Phaze Books: The Starlight Lounge Podcast

Spotlight on…Victoria Blisse

admin — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 13:00:57 +0000

How you know Victoria: If you run into any dangerous curves on the Phaze website, chances are you’ll find one of Victoria’s hot romances close by! Victoria’s classy, sassy style has graced the Phaze catalog for many years. See Vick’s backlist.

What Victoria writes: If you love to cheer for the big, beautiful heroine, you should read Victoria Blisse. Vick writes exclusively BBW romances, mainly contemporary but she manages to slip in some hot BDSM scenes and a menage on occasion.

Where to find Victoria: Victoria’s website has the scoop on new releases, and her Twitter profile is always jumping with daily insights. If you’re ever in Leeds for the annual erotic festival, you just might see her signing books!

What they’re saying about Victoria:

Victoria Blisse builds the relationship between this couple before they ever meet. Romance in our decade is changing and this book shows that. - Literary Nymphs on Naughty Rendezvous

I enjoyed the sex scenes and enjoyed the food descriptions which I was not expecting. It actually made me salivate for some good Italian cooking, followed by good sex. - Whipped Cream Reviews on Scentsual

“Getting Physical” is a thoroughly satisfying story. I look forward to more from this author. - Joyfully Reviewed

Ms. Blisse opened a world of cyber love to me. The possibility of two people finding each other in the vastness of cyber space, exploring the wild uninhibited act of cyber sex and pushing your fantasies to the limit. - Whipped Cream Reviews on Making it Real

Phaze Authors With Bite!

crystal — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 13:00:43 +0000

Tired of same old playlists on regular radio? Why not tune in to Radio Dentata - radio with bite! This regular Internet programming network offers a full schedule of frank discussions on sex, erotic writing, and related issues. You’ll also find that a few Phaze authors have interviewed with Radio Dentata hosts:

On July 26th at 1PM, Brenna Lyons will talk with Sascha Illyvich about erotic romance publishing, and discuss her Phaze release, Bearing Armen.

To satisfy your cravings for something quick and sexy, be sure to tune in Thursdays at 8PM EST for With Pride contributor Helen Madden’s Heat Flash podcast - hot hot erotic told in 1000 words or less.

Phaze Artists Have Us Covered

crystal — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 13:00:34 +0000

For a while now, I’ve wanted to spotlight the amazing talent that is the Phaze Art Department. When Phaze Books launched in 2004, many folks were suprised to know we had only one artist on staff. When it came time to expand, we were blessed to have Deborah Lewis assume the role of Art Department head, and now we have some of the best cover artists in the eBook industry assisting us. They certainly deserve their due, and we salute them.

You may have seen these covers competing for the coveted Quasar or Covey awards, and you’ll find them in our semi-regular cover slideshows and pretty much anywhere a Phaze author is promoting these days. We are grateful to all of those who devote their time to projecting the vision of our wonderful authors.

And a special thanks goes to Bonnie Lee, whose exclusive photography has graced a number of our covers, including both volumes of Coming Together, At Last!

Look out for new covers from our amazing staff. Perhaps after this photographic essay you’ll be able to pick out who designed what going forward.

The Phaze Art Staff

Deborah Lewis

Michelle Lee

Kathryn Lively

Kendra Egert

Jax Cassidy

Stella Price

Skyla Dawn Cameron

Augusta Li

Seeking Steam

crystal — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 13:00:15 +0000

Call: M/M and Menage Steampunk Anthology, Title TBA
Edited by: Leigh Ellwood
Projected release date: late 2010
Format: eBook (with possible print release)
Publisher: Phaze Books
Payment: $50 for one-time electronic and print rights, plus copies

Hey, all you steampunk enthusiasts, grab your goggles and get to writing! Phaze Books is planning an M/M (and bi-M menage) steampunk collection for eBook publication in 2010. If you have a yen for 19th century history with a touch of good humor and technological innovation (and a whole lot of manlove!), we hope you’ll send us your hottest steampunk erotic romance of 10K - 20K words. If you’re not sure about the genre, check out this Wikipedia entry for steampunk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk) to get an idea of the style of stories we’re looking for. Think H.G. Wells or Wild Wild West, then turn up the steam factor with an incredible M/M or MMF/MMM match-up!

This call is open indefinitely until the spots are filled. Contributors will offer one-time electronic and print rights to their works and receive a one-time payment of $50 and contributors copies (eBook and/or print, if the book goes to print).

