Author: julietbraddock

I won an award — a major award!

After listening to my colleague tell me for months that I needed to submit my books for award consideration, a call for entries for the National Indie Excellence Book Awards popped into my newsfeed.

I’d dismissed her. Refused to take her suggestion. After all, she was just being a supportive friend. All of your friends LOVE your books, you know!

But then I stopped and took a step back…and I clicked on the link. Erotica was accepted.

“Alright, I’m entering this contest. Here’s the link. I’m dropping it in the mail, and we’re not gonna talk about it…” I told my editor, who assured me that SMITTEN was indeed award-worthy.

Quickly, I put the packet together, tossed everything in a bag and took it to work. My aforementioned colleague took it to the Post Office for me. My boss laughed because I refused to discuss it. (I’m out and proud at work with my books, and I’ve got a great support network in my colleagues.) And true to her promise, my editor didn’t mention a single word.

Skip along a couple of months. I have a lot going on. Between work and preparing for my trip to Scotland to visit my editor — and finishing up BLINDSIDED for the fall — time has passed a little too fast.

So there I sat in my living room last Friday, preparing to dive into my To Do list for my trip. I’d taken the day off to run some last-minute errands and was just checking in on some messages.

Ping! Email.

Congratulations, you’re a Winner in the 13th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards!

Huh? Wa-wa-wa-waaaait!

Did I even enter..oh! Um. Yeah, I did. I read the email at least three times, and then my trembling hands typed out a message to my editor, who was on vacation. I forwarded the email to her, too, because I just didn’t believe it. Plus, her eyes are so much better than mine! (#BlindGirlProblems!)

It seemed like hours passed before I got her response. It was probably 20 minutes. She read it. We won. WE WON! Bonus: We actually get to celebrate this together in Scotland in two weeks!

It just didn’t sink in. Maybe it still hasn’t. But this award is so important to me on a number of levels. This was the first book I wrote after I lost most of my sight in 2017. I proved to myself — and to everyone else — that I could still pursue my passion for writing.

I also wrote this book for a very special guy in my life whom I also lost in 2017, my dear friend Andrew. In fact, there’s a scene in the book that was ripped right from our lives. I’ll let you wonder what that was, but this book was for him.

Andrew:

I also dared to write a heroine who defies the norm. January Gallimore is 34-years-old. She’s been there, done that and refused to wear the t-shirt because it didn’t match her runway couture. She’s built with an acerbic wit and the savoir-faire to define her life. In fact, she’s my favorite heroine I’ve published to date.

And who loves a SALE? Do you love a SALE?

We are celebrating, but I want to include readers on this occasion, too. For a limited time, you can get SMITTEN for half-off! The book has never been on sale, and it’s almost like getting three books for just $1.99 US. (And for the record, I put it on sale in every single market!)

Want to find out why SMITTEN won the National Indie Excellence Book Awards? Here are a few links to get you started.

Amazon US http://a.co/0Uvyku7

Amazon UK http://amzn.eu/0q2KZec

Amazon CA  http://a.co/8SfuyQn

Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/887442

Meanwhile, keep your eye on the blog for my cover reveal for BLINDSIDED. Publication day is November 5, and it’s intense. I can’t wait to introduce you to Josie and Oliver.

Happy Reading!

Juliet

#IndieBooks #Winner #NIEA #Erotica #Sale #NationalIndieExcellenceBookAwards

Well, it was a long, slushy winter, but the warm weather has arrived…I think.

But..can I tell you a secret? I really don’t like summer. I much prefer the cool, crisp temps of fall. Plus, I love the falling leaves and the scents and foods and fashions that colder weather brings. I also have major sensitivity to light now that I’ve lost most of my sight. The strong sunshine hurts my eyes, even with strong sunnies. So I treasure the gray, stormy days. Plus, I just love a good thunderstorm. I think they’re romantic.

So it’s already shaping up to be a very busy summer. I’m moving soon to a much bigger apartment, and I’ve been packing. It’s a challenge now with my low vision, but I’m getting things done with a little help from my friends.

