Julia Rachel Barrett's Blog, page 120

I interrupt this post to bring you a news update!

[image error] Scream!

A few minutes ago I received word that two of my books are finalists in the Epic ebook awards!  OMFG!

Beauty and the Feast is a finalist in the Contemporary Erotic Romance category and Captured is a finalist in the Science Fiction Erotic Romance Category.

Thank you, Resplendence Publishing for snatching up Beauty and the Feast, and thank you Siren for loving Captured as much as I do.  Wow!

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If intercourse = a home run, then we need a few more bases

[image error]I've been put on notice.

Hubby says that I must stop behaving like a guy and learn to enjoy foreplay.

So from now on, he's timing me.  The other night, he set his watch and forced me to delay my gratification for twenty minutes so he could have some foreplay. He says he's increasing the time by ten minutes every night.  And by the way, I asked him to write this post, but he refused because he's a wuss.

*Oh and Steph (fangs, wands, fairy dust) it's not a matter of bottling my libido – it's that hubby is just that good, but I refuse to share.*

Where was I?  Oh yeah, this notion of bases…first base, second base and so on, is it still valid?  I mean, if first base is kissing, then what is French kissing?  First and a half base?  If second base is copping a feel, then what is, like, um, unbuttoning the shirt and sucking on the, um, nipples?  What base is that?  If third base is, well, you know, then which base is oral sex?  So, if a home run is intercourse, how many bases do we need to get there?  Hubby says you have to run around the bases at least twice before you hit a home run.  That's six bases. Maybe it should be eight bases.  Soliciting opinions here!

We had this really funny conversation about sex.

Him – "You're so impatient. You're like a guy. You just want your orgasm."

Me – "Yeah, but that's because it's so good."

Him – "But I want to play with you first. Five minutes and you're ready to do it."

Me – "How much time do you need?"

Him – "As much time as I can get."

Me – "Why?"

Him – "Because for a guy, once it's over, it's over. It's different for a woman."

Me (fist bump on the inside) – "Yes, I know, that's why I like it."

Him – "Look, you have a lot of parts I enjoy. You have to learn to let me enjoy them at my leisure."

Me (defensive) – "Well, you have parts too."

Him – "Not as many."

Me – "But you have the big part."

Him (laughing) – "Yes, I have the big part. I control the big part."

Me – "You're gonna make me wait to use the big part?!?"

Listen ladies, he's threatening to force me to spend an entire hour kissing him.  Can you imagine?  Oh cruel fate!

P.S. An addendum – my husband just read this post and came upstairs to say, "You know honey, you're kind of math challenged."

"Yeah? So what else is new?"

"Going around the bases twice is eight bases, not six.  Home plate counts as a base."

"Oh, I better add that onto the blog."

"I think most of your readers will figure it out."

P.P.S. Hubby just called upstairs – "You know, people may find this off-putting."

"You're the one who told me to write it!"

"No, I just suggested that you write it. I didn't know you were going to repeat our conversation."

"Oh for god's sake, I can't win for losing!"

***Disclaimer – Regardless of what I say or don't say on this blog, remember, my life is not perfect and it never will be.

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I'm over at Michele Zuro's Steamroom.

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Talking about my menage, One Four All.

Drop by!  I'll be there all week.

http://www.michelezurlo.com/

http://www.michelezurlo.com/apps/blog/show/5144840-julia-rachel-barret-one-four-all

In the meantime, check out Sandra Cox's new fantasy, Sundial, and Sharon Lathan's interview and her new book, In the Arms of Mr. Darcy.

And feel free to have a look around!  love, Julia

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Welcome Sandra Cox!

[image error]I met author Sandra Cox (online) the day I got my first publishing contract!

She's an amazing author and a wonderful, supportive friend.  She gets to take over my blog for two days to talk about her new work of fantasy and her great contest.

***

I have always found the idea of time travel intriguing. Going back to another time, meeting people you've read about in history books, finding out what it would be like to travel on a fast horse instead of a fast car.

If you had an opportunity to go back in time where would you go?

