt - author friends - are there with me. http://www.fictionwise.com/topstories.htm

It’s also available for Kindle. http://www.amazon.com/Beauty-and-the-Feast-ebook/dp/B003NX70QS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1275021641&sr=8-2

SusiSunshine over at the Geeky Bookworm invited me to post for her anniversary week - you can win an e-copy of Beauty and the Feast or Captured or My Everything. http://thegeekybookworm.blogspot.com/2010/05/guestpost-by-julia-rachel-barrett.html Susi will be announcing the winners on Sunday so you have plenty of time to leave a comment!

So…coming soon with Resplendence Publishing: Daughters of Persephone, Book One Exile and Book Two Return.

Coming with Siren: Anytime Darlin’ - my favorite romance-suspense.

Ya’ll have an excellent weekend!

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If I had another daughter, I’d name her Artemis, for the Greek goddess of the hunt.

Of course, she’d hate me because then people would call her either Artie or Missy. No, really, Artemis is my favorite Greek goddess. She’s a woman of action, she kicks butt - look at her the wrong way and she’ll change you into a man who stares at his reflection day and night! Aphrodite ain’t so bad, but her Roman counterpart, Venus, is such a loser! And Athena, popping fully-formed out of Zeus’ forehead! How do you like those apples???

In truth, I’m quite fond of the Greek gods and their oh-so-human foibles, petty jealousies and internecine feuds on Mount Olympus. I have a four-part work of futuristic science fiction romance coming out in July and August, Daughters of Persephone - which is loosely based on my favorite story of the lovely Persephone, her kidnapper, Hades, God of the Underworld, and her mother Demeter, Goddess of Nature.

Persephone was, herself, a Goddess of the Natural World. One day, she was out innocently picking flowers when the God of the Underworld, Hades, spied her. He burst through a cleft in the earth and carried her off to the underworld. As a result, without Persephone, the earth lay barren. Her devastated mother searched for her and finally, the sun told her what had happened. Her father, Zeus, hearing the cries of his hungry people and hearkening to the pleas of the other gods, forced Hades to return Persephone, however, things did not go according to plan. The Fates had decreed that anyone who ate or drank anything in the Underworld would have to remain there for all eternity. Hades knew this rule and he tricked Persephone into eating six…count ‘em…six pomegranate seeds. Therefore, six months out of the year, Persephone must return to the Underworld - and we have autumn and winter, the season of death and dying. When she rises to our world, we have spring and summer, the season of rebirth and growth. Great story!

When I was just a kid, I read a remarkable book - The Children of Odin. I loved the stories within so much that I begged the librarian to give me the old, musty, repaired copy containing incredible illustrations, in exchange for a brand new copy! She did! I cherish the book even now. The Children of Odin contains stories of Norse mythology. If you can find, beg, borrow, buy a copy, maybe upload a copy from somewhere, read it. There is nothing more compelling than the vision of the father of the gods, Odin, hanging upside down from the Tree of All Knowledge, the world ash, Yggdrasil. In other words, he allowed himself to be crucified upside down. He was even pierced by a spear - all in order to gain ultimate wisdom.

I know that I hung on a windy tree

nine long nights,

wounded with a spear, dedicated to Odin,

myself to myself,

on that tree of which no man knows

from where its roots run.

Anyway, check it out. Norse mythology has influenced everything from comic books to Richard Wagner (who I should hate, but I love his music), to video games.

Are you fond of mythology? What’s your favorite?

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I need to take a moment to focus on my fellow authors - enough with the me…my…mine crap.

So, the good. Author Brynn Paulin has a sweet, hot little number on the Amazon Kindle bestseller list - way to go, Brynn! As of 5/25, she’s rated at number 69 - a good erotic romance position! Here’s wishing Brynn much well-deserved success. Hey Brynn - Beauty and the Feast just got listed in Amazon’s Kindle store! Yay! Now back to you…

http://www.amazon.com/Punished-Taboo-Wishes-ebook/dp/B003BEEAFS/ref=pd_ts_kinc_69?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text

Another good. My secret on-line lover, Mia Watts, has written a dynamic post about do’s and don’t’s for aspiring authors. I think a whole lot of us who try to make writing our livelihood consider her words to be pretty much spot on. The post is entitled, Tips and Tricks, and she posted it on 5/25. Thanks, Mia.

http://www.writersevolution.blogspot.com/

These two tips are my faves:

4. “Don’t Diva. No, seriously, don’t. You aren’t all that. None of us is. Just because someone asked you to submit, or had you sign a contract, there is ALWAYS someone who knows more than you. Acting like there isn’t just makes you a huge ass. If you didn’t realize it before, figure it out quickly… WE ALL TALK. No shit. The editors from multiple houses chat with each other and know the authors who pull power-plays. The authors writing for multiple houses and discover your assiness won’t play nice if you’re going to shit on them. The publishers chat amongst themselves, too.
It is rare indeed where I lay out my cards and piss off a publisher. I’ve done it. Just makes sure it’s deserved.
Readers know when you’re self-absorbed. Keep it in mind. I don’t want to hear any of you say, “Do you KNOW who I AM?” or I’ll smack you. It’s for your own good, so say thank you and move on.

