Julie has always loved stories, both reading and writing them, ever since she was old enough to hold a book in her hands. One of her favorite childhood activities was smuggling books under the covers to read by flashlight after she was supposed to be asleep.
A career as a children’s librarian eventually led to her dream career as a freelance storyteller and puppeteer, a business she operated successfully for twenty-five years. During that time she created and wrote all the original material for a monthly language arts newsletter full of poems, songs, puppet and flannel-board stories, fingerplays, and other resource material for early childhood educators. For that endeavor she won the prestigious EDPRESS Award for the best educational newsletter of 1982. She has also written other resource materials for preschool and early elementary teachers.
After moving more than two dozen times in her life, Julie lives in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. Now widowed and retired, she once again has time to devote to her two favorite things—reading and writing—especially her new love, erotic romances.
BTS: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Julie: I am a former children’s librarian, professional storyteller, and puppeteer. I write like a much younger person than I actually am. I love ballet, most kinds of music, making jewelry, traveling, reading, writing, and a whole bunch of other stuff.
BTS: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
Julie: Since I was old enough to read.
BTS: Can you share a little of your current work with us?
Julie: My current work is Owning Sarah, the sequel to my first book, Loving Sarah. It is a continued exploration of Sarah, Jesse, and Adam’s deepening love for and commitment to each other. It also has the three of them facing an old enemy who will stop at nothing to destroy all their lives. Like its predecessor, Owning Sarah is a Siren M/f/M Menage, with a little M/M/f discovery going on. Both have a Heat Rating of Sextreme.
BTS: Describe your Hero(s) in one word
Julie: Dominants
BTS: Describe your Heroine in one word?
Julie: Strong-willed
BTS: What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Julie: Just the general, day-to-day slog—getting my butt in the seat and putting words into the computer. Fortunately, Jill, my critique partner, was a tremendous help, making suggestions, giving me ideas, answering my questions. Thanks to her constant nagging (lol), I actually finished a few days before the deadline I had set for myself.
BTS: Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?
Julie: To tell the truth, the challenge wasn’t in getting it PUBLISHED. Siren was the first publisher I sent it to and they accepted it right away. The challenge came afterward—promoting, publicizing, marketing, and advertising it. The only things I knew how to do on a computer were typing the words in the word processor, and sending and receiving emails. When I realized all the stuff I would have to learn in order to sell my book, I was completely overwhelmed.
BTS: Do you have any advice for other writers?
Julie: Write every day, even if it’s only a few sentences. And learn as much about the social media and how to use them to your advantage as you possibly can. You’re going to need it.
BTS: Do you ever experience writer’s block?
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Julie: All the time. When I find myself stumped or just totally uninspired, I go back and re-read or edit scenes I’ve already written, trying to recapture the muse. Or I work on something else for a while. My “something else” at the moment is an historical erotic romance set in the Middle Ages. I’m hoping to be able to submit it by the end of September.
BTS: What supernatural character would you rather date Thor (Chris Hemsworth) or Superman (Henry Cavill)
Julie: Although they’re both wa-a-a-ay too young (lol), I think I’ll have to go with Thor. A Norse god—now there’s a hero for ya.
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It’s been a month since Sarah Marshall was kidnapped and held at knife-point by her ex-fiance. But Jesse Colter and Adam Sinclair, her two loving Doms, know that there is an even deadlier threat still out there—Ryder Malone.
He blames both Sarah and Jesse for sending him to prison eight years ago for attempted rape, and he’s determined to make them pay. So, he begins a systematic campaign of terror and intimidation against them. But the danger he poses doesn’t end there.
Set against the deepening love and commitment between Sarah, Jesse, and Adam, Owning Sarah is more than just a sexy, sensual, BDSM love story. It is a harrowing race against time for Jesse, Adam, and a team of former SEALs to stop one of the biggest arms-for-drugs deals in U.S. history. And to rescue Sarah before Malone sells her to a human trafficker and she’s lost to her men forever.
An Excerpt from Owning Sarah
As soon as Sarah finished greeting the last man, Jesse moved in behind her, pulling her against his body, her back to his front. He ran his hands up her arms before settling them on her shoulders. At that blatant gesture of possession, all conversation died and six pairs of eyes bored into her. Wow. She was surrounded by eight strong, powerful, confident men. Men who had survived harsh, primitive conditions. Men who had experienced the brutality of combat and undertaken untold numbers of dangerous missions, all to keep America free. Men whose exploits would never be recognized or acknowledged, who were heroes in the truest sense of the word.
Men who gave new meaning to the term sexy, even if they weren’t particularly handsome. There was nothing handsome about Bulldog, for instance. Yet….wow. The sinuous, animalistic grace of his movements, the air of command he exuded were both undeniably sexy. To a man, these Spec Ops soldiers were tanned, fit, confident, powerful…masculine. These men were potent. The testosterone they exuded was so strong it was almost palpable, a living, breathing thing.
Wow.
