A loveletter to my readers

Dear Readers,
I want you to know how very grateful I am for all your support and interest this past couple of years. It means the world to me.

As writers, we live in our heads a lot of the time. Our deepest relationships are often with our fictional characters. We are, in a sense, living vicariously through them. And I know for myself, it's easy to become a bit of a hermit, as a writer.

So to know that there are people out there who are actually reading and enjoying the words I write, is a great comfort.  It spurs me to continue writing, creating these fictional worlds filled with whatever fantasies my imagination can conjure.

I have lots of new stuff planned, including a series of three inconnected novellas for Phaze. I'm just finishing up an interracial erotic romance novella for Phaze, and have committed to three more stories for a third volume of my Hottest Heat series for Cambridge Press US scheduled for the fall. And it's all for you, dear readers.

In the meantime, if you're looking for my hot reads, visit my page at Phaze: http://www.phaze.com/author.php?author=256   or my page at Cambridge Press US http://www.cambridgepress.us/catalogue.html

And if you visit here, I'd love to get your comments. Let me know if you've read my work and give me your thoughts.
Till next time,
~Paige

the Swedish mannequin hoax

This afternoon when I logged online, a news item appeared regarding how a story had made the rounds this last couple of days, that a big Swedish store were using plus-sized mannequins and wasn't that a great thing. The picture accompanying the story showed a beautifully curvy mannequin in a sexy purple bra and panties set. The store was getting kudos all over the place. And then here's the kicker. It was all a hoax, apparently.

How sad. Yet at the same time, how cool! I mean, it would have been wonderful if the stores really were using realisitic looking mannequins based on what real average women look like. Maybe all the positive press they've been getting will prompt them to actually do so.  What's cool to me is how much positive attention and praise the notion got. Could it be that notions of what contitute beauty are starting to change, moving away from the anorexic stick figure please-give-the-girl-a-sandwich image we're stuck with now? God, I hope so.

As you may guess, I'm a plus-sized woman...a BBW...and damned proud of it. I don't apologize for my curves and, in fact, try and celebrate the BBW as often as possible through my writing. Many of my heroines are blessed with a bounty of flesh and living pretty steamy lives, I might add *wink*.  I'm so sick and tired of me and those like me, being ignored in fashion, being berated by the medical profession, being shamed by society. It's not right. We all have a place in this world and should be able to fill it without having to apologize.

So, H&M Sweden (and elsewhere), you've already gotten the kudos for a job well done, so why not follow through and actually do it. I, for one, would love to look in a store window and see a reflection of myself there, and not just in the glass.  Let's hope this is a step in the right direction.
Until next time,
~Paige

life's monkey wrenches

Once again, life has thrown a monkey wrench into the works, just as I got back into a good rhythm with my work. 

Earlier this week, my dear elderly Mom had a bad fall and broke her hip. This is the fall I've been dreading, and now that it's here, it's really thrown me for a loop. She had surgery to put in pins and such to hold it together, and sailed through that with flying colors. Getting over that hurdle helped tone my anxiety down a bit. And each night that she's gotten through and awakened the next morning, helps even more. It's doubly hard because I live some distance from her, and we've had some nasty weather this past few days, restricting my ability to get out (I deal with some mobility issues of my own...ice and snow are NOT my friends) Thankfully my only sibling lives closer to her and is able to get in and get updates on a regular basis. I would appreciate you keeping her in your prayers (if you believe in such things...those who don't, well, some positive energy sent her way would be lovely)

February was a productive month with the release of both Appetite for Seduction and my second Hottest Heat collection.  I'm now struggling to finish another interracial erotic romance novella for Phaze...this one a May/September romance...cougars anyone?  I have a romance under my 'real' name coming out in April (I hope), and am scheduled to release another Hottest Heat collection in September. Somewhere in between those dates, an anthology under my 'real' name will be released as well.

Now if life would just stop throwing those monkey wrenches!

The weather outside...

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful..." Unfortunately, I don't have a nice fireplace for the 'delightful' fire spoken of in the song. Wish I did.  And no, I don't share the song's sentiments to "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow".  If anything, I can't wait for it all to melt.

I find myself really irritated at friends of mine who are ecstatic about this recent storm front that dumped several inches of snow all over the Great Lakes area. They rapsodize about the great skiing, the fun they had tobaggoning with the kids, building that giant snowman in the front yard. BAH HUMBUG, I say. BAH!!  They neglect to mention the back breaking job of digging out the car, the thoughtless plough that piles up three feet of snow after I've just dug out said car, the idiot drivers who think a layer of snow on the highway means drive faster, the difficulties of getting around on foot through the freezing wet mess.  I intend to just hunker down and hibernate until all of this crappy white stuff is gone.

One upside in being confined to home though, is I can get some writing done. And this month is heavy with releases, so I need to spend some time on promoting and updating my websites and such.

The ebook version of An Appetite for Seduction is now available at Phaze Books. www.phaze.com  The Hottest Heat Vol.2 will be released Valentine's Day from Cambridge Press US www.cambridgepress.us  This volume is hotter than the first, I feel, and would make a great naughty gift for your special someone.  February 19 sees the release of the print version of An Appetite for Seduction. Included in this version are three of my previously published stories from Phaze: Cheek to Cheek, Lust and Found, and Focused Desire.

