Julia Barrett's World

I got five tea cups…really pretty tea cups, for Captured!

Thanks, LynnMarie!

LynnMarie’s Review

Mari has just about had it with life. While she’s out collecting eggs, something happens that will change her future forever. She wakes up inside a cage, naked, and never so confused. Little does she know, she is being taken to a far away planet to be sold on the meat market.

The concept of the book intrigued me from page one. I had to know Mari’s fate. She was a great character! Strong, foul mouthed, and very easy to relate to. Mari isn’t a reluctant heroine or wilting flower, despite the traumas in her past. She’s smart and knows what she wants.

The beautiful cover of the book perfectly reflects the striking dragon tattoo on her back, as well as her flaming red hair. The same hair that caught her captor’s attention when he came to Earth seeking prisoners.
Ekkatt is so easy to fall in love with. He’s a hot, ripped alien, with golden skin, and a strong moral conscience. When he discovers that humans are far more than mindless animals, he just can’t sell Mari off like cattle. He hides her out in his home, and a love story is born.

Julia Rachel Barrett has created a complex sci-fi romance that I adored. Her sense of humor was priceless! The sex scenes were hot, but the developing romance took the prize in Captured. Our hero and heroine are so different, but learn from each other, and grow as people.

I highly encourage you to take this journey…to lose yourself in a different world. Captured is a sci-fi romance you don’t want to miss out on. I want more from Julia Rachel Barrett!

5 Tea Cups and a Recommended Read!

You can read the review yourself at their delightful site: http://hea-reviews.blogspot.com/2010/06/review-captured-by-julia-rachel-barrett.html

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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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You like me! You really, really like me!

It is very nice to find this after the kinda day I had yesterday and today is shaping up to be a repeat! Gotta go, but enjoy this review with me!

http://fallenangelreviews.com/2010/February/merrylee-captured.htm

Captured

Waking up naked in a cargo hold, caged with scores of women and guarded by two huge feline-looking men, convinced Mari Damon of one thing. She’d been kidnapped! By aliens!Ekkatt had harvested countless “Earther” females over the years. His people didn’t eat them, but that didn’t mean they weren’t above supplying them to other species who did. Since they are akin to animals, Ekkatt felt little guilt over his role in their imminent deaths. Until one uppity redhead mysteriously awoke from stasis, demanding to be heard.

Surprised by Mari’s cognitive abilities, he allowed her to remain awake, listening and watching as she set about proving herself sentient and therefore deserving of life. By the time they reached his home world, she’d begun to learn his language. But when his attempt to persuade his superior to spare Mari results in her being deemed a worthy subject for dissection and study, Ekkatt risks execution to whisk her away to his mountain cabin. There, as their love blooms amidst the wild untamed grandeur of Ekkatt’s world, they battle hardship, wild animals and the treachery of a friend. Ultimately, they realize that only one option remains open to them. Setting out across rugged restricted territory, they make for the safety of a secret compound, knowing that the grueling trek could easily cost them their lives. But at least they’d die fighting for happiness and the new life Mari carried within her womb.

This beautiful, compelling story came about through a dream. In putting it down in writing, author Julia Rachel Barrett has produced an absorbing, well-written story that had me so caught up I read every last word of it in one evening. A day later, I’m still marveling at her gift for world-building. I can still close my eyes and envision Ekkat’s majestic home world - the giant durra Mari encountered, the imposing snow-clad mountains and thickly forested valleys, the roaring rivers and emerald lakes, even the grossly disgusting sepatha that almost killed Ekkatt.

Both main characters are strong, appealing individuals who alternately tugged tears and then laughter from me. I loved Ekkatt’s yellow cat eyes and long blue-black hair, not to mention the hard muscles beneath his bronzed skin. I loved Mari’s ability to explain the human condition to Ekkatt, his fondness for potty-mouth English and her enjoyment in teaching him how to kiss. I loved the tender loving care he took of Mari, a woman so much smaller than himself that he thought of as delicate and breakable when she was far from it. Most of all, I loved Mari’s witty, wise-cracking personality, her fortitude and soft heart. Her rapport with Ekkatt is so amazingly beautiful it took my breath away.