The time and place in history that fascinates me the most…Texas in 1836 when Texicans fought for their independence. The strength and courage of the people of Texas, and the people who fought by their side, has never failed to stir me. I am always amazed at the men who held the Alamo until they'd drawn their last breath, outnumbered in everything but courage.

From these two common denominators–time travel and Texas–SUNDIAL was born.

Excerpt:

Without conscious thought, Sarah began to move. A feeling of urgency welled inside her. She walked trancelike through the middle of the battle, intently scanning faces, looking for the beloved features of her lover.

Bewildered, she shook her head to clear it. She had no lover. But she kept walking, faster and faster. She'd lost him once, no twice. She couldn't lose him again.

The black smoke from the powder was so thick she could only see a few feet in front of her. It was hard to breathe. Her lungs ached.

She shrieked as a man in a bloody uniform fell against her. Monet cried in piercing, high-pitched tones.

A Texan brandishing his rifle, like a club, swung in her direction.

She screamed in earnest.

Contest:

For an opportunity to win an autographed copy of SUNDIAL, a 'seeing' pendant and a $10 Starbucks gift card, just leave a comment mentioning Julia and SUNDIAL at www.sandracox.blogspot.com. The contest runs from Oct 15 – Nov 14 at 5:00 p.m.

SUNDIAL blog tour hostesses are invited to enter.

Thanks for hosting me, Ms. Julia.

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Welcome author Sharon Lathan, Jane Austen extraordinaire!

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I was fortunate enough to meet author, Sharon Lathan, last week.  She reopened a door into the world of Jane Austen, a door I had closed long ago, after dismissing Jane Austen's works as nothing more than high school reads.  I discussed the subject with my daughter, a big Jane Austen fan.  She said the beauty of Jane Austen's writing is in the details she provides,  the beautiful descriptions of daily life and the colorful dialogue.  She says Jane Austen moves a story along via dialogue and real life characters and situations.  I had never looked at Austen that way.  I realize I've been missing the essence of Jane Austen all along!

Please feel free to chat and ask Sharon any questions you like.  She'll be around for the next couple days to respond to comments.

Sharon – here's what I'd like to know, and what I'd like my readers to know –

I've heard a little of your story, but in your own words, what jumpstarted your interest in Jane Austen?  Did you read her as a teen?  A young adult?
Sometimes it makes me sad that I did not discover Jane Austen way back when, but then if I had my stories would not exist so I can't lament my pathway. Until 5 years ago my only experience with Austen was seeing some of the movies and Bridget Jones references to Mr. Darcy! I knew nearly zip about Pride and Prejudice when I went to see the 2005 version starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. To say that I fell head over heels in love with everything about it would be an apt statement! That is where it began for me and I still adore the movie in every possible way.
What is it about her stories that you found so intriguing, that made you want to know more about her characters, even though she'd written the books over a hundred years ago?
Initially it was the love story. I am a romantic at heart. The story of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, as so masterfully directed and portrayed on screen, totally captivated me. When I read the novel my devotion, and then obsession, was cemented. I adore how these two people – feisty, witty, independent Lizzy and shy, misunderstood, devoted Mr. Darcy – both flawed by pride and prejudices, manage to overcome their problems and attitudes. It is a story of self-discovery, of recognizing the person that is underneath the facade, of selfless sacrifice, and of eventually accepting that your heart and life are enhanced by love.
What do you think makes her stories timeless?
Her characters are timeless. We all know a person like Mr. Darcy who is not what he/she seems to be on the outside. Maybe we are that person! We have all made mistakes so can relate to Lizzy. Every character, whether good or bad, is someone we know.  Austen is a brilliant writer in that she gives us enough information about her characters to round them out while also holding back so we can fill in the blanks as we wish. Their lives, situations, dramas, families, etc. are familiar to us because they are the normal trials of living. Nothing particularly spectacular occurs in any of her books! Yet this is why we can personally connect with whatever is happening.
From what I understand, you began writing fan fiction and eventually self-published your first book.  How courageous.  Did you worry about how your book would be received?  Did you care about an audience or did you decide to publish your book simply for yourself?
I began posting my chapters online at various JAFF sites and then on my own website. The feedback was positive so I decided to give publishing a try. My only goal was to give my fans a bound format to read rather than a computer screen and to hopefully reach other readers who want a happily-ever-after life for the Darcys. I turned to self-publishing when attracting an agent did not work. Not sure how courageous it was! But it was a viable option. Being published was never about getting rich or making this a lifelong career, although I am not adverse to either! I simply wanted to share my vision and hopefully please readers with something positive and entertaining. I am still sad that some cannot embrace an uplifting story that pays homage to Austen, but I no longer worry about it.
After your first book, Sourcebooks picked up your series.  Congrats!  Do you see an endpoint, or do you feel there are so many open ends and interesting characters that you and other authors who love Jane Austen can continue to write stories for her characters indefinitely?
Thank you! I am very happy with Sourcebooks and my fabulous editor Deb Werksman. Together they have helped me to attain my goal of reaching readers. In a general sense I am not seeing a necessary "endpoint" in Austen literature. The demand is strong and more and more authors are branching out to secondary P&P characters and other Austen novels. For myself, I am still having a terrific time writing the Saga! I remain open to whatever my muse plants within my heart, but so far he seems stuck in Pride and Prejudice-land!
[image error] IN THE ARMS OF MR. DARCY BY SHARON LATHAN—IN STORES OCTOBER 2010

