Julia Barrett's World

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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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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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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Come Visit.

You’ll find the link on my sidebar - every time I try to upload it here, it goes all funky on me! I’m blogging in Germany so get your passport and come visit! Totally a day behind thanks to work and the holiday!

In other news, my friend, the Goddess of Poetic Prose, Mia Watts, has a new release, Open Sesame. Her style makes me drool like Pavlov’s dog.

Alister Baban overheard a business discussion which netted him and his Uncle Cassimer a lot of money. When the Simsim Group stock crashes and declares bankruptcy within weeks, the owners immediately suspect the Babans of playing dirty.

Oz Adamo, one of four brothers who owned Simsim Group, agrees to abduct Alister to obtain information and win back the lost pensions of former employees.

Tied to a bed and lusting after his captor, Alister fights the sexual attraction he has for Oz. They want information and he isn’t about to give it. But Oz loves a good challenge and shrewd, serious, sexy Alister is naked and his—at least for now.

Cool excerpt:

He stood off to the side, forcing Alister to completely look away from the first three to see him. Like the others, he had an olive complexion with a head full of dark straight hair. This brother’s hair swept off his face to skim the top of his broad shoulders. Trimmed but unrelenting black brows slashed over his mahogany colored eyes with very little arch. The color reminded Alister of finely polished wood reflecting undertones of reddish tints. Like the sunlit glass of port had been spilled over one of Cassimer’s antiques.

Chiseled and angular, there was nothing pretty about him. He was beautiful, startling, in the way ancestry had selected the best traits and bestowed them on this man. Alister couldn’t help but stare. The white dress shirt had been rolled up his forearms, tucked neatly into charcoal slacks. He stood an inch taller than Cain, with a silence of conserved energy and motion. As Alister watched, the man folded his arms across his wide chest. Letting his gaze fall, Alister noticed the substantial disturbance in the line of the man’s slacks.

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

Oh, Mia, you are so fucking good!

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Heirs to Darkisle - Darkisle Book One

by Cassandra Pierce

When Sebastian arrives in the seaside town of Darkisle, Briana wonders who and what he really is. His icy skin and hypnotic eyes ignite a strange desire she cannot extinguish. When a murder occurs, Briana must decide if the lover of her dreams is also the architect of her nightmares.

Buy Link: http://www.sirenpublishing.com/cassandrapierce/

Awakening Augusta

by Cindy Spencer Pape

Regency Scotland can be a lonely place, but Augusta MacLeish has four mischievous younger siblings for company—now if she only had money to feed them! Colin Fordyce has recently inherited an earldom, along with five wards in a remote Scottish castle. When he travels to meet them, he discovers his predecessor was skimming their funds. He also learns the oldest Miss MacLeish is absolutely stunning. A knock to his head leaves him seeing two of the buxom beauty, just as one kiss from her tempting lips leaves him longing for more. A night spent together forces Colin and Augusta to marry, leaving them all the opportunity in the world to explore the sexual hunger between them. Colin delights in teaching Augusta all the pleasures of the flesh, awakening the wanton lover beneath her ladylike veneer. From Scotland to London, the flames burning between them refuse to be doused, and oh how they will set the Ton on fire.

Buy Link: http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8076-50-awakening-augusta.aspx

Jaguar Hunger

by Regina Carlysle

Noah Littlehawk and Aaron O’Malley have searched long years for the mate they will share, a jaguar female to fulfill their lives and ease their loneliness. What begins as a job soon becomes much more when they meet Violet. Her quiet intensity calls to them. Her body makes them yearn to claim her with the savage hunger of their species.
Death comes for Violet Carson like a speeding train. She knows the shift from woman to beast will rip her apart without the help of jaguar mates. As heat and lust overwhelm her, two men step from the shadows to claim her body and soothe the fire that consumes her. But a human predator waits and he won’t rest until he possesses her, body and soul.

Buy Link: http://www.jasminejade.com/p-8049-jaguar-hunger.aspx

Double Your Pleasure

by Fran Lee

Coming January 13th from Ellora’s Cave

Ever Dreamed About Having TWO Hot Men Loving You?

Helen Turner never even imagined such a thing…but she sure wants a nice apartment and a secure job…

So what’s a girl to do when her wishes come true…and in spades?

How would you like to have this hot and sexy pair of identical twins chasing you?

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Blockbuster. No shit!

Groundbreaking animation, a magical melding of computer generated creatures and human actors.

Green Morality Play ala James Cameron.

Classic Romance Novel. Boy meets girl. Girl wants to kill boy but saves him instead. Girl and boy come to understand and respect one another. Love and lust blossom. BIG misunderstanding and breakup. Boy proves himself and saves the day, winning the girl’s heart. HEA.

Wake up, Joseph Campbell, your Hero Archetype is on starring on IMAX! How do ya like those apples?

Although Avatar does have an overt, duh, (not covert as some film critics have suggested), political agenda, and despite some motion sickness due to the 3D glasses, my eyes were pretty much riveted on the screen for nearly three hours.

