Happy New Year!

Hi, kittens!

Happy New Year! Can you believe one year is down and we're starting a new one? As always, the start of the new year makes people reflective, including me. So when I think of the past year, I think about all the great things that have happened. For one, I've had several releases.

Slave to Love available in ebook and print through Phaze Books.

Is This Love? available in ebook and print through Phaze Books. 

And "Learning the Hard Way" available in ebook through All Romance eBooks.

Under my real name, Crystal B. Bright, I released my first book in more than ten years. The Look of Love is the first book in the Mama's Boys series and is available in ebook and print through Lyrical Press.

 Book 2, Forget Me Not, will be out February 2016 in ebook and print from Lyrical Press. Talk about starting off the year right!

And book 3, Head Over Heels, will be out August 2016 in ebook and print from Lyrical Press. My year is already starting off right.

It feels so good to be productive again. If I want to keep on that path, I have to set goals for myself. I'll need to make a writing schedule and keep to it. So I'm cutting this post short. I'll get with you all next month to talk about Forget Me Not.

Stay sexy,
BridgeT
www.BridgetMidway.com

Holy shit balls!

Hey, Kittens!

Whew! That's it. The "Kickin' It with Adrienne Kama and Bridget Midway" event is over. Wow! What a great time. It was a ton of work to pull off, but so worth it. I would love to do that again sometime...but not just yet. Like I said, it was A LOT of work to put the whole shebang together.

So what did I discover with this event? LOTS of things.

1. Readers are awesome! The readers that came out to the event did it with eyes and minds wide open. Here I was expecting them to be quiet and shy. Oh, no. They were asking questions left and right, getting involved, loving all the play.
2. Authors are awesome!  Not only did we receive a ton of great promo and books from authors, but also a ton of authors registered and came to the event as well, authors like Taisha DeMay, A.C. Arthur, Shara Azod, Eve Vaughn and the yet-to-be-published Nikki Hale and Denise Williams Cherry. It's great seeing authors wanting to learn more about a lifestyle to write it accurately. 
3. People in the Lifestyle are awesome! Preparing for this event, I was like a chicken with my head cut off. I was running around making sure the hotel was okay, that the food was order, and I had the bags and everything ready. Three days before the actual event, one of my BDSM demonstrators contacted me to say she couldn't be a part of the event. She was supposed to open the event, so this threw me for a loop. So I asked her and another demonstrator that if they could, find me a suitable replacement. Oh, they did. The amazing East Bound and his girl, toy, joined and did an amazing kinbaku scene, which opened the event. Also there was Master Stephen and his girl kris iris. And there was Sir Knotz, who did a great rope demonstration, Vanilla Facade, who filled in as his assistant, and, of course, my buddy into. Two years ago when he was at the "Wrapped Up" event, he was there with Mistress Dama de Noche as her slave. Since her passing, it was different for me to see him in a more dominating role even though I knew in his life before Dama, he was a Dom. 
4. Adrienne Kama is awesome! So I've known Adrienne for over ten years. She and I were at the same crappy publisher together. The reason I had asked her to do this event with me was because at the time, she was the only author of color that I knew doing interracial BDSM. I contacted her a year ago and asked if she wanted to be a part of this event and release her third book in the Stella Rice series. She happily agreed. She is a wonderful, calming spirit and a great partner in this event. 
5. The demand is high. As soon as I said, "Thank you! Good night!" readers and the people in the Lifestyle came up to me and said, "You need to do this again, and we'll come back." Here I thought I had totally screwed up the day. I wanted to do so much more that I couldn't. But, it's good to see that if I were to do it again -- and trust me, that's a big if -- that there would still be an audience. 

What made me proud was to release the third book in my Love series. Is This Love? is now released in ebook and print through Phaze Books. Considering I never thought I would write a sequel to Love My Way, I'm thrilled that I could come up with a 3rd book that will -- hopefully -- interest readers.

So now that all of that is done, I'm taking a bit of me time for the next couple of months. I'll do some plotting, but overall, I'm taking it easy until the new year. Then watch out. So much more is coming including book 2 in the Mama's Boys series under my real name, Crystal B. Bright. The second book is called Forget Me Not. It'll be out in ebook and print in February 2016 through Lyrical Press. This brother is an NFL quarterback with a green thumb. I can't wait for this one to come out.

Okay, time to relax. Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Stay sexy,
BridgeT
www.BridgetMidway.com

Contributing to the delinquency of book sales

Hi, kittens!

Just four days until the "Kickin' It with Adrienne Kama and Bridget Midway" event in Williamsburg. I have the printed books in hand. The swag bags are nearly packed. Adrienne is ready. My demonstrators are ready. I know readers are ready. I see the posts on Facebook. I've even checked out the hotel layout so I'll know how to have the room set up. I cannot wait to have the registrants see the demonstrators in action. I also can't wait until they have my book, Is This Love?, in their hot, little hands.

