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
I’m the first to admit that I have a potty mouth. Some days, well, lately, it seems like every other word out of my mouth is the ‘ef’ word. It’s not my fault! It’s the way I was raised!
No, not really. I was raised to be quite lady-like, but that’s one thing I’m not - know how to be…can be if it’s really important…but these days the ‘ef’ word fits the bill. I need an appropriate and very descriptive expression of my inner frustration and outer hair pulling. And it’s use is probably good for my cardiovascular system.
My website seems to be on the mend after a three-week long ethersphere illness - not quite up to par but improving daily thanks to two hard-working professionals.
But you know, what really got to me was something so insignificant that it is ridiculous for me to even think about it. I entered a writing contest and received the critiques from four judges. Fortunately for me, I guess, the contest coordinators dropped the lowest score. I had three fab scores and one so low as to be an ‘ef’. If this was high school, I would have failed the class. I read the critique from the low scoring judge, figuring I might learn a thing or two. I learned, in reading this judge’s own words, that he or she was offended by my use of the ‘ef’ word, so offended, in fact, that she couldn’t read the story. Which makes me wonder why oh why did this person volunteer to read an erotic romance. Erotica is loaded with words, that in my opinion, are waaaaay worse than the ‘ef’ word.
Besides, the ‘ef’ word is a good, solid all-purpose Anglo-Saxon word with multiple levels of meaning and many appropriate uses. I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t resort to the ‘ef’ word under the appropriate circumstances!
Katiebabs over at Babbling About Books gave me a nice review for Captured. Thanks, Katiebabs! Here’s a partial quote:
Julia Rachel Barrett really takes some chances with Captured, her science fiction romance. Mainly, because Mari is thought of as food. Her eventual love interest, Ekkatt even thinks of her like that at first, as well as the belief she’s a mindless animal. This is a major hurdle, but because Mari is a strong, smart and quick thinking, she’s able to save her life and change Ekkatt’s opinion, who comes to many new conclusions because of the way Mari is able to stand up for herself.
It took me a while for Ekkatt to grow on me because he is the type who goes along with the status quo. As soon as Mari gets under his skin, that’s when he really makes an impression. He is a bit innocent in his thinking as he tries to understand Mari. He has always assumed things were one way. It takes the redheaded Mari to open his eyes. Ekkatt then must grapple with breaking the rules he lives by, as well as his growing feelings for a creature that goes against everything he’s been taught. Once he’s willing to embrace these feelings, his love for Mari is wonderful. Mari introduces him to new ways of loving such as mouth kissing and using her mouth to pleasure other body parts Ekkatt was never aware of before. These scenes smolder in their intensity.
Ekkatt and Mari’s quest for a Utopian society becomes a very important part of Captured and one that you hope they both find before a certain enemy comes upon them and destroys their new found happiness.
Captured has an almost erotic feel to it, and Ekkatt and Mari’s love for one another is very believable and emotional. Julia has written a nice sold romance.
Check it out for yourself - she also gives a nice review to Stephanie Julian and Kiss of Midnight.
http://kbgbabbles.blogspot.com/2010/01/book-reviews-kiss-of-moonlight-and.html
I’m also interviewed today over at Love, Romances and More:
http://loveromancesandmore.blogspot.com/2010/01/welcome-to-julia-rachel-barretts-guest.html
Check it out - I love your comments!
Announcement: Just received a call that Captured is a finalist in the Gotcha ! Contest. Wow. Check it out!
My virtual tour continues at Erotic Crush Junkies - January 15th.
http://erjunkiesreviews.blogspot.com
Leave a comment and have a chance to win a book. I’d love to hear from you!
New Release!!!
My friend, Tina, has a new release. Enjoy!
Buy Link:
http://www.jasminejade.com/p-8080-deep-dark-delicious.aspx
A wickedly sensual feast… Eden DeCarlo may have narrowly lost Miami’s best chef competition and the prize money she desperately needs, but she has caught the eye of dangerously virile Rafael Zayas, one of the judges and a wealthy restaurateur. Despite her vow not to let any man derail her life, Eden’s captivated by Rafe’s imposing masculinity, then challenged by the business deal he offers. He’ll invest in her new venture if, for one month, she can satisfy his culinary expectations and the sexual attraction they both feel.
Dominant and unashamed, Rafe knows what he wants when it comes to carnal pleasure and will spare no seduction to have Eden in all the ways he demands—naked, wanting, submissive.
Within thirty days, he will teach her the delights of yielding to passion, relinquishing all control to him and fulfilling her deepest, darkest and most delicious desires.
Sounds yummy! Head over to the site to read an amazing, generous excerpt! Good luck, Tina!
Hubby read my new book
and he said something very interesting about Captured. He came to bed and woke me up…and ya’ll know what we do when he wakes me up…anywho - he told me that reading Captured was a weird experience because the heroine is me.
