Julia Rachel Barrett's Blog, page 118

Stepping off the feedback loop.

[image error]My son has this tattoo of a Mobius strip by M.C. Escher on his entire leg.  It's amazing.  I love the tattoo.

A Mobius strip is not only a symbol of eternity/infinity, it's also a feedback loop, or, in my mind, it symbolizes the nature of time travel ala the movie, The Terminator.

Think about it.  Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese are stuck in a feedback loop like the ants on Escher's Mobius strip.  How does Sarah get pregnant with John, the future savior, in the first place?  Kyle comes back to try to save her life.  How does she know what she'll name her child?  Kyle tells her.  How does she know what it takes to fight the Terminators?  Kyle again.  How does Kyle know where to find her?  Her son, John Connor, tells him and gives him a photo.  When is the photo taken?  In Mexico as she's running for the hills in her jeep, with her gun and her German shepherd.  As Sarah herself says in that particular scene…she could go crazy thinking about it.  For all eternity, Sarah and Kyle are stuck on a feedback loop.  When you think about it, to even try to prevent the rise of the machines in the first place means that she would never meet Kyle, John would not be born – what would happen?  Would Sarah be returned to her life before the Terminator entered her world, with no knowledge or memory of an alternate future?  Even the Terminator is stuck.  Because he returns to the past to kill Sarah, his destruction leaves behind technology that insures the future rise of the machines.  A=B=C=A.  I love feedback loops and the concept of time travel.  The original movie, The Terminator, captured the concepts better than any movie I've seen or book I've read.

Okay, let's look at a time travel novel – The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger.  I loved the first half of this book, hated the second half.  Why?  I felt used as a reader – set up for a pat and very predictable tragic ending.  And the movie version annoyed the hell out of me.  The over-arching theme of the book is that even if you can travel through time and you know what's going to happen, you can't change anything, you can't prevent anything from happening.  Bull shit.  Once the protagonist, Henry, realizes who Clare is and remembers what will happen, he has the choice to walk away from her and from his involvement with her in the past, but he doesn't.  Of course if he did walk away, I suppose we wouldn't have a book.  But I could not get behind the author's theory of time travel, despite her very interesting concept of time travel as a sort of epileptic seizure.

I prefer the theory Frank Herbert espouses in Dune.  One action sets off a series of reactions.  The future does not move forward in a straight line, but rather every step we take, every move we make (bad poetry), changes the course of history.  My view is that our path to the future follows more of a zig and a zag course, we don't travel directly from point A to point B.  In the movie Stranger Than Fiction, Will Ferrell's character finds himself involved in an existential time/space paradox.  Knowing the outcome of his own story, he willingly accepts his fate, and in doing so, changes it.  It's called The Observer Effect:  the act of observing will influence the phenomenon being observed.

Here's how I see it…If I could travel through time, what would I do?  I'd like to go back and kill Adolph Hitler, but if I did, what would be the ramifications of my act?  Let's say I succeed and I kill him as a young man, when he's nothing more than a struggling artist.  Our future would be completely different.  Would our world be better?  It might be worse.  According to Sir Isaac Newton, to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.  Who knows how far-reaching the consequences of a single act could be?

I included time travel in my Daughters of Persephone series.  The road these female protagonists travel is not straight, believe me.  In the end, the sister with the most power, the sister who loves nothing more than to manipulate the future, who is both ancestor and descendant, steps off the Mobius strip to live her own life and die in anonymity, yet even by stepping out of the feedback loop, she has an impact, planting genetic seeds that will bear fruit in the future.

Thoughts on time travel?

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Attention Newsletter Subscribers***

When you signed up, you were sent a confirmation letter.  Please confirm so I can add you to the newsletter mailing list.  Thank you!  Julia

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Daughters of Persephone

[image error]A new review for the series.

Steph, at Fangs Wands and Fairy Dust has graciously reviewed all four books.

http://fangswandsandfairydust.blogspot.com/2010/11/daughters-of-persephone-by-julia-rachel.html

I worry about this series more than anything I've written.  Science Fiction Romance is a tough write – people either love the scifi and hate the romance, or hate the scifi and want more romance.  It's hard to find a happy medium.  I will say this – the story grew stronger as it progressed.  Issa, the Thousand Year Empress of book three, Reborn, surprised the seven hells out of me!  Thanks, Stephanie!

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Adding a page, crashing, puppy love.

I'll be adding a page to my website – Books you should read, in addition to mine, before you die. I'll update as I think of titles.  I met a woman, in her mid-thirties, who admitted to me that she never picked up a book until like, um, five years ago.  Now she reads only romance yet considers herself the ultimate source for all things literature.  Oh baby girl…there are so many books in this world and we have so very little time to read them.