It wasn’t until I slept on it that I woke up wondering about a few points, such as…How come two hundred years in the future, we can travel for five (Light years?) to another star system but our soldiers still wear the exact same fatigues they do now and shoot automatic weapons? What? We don’t have laser guns in the future?

What is the point of mining if there are no human colonies nearby? Cuz it sorta seems to me to be prohibitively expensive to be shipping the ore - absolutelyimpossibletogetium - across the galaxy on the off chance that humans still want it or need it or even still survive on earth. Doesn’t the theory of relativity hold that the faster you travel, relatively less time passes for you while back on earth, we age…like…a million years? Of course, I’m paraphrasing here. It’s not as if I’m a physicist or anything. I just didn’t understand the point of the mining operation - because the ore and the far too young, sniveling weasel of a…nope, won’t give away a spoiler here.

And then, what was with the masks? Seems to me that Pandora is an earth-like planet with a pretty much earth-like atmosphere, water, water vapor, so on and so forth, yet if you stepped outside without your oxygen mask, you were unconscious within seconds. But whatever was in the atmosphere didn’t bother your skin. Not in the slightest. I’m thinking, okay, since the Na’vi are blue, perhaps there is a higher percentage of carbon monoxide in their atmosphere. Yes, but if so, it still wouldn’t render you unconscious within seconds. Or as my daughter suggests, maybe the oxygen molecules on Pandora are too big to slip through our alveola and into our bloodstream. Tapping my chin…sounds reasonable. Still, the plants on Pandora are green so I suspect we’re talking chlorophyll here, along with an atmospheric mix of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and the other gases in our own atmosphere, plus the life forms are carbon-based. The sky is blue and to all intents and purposes, Pandora appears to have a yellow sun. Oh my head is spinning with possibilities.

To quote my daughter: “Suspend disbelief all who enter here!”

To quote my bird: “Maybe.”

Think, Dances with Wolves meets anti-Independence Day, or check out the South Park Episode, Dances with Smurfs. Cartman goes native…

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Romance Novel Sales are Booming

in this tough economy. While other genres are down somewhere between 14% and 17%, Romance has seen an increase in sales - some studies sight an increase of 2.5% over last year, while other information indicates an increase in sales upwards of 34%!

What do we want for Christmas around here? I guess we want a happy ending, by gum, by golly! This economy - while perhaps stabilizing and even improving in some sectors, it sure sucks around here…where I live. My very intelligent, very capable son has been out of work for a year and a half, and despite his endless applications, he’s had nary a nibble.

FYI, the nurses I work with have been forced to accept 1-2 days a week of unpaid furlough, thus my on-call hours have been cut because my co-workers who need the income to support their families vie for the extra shifts I would normally get. It’s the trickle-down effect.

What do I want to read in these economic times? Oh, honey, save the depressing angst for pundits! Every day I spot my neighbor’s pickup in his driveway, I know he still doesn’t have construction work. Every morning I see the guy across the street head out for a run instead of a job, it means he’s still looking for an accounting position. Every time I glance at the empty shell of a house that was home to our best friends until a year ago, tears fill my eyes. Enough already! Bathe me in love, romance, passion, mind-altering sex!

Romance is affordable and you know you can count on an HEA. Sentimental sap that I am, I’ll take an HEA any day.

Speaking of romance writers, author Ericka Scott is over at Literary Escapism, talking about her new release, Crisscross - head over there and you might pick up a new recipe, not to mention a new book!

http://www.literaryescapism.com/

Plus a big thank you to all who wished me a Merry Christmas and those who signed up for my newsletter! Your books will eventually be in the email!

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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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What’s between the covers?

You can’t judge a book by its cover. So says conventional wisdom. Hmm. I’m not entirely certain of that because the way I see it, readers judge a book by it’s cover all the time. Let’s face it, right or wrong, we judge pretty much everything by its appearance.

It’s best not to make assumptions. For example, yesterday I took a break from work and headed over to the local Starbucks to catch up on edits. A guy, who for all intents and purposes, appeared homeless - judging by his dress, the unkempt state of his hair and beard, and his smell, sat at a table next to mine. He carried with him a black case and a plastic grocery bag. After setting down the black case, he pulled a bag of potato chips out of the grocery bag, popped them open and began to crunch away. I assumed he wasn’t there to buy coffee, rather, he just wanted a warm place to hole up out of the rain. A few minutes later, he turned to me -

“Would you mind plugging this in for me?” he asked as he handed me the cord to his laptop. I plugged it in. “Thanks,” he said.

Over the next hour, we chatted. Who was he? A former investment banker who had lost his job, that’s who he was. He was bright, articulate, and beneath the filthy exterior, a nice man. I bought him a cup of coffee and another patron recognized him and bought him a pastry.

See?

So here’s what I think. My first impression was right and wrong. I was right in that the man was indeed homeless, but if I’d had the time to make any further assumptions, I would have been dead wrong about him. He had a whole lot more going on between his covers than I assumed.

Books are the same. I recently bought and read a book with a fabulous cover - sucker that I am - and found that I had wasted my money. But why did I buy the book? Because the cover caught my eye. Once again, my impression that the book would be great because the cover said so, was wrong.

I’m feeling lucky these days - Resplendence has given me a magnificent cover for Daughters of Persephone and I’m impatient to see the covers for my other books coming with them, not to mention my covers from Siren and Cobblestone. I hope my readers find that what’s between the covers will be every bit as good as what’s on the cover.

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I’ve been fortunate.

My editors have been amazing women. As a former editor myself, I appreciate the work they do - reading and reading and reading and actually attending to, not only the author’s words, but the author’s intent. They have to pull out every error, every misplaced comma, every incorrect grammatical construct and either fix it or suggest an appropriate fix.

An editor has to make sure words flow seamlessly. Is an author guilty of relying upon too many commas? Too few? Does he or she overuse incomplete sentences? Does the author try to emphasize a character’s words by relying upon Bold print, caps or exclamation points? What about the adjectives and adverbs? Do they need to be culled? How much back story does the reader need - can it be trimmed or is it essential for understanding why our characters do what they do? Feel what they feel? Think what they think - erroneously or not?

A good editor doesn’t dumb things down. She doesn’t say - this word is too big for the readers. As a reader, I want to be challenged. How do you think I increased my vocabulary growing up? By reading. I read new words and I either understood them thanks to the context in which they appeared or I looked them up. One of my mentors taught - say what you have to say as simply as possible. So no, I don’t use…what are they called…ten dollar words when a ten cent word will suffice, but occasionally a scene requires a word that says a bit more than - he walked across the room. Perhaps he strode or stomped or danced or skipped or hurried or tripped or picked his way across the cluttered room.

I will take this sentence - she stood on the curb, in rapt attention, watching the parade pass by, over this sentence - she was on the curb while the parade went by - any day.

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So Mia Watts

mentioned me in her recent blog post. I love her voice. She is a master at poetic prose. As my…well, as one of my mentors says, her voice resonates with shades of Lord Dunsany, a Twentieth Century British fantasy writer. He influenced many authors, including Mia - though she never realized how well she channels him, in fact, she’d never even heard of him before I mentioned his name.

God, her prose is beautiful. I told her recently that I lust after her voice. Especially in Claimed By Darkness. Look her up. Go to her site - get your butt over there and buy yourself a copy.

In college, my very favorite professor told me…well…told us, his class that is, Write What You Know. In other words, don’t write in a phony voice. The discerning reader will pick it up immediately.

He also said - Say What You Have To Say As Simply As Possible. Use Adjectives And Adverbs Sparingly. Words to live by, except in Mia’s case - she makes it work. She doesn’t overuse the adjectives and adverbs, but she writes magnificent descriptive prose.

And pick up some Lord Dunsany and his protege, H.P. Lovecraft while you’re at it.

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Do you write to music?

Many of my author friends do. Katalina Leon, a writer with Ellora’s Cave, mentioned in her blog over at Seven Sexy Scribes that she likes to put on a song and loop it so that it plays over and over again. I’ll do that on occasion, but only when I’m alone in the car and I can sing at the top of my lungs. And only with certain songs. I pity the poor fool driving behind me on the freeway watching me dance in my seat at 75 mph!

I found myself wondering just the other day, the Allman Brothers blasting on my car stereo, why do we sing? Birds sing. Some insects sing…sort of. What evolutionary advantage does singing confer? I came to the conclusion that it provides none - I guess I think of singing and music as a gift - oh…I don’t know…as in a gift from the gods? I suppose one could surmise that a person who could sing the best got the pick of the litter, attracted more mates, because most of us do love to listen to a beautiful voice, but somehow that doesn’t seem right. Men and women are attracted to each other for more reasons than I can count, the ability to make music is merely one.

I think we sing for the sheer joy of it. Or maybe out of sorrow - poetry and weeping put to music. Yes, to sing is to be one with the heavens. Music is sublime…well, aside from maybe William Hung.

So. My favorites? Too many to mention but I am partial to rock and roll and Motown. In my contemporary romance, Beauty and the Feast, coming out in March - Resplendence Publishing - my heroine, Eva Raines, likes Bonnie Raitt and Lowell George of Little Feat. Grace Raphael, in My Everything, coming with Cobblestone Press, is a big Barry White fan. Both women love to sing. Me too!

Little Feat - Dixie Chicken

The Allman Brothers, Whippin’ Post

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For a Taste…Read The Artist

Head over to Resplendence Publishing at: http://www.resplendencepublishing.com/

and click on Free Reads. You’ll find my name listed, along with some of the other RP authors and if you click on me…you’ll link to my free read - it’s different than a lot of my stuff - it’s in first person, and it’s all about angry sex. The Dream Series will be issued sometime next year…I hope…in a longer work.

Enjoy!

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