5. Never stop learning. You are not the all-knowing grand poobah of authorhood. Learn from your peers even if you think you’re better than them. New authors tend to have a temporary superiority complex. That’s okay so long as you get over it and realize that every person in the industry and out of it has something valid to offer. Learn from it and use it in your writing. It makes you a better person and a better author.”

The good. Author Katalina Leon and I agree that romance and erotic romance writers are not stupid. We may come from a variety of backgrounds and educational experiences but generally speaking, we are a well-read bunch of folk. Check out the comments from yesterday’s post on philosophy.

The bad. I got dog poo on my hand yesterday when I was walking my dog. He stepped in another dog’s poo and I had to clean it off with piles of grass and leaves because my dog was so totally grossed out he refused to take one more step with that poo on his foot. So as a result, we were both grossed out.

The badder bad. My author friend, Regina Carlysle, is going through a very challenging time and needs good thoughts, prayers if you got ‘em and just general positive vibes sent her way. Regina is another one of those big-hearted, generous, supportive authors who has held my hand many times over the past three years. All the power that is given to me is sent to you, Regina. Hang in there. You are loved.

Tomorrow: Mythology.

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Philosophy and works with a philosophic bent - plus a few seminal works of fiction that became my friends and influenced me.

Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse. Pushed me down that slippery slope towards Buddhism and the wheel of karma.

On the Road, Jack Kerouac - yes, there was a philosophic/nihilist bent to the Beat Generation and Jack Kerouac embodied that - anarchism with a conscience. I possess a strong strain of anarchism in my soul

Jean Paul Sartre - Troubled Sleep - French Existentialism at its finest. Why am I here? What is my purpose? These are questions we have to deal with, or not, everyday.

Franz Kafka - The Trial and The Metamorphosis. German Existentialism. Dark. Grim. Hopeless. The Germans really know how to freak you out!

I’m a big fan of Emile Zola. He considered Germinal his masterpiece and I agree. Of course he was more of a political critic than he was an existentialist, but the book touched my heart and brought out the compassionate political activist in me.

Meetings With Remarkable Men, by G.I. Gurdjieff - chronicles, or attempts to chronicle, mankind’s search for spiritual enlightenment - which leads me directly to Be Here Now, by Ram Dass (a Jew-Budd) - the fun, charming, free-association, multiverse hippie search for meaning in the everyday.

Sons and Lovers. Thank you, D.H. Lawrence for the pleasure of the physical. (See Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha.)

Carl Jung, my favorite Jungian psychologist with his theories of the archetype, synchronicity and the Collective Unconscious. The two books that made a big impression on me are Man and His Symbols and Memories, Dreams and Reflections. I love to slip these concepts into my books - in a Collective Unconscious sort of way!

I’m not a big Spinoza fan - too wordy and convoluted. I prefer the works of Moses Maimonides. He defined God by what he is not. You cannot say God is one, you must say God is not multiple. Great stuff. Think: Guide for the Perplexed.

The Hero with a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell. I’ve read most of his works. Authors of romance unknowingly use many of his theories of the hero myth in their stories. There is always an obstacle that the hero must overcome, some dark vale he or she must pass through to reach his or her ultimate goal.

Souls on Fire: Portraits and Legends of Hasidic Masters, by Elie Wiesel. You have to read this one for yourself. It’s a good introduction to the heart and soul of the Hasidic movement. I’ll add to this - Days of Our Years, by Pierre Van Paassen, my grandmother’s favorite book which she left to me.

Don’t laugh - Spiritual Midwifery, by Ina May Gaskin. This book became my bible when I was studying midwifery and when I was pregnant with my own children. My copy is so dog-eared! I will always remember one thing Ina May says when discussing fear of childbirth, something I try to apply to every circumstance - The antidote to fear is courage. For anyone unfamiliar with Ina May and Stephen Gaskin and The Farm - http://www.thefarm.org/

Last, but not least…I kid you not…this book altered my path at a critical juncture in my young life - The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, followed by A Separate Reality and Journey to Ixtlan. Contrary to the author’s claims that these works were based on actual interviews with a Yaqui medicine man, I do believe that these books are mostly fiction. It doesn’t matter. I do know that the author, Carlos Castaneda, became a recluse and a real weird dude later in his life, but The Teachings of Don Juan, in particular, opened my mind to otherness/oneness and the notion of separate realities.