While my mind is on the event, I've been thinking about something else, something more crucial. Book sales. At a recent event, Yvette Hines had asked me if I noticed a difference in my royalty payments lately. I hadn't really. When I scanned my royalties spreadsheet, I did notice a trend, a downward trend.

As an author, I could chalk the dip in sales to a myriad of things. I didn't promote enough. I'm not writing what readers are interested in now. I'm not publishing enough. Notice how I keep the focus on me and not the readers or my publishers or even global warming. It's because there's no one to blame but me and my actions. I can't really complain about a problem that I, myself, have contributed to in the past.

Readers have been enjoying the wave of low-cost box sets that have been so prevalent within the last few years. They're able to get nine, ten, twelve, and I think I even saw one with fifteen stories, sometimes even full-length novels, for only $0.99! Why should readers pay full price for a novel when they can get several for a tenth of the cost? Even I participated in a box set a year ago.

For authors, it's a way to get to that best-seller status. For readers, it's a great way to learn about authors they may have never heard of or read before, and a way to get cheap fiction. It's the Wal-Mart of romance. No, better yet. It's the Costco or Sam's Club of romance. Big box superstore versus a specialty store.

Authors can't compete with the bargain, but we've become so shortsighted about the immediate result that we haven't considered the big picture. Or maybe we have, but we thought we would get a different outcome. Maybe authors, like myself, thought that if we got involved in a box set and new readers discovered us on top of making a best-seller list, that those new readers would buy our backlist titles. The only thing we managed to do is make readers even more ravenous for similarly packaged works.

So what am I to do? Keep doing box sets? No. For one, it's not as lucrative as one may think. Yes, there's a great chance to garner enough sales to make it to a best-seller list like New York Times or USA Today. Ultimately, you end up feeling like you've sold yourself short. Secondly, it can stifle creativity. It did for me. I discovered very quickly that I'm the kid who plays in the sandbox alone. That's okay. Self-awareness is a great thing.

Recently I saw a video on Facebook of Lady Gaga talking about how she almost quit the music business because she was forced to do things within it that she didn't like. I love Lady Gaga and I think she's a very talented woman, but I posted all the things she'd done wrong up to that point in her career that she said she hated. As I typed the words and reread them, I realized I was talking to myself.

In order for me to be a happy, productive writer, I have to love what I write. I want to give readers great fiction. Not rushed fiction. Not stereotypical fiction. Definitely not predictable fiction. I'm going to stand by my idea that if I continue to write strong romances with great plots and engaging characters that the readers will come.

So, in order to support that claim, I need to cut this post and get to writing.

Stay sexy,

BridgeT
www.BridgetMidway.com

I'm so excited!

Hi, Kittens,

I'm a month away from Adrienne Kama and my "Kickin' It" event, happening the weekend of November 6th and 7th in Williamsburg, Virginia. I cannot wait! If I could publish a million smiley faces in this post to show that, I would. So why am I so excited? Hmmm, let me count the ways.

First of all, I get to hang out with readers and authors for a couple of days. Not bad for the girl who never sat at the cool-kids' table. Next, I get to hang out with my BDSM lifestyle buddy, into. Since his mistress passed away, I haven't had an opportunity to see him. Seeing him again would be wonderful. Thirdly (is that a word?), I'll get to finally meet Adrienne Kama face-to-face. We've known each other for years online. But this event will allow me to put a face to the name.

What really makes me nervous is the release of the third book in the Love series, Is This Love?

Here's the blurb: Rocco Silva has zero interest in getting in front of the camera again. After being eliminated, not once, but twice when he competed on "Slave to Love," a reality TV show where a submissive looks for a Dominant, he's become the laughing stock in his BDSM and professional communities. He pours his full concentration on his work as the owner of a garbage company until a sexy woman walks into his life.

Gia Curtiss is tired of her work as a staff photographer in a discount store. After earning her filmmaking degree, she wants to put her education to use by doing a documentary. After a friend tells her of an opportunity to work as a production assistant for Ananda Morton, the producer of "Slave to Love," Gia decides to see the woman about a different proposition. She pitches the idea of doing a documentary on the twice-rejected contestant from her show. Ananda doesn't think the man will do it and challenges Gia to get him to agree. If he does, Ananda will hire her as a director.

Gia thinks she has it made until she runs into opposition with Rocco. He has no interest in making a fool of himself again unless Gia agrees to go on camera with him, allowing him to play with her. When Gia gets caught up with playing with Rocco, it's hard for her to discern what's real and what's just for show. Can she figure out her feelings before filming ends? Will he allow himself to be vulnerable for this special woman?

The book will available to the public on November 10th, but attendees of the "Kickin' It" event will get it early. I'm crossing fingers, toes, and eyes that readers will love the book.

Okay, I need to get back to planning this event.

