Dang it!

Forgot Again!

I have an excuse this time - out of town company. First my cousin, now my parents!
Anyway - head over to my site:
http://juliarachelbarrett.net
Scroll down and leave me a comment - you could win this amazing tote! It features covers with model Jimmy Thomas - including my cover for My Everything. You'll recognize so many wonderful authors.
Cat not included!

Ooops!

Sorry, it's been one of those weeks! Here's my post.

It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

This is my guy, Louie. We lost him last exactly one week ago. Because I'm one of those crazy dog lovers, I went out yesterday and got his name tattooed on my right wrist. Now he can still go everywhere with me.

In other news - It's my son's birthday and I baked him my specialty, a whiskey cake. One of my daughters got herself a serious case of food poisoning and her descriptions of her symptoms are beyond hilarious! I won't discuss them here...

Daughters of Persephone, my four-book science fiction series, will be out with Resplendence in July - at least books one and two. Hopefully books three and four will be released in August.

Beauty and the Feast is still on the bestseller list at Fictionwise. I was so sad to see it had dropped down to 5th today, but it had been hanging in there between number 1 and number 3 for weeks!

My Everything is actually in the top 25 and it just got listed a couple weeks ago.

A bunch of people I know out there in blogoland have been ill - get better! I'm sending good thoughts your way. love, julia

The Early Bird...

remembers to post!

My Everything, my romance suspense with Cobblestone, is showing up in a few new places. Reader and reviewer response to this book interests me. This book was so easy to write...it sort of wrote itself - yet it resonates with readers.

The theme of lovers parted, suffering tragic losses, and then reunited seems to be universally appealing. It certainly appeals to me. This is the second book I've written about two soul mates who met at the wrong time but are given the once in a lifetime opportunity to be together again. The first, Anytime Darlin', will be re-released with Siren in August.

I suppose one reason I gravitate to this theme is that my husband and I share it. We were together as young teens. We parted under tragic circumstances, suffered...well, I suffered, he dated models...but then reunited in the most romantic of ways.
Here's my dedication to him in my book, Beauty and the Feast:

"I believe in love at first sight. I’m convinced each of us does indeed have a soul mate. We may not always be so lucky as to find them in our lifetime, but that doesn’t negate my belief in them. My husband and I knew each other for fourteen years before we married. During those fourteen years, we spent perhaps a total of five weeks in each others company. There were two extended periods of time, one period that lasted for three years and another for six years, during which we had no contact whatsoever. Yet, when I received a phone call at 2 a.m. and the man I loved but hadn’t seen or heard from in six years asked if he could come see me, I answered yes without hesitation.
"Eight hundred miles later, he emerged from his vehicle, took me in his arms and carried me off to bed. That same day, he asked me to marry him. It’s been twenty-six years and we’ve never looked back. Still in love, still soul mates."

If you want to pick up a copy of My Everything, it's available at Cobblestone Press and on Fictionwise.

http://www.cobblestone-press.com/catalog/books/myeverything.htm

http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b110090/My-Everything/Julia-Barrett/?si=0

Release Day!

My Everything!

Coming today from Cobblestone Press:

http://www.cobblestone-press.com/

Blurb:

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.

Sorry, no excerpt yet - should have it soon! In other news, Romance Junkies is holding a Valentine's Contest. It runs through March 31st. Here's the link to my offering -

http://www.romancejunkies.com/rjvalentinescontest/JuliaRachelBarrett.html

Oh My Gosh!

Things were so crazy yesterday I forgot to blog!

My kitty is sick, my hubby totaled his car, yiiii!

So the good news is you can and should get yourselves involved in two contests.
Over on my website: http://juliarachelbarrett.net/
I'm running a give-away - a copy of F.U. by Mia Watts.
Leave a comment on any post that includes the words - Enter me! Enter me now! I'll draw a name at random on Monday and announce the winner.

But the bigger news - sorry Mia - I have my own contest going on at Stumbling Over Chaos - head over there and leave a comment. You can win a copy of my coming release, My Everything, with Cobblestone Press. The contest runs through the 11th, the book comes out on the 12th.
Hurry over and leave me some love!
http://www.stumblingoverchaos.com/?p=5864http://

See you there!

The Romance Studio

A Five-Heart Review

I received a nice review from The Romance Studio for My Everything. The book is no longer available with Cerridwen Press, but I'm hoping for a re-release soon! Thanks Dee! Here's the review:

Two years ago Benjamin McCall disappeared to heal the wounds left when his wife was blown up in a car bombing. Wrong place at the wrong time? Not exactly. He had taken her into a dangerous situation to keep her and their unborn child safe. Still grieving, he's called back to the States by an urgent message from his best friend and runs into Grace Rafael, the woman he fell in love with ten years ago. Now he has to protect another woman from someone who will use everyone he cares about in his effort to see Ben dead.

Julia Barrett weaves a tale that twists and turns the way a good suspense should. The main characters have to deal with the grief and pain of their own personal lives while trying to protect those they love. Both Ben and Grace have lost spouses they loved dearly. The author does an exceptional job with crafting the romance between them without demeaning what they had with their spouses before. This is a wonderful work that balances the past and the future, giving respect to both.

Wonderful characters who have realistic conversations and relationships fill the pages. Both genders have their heroic moments and their human frailties. This is one of those books that keeps the suspense building while still giving us those moments when we can just smile at the totality of real people Ms. Barrett puts into her players. This story builds the lives of the people and families involved in the storyline well to show us what they're made of. This author is one to keep on that list when we're looking for a great book to read.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Very sensual

Reviewer: Dee Dailey
October 12, 2009