Wow. I’m super tired. Must be from listening to Baruch Spinoze! Tomorrow - my favorite myths and then I’ll shut up! Night!

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There are books that have changed the trajectory of my life.

Today I’ll start with science fiction and fantasy.

Granted, my reading tastes are on the eclectic side, but there are certain books that made a profound impression on me. They opened my eyes, expanded my mind and my horizons and pushed me along paths I never anticipated, altering both the way I live my life, the way I view my life and the way I write my books.

Dune, by Frank Herbert, is one such book. If my life is a pyramid, then Dune is the base. I read it when I was fourteen years old and it forever altered my view of science fiction, religious fanaticism, human evolution and the uses and abuses of power. Don’t bother with any of the sequels,, just read Dune. Oh, and skip the movie version.

Stranger In a Strange Land, by Robert A. Heinlein -close to a science fiction bible. If you’d like to grok the meaning of the word grok, read this book, then you can skip Malcolm Gladwell’s derivative albeit very entertaining book, Blink.

Ringworld, by Larry Niven. I consider this book to be one of the most, if not the most, dynamic examples of world building in the entire science fiction realm.

A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door and A Swiftly Tilting Planet, by Madeleine L’Engle - YA at its best. I like C.S. Lewis, but Madeleine L’Engle has him beat by a mile. Read the series and weep.

The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula LeGuin, a brilliant futuristic science fiction work involving issues of gender identity and feminism - a book you should not walk by without a second look.

A Canticle for Leibowitz, written by Walter A. Miller. OMG…a unique take on our post-apocalyptic world - In my humble opinion, A Canticle for Leibowitz was/is the prototype for the post-apocalyptic novels we see today.

I have to toss in here Mary Stewart’s heartbreaking version of the Arthurian legend with her books, The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, and The Last Enchantment. Another brilliant and violent retelling of the story, released as a trilogy by Bernard Cornwall, includes The Winter King, Enemy of God, and Excalibur.

Then there are the usual suspects like The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Children of Men - all of which I love, none of which changed my life - aside from watching Aragorn and Legolas in Peter Jackson’s film version. Ahhhhh, Legolas….swoon….

Tomorrow…philosophy, followed by mythology and the classics! Yee-hah!

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More posts coming but we’re busy making eggs benedict with waffles and watching the NCAA softball regionals.

I’ll get back to you later with a new post and/or posts.

I’m so embarrassed! Katiebabs mentioned me on her WTF post today. I accidentally ratted out a friend. Aaaack! Sorry!

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Prescript: Captured is out in print on Amazon! OMG! http://www.amazon.com/Captured-Publishing-Classic-Rachel-Barrett/dp/1606018582/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274500727&sr=8-2

My baby girl is flying home tonight.

You know how it is. I love my kids so! They are my greatest achievement. I always knew I wanted kids, the husband was optional. Got a good one despite myself.

Anyway, she’s coming home after having two flights canceled out from under her and since she’s flying from the East Coast, she won’t have eaten for hours - maybe a pack or two of peanuts. So…

I put together a cheese plate with Petite Basque, Gorgonzola Dolce, and Brillat Savarin, sliced melon and muscat grapes. I quick cooked some asparagus, roasted a couple gigantic purple artichokes - still trying to decide if I want to stuff them with crab.

I’ve got fresh bread and I’m baking our favorite chocolate sheet cake - my great gramma’s recipe. Oh yummo!

I think I’ll chill a bottle of Prosecco.

You all have a wonderful weekend!

Oops! Here’s the recipe:

Melt two sticks of butter with one cup of water and 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder.

Mix together 2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda. Set aside.

Beat two eggs, mix with 1/2 cup buttermilk and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Pour melted chocolate mixture into dry mixture. Stir in liquid mixture.

Spray a rectangular cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350′. Pour in batter. Bake 35 minutes. Remove. Let sit ten minutes and frost.

Frosting:

Mix together 1 stick butter, 6 tablespoons buttermilk, 3 heaping tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 box powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Enjoy!

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Isn’t he handsome?

This is why my hubby has to ask who do I like better? Louie is the best dog I’ve ever had!

I had this dream that Amber Skyze went to a writing conference in Mexico and she came home telling all of us that our books were being translated into Spanish and we would all sell like hot tortillas south of the border - Amber…is it true??? Say it’s so!

Here’s my question…sex or violence?

Which do you let or did you let your kids watch? Or was it both or neither? There’s an internet kerfluffle on Dear Author, Read React Review and Karen Knows Best about teens reading erotic romance.