Stay sexy,
BridgeT
www.BridgetMidway.com 

You want Cheese with that Whine?

Hi, Kittens.


What? You're laughing at me and wondering why I misspelled "wine" in context with the "cheese?" I didn't make a mistake here. In case you haven't heard, author Adrienne Kama and I are putting on an in-person event in November in Williamsburg called "Kickin' It with Adrienne Kama and Bridget Midway." Registration is open now. The registration fee is $45 until September 19th. After that, it'll go up to $55.

 
So we advertised that the event will be on Saturday, November 7th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Guess what? We're adding an additional event on the Friday night before the event we're called "Whine and Cheese", because when you're getting your ass spanked, there's always a little bit of whining and crying.

The Friday night event is from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. It is not free and open to the public. You do have to register for the event and pay. Registrants will be able to get up close and personal with adult toys commonly used in BDSM play. They'll also mix and mingle with people in the Lifestyle and can ask them questions. So if you've already registered, do you have to pay an additional amount for this extra Friday night event? Nope! Adrienne and I love our readers. We want to give you the best event possible.

In order for us to do that, I need to get off here and get some writing done.

Stay sexy,

BridgeT
www.BridgetMidway.com

There's no escape. I'm a SLAVE TO LOVE.

Hi, Kittens!

So this is it. If you weren't at A.C. Arthur's Beach Bask in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, you weren't on the ground floor to get my highly anticipated (hopefully) sequel to Love My Way called Slave to Love. It's published by Phaze Books and will be released tomorrow, Tuesday, August 4th. I cannot wait for this release!

This is ten years in the making. I had never planned to write a sequel, mainly because I didn't think I could top Love My Way, and, logistically, I didn't see how a submissive would be able to pick her Dominant. With some age, wisdom, and a bit more in-person BDSM research, I figured out how the scenario could work. I just hope that readers dig the story. I know I had fun writing it.

I did something in this book I had never done before. A couple of readers contacted me before I started writing this book and asked me if I would include them as characters in any of my books. Because it was the readers that prompted me to write a sequel, I thought this would be the perfect book to include them and some other readers. I just hope they still like the story and me after the read what I did to them in the book. Definitely a lot of blood, sweat, and tears.

After this release, the next book will be Is This Love?, also published by Phaze Books. That book will be out in time for my event in November, "Kickin' It with Adrienne Kama and Bridget Midway." I'd like to say that I'll never include readers as characters again because it was so difficult to be "mean" to them in the story, but I have this third book and I have already started it.

To make sure this book gets released on time, I need to go and get to work.

Stay sexy,

BridgeT
www.BridgetMidway.com

(Re)Introducing - ADRIENNE KAMA!

Hi Kittens,

I'm branching out this month. For my July blog entry, I'm posting an interview with interracial erotic romance author Adrienne Kama so you all can get to know her. She's the author who will be co-hosting the "Kickin' It with Adrienne Kama and Bridget Midway" event in Williamsburg on November 7th, 2015.

How long have you been writing as Adrienne Kama?  
I published my first book back in 2004 and wrote steadily until 2007, publishing eight stories. My marriage fell apart in 2006 and I ended up taking a very long hiatus from writing. I started publishing as Adrienne Kama again this year.

What was your first work out as Adrienne Kama, and is it still available? 
The Nephilim War, a story about sexy fallen angels. No. It’s no longer available.

Where can readers find you? (URLs, FB - both accounts, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.). 
My website: www.heatherelizabethking.com 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Adriennekama  
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009725581892

Why do you write interracial romance? 
I’ve always been an equal opportunist when it comes to dating so the stories I write reflect this. I’ve written stories with men of a few different ethnicities. Let’s see. I’ve covered, black, white, Indian, and Puerto Rican. Keeping it diverse makes it interesting for me, and hopefully, my readers. 

Why do you write BDSM? 
I wish I could say I had a grand plan, but honestly, it just sort of happened. I read BDSM stories; Anne Rice’s Sleepy Beauty series is one of my all-time favorites. Also, around the time that I wrote the Stella Rice series, my now ex-husband and I discovered the fetish scenes of Baltimore and DC. After reading Anne Rice’s series, I was curious, plus, they always played the best music! They had live BDSM shows at many of the clubs. We never took part. LOL But I was amazed that so many people were as interested in BDSM as I was. So writing a BDSM story seemed the next natural thing for me to do. At the same time, my author friend, Marianne LaCroix started a publishing house and asked me to submit. I’m paraphrasing, but she basically told me to go for it, as far as content. I hadn’t told her I was writing a BDSM story, but the timing was perfect. I could write the kind of BDSM story I enjoyed reading.

Why interracial BDSM romance?  
No grand reason here, either. I’m kind of ridiculous that way. I’d gone for a run around the lake at my hometown and saw this very tall, gorgeous man running that day. He was fit and looked incredibly focused on what he was doing. