In This, A New Year...

I’ve had the flu for the past month, which is the reason I haven’t been posting as much as I would normally.  The older you get, the longer it takes to rebound from illness and injury.   December is also the month when my yearlong emotional cycle is at its lowest point, so I can take comfort in knowing that soon I’ll be in a better place mentally and emotionally.  One of the things that I’ve come to understand with being bipolar is that I have to let my emotions do what they do.  I can’t (and won’t) suppress them.  If I’m shifting, I let my loved ones know that I have to be off the grid for a couple of days and they understand why.  It is the way my life is now, and if I’m to be happy and productive, I have to make adjustments in order to do so.

Showing Some Love

A year and a half ago, a brilliant young woman named Ankhesen_Mié and I came together and formed Middle Child Press, an independent publishing house for WoC authors.  We specialize in publishing works by women of color authors.  The time has come for WoC to tell our own stories: stories that run the gamut of human experience.  We don’t all write hood lit or streamlined interpretations of our culture.  We don’t all write romance or stories that even slightly paint PoC in a negative light.  The problem is that we’re rejected from the mainstream publishing world by TPTB because we refuse to fall in line with their narrow-minded standards.

We all have a particular slant on the world and it’s time we step up and share them with other PoC.  For instance, Ankhesen typically tackles unusual subjects with diverse characterizations, sometimes with a dark edge, and she sometimes caters to audiences who enjoy that kind of work.  She also writes poetry, and does other amazing things with words and images.  You can find two of her books in our E-store: Violet Dusk and her latest, The Woman from Cheshire Avenue, a novel I lovingly call Chessy Ave.  

I'm into contemporary storylines, Blasian fiction, sci-fi/fantasy and modern gothic subjects and I try to reach a broad audience with my work.  I’m also an author of erotic fiction and the editor of MCP’s erotic anthology The Sultry Court.  My first attempt at Blasian fiction, a novel titled Corruption, is slated to be released within the next few weeks.  But MCP isn't all about us; we dearly want to have a bevy of WoC authors featured in our store lineup.

Ankhesen and I want to give WoC a chance to see their work in print, or in our case, in eBook format.  We are dedicated to MCP, so much so that we ensured its legitimacy by spending thousands of dollars of our own money to get it off the ground.  We have an excellent IT specialist, who ensures that when our product reaches the store shelves, readers are getting the best eBook possible.  We believe in this endeavor, or we would have never fronted the cash to give birth to it.

As of right now, we have three (soon to be four) books in our E-store.  We need your help to spread the word about MCP and what it is we do.  Support us by promoting us on your blogs and websites.  Help get the word out for WoC authors who’ve faced arbitrary hurdles in trying to get published.  We believe in reciprocity; if you promote us, we’ll promote you.  If you follow us, we’ll follow you, be it through blog, Facebook, or Twitter.  It’s the way to get the word out for all PoC authors.  We’ve got to get better at supporting each other.

(Strongly) Suggested Reading:

Help Us Reach 1,000 copies

Interview with Joey Pinkney

I've been interviewed by Joey Pinkney, a book reviewer who specializes in reviews for authors of color. The interview is about The Sultry Court, as well as the genesis for Middle Child Press.  Do read and enjoy...

Announcement

I'm excited to announce that Middle Child Press' debut work, The Sultry Court, has just received its first literary review.  Author Nichelle Gregory, of As You Wish, Lovin' Leela, and Hearts & Diamonds, gives The Sultry Court three out of five stars. 

"The Sultry Court, edited by Amaya Radjani offers a collection of hot, twisted, entertaining stories sure to tantalize erotica readers! You'll also love the gorgeous artwork and there's even a love poem for poetry fans!"




You can check out Nichelle's complete review at Goodreads!

The Sultry Court

The Sultry Court is an erotic anthology. Authors who are invited to participate in The Sultry Court must don a naughty persona and a noble title. The Ladies are encouraged to write erotic stories that range from the tame to the extreme. Submissions to The Sultry Court must have a minimum-R rating, and the authors can write about any subject they want (as long as it's erotic) with any type of character they like (the less conventional, or the more controversial, the better).

The authors who have contributed to the first volume of this potentially exciting series are as follows: Lady Allatu Trevigne, Lady Vasi Davin-Thorne, Lady Aislynn Sanchar, and Lady Chantilly Lace. You can learn more about the Ladies of the Court below.

Lady Allatu Trevigne

http://www.allatu-trevigne.com/

Lady Vasi Davin-Thorne

http://thebattlegoddess.blogspot.com/

Lady Aislynn Sanchar

http://www.thedarkbaroness.com/

Lady Chantilly Lace

http://chantillyscorner.blogspot.com/

Excerpts from Volume I of The Sultry Court can be found on Writer's Cafe. Please read and enjoy, and be sure to leave a review.

http://www.writerscafe.org/writing/MiddleChildPress/565260/

A "Sultry" Video

Check out The Sultry Court at YouTube!

The book is finally here...

For immediate release

Independent Publisher Releases Debut Anthology

November 23, 2010

U.S.A - After many long weeks of writing, promoting, editing, spending, and painting, Middle Child Press is proud to present its very first eBook, The Sultry Court Anthology, Vol. 1, available from the Middle Child Press eBookstore.

http://www.e-junkie.com/middlechildpress

Penned by the ladies of MCP's Sultry Court, the book is filled with sensuous, pretty, dirty things to tempt and lure readers away from everday life...if only for a moment.

Enter the forbidden halls of the Court, where abstinence is strictly verboten.

The Sultry Court Anthology

Here are a few excerpts from the upcoming Sultry Court Anthology, to be published by Middle Child Press this fall. Click, enjoy, and please be sure to leave a review...

http://www.writerscafe.org/writing/MiddleChildPress/565260/

Middle Child Press

As some of you may know, I co-founded an eBook publishing company called Middle Child Press.

My partner, Ankhesen-Mie, and I did this because we noticed - courtesy of the debates and discussions throughout the fandomsphere (if ain't already a word, you best believe it's one now) - that literary entertainment needs of WoC are soooooooo not being met. We already detest what's offered to us by way of Hollywood (and that's just the bullshit black women have to deal with) because the whole damn institution has had it out for us from day one. We've since learned not to get our hopes up. But when literature - written by our own sometimes, mind you - is falling short, you know we've really hit rock bottom.

Our first creation, The Sultry Court Anthology: Volume I, is expected to be available this winter. It'll be the first in our erotic collection. Don't forget to grab a taste from the Writer's Café!