I have this big fat rule against gratuitous violence in my house. Mommy, can we watch Halloween 987? No! Can we watch Saw 5? No! Can we watch Scream 34? No! Can we watch The Exorcist? Oh hell no! No violence, no horror. You can ride the upside down roller coaster and get your thrills, but you may not watch slasher films in my home and don’t think you’re sneaking over to Johnny’s to watch at his house either! My kids have nightmares all on their own, thank you, they do not need to see Nightmare on Elm Street, Part 101.

My own parents were the exact opposite - violence okay, sex - not allowed. I suffered nightmares for years and slept with a ceiling light on until I was fourteen. Christ, I didn’t know about sex until it was being done to me and even then it took me two more years and a wise ass boyfriend to explain what it was that happened with that nasty clergyman! I entered the 8th grade still wondering how women got pregnant. Did they like…kiss 50 times in a row? Did it have to be with the same guy? Did it have to be 50 consecutive kisses or could they take a break and then pick up where they left off? That is how naive I was.

So, I say my kids can watch normal sexual situations on TV and at the movies. Slasher and horror both have a big red line drawn through them at my house.

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These spam comments I get are meshugah! (Yeah, I know, mixing my metaphoric languages.)

“This is my first time i stop in here. I create so innumerable absorbing stuff in your blog especially its discussion. From the tons of comments on your articles, I imagine I am not the just individual having all the joy here! keep up the good work.”

Honey, I hope you are not the just individual having all the joy here!

Nope, the truth is, I have all the joy here! My best friends are my fellow authors, to know you is to love you - and then there’s Chris from Stumbling Over Chaos, who joins in when she can and posts the most delightful pictures of her hilarious cats over at her site. Hey Chris - when I pull my cat Yoshi’s ears back, he’s the spitting image of King Tut! I swear King Tut has been reincarnated as my cat!

Last night hubby came to bed, where I was all snuggled up with our German shepherd, and he asked me a loaded question - Who do you like better, me or the dog?

What could I say? I told him the truth. I like you both the same…I love all my family and that includes my pets. I know, right? Yo estoy muy loca. Fortunately, hubby has known me since I was fourteen and he understands me better than anyone.

I’ve always preferred animals to people. Animals don’t disappoint in the same way people do. I’m also not afraid of wild animals except for sharks and grizzly bears. When I hike in isolated areas, it’s not mountain lions I’m concerned about. It’s the occasional creepy guy I run into. Thus the amazingly powerful dog by my side.

Continuing this rambling post, here’s what I think. Once upon a time, I got my daughter a little brown pet mouse and she named him Chocolate. She carried Chocolate everywhere - in a pocket. He was a really smart guy who never pooped in her pocket and acted remarkably human. He was a sweet, kind, gentle mouse. After Chocolate died, we found Kitty, a young cat who gave birth to kittens in the same daughter’s closet. From the moment Norman was born, we knew he was Chocolate reincarnated. Chocolate got to move up the karmic ladder! Norman lived for fourteen years and after he died, I wondered if he’d come back as a dog, but no, he decided to return to us in cat form - you know, cats are a very highly developed life form - Rico, one of our twin black kitties, is Norman. When we look into his eyes, it’s Norman looking back. Rico’s brother Yoshi, on the other hand, is King Tut.

I’m not close to many people outside of my family - my family by definition includes humans and animals. The most remarkable thing about writing romance and blogging about it, is that I’ve made so many friends online. I have met great people, authors and readers and bloggers. When I meet them in real life, as I met Anny Cook, it’s amazing.

According to Dan Buettner in his book, The Blue Zones, a sense of community contributes to good health and long life. I’m not much into the community where I live, nor am I into any of the communities where I previously lived, but I do feel a sense of community and kinship with you.

Yup. I am not the just individual having joy here!

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Photos of my new tattoo! Life imitates art - one of my characters has the exact same tattoo. This is an Ouroboros. It’s a snake biting it’s tail. Some version of this symbol can be found in the mythology of almost every ancient culture around the globe. It represents infinity, the circular nature of life/death/rebirth, eternity.

I designed it myself from one of the most primitive examples. I love the Cleopatra eye! Actually, it’s the Eye of Horus.

My grandmother interpreted dreams. I interpret dreams. I know that most people are afraid of snakes and that some religions consider snakes evil, i.e. Judeo-Christianity, but my grandmother taught me the deeper wisdom, that in ancient days, snakes were a sign of good fortune, a symbol of eternal life. Look at the medical world - the Caduceus and the Staff of Asclepius…snakes. Wisdom and healing. I have always been a great admirer of snakes. Here’s a link for your reading pleasure:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouroboros

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http://www.writersevolution.blogspot.com/

Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Run as fast as you can to the most hilarious cover rant ever in the history of blogoland!

Thank you Mia Watts for making my year!

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