Nearly overcome by a sudden bout of near-crippling shyness, Sarah stiffened her spine and gave them what she hoped was a confident smile. “It’s lovely to meet you, and I hope you all can stay for dinner, although I’m not sure what we’ll have. We’ve been eating so much take-out lately, there’s nothing in the refrigerator but a bunch of science experiments on the properties of mold.”
“And beer,” Adam piped up. “There’s always plenty of that.”
“Right,” Sarah agreed tongue-in-cheek. “Science experiments on the properties of yeast.” Her smile faded. “Like I said, you’re all invited to stay for dinner. But why do I get the feeling that this is not a social call? You’re not here for dinner, are you? You’re here because of Ryder Malone.”
“I see we’ve come to the question and answer portion of the evening,” Jesse murmured, squeezing her shoulders gently before dropping a kiss on the top of her head.
“Speaking of beer,” Adam interjected brightly, turning on his heel and moving toward the kitchen, “who wants one?” Everyone except Sarah and Jesse followed him out there. Turning her to face him, he let go of her arms and lifted his right hand to tuck an errant, mink-brown curl behind her ear.
She tilted her chin to look up at him. “This is about a hell of a lot more than just vandalizing my bedroom, isn’t it? What’s going on, Jesse?”
His fingers stilled, warm against her skin, sending a shiver through her. Aware of the undisguised interest on the parts of the men filtering back into the room, beer bottles in hand, they struggled to fight the sudden heat blazing between them. “Don’t worry about dinner, baby,” Jesse said in an effort to divert her attention, “It’s all taken care of. I’ve ordered a Pig-Out Feast for Twelve from Porky’s Bar-B-Q.”
“But,” she spread her hand in confusion, “there’s only nine of us.”
He just chuckled. “Obviously you haven’t seen these guys eat. Anyway, they’ll be deliverin’ it in around”—he glanced at his watch—“half an hour or so, so be on the look-out while we finish up—”
“Finish up what?” she interrupted quietly, refusing to be diverted. “Answer my questions, Jesse, and stop trying to protect me from the big, bad world out there. I knowwhat’s out there, remember? I see it every day in court. So, why are they here? What could Ryder Malone possibly have done to merit a response like this? An entire SEAL team? Really? Don’t you think that’s just a little bit over the top? Like sending a Cruise missile to take down a gnat?”
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, they’re no longer SEALs,” he offered lamely, lifting one shoulder in a slight shrug.
“Oh, well, that’s certainly a relief.”
“Sarah—“”
“Who are they, Jesse? Aside from the biggest, scariest, meanest-looking, bad-ass, uber-macho bunch of guys I’ve ever laid eyes on? Some sort of clandestine, super-covert, black-ops commando group that’s so Top-Secret not even the President knows about them?”
Everyone froze. Seven pairs of eyes were suddenly riveted on her. Her mouth dropped open as realization sank in.
“Oh. My. God!”
Her entire body solidified.
“Holy shit,” Bill Payton muttered, his beer bottle halted in mid-air, halfway to his mouth.
“Told you she was smart,” Jesse muttered back.
Sarah just stared up at him, dumbfounded.
Oh.
My.
God!
Omigod!
“Jesse—”
“It’s okay, baby.”
“It’s okay? It’s okay?” Seized with a sudden need to shiver, she crossed her arms over her breasts. “How can this possibly be okay? What, exactly, makes this okay?”
“Well, for one thing, I’m pretty sure the President knows about us,” Jay offered helpfully, patting her shoulder as he passed her on his way to the couch.
“Looks like she’ll be coming to the meeting.” Adam joined them, grinning, holding out a frosty bottle of beer. She just stared at it pointedly until, shrugging, he withdrew it.
“What meeting?” she wanted to know.
“The meetin’ that’s startin’ right now,” Jesse said grimly, grabbing her by the elbow and steering her unresistingly toward the sofas and chairs gathered around the stone fireplace.
“C’mon, sweet pea.” Adam latched onto her other elbow and they led her to one end of a brown leather sofa where they sat with her tucked snugly between them. The other six men spread out on the other sofa across from them, the oversized ottoman, and in the two club chairs.
Jesse turned his attention to Bill Payton. “Okay, Wildfire, it’s your show,” Jesse said before relaxing back against the cushions himself. Conversation died as they all turned their attention to Bill “Wildfire” Payton, who cleared his throat, and looked directly at Sarah. “Sorry to bring this to your doorstep, Sarah. But it appears that your boy Malone is one seriously bad dude.”
where I was born and raised allows me to hear the waves and stick my toes in the sand whenever I want, which is vital to my emotional well-being. Completely and absolutely obsessed with good music, the lifeline to my creativity, I cannot and will not write without it. Some things that I appreciate are honesty but not cruelty, an unapologetic sense of humor, being able to make any situation fun, often dancing like no one is watching, and a good cup of coffee with enough creamer to make it blonde.
Reading Renee 
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