Meanwhile, I’m almost finished with Part One of BLINDSIDED. Josie and Oliver’s story is complex and complicated. The book is layered with the emotion of a love gone wrong as they endeavor to repair the angst from the past in the wake of their greatest challenge yet.

I’m looking at an early 2019 release. But you might have a little surprise before then. More details on that later in the summer. I need to survive my move first. Hey, I made it through brain surgery. I got this.

And while you’re packing for the beach, don’t forget about SMITTEN. It’s the perfect beach read, and it’s set in June in Provence and Paris. It’s a fun romp, and it’s perfect to pass a hot day. Just turn up the air conditioning. It’s one steamy read…

I hope you enjoy the beaches and barbecues of the warmer weather. A safe and happy summer to all!

Want an exclusive peep at BLINDSIDED?

A year ago today, we had the nor’easter to end all storms in New York City.

I love a good snowstorm, but I missed that one in its entirety. I was asleep most of the day. Literally, I was under the knife, having brain surgery to place a shunt in my head.

I saw none of it until one of my best friends picked me up at the hospital and shuttled me — and Coop, who was staying with her — home from Manhattan to Brooklyn.

Most people tend to beware the ides of March. However, I now embrace the old curse. Hey, Friday the 13th was always my luckiest day, and as far as I’m concerned, March 15 brought a lot of positive changes to my life.

I lost most of my sight last year due to spinal fluid building pressure against my optic nerves. Hence, the shunt to siphon away all that icky stuff. When I went into the surgery, I pretty much couldn’t see anything but a blur of white. I didn’t need the blizzard. I already had one built into my eyes.

Although I’m still legally blind, I gained so much from that day beyond the minimal sight that eventually did return.

Now, I live every single day as if it might be my last. I snuggle Coop a little tighter, and maybe he’s gained a few ounces from too many treats. I don’t just say, “I love you.” I show the people in my life how much they mean to me in whatever small ways I can. And I make the time in my crazy, hectic life to create memories.

Having lost one of my oldest and dearest friends last year to a heart attack at 45 — and having my own dose of my imminent fatality slap me in the face — I know that time is all too fleeting. I do what I want when I want, and I appreciate every second of the joys that life continues to reveal. And I’m glad that I told everyone who means something to me how much I love them before I went under on that wintry March afternoon.

March has always been a strange month for me. My mom passed away twenty years ago at the tender age of 51. I think of her every day, but this month has always been difficult.

This year, though, I think she’s telling me from beyond to celebrate all the good that I still have in my life. And I am, with the people who matter most.

Among other things, living in New York City has taught me resilience. The everyday fight just to exist ain’t easy. I’m used to that. And that mindset made me strong. I’m just lucky that I had some amazing friends over the years who have helped me to understand that endless fight of survival against contentment. There’s a happy medium, and I think I’ve almost found it.

There’s no time for senseless stress in my life anymore. I only allow myself to get anxious over the stuff that really matters — the things I’m most passionate about. In a lot of ways, I’m happier now that I’ve lost most of my vision than before I got sick.

They say that if you’re a year out after shunt surgery with no revisions, you’re doing pretty damn good. Not that there might not be complications in the future, but you’re doing okay. And I’ll take that.

As I head into this next year, I’m sure it will be full of challenges, but I do have so much good in my life, and that needs to be celebrated. Regardless of what the future holds, at least I can say to myself with absolute conviction: I’ve got this. I’ve got this. 

#RELEASEDAY #LIVE #SMITTEN #JULIETBRADDOCK #BDSM #EROTICA #RomanticComedy #99Cents

Who says there’s no humor in BDSM? Wait til you meet January Gallimore. I am so excited to share with you my erotic comedy, SMITTEN, live now on Amazon!

January Gallimore has arrived at a crossroad in life.

A short-lived scandal that had made her the darling of the BDSM community did little to damage her status as America’s sweetheart. However, her career starring in romantic comedies hasn’t given her any insights into figuring out her own love life.

For five years, January shared a long-distance love affair with French rock legend, Etienne Marceaux. Their relationship is passionate but comfortable. Caught in the whirlwind between New York and Paris, they indulge in stolen moments in between their chaotic celebrity lives.

Although Etienne certainly knows how to entertain her with his Dominance, January realizes that something is missing. Now a thirty-something actress, she wonders how long her career will endure, and she questions some of the decisions she’s made.

On a spontaneous trip with her best friend to Provence, January encounters a chance meeting with a younger Englishman, Nigel Hereford-Smyth. With his naivete and somewhat awkward aristocratic ways, Nigel, nevertheless, sweeps January off her Louboutin pumps.

As they romp about the French countryside, January tutors her young suitor on the finer points of BDSM, and Nigel unwittingly leads January on a deep exploration of what really matters in her life. While she allows herself to revel in the bliss of a possible new man in her life, she also realizes that Nigel carries his own set of baggage.

Forced to leave Nigel by her filming schedule, January returns to the hustle of Hollywood, only to find her confusion mounting.

Will she choose Etienne, who makes her body sizzle…or Nigel, whose charm and manners leave her SMITTEN?

SMITTEN is the first book in the “Paris Après Minuit” Series, which will include a range of erotic standalones, all set in the City of Light and surrounds.

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I had so much fun writing this book. January is not your typical submissive. She’s played the scene for far too long. She knows what she wants. And she’s not afraid to ask for it. Confident and smart, she also appreciates the every day foibles life tosses her way.

I also enjoyed writing the setting for the book, which chronicles January’s journey from Paris to Provence. I love visiting France, and I am obsessed with French pop culture.

Enjoy and Happy Reading!

SMITTEN is available exclusively at Amazon and on Kindle Unlimited. Grab it for 99 cents for a limited time.

Here’s my takeover schedule for SMITTEN. Stop by and say hello.

Pre-order and have it on your Kindle tonight at midnight!

Tuesday, March 13, 8 PM EST
Read, Recommend, Repeat
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1721252041435916/

Wednesday, March 14, 8 PM EST
Bestsellers of Romance
https://www.facebook.com/BestSellersBestStellarsofRomance/

Thursday, March 15, 8 PM ES
Beneath the Covers
https://www.facebook.com/groups/BTCAfterHours/

Sunday March 18, 9 PM EST
Kinky Girls Book Obsessions
https://www.facebook.com/groups/kinkygirlsafterdark/?ref=group_header

Monday, March 19, 8 PM EST
Kylie’s Fiction Addiction
https://www.facebook.com/groups/kyliesfictionaddiction/?fref=mentions&pnref=story

Tuesday, March 20, 8 PM EST
Rock Star Book Muse
https://www.facebook.com/groups/351130518569862/

Tuesday, April 17, 7 PM
Romance Readers Recommend

have you supported the Thunderclap Campaign for SMITTEN yet? Last chance before it goes live on Tuesday!

https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/67105-smitten-is-live

Click and autoshare SMITTEN on release day! Thanks to all who have supported.

#Teaser Tuesday #Erotica #BDSM #EroticComedy #ContemporaryRomance #PreOrder

Who’s pumped to meet January next week? Who will she choose? You can pre-order  now and have SMITTEN on your Kindle at midnight on March 13!

Have you supported the Thunderclap for SMITTEN yet? Well, what are you waiting for? #HelpAnAuthor get the word out!

There’s no cost. All ya gotta do is click. And they won’t even spam you. In fact, you choose where you want to share the message on release day.

Come one…get that #OneClick finger going. Stop by the page below and give it a share or two.

https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/67105-smitten-is-live

It’s TEASER TUESDAY once again. January Gallimore is a very bad girl…and she always gets what she wants.

Pre-order SMITTEN now for release day on March 13. Just 99 cents for a limited time.

#Teaser Tuesday #Erotica #BDSM #EroticComedy #ContemporaryRomance #PreOrder #99Cents