If only everyone could be as happy as they are…

Darcy and Elizabeth are as much in love as ever—even more so as their relationship matures. Their passion inspires everyone around them, and as winter turns to spring, romance blossoms around them.

Confirmed bachelor Richard Fitzwilliam sets his sights on a seemingly unattainable, beautiful widow; Georgiana Darcy learns to flirt outrageously; the very flighty Kitty Bennet develops her first crush, and Caroline Bingley meets her match.

But the path of true love never does run smooth, and Elizabeth and Darcy are kept busy navigating their friends and loved ones through the inevitable separations, misunderstandings, misgivings, and lovers' quarrels to reach their own happily ever afters…

About the Author ?Sharon Lathan is the author of the bestselling Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One, Loving Mr. Darcy: Journeys Beyond Pemberley, and My Dearest Mr. Darcy. In addition to her writing, she works as a Registered Nurse in a Neonatal ICU. She resides with her family in Hanford, California in the sunny San Joaquin Valley. For more information, please visit  www.sharonlathan.net. Come to Austen Authors – www.austenauthors.com – and Casablanca Authors – www.casablancaauthors.blogspot.com – where Sharon shares the spotlight with other writers.

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A wasted life?

My father was just here for three days and we went hiking together.  Yesterday morning he asked me, "Whatever happened to So and So?  I know she died young, but what happened to her?  What did she do with her life?"

So and So was my best friend, my only girlfriend, from the time I was fourteen years old.  I know what happened to So and So.

"You mean Meryl?" I asked and he nodded. "She died six, maybe seven, years ago.  She died of heart failure, alone, in her kitchen.  After a few days, a delivery man found her.  She was cremated and somebody scattered her ashes on the mountain behind her trailer."

"But what did she do with her life?" my father asked.  "Did she ever graduate from high school?  She was a bright girl.  Did she go to college?  Did she ever marry?  Did she have children?"

"No, she never did any of those things."

"But what did she do?"

"She lived with a few different guys.  She worked as a waitress from time to time.  I don't really know because she didn't want to keep in touch with me, at least not much after I got married (the first time).  Everything I know about her adult life I heard from Pat."

"Pat Fitzwilliam?"

"Yeah, Pat Fitzwilliam."

"How did he know?"

"Because he was best friends with Meryl's old boyfriend, Wayne."

"Whatever happened to Wayne?"

"He died of a drug overdose years ago.  He was maybe twenty-five, twenty-six. Pat stayed in touch with Meryl after Wayne died."

"Wasn't she a good artist?"

"Yeah, dad, she was an amazing artist, and she was a good writer.  And she was beautiful, the most beautiful girl I've ever known."

"But why would she waste her life like that?  Why didn't she ever make anything of herself?"

I shrugged.  "She had a sad life.  Her mother died of a brain tumor when she was twelve.  Her father was an abusive alcoholic and she had to put him in a nursing home when he was in his late forties and she was just eighteen."

"When was the last time you saw her?"