I just entered Cheek to Cheek in the Swirl Awards, and nominated the cover for Best Cover. www.swirlawards.com These awards recognize the best in mulitcultural romance. You can participate. Go to their site to find out how.

Til next time...Paige.

upcoming releases and other news

January is over already. I can't believe it. It seems like only last week I was sweating getting ready for Christmas.

Typically, I'm already behind on my New Year's writing plans. I had hoped to have a first draft of a new novella done by the end of the month, but due to a nasty bout with flu, and a health crisis with my mother, it didn't happen. I am halfway though, and enjoying the unfolding of the story. I believe I mentioned in an earlier post, that this new novella revolves around a May-December romance. Yvetta is in her fifties, widowed and missing having a partner with which to share her life.  Ray is a handyman hired by Yvetta to build a new deck on the back of her house. He's in is early thirties and finds his mature lady boss quite attractive. Sparks fly, and the usual yumminess ensues. I'm just getting to the best of the yummy stuff in the manuscript. Great fun the write! More on that another time.

I have two releases--actually technically three--happening in February. On the 5th, my novella An Appetite for Seduction will be released in ebook form. Then on Feb. 19th, the print version of Appetite, with the addition of three of my earlier releases (Cheek to Cheek, Lust and Found, and Focused Desire), will be released. These are courtesy of Phaze Books.  Later in the month, will find the arrival of my second Hottest Heat collection from Cambridge Press US. These mini collections are proving to be quite popular, so don't miss out.

The good thing about winter going by so fast, is that soon I'll be able to stop stressing about the travelling conditions outside. I have an intense fear about falling, so this time of year is a nightmare for me. Luckily I'm able to work from home, so can avoid the worst, but it's still a relief when spring approaches.

Now back to work for me. Til next time.

impending release excitement

Once again, far too much time has gone by between blogs. Can't explain it. Won't even try. Put it down to perpetual disorganization and the ease with which I can be distracted. That being said, this is what's going on at this point...

Feb. 5th marks the release of my first novella with Phaze, An Appetite for Seduction. I only have a draft copy of the cover art, but love it. Here's the blurb:

Quinn Foster is a restaurant critic with a discerning palate for fine  food, and an equally discerning eye for the beauty of African American  chef Jameka Rollins. A deliberate mix up of a review for Jameka's restaurant, The Bayou Bistro, causes some severe misunderstandings between  the two singles.

Helping this mix-up along is a work rival of Quinn's, Stan Turner. Jealous of Quinn's success and status at work, and of his growing romance with the  lovely Jameka, Stan sets out with a plan to discredit Quinn and win Jameka  away from the man. But as is the way with best laid plans, they often go  awry, and
can, in fact, get down right dangerous. Despite his best
efforts, Quinn and Jameka find their way to each other, and that's when
things get really interesting!
What is exciting about this release is, that it will be released in print as well as ebook formats. And the print version will include three of my previously published stories: Cheek to Cheek, Focused Desire, and Lust and Found.

I'm hard at work on my next novella, and hope for a first draft by the end of January. So far 2013 is coming along quite nicely.  See you next time.

And normalcy returns

Wow, has it really been two and a half weeks since I wrote my last post? Uh...yep!
I apologize for missing two weeks of blogging. I can only blame it on the intensive Christmas baking/shopping/prepping I had to do. There wasn't energy left over for more than just the basics of checking emails and dealing with the most crucial of them. Even my writing came to a halt.

Christmas was lovely, spent in the company of my wonderful extended family. My poor Mom, unfortunately, came down with the flu Christmas Day, and so missed the festivities. She's still recovering, but we (my brother, his family and I) will  take Christmas to her in the next few days. The home where she lives has been under a 'no visitors' lockdown due to the outbreak of flu in the building, so we're waiting for the all clear.

Hampering my travel plans in the near future though, is the huge dumping of snow our area got over the last couple of days. It's pretty, I grant you, but it's shitty to try and walk or drive through. I have a terrible fear of falling which makes this kind of weather a real challenge for me.

So, while snowed in, I am getting back to work on my writing. I've finished my short story, Watching Him, which is slated for Cambridge Press for my next volume of Hottest Heat stories. This one focuses on a woman's obsession for, and consequent stalking of, a guy who catches her eye.

I have some big writing plans for 2013, starting with a trilogy of novellas for Phaze revolving around a set of triplets who've just graduated college. One book per sister...obviously...lol. I have a partiallly completed manscript of a Hallowe'en novella that I need to finish by early summer for submission. And I have a wonderful idea for a collection of related shorts that I think will be submitted to Cambridge Press. As well, I'll need to give some thought to my third Hottest Heat collection. All this is on top of my other persona's straight romance  projects. I shall be a busy girl.

February 5th will see the release of my first Phaze novella, An Appetite for Seduction. I'm so excited to see this story published. I hope you'll enjoy it. I had a blast writing it.

So, kids, I'm back on track...I hope...raring to get new stories into your hands.
Have a safe and Happy New Year!
Love from Paige.