Captured is one of the best books I’ve ever read. And with the ending leaving a couple of dangling threads, I’m hoping Ms. Barrett has sequels planned for the brothers I won’t drop any spoilers to name. Beyond that, what more can I say, other than keep dreaming, Julia! Keep dreaming…

Reviewed by: Merrylee

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Today has been the day from hell

and when I experience the day from hell, especially when I haven’t time to eat a single thing, I must have potato chips. Fortunately hell days don’t come around all that often, but lately, work IRL has been the essence of HELL. I’ve managed to avoid the potato chip trip until today.

I bought two bags because, you know, you gotta have two flavors - Balsamic Sweet Onion and Jalapeno - a handful from each bag and I feel so much better. It’s like - eat two handfuls of potato chips and call me in the morning - ‘cuz tomorrow and Sunday are shaping up to be an instant replay.

Here’s the caveat:

Dirty Sexy Books reviewed Captured! Yee-hah! Thank you thank you thank you!

http://www.dirtysexybooks.com/Dirty_Sexy_Books/Reviews/Reviews.html

Here it is - made me weep!

“It’s not often that I agree to review romantic erotica, not because I don’t like it, but because I view it like dessert. It’s a rare treat, and I don’t like to overindulge. What persuaded me to try Captured is that it’s also a science fiction story, and it’s getting harder and harder for me to pass those up.
Captured was presented to me as an erotic romance, but I will respectfully disagree. I am more inclined to call it a science fiction romance novella because the romance was the focus of the story all the way. Don’t get me wrong, the sex scenes were good, but they were on par with a SFR novel. For an erotica they’d probably be considered mild.
The way the relationship between Mari and Ekkatt developed was surprisingly robust. So were the sci-fi world-building elements. Personally, I think this story would make a great addition to a SFR anthology.”

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A Guest Blog

http://www.loveromancepassion.com/

Come check my final stop on my virtual tour! You can win a copy of my romance/suspense - full length - Cara!

In other news, we have horizontal rain, wind, darkness…waiting for hail and locusts, possibly rivers running red with blood - and I had to walk my dog because he refuses to set foot in the backyard. Despite my layers, I was soaked to the skin within fifty yards. Oh well…fresh air.

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Server issues - what a pain in the arse!

I have barely had internet service since Tuesday night - yeah, the night right before my new release from Siren, Captured, my first release of 2010 - after a year of unpleasant issues related to writing and publishing stuff. Internet glitches were the last thing I expected!

It was kind of like someone stuck a pin in a voodoo doll or sneaked a demon into the system!

*Note to self, title next book, Demon in the System…

Many thanks to the two Erics, both techs who helped me cope and to my web designer, Tracy of Bootstrap Marketing, who listened to my bitching - believe me - I can make a shitload of noise when I need to. It’s either that or tear my hair out.

It is with humble gratitude I thank all you readers who headed over to Siren and picked up a copy of Captured - you pushed me up to number nine on the bestselling list! Give yourselves a big hug from me!

Until tomorrow, if you need me, I’ll be at Starbucks, using their wifi. Tomorrow I get a new server. Come back and see me then because I’ll post my virtual tour schedule for the next two weeks and you can learn what kind of a geek I truly am. With love, julia

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Might break out the Talisker tonight!

If you head over to Siren-Bookstrand, you can buy yourself a copy of my oh-so-sexy sci fi tale, Captured. Ah, the link: http://www.sirenbookstrand.com/

First of all, you gotta admit Jinger Heaston made me a great cover - she really captured the spirit of the book and she got the dragon tattoo exactly right!

This is my first work of science fiction…and I am a science fiction freak! A total BSG/Firefly/Star Trek/The Big Bang Theory geek! Guess I’ve been saving up all that good stuff!

Captured is based upon a true story and what might be a true story. You see…it’s like this…Once upon a time, I lost an hour of my life. Lost it. Vanished. No memory whatsoever of one entire hour. And I knew when I lost it that I’d lost it. Somehow, during that lost hour, I managed to collect the eggs from twelve chicken coops - an impossible feat, I kid you not. My act came to be known on the chicken farm as the Miracle of the Eggs. If you want to hear more, head over to Seven Sexy Scribes and read the interview I gave Katalina Leon. http://sevensexyscribes.blogspot.com/

Mari’s story in Captured is, perhaps, what happened during that lost hour. You know you want to find out!

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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.

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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.*

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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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