He said, “You know, there are pieces of you in every one of your heroines and I’m accustomed to that, but Mari is you. She’s just plain you. And it’s really weird to read about you having a relationship with this guy from another planet. It makes me feel real weird.”
I asked if he felt like I was cheating on him and he shook his head, no. He said it just felt weird, and then we went on to hm-hm.
The next day, I re-read the book and I realized he’s right. Mari is me. She’s just plain old me, potty mouth and all. Wow. I had no idea. Wonder what Freud would have to say about this?
If you want a picture of an author, I guess, read Captured.
First the bad - there’s a sick stray/feral cat in my backyard and animal control was unable to catch it. It went after my huge dog and my two kittens. Now I have to try and trap it or shoot it and I’m not into shooting animals - but it appears to be suffering so I’ll do the best I can, besides, I don’t want my own animals injured. God, this makes me feel awful!
The good - Captured, my first erotic work of science fiction, starring a redhead, will be released by Siren this Wednesday. Yay!
http://www.sirenbookstrand.com/ Look for my name and you’ll find my book!
Katalina Leon will be featuring Captured and an interview with me over at the Seven Sexy Scribes site on Wednesday - please drop by and check out the inspiration for this totally fun, sexy work!
http://sevensexyscribes.blogspot.com/
I’ll be chatting, along with Siren author Karenna Colcroft, on January 7th, with Beth Wylde. You can join the fun and win a book if you sign up - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bethwylde/
Please come and share this exciting day with me. Oh…and I’ll be giving you a taste with an adult excerpt on Seven Sexy Scribes on January 8th. Don’t miss it! http://sevensexyscribes.blogspot.com/
Okay, ya’ll, wishing you good things in this new year. Julia
*Postscript: Still feeling sick over the cat which seems to be fixin’ to die in my backyard. Trying to keep my own black cats indoors and my dog from going after this poor sick thing - animal control can’t get under the deck to get it.
Steve Haber has written an amazing article about the future of the publishing industry in the Huffington Post. You really should check this out - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-haber/the-death-of-print-doesnt_b_394476.html
“And remember my sentimental friend, a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.” The Wizard of Oz to the Tin Man.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves.”
- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7How on earth are you ever going to explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love? Albert Einstein
I hold it true, whate’er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
‘Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all. Alfred Lord TennysonLove never dies a natural death. It dies because we don’t know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings. Anais Nin
Where love rules, there is no will to power; and where power predominates, there love is lacking. The one is the shadow of the other. Carl Jung
For there is one thing I can safely say: that those bound by love must obey each other if they are to keep company long. Love will not be constrained by mastery; when mastery comes, the God of love at once beats his wings, and farewell — he is gone. Love is a thing as free as any spirit; women naturally desire liberty, and not to be constrained like slaves; and so do men, if I shall tell the truth. Geoffrey Chaucer
Free love? As if love is anything but free! Man has bought brains, but all the millions in the world have failed to buy love. Man has subdued bodies, but all the power on earth has been unable to subdue love. Man has conquered whole nations, but all his armies could not conquer love. Man has chained and fettered the spirit, but he has been utterly helpless before love. High on a throne, with all the splendor and pomp his gold can command, man is yet poor and desolate, if love passes him by. And if it stays, the poorest hovel is radiant with warmth, with life and color. Thus love has the magic power to make of a beggar a king. Yes, love is free; it can dwell in no other atmosphere. Emma Goldman
I laugh every single time I hear Alec Baldwin’s character say that.
It’s his inflection and expression - he infuses the simple letters, OMFG, with such meaning - surprise, exultation, joy, lust, passion, humor, intrigue, anticipation. He has morphed into a great comedic actor. To think, I actually remember when he was a murderous stalker on Knot’s Landing!
Alec has given me permission to use OMFG without fear of censure - whenever I’m excited, thrilled, extraordinarily happy.
Siren is releasing my science fiction romance, Captured, early, way early…like three months early. O.M.F.G.!!! The new release date is January 6th, 2010. Check this book out. It was the most fun to write, the most fun to edit and the most very fun to read. Besides, it’s hellaciously sexy!
http://www.sirenpublishing.com/juliarachelbarrett/
Plus, I have to give a big shout out to Jinger Heaston who created the most amazing cover! I can’t stop staring at it! Wow.
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!
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.
Not in my books…and no offense intended to any author - all in fun! I have a very sensitive gag reflex, as anyone who works with me at my day job will tell you. Certain words evoke it…
Loins.
Unless a character is girding his or her loins for an unpleasant encounter or pending argument, I will never write the word loins. Nor will my characters experience a twinge in their loins. The word evokes images of a butcher shop and hamburger. Like…a loin chop or a sirloin steak.
Nether Regions.
See loins. Nether makes me think of someplace very cold, as in, He’s off exploring in the nether regions of the Arctic Circle.
Love Channel.
Oh. Hell. No. Flashing on the Panama Canal.
Dripping.