To submit to this anthology, please follow the Phaze Books structural guidelines at http://www.phaze.com/submissions.html and attach your RTF submission to Leigh Ellwood, c/o Phaze Books at submissions @ phaze (dot) com. Please use STEAMPUNK ANTHOLOGY is your subject header.

Spotlight on…Wendy Stone

crystal — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 13:00:01 +0000

How you know Wendy: Wendy is practically a fixture on our monthly and annual bestseller lists. Her novels push the limits of sensuality and tension, with compelling characters who leave indelible impressions on readers’ minds. See Wendy’s backlist.

What Wendy writes: Can’t decide between a sizzling shifter story, a tender contemporary, or a daring historical? Wendy writes them all, from sweeping epics to hot, quick stories guaranteed to satisfy.

Where to find Wendy: Wendy maintains a sparkling (literally) profile on MySpace in addition to a blog, where she recaps new and coming releases.

What they’re saying about Wendy:

This story was a well-written sequel to Pick of the Litter but can also be read as a stand alone. It features wonderful characters with a variety of different breeds. And strong emotions that can pull at the heartstrings as well as make you chuckle. - Paranormal Romance Reviews on A Strange New Breed

“If I get something extra in my bag of treats, I am a happy camper. Stone gave me that extra treat in this story, and I am still sizzling. Beastly Intentions is a touching intertwined story of two couples dealing with the same kind of curse. If you are a sucker for a tortured gentlemen and erotic love scenes, like me, then this story is for you.” - Literary Nymphs on Beastly Intentions

Bound By Love was a fabulous read and I loved every moment of my time reading this book. This was truly an adventure to places through a portal that went from frightening to loving and I enjoyed every moment of that trip…As the characters came to life for me, they enhanced each other so much and the trials of love is what made this story for me. - Literary Nymphs on Bound by Love

After reading “Bound by Love”, I became a fan of Ms. Wendy Stone. Therefore, when I stumbled upon Captive of Love and discovered it was the story of the sons of Daring Castle, I just had to read it. - Whipped Cream Reviews

Spotlight on…Stephanie Vaughan

crystal — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:00:58 +0000

How you know Stephanie: Stephanie not only has given her time and talent to help a worthy cause through Coming Together, she also has some of the most delectable covers in the Phaze Books catalog! See Stephanie’s backlist.

What Stephanie writes: Stephanie writes passionate characters embroiled in not-so-everyday conflicts. If you like strong female characters who dominate, and single contemporary titles that sizzle, you should definitely check out Stephanie’s books.

Where to find Stephanie: Stephanie maintains an official website where you will find information on her entire catalog.

What they’re saying about Stephanie:

“In Saving Will, the sex is sizzling, the dialogue is witty, and the romance is tender. It’s a hot and humorous story. Lee Ann is beautiful and head-strong, and Will is very sexy. Saving Will is a terrific story.” - Joyfully Reviewed

“Dead Man’s Party by Stephanie Vaughan has the most fascinating
concepts I think I’ve ever read!!. . . a hot, sexy read with some very
erotic twists that comes highly recommended.” - A Romance Review

“Ms. Vaughan understands not only the sexual side of dominance and
submission, but also the psychological side. The exploration of Steve’s
thoughts as he submits to Megan is fascinating.” - Coffee Time Romance

Gimme Five!

crystal — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:00:56 +0000

It’s amazing. No sooner do I return home from a major event like RT do I find myself preparing for more outings. I haven’t bothered to unpack, as I’ll be traveling to vend Phaze Books at Sex 2.0 in Washington, DC on May 9th, then off to Balticon for Memorial Day weekend. If you plan to attend either, stop by and say hello.

I plan to take the 5th off, however, for a well-earned margarita on Cinco de Mayo. While I’d love to pass the pitcher around to all of you, I can only make do by sending you some free download love. Five free shorts kick off Kinko de Mayo at Phaze Books. Collect ‘em all!

A Daring Twist
Leigh Ellwood
M/M, Dareville

Bottoms Up!
Nona Wesley
BW/WM

Cruel Pleasures
Jude Mason
Fem Domme

Sugar on Top
Leigh Ellwood
Werewolf, Fantasy

Woodland Fantasy
Becca Dale
Contemporary

There’s a little something for every taste, as you can see. Manlovin’, femme dommes, contemporary, werewolves, and interracial. Perhaps by July we’ll have some free fireworks to share for our own Independence Day, we’ll see.

If you came by our Club RT table in Orlando, it was great to meet you. If you were lucky to snag a free book while we still had some, hope you enjoyed it. I think this last RT was our best yet - a great turnout of Phaze authors, including a rare appearance by Piers Anthony, and well wishes from a number of romance greats, including Robyn Carr and L.A. Banks. I got to sit next to a Mr. Romance contestant at dinner one night (oh, the perils of publishing), and reconnected with old friends. My feet still hurt from the long treks back and forth between the room and convention halls, but a reflexology appointment will soon remedy that.

Pictures…we have pictures. Special thanks to all our photographers: Christine London, Alessia Brio, Adrianna Dane, Will Belegon, and Piers’ daughter Cheryl.

Christine London and Barry Eisler

"Just make it out to eBay, Mr. Anthony."

Adrianna Dane makes a new friend.

Phaze authors Adrianna Dane and Trixie Stilletto w/Servants of the Muse

Researching the next book, "Flirting with Demons"

L.A. Banks with Alessia Brio

Brio and Belegon go commando

This doesn’t even scratch the surface of our exposure (heh) in Orlando, but perhaps this will give you some idea of the exciting madness that is RT. Maybe we’ll see you next year in Columbus, and hopefully get that group pic I’ve always wanted. With or without Spock ears.

Extreme Cover Makeover

crystal — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:00:56 +0000

We like to think Phaze Books has some of the most talented cover artists in the eBook business. When you consider the hardware our artists have amassed over the years - Covey Awards, Dirk Wolf mentions, and ARIANAs - we like to feel it’s okay to brag.

It’s also nice to receive a warm letter from an author saying how much he/she loves the cover and intends to use it often in promo, and we do receive positive feedback when we attend signings and fairs. When it comes to sexy art, our staff has it covered. Ha. In fact, next month we’re planning a lovely pictorial salute to the men and woman who keep Phaze Books beautiful.

These days, however, we’re happy to have the talent to help us make over some of our backlist titles - in particular, our first HeatSheets. I know, some readers like our cute nekkid Poser guys, but once in a while it’s nice to refresh an image and encourage newcomers to check out what we have available. Our HeatSheets have been around since 2005, but if you’re just discovering us, they’re new to you…and they’re still hot!

That said, check out the new looks for three of our S-themed HeatSheets, brilliantly designed by Michelle Lee:

Keep an eye out for more changes to come for our HeatSheets!

What’s Hot in Romance?

crystal — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:00:34 +0000

What’s hot on Internet radio? Perhaps you ought to give All Romance eBook’s weekly program, “What’s Hot in Romance,” a try. Each week the best online bookstore for romance fiction brings interviews with up and coming and best-selling romance authors, as well as other people in the industry. Did you know, too, the hostess is also a Phaze Books author? That’s right, Cat Johnson - one-fourth of the Phaze Fantasies IV crew - chats up the big, and soon to be big, names.

Often you’ll hear Cat broadcast from her home studio, but once in a while ARe lets her out to roam. Orlando, for instance. Cat interviewed a number of writers and editors at the RT Booklover’s convention - including Phaze authors Alessia Brio and Bianca D’Arc. Archive episodes of the show also feature talks with Leigh Ellwood, Anne Rainey, Eliza Gayle, Stella Price, Tilly Greene, and many more! In May, listen for ARe at the BEA, where we hope to snag some air time for one of our authors.

Be sure to bookmark the site and keep the headphones plugged in, and don’t forget you can also chat online during each live broadcast!

Phaze Reads are Goodreads

crystal — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:00:16 +0000

Some have had reason to be suspicious of book-related social networks. One I joined, for example, spammed my inbox upon registration with invitations to everybody in my address book. It wasn’t long before repeated queries hit our author and reader loops hard, and it took a while to clean up the mess. Hopefully, sites like this have learned this is not the way to endear users to your site. Lately, however, people seem to be satisfied with Goodreads, so we are treading carefully into this new avenue of promotion.

Goodreads allows you to create a virtual bookshelf, where you can let friends know what you’re reading, what you recently read, and what you plan to read. You can review books, and even browse Phaze authors in the Goodreads Authors program who have blogs and videos. Many of our authors have interesting tastes in books, so it’s worth a visit to see what writers like to read.

If you’re a Goodreads member, please consider adding the following to your friends list. If not, pay a visit and see if it’s your cup of tea. You never know where you’ll find your next good read.

Will Belegon

Charlotte Boyett-Compo