I actually slipped and fell at the grocery store today.  It was the weirdest thing.  I had this really heavy cloth grocery bag, stuffed full, slung over one shoulder and I carried…oh I don't know…three large items in each hand because I was just too lazy to get a cart and I slipped and fell right by the self-checkout stand.  It seems this guy spilled a vase of water but neglected to mention it to anyone.  Had it not been for the super heavy grocery bag, I would have flown up in the air and landed on my head, but instead, the grocery bag weighed me down enough – it was seriously heavy – that it hit the floor first and then I fell on top of the bag and the items in my hands landed right next to me.  Of course every single employee came running to my rescue and I'm sure the store manager thinks I'm going to file a claim, but I've fallen way harder hiking.  Frankly, I'm glad it was me and not some old lady because an elderly person would have broken a hip for sure.  That's what I get for wearing flip-flops…but unless I'm hiking or going out to dinner…it's Cali, I wear flip-flops or I'm barefoot.

Oh, puppy love.  Jake can be kind of stand-offish – typical of German shepherds.  He's not all that fond of strangers in his face.  He's not aggressive, but he does hide behind me if someone gets too pushy.  My old dog, Louie, was the same way.  Louie liked strangers to mind their business, except for German tourists and certain people he loved instantly for reasons known only to him.  Louie had this thing about German tourists, I think it's because he was raised speaking German.

While hiking today, Jake and I ran into a man I haven't seen in a year.  I've always liked him, he's just a cool guy.  Anyway, despite the fact that he'd never met the man, Jake ran right up to him, tail wagging, body wiggling, tongue licking…The man used to raise German shepherds.  You know, dogs can just tell – they sense when someone is afraid of them or aggressive or pushy, and they sense when someone is a plain old good person.  Louie really liked this guy too.  It's just so weird how Jake channels Louie at times.

Here's a photo from our Sunday hike in the rain.

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Come Back To Me – a new romance/suspense

[image error] Come Back To Me

has a tentative release date of November 26th with Evernight Publishing.  I finished up the first round of edits today.  Come Back To Me rips my heart out every time I read it, despite the fact that I wrote it.  The end makes me cry.  This baby of mine had a tough time finding a home because it is a very dark story featuring a tormented, dysfunctional, self-destructive heroine.  Many thanks, Evernight.

I got my hair cut today and I left a book sitting on the counter.  I have left more books at that salon!  By the time I realized Mukiwa A White Boy In Africa, was missing, the salon was closed.  I hope it's still there tomorrow because I am loving the story of a young man growing up in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe).

Siren-Bookstrand has a new review feature.  Readers can leave a written review of books they purchase here:  http://www.myearnestreviews.com/

Anyway, still trying to adjust to the loss of Daylight Savings Time.  It's no longer pitch black in the morning when I get up, but I think morning darkness bothers me less than early sunsets.  Think of me tomorrow…I'll be hiking in the rain with Jake. 

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My guy.

[image error]Look how big he's getting!

It's eerie how much Jake resembles Louie.  It's also eerie how much he likes to sleep in exactly the same spot on the couch.

I'm working on edits so my posts will be short and sweet this week.

Oh…I do have to mention one thing:  The Walking Dead.  OMFG.  I haven't watched a show this gripping since BSG ended.  And I hate zombies!  They're gross.  The Walking Dead is totally violent and weird, but if you watch from the beginning, not only will the premise hook you, the acting is spectacular and the themes, riveting.  It's on AMC.  My son tells me the show is based upon a comic book – http://www.comicvine.com/the-walking-dead/49-18166/

A word of warning, this is dark stuff.  Not for kids.

That's it for today, back to edits!

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One Four All, a review

[image error]From The Geeky Bookworm:

http://thegeekybookworm.blogspot.com/2010/11/review-one-four-all-by-julia-rachel.html

One Four All feels like a contemporary fantasy novel. It's set in a kind of parallel universe. They seem to have the same technology we have but their religious and moral views are different from ours. Why fantasy? Because we have a princess and a king and those always stand for fantasy in my eyes. Yes I'm full of prejudices. I loved how this world was build up. Not through one big info dump but more through the story-telling We learn everything on the way- with a little tidbit here and there.

The story starts with 3 soldiers on the edge of diving into a war with the neighboring country, Zhinshu. But out of nowhere they get send away on a different mission. They should guard the wife of an "important" politician and they aren't really happy about this development at all. When they arrive at the mansion this changes nearly immediately. They can feel that something is not the way it should be. And when they lay their eyes on Lira for the first time they know that she's not there out of her free will. I loved that Kepp, Red and Wat were all so different in character. They all have their own appeal but I have to admit I had an extra soft spot for Red. He was funny and he won my heart ASAP.

Lira is the heir of the crown of Zhinshu.  She got kidnapped by this crazy politician and he wants her to bear his children. He's not really happy about her being so complicated and denying him but luckily that's the way it works. She can't get pregnant if she's forced to have sex so he has to bring her to do it willingly. Not easy because Lira is a strong woman and even under threats and ransom she won't back down and give herself to him. She suffers through every torture he throws her way but her iron will never diminish. But she is relived when she first meets our three heroes because she can feel deep inside that they will be her rescue. She is a wonderful character, strong and made for being a queen. She knows her way around people and she knows how to defend herself. She's comfortable with herself and it shows in her actions. I really liked that girl.

The sex in this book is hot. Oh my this novel is made for a cold night at home. As you can imagine three guys and a woman is much and I have to admit at some points a bit too much for me. It was always sexy as hell but at some moments I thought it would be better with one guy less. See I'm not that greedy. But I still enjoyed it though.

The story itself is full of twists and turns and definitely has some actions. Onces or twice I sat straight on my couch and just couldn't read fast enough to see what would happen next. I always love how Julia makes her characters interact. It feels like real people would talk to each other and it always reminds me of talking to her. Her books are as she is, you just have to like them.

One Four All is a highly erotic and heartfelt story.The story will draw you in and the characters will make you smile more than once. Recommended for all erotica and menage lovers.

Thanks, Susi!  My first review for my first menage.  Not too bad.  Red is my favorite too!  He's got a very good sense of humor.

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Oh to be young and fancy-free!

I've been following a young author/blogger, Hannah Moskowitz.  When I first read a post of hers – on Nathan Bransford's site, I left her a comment and addressed her as Ms. Moskowitz.  She laughed (lol) and said, call me Hannah, Ms. Moskowitz is my mother - which made me laugh too because  that's how I felt (and still feel) when I was first married and somebody called me Mrs. So-So.  I looked around, expecting to see my mother-in-law.  Anyway, Hannah is very old for her years.  In other words, she doesn't seem to take herself too seriously and she doesn't sweat the small stuff.  Case in point, her post yesterday, or today, Saturday, depending upon your time zone.  With her permission, I'm commenting on the questions she posed.

http://hannahmosk.blogspot.com/

THINGS NOT TO WORRY ABOUT. (In the world of publishing.)

Me – Hannah, as a Jew, I worry about pretty much everything.  Fortunately, this tendency seems to decrease with the passing of generations.  My father worries less than his mother.  I worry less than my father and my children worry less than I do.  Knock wood.  Thank God.

1.  People leaving the publishing world.  I actually don't worry about this, what with global warming, Iraq, Afghanistan, the state of the economy, overfishing…just kidding.  People come and go in every profession.  In my own case, editors have, very unfortunately, vanished into thin air.  It's like Dorothy said in The Wizard of Oz…My…people come and go so quickly here. And all the munchkins nod their little heads and giggle.

2.  (Paraphrasing) Printed books are dead and self-publishing is taking over the world.  Hannah does a very succinct job of pointing out that to even think this is nuts.  No, it's not the end of life as we know it.  IMO if anything, kids may have short attention spans, but ereaders will get them reading again.  And we're witnessing the rebirth of the short story…remember those?

3.  Celebrity books and huge advances, or in other words, do you really need to worry about crap?  I love Hannah's answer – please go read it.  The truth is, I don't worry, but Hannah, I also don't think that the money celeb books bring in means the publishers will turn around and toss a little my way.  That's capitalism baby, capitalism.

4.  Twilight – yeah, Hannah's right.  Old news.  All I can say is this…Stephanie Meyers came up with a great concept and it made her oodles of money.  Good for her.

5.  Small advances – I've never had an advance so I don't worry about its size.  I much prefer to worry about penis size, that's of far more importance to my readers.  I love the fact that Hannah says – I am midlist and my life fucking rocks.  So don't worry about it. Very cool, girl.

6.  Bad reviews – ack!  She nailed me with that one!  I will never ever ever say anything except thank you so very very much.  Really I don't get upset and I appreciate every single person who takes the time to read my books.  I lost my cool once and that was not cool, never again.

Anyway, I think she's a bright, talented young woman and I appreciate her good nature and the fact that she allowed me to share her post.  Oh, and my Scottish friend, Nigel – remember him?  He says I make him sound like a character from Brigadoon.  I love that movie!  Do I do that to him?  He also compared me to the editor of Penthouse Magazine!  Geez, Nigel!  I only talk about you because you are so amazing!  I swear I will not stick you in one of my books wearing a kilt in gusty winds.  Promise!

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Attention Vicky!

All my replies to you are being bounced back.  I'm not ignoring you – sorry!

I've enlisted the aid of other Seven Sexy Scribe members to try to reach you.  Julia

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That would be me, my mistake.

I posted the other day about joining Seven Sexy Scribes, but I neglected to give you an address so you can actually join – if you're interested – and follow along – for chats, contests, prizes, new books…all that stuff.  Here is the address:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Seven_Sexy_Scribes/

On to other business.  Evernight Publishing – a new pub in town – and the publisher of my soon-to-be released, full-length romance/suspense, Come Back To Me, is hosting an amazing website launch contest – check this out…

http://www.evernightpublishing.com/pages/Contests.html

1st Prize

$50.00 Amazon Gift Card

2nd Prize

$15.00 Evernight Gift Certificate

3rd Prize

2 Evernight E-Books of your choice

For every e-book that you purchase through the new Evernight Publishing website (not including distributors), your name will be added to the draw.  The more books you purchase, the more entries you receive.

Contest Draw Date: December 17th, 2010

Here's their newest unusual release:   The Soul Dealer, Redemption, by Yolanda Sfetsos

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