Only as pertains to a leaky faucet or rain on the roof or water dripping from the eaves. Drop is okay. For discussion as to a drop of what, see my books. If woman drips, methinks she should hie herself to a gynecologist pronto.
Jackhammer (ing) or Piston (ing)
Oh. Ow.
Gushing.
A character might gush over someone they haven’t seen in a long time, as in, express happiness. Otherwise, gushing will only occur if my characters happen to be visiting Yellowstone National Park and standing in front of Old Faithful, or maybe bleeding, a lot, from a stab wound…maybe. Again, a part of a woman? Call your doctor.
Cream or Creaming.
Allowed only if singing Greased Lightning. Creamy, on the other hand, as in her creamy skin - wherever that skin may be, is acceptable. This one is a matter of taste - literally. I suffer from the ick-factor when I read the above words - I can hear them from John Travolta’s mouth, but that’s about it.
Moist.
I have this thing about the word moist, probably because I’m a nurse and I deal with moist, um, things. Ew. No moist and definitely no moist towelettes. Double ew. Moisture reminds me of rain so that word is okie dokie, in which case there might be dripping as in rain drops drip and there’s an awful lot of moisture outside, or inside, as the case may be.
Nuff said.
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.
War of the Worlds
I came home after a tough day of work, showered…because after a day of dealing with the situations I deal with I often feel like I need a shower…pulled on my jammies and climbed into bed. At 7:20 in the evening. I reached for my book. I’m reading Corvus, A Life With Birds, by Esther Woolfson, which is a series of engrossing tales about her feathered friends and how they’ve come to be integrated into her home, her life and her heart. Meanwhile, my own two birds, their cage covered, were murmuring in their sleep as they do, kind of pillow talking. Occasionally I could catch a distinct word, usually not. And of course, suffering from ADD as I do, I flipped on the TV - sometimes I find that I concentrate better if I concentrate against something. In this case, that something turned out to be Steven Spielberg’s relatively recent version of H.G. Wells, War of the Worlds.
I must admit I didn’t enjoy the movie when I saw it in the theater. Yes, the special effects were impressive, but it was the story that disappointed me - I found it too embellished and gory, too unnecessarily convoluted and too far removed from the spare original versions, written, radio and film. But I noticed something last night, other than Tom Cruise’s short thighs and Dakota Fanning’s unusually large, wide-set eyes. There is a common thread running through many of our popular movies these days - the archetype of the hand of man. Yes, we screw things up. Yes, we ignore warning signs. Yes, we behave in stupid, self-destructive ways. And yet…when our backs are against the wall, we, as a species, have the capacity to square our shoulders and find within ourselves unexpected courage and compassion. Of course as the movie shows us, we are also equally capable of killing each other in our haste to steal a car, an action that will just get us killed in turn.
Gory or not, the archetype of the hero has survived the ages. Men and women who rise above their station in life to achieve the unexpected, the sublime, even if they lose their own lives in the process. Think Greek mythology, Norse mythology, Beowulf, the Mabinogion, the dream of Camelot.
Thus we have the romance novel - not so different from Tristan and Isolde, the triad of Lancelot, Arthur and Gwenevere, Abelard and Heloise, Romeo and Juliet, Isis and Osiris - all tragedies, but heroic love stories nonetheless.
So, how did I get from there to here? Hmm…I think it was as simple as watching Tom Cruise play an unlikely hero in a lousy movie. Even schmucks can rise to the occasion.
To all who participated in my first contest!
Anna, Gayle, Fran, Amber, Jenn, and Mortal Sinn…great name!
My right hand is raised in solemn promise that I will not inundate you with never-ending emails and spamish-type stuff!
Each of you has earned a copy of Captured upon it’s release from Siren - As you can tell, I am super excited about this book!
Announcement - when I was a kid, at camp we used to sing: Announcements…announcements…announcements…what a horrible way to die!
Anywho…Cobblestone Press just offered me a contract on a previously released work of romance/suspense My Everything. I am walking on a cloud today because this is one fun book that earned great reviews and I can’t wait to see it back out there in the ethernet!
*Note - anyone who tried unsuccessfully to sign up - even though it may say error, you are still signed up provided you received an email asking you to confirm. Please confirm and you will be added to the newsletter list.*
Captured
There is nothing like a great title, a title that captures your book perfectly. Siren and I have gone back and forth, working on a title for my upcoming science fiction romance and we’ve finally, and very satisfactorily, settled upon Captured. That one word sums up the book - a woman is not only captured by an alien trapper, she finds herself captured by her own reluctant respect and growing love for the man himself.
Usually I have no problem with titles, but the name for this work escaped me. It was kind of weird. Siren and I went back and forth - I sent a list of ten suggestions, they took my suggestions and sent a list of additional suggestions back. We decided upon Beloved Captor, but like I said, that didn’t quite capture the spirit of the story.
Captured is perfect! I cannot wait to introduce you to Mari and Ekkatt and the world of the Attun-Ra!
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