"When I came home one Christmas from Utah.  I think I was twenty-one.  We went to a bar and had a couple beers. She'd come in from Colorado to visit her dad.  That was the last time I saw her."

"What did you two talk about?"

Funny how I still remember what we talked about.  We discussed the reasons she didn't like my new husband (now ex-husband).  She told me I deserved better.  She said she had no desire to marry or have children.  She thanked me for keeping all her secrets, for remaining silent when she ran away at the age of sixteen and vanished for two years.  I was the only person on the planet, aside from the older man she ran off with, who knew where she was.  I kept her secret despite the fact that her father forced me down to the police station time and time again for questioning.  I figured she was in a much better place.

"What did we talk about?  Nothing much."

That night with Meryl was the last night I ever smoked a cigarette or got stoned or even shared a pitcher of beer with anyone.  As young teenagers, Meryl and I both lived through some of the worst moments of our lives.  My life got worse for several years after our last night together, hers got better for a while, and then the reverse happened.  Mine got better, hers got worse, and she died.  She was the blond, statuesque beauty, the talented, enigmatic, imaginative muse – every man's wet dream…I was the dorky, glasses-wearing, flat-chested, shy, majorly fucked up tomboy. I never expected to make it past thirty.  She never made it to forty.

"What a wasted life," my dad said. "She vanished from the earth without a trace."

Her father is dead. Pat Fitzwilliam commited suicide.  There's only me to remember her.  Not a day goes by that I don't think of her.  And when I'm gone, they'll be no one left on this planet who'll know Meryl was ever here. Her only footprint?  A book of poetry she sent me years ago. She wrote a note inside the front cover. Yeah, that's a wasted life.

Don't tell me to write a story about it – already did.  Rejection slips up the wazoo.

Next ten books to take to the moon:

1.  Under Heaven, by Guy Gavriel Kay

2.  The Milagro Beanfield War, by John Nichols

3.  The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula Le Guin

4.  Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon

5.  A Game of Thrones, the entire series, by George R. R. Martin

6.  Cloudsplitter, by Russell Banks

7.  Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer

8.  Ahab's Wife, by Sena J. Naslund

9.  The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

10.  A Song for Arbonne, by Guy Gavriel Kay

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Splitting Hairs – genre fiction vs. literary fiction

[image error]I love the book, Under Heaven, by Guy Gavriel Kay.

I file it under the cannot put down one of the best books I've ever read category in my brain.  But which is it, literary fiction or genre fiction?  Just like the novels of Sharon Kay Penman (no relation), I consider Under Heaven a work of historical fiction containing strong elements of fantasy, which is genre fiction.  Some of Mr. Kay's works are straight up fantasy.  At the same time, Under Heaven is a work of literary fiction along the lines of Steinbeck's East of Eden, which also contains fantastical, existential elements.

What is the essential difference between genre fiction and literary fiction?  My answer is, I don't know.  Is it that genre fiction is expected to have a concrete conclusion, an HEA, or Happily Ever After, while literary fiction must be either a tragedy filled with deep wisdom or an open-ended work with a sort of draw your own conclusion finale?  I don't think so.  More and more genre fiction is not all peaches and cream, riding off into the sunset, or an 'and they all lived happily ever after…'

Is the difference between the two a matter of formula?  Does each sub-genre follow a specific formula or set of genre rules along the road that lead to a predetermined conclusion?  Again, I'm not so sure.  I've read numerous works of literary fiction that seem to follow a very stereotypical formula.  Because I don't want to get slammed, I won't mention the works or the authors, but there seems to be a formulaic trend in literary fiction  – life as we know it, sudden tragedy, resuming life as we know it…changed.  A lesson learned.  A lesson not learned.  Ending.  If that's not a formula, I don't know what is.

For most of my life, I've read literary fiction.  It's only in the past four years that I've done a 180′ turn and switched to reading genre fiction, along with a whole lot of fabulous nonfiction.  Why?  Because with genre fiction I'm reading tried and true themes molded in fresh and intriguing ways by creative, interesting voices.

With some brilliant exceptions, literary fiction began to bore me perhaps…ten years ago.  The voices started to sound alike, the stories became interchangeable.  It's not that I expected a new tale told every week, it's that I wearied of reading the same old tale told in almost the exact same voice via the same tired plot devices while the New York Times book reviewers, and my sister, heaped praises on the authors ala the Emperor isn't wearing any clothes.  Seriously.

Is the difference between genre fiction and literary fiction word count?  Nope.

Is it the quality of characterization?  Nope.  There are well-written characters (and some poorly written characters) in both.

Janet, over at Dear Author, bless her dad-gum-blasted little soul, beat me to the punch on this one by posting a blog on literary fiction/genre fiction on 10/19, well worth the read – Originality in Genre Fiction, an Oxymoron? http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2010/10/19/originality-in-genre-fiction-an-oxymoron/ According to Ecclesiastes (Kohelet), there may indeed be nothing new under the sun, but the proof is always in the telling.

For me, it's splitting hairs – six of one, half-dozen of the other.  I read what I like.  I no longer feel that in order to appear cool and sophisticated, I must eschew genre fiction and read only literary fiction.  There are good and bad books in both in both genre fiction and literary fiction and there is increasing overlap – which I think bodes well for the future of literary fiction.

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Ack! I miss Berkeley Breathed and Bloom County…

Sometimes, especially when I've been schlepping my parents all over Kishnev all day long, I miss Opus, Bill the Cat and Bloom County.

I found this site, looks as if every Bloom Country strip is being re-released in a five-volume set – I'm on it, cannot wait to reminisce with old friends.  I so miss my Bloom County!

http://www.berkeleybreathed.com/pages/09bloomlibrary.asp

http://www.berkeleybreathed.com/pages/Cartoon_Collections.asp

Wish I could share something more profound than ack, but I just don't have it in me tonight.  I feel like I might cough up a hairball…

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Stymied…

[image error]So much to do, so little time…

Not getting much done, writing-wise, because I have so many other things to do – you know, like post-season baseball and my parents are coming in tonight to spend three days with us and then there's the puppy.

Take a look at my personal eye candy, Andres Torres.  I adore him. What an athlete – 'K, Andres, now hit.  Hit a big one for me!

I have always been a sucker for athletes.  T.Z. for instance, was my 8th grade boyfriend – the tightest tight end in town.  He looked dang good in his football jersey, especially running down the field with the football cradled in his arms.

M.K., the 6'8″ captain of the high school basketball team.  Sweet as pie.  One of the very nicest guys I ever dated.

Hubby and I went running around the lakes in Minneapolis on one of our few dates.  He's a runner, but he also played football and wrestled.  Gotta love those wrestling moves!  Wrestling is really big in the Midwest – I mention it in Beauty and the Feast – it's especially popular at the University of Iowa, my alma mater.

On another topic, author Sharon Lathan has agreed to come by and talk Jane Austen.  I'll try to woman-up and put my two-cents in, but I'm still on team Bronte.  In the meantime, I'm going to reread my Austen books – got several of them on my shelves.

If you're team is in the play-offs – go team!  Fingers crossed that the Giants pull it off again tonight!

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The Yosemite Romance Writers

Heart of California, RWA

"Next Meeting

Saturday, October 16 @ Marie Callenders in Fresno
10:30 am
Guest Speaker: Julia Rachel Barrett
Also: General Meeting & discussion of 2011 elections.
For additional information and to register click "Meetings" tab above
Don't Miss It!!"

Hey, that's me!  Talk about cool!  I had so much fun with these ladies – they are interesting, talented, energetic and amazingly good sports. A sense of humor is a must when it's me talking about S-E-X.  'Cuz you know, I can be pretty dang silly, and or, weird.  Here's their site.  I wish there was an RWA chapter of some sort in my area.  It's sweet to have the advantages of in-person peer support.

http://www.yosemiteromancewriters.com/

Thanks, Sandy, for inviting me to speak.

I got to meet author, Sharon Lathan – a member…http://www.sharonlathan.net/

She kind of jump-started a new interest in Jane Austen – an author I really haven't thought much about, despite the hype, since high school.

So anyway, watching the Giants in Philly and then it's off to bed because I really have not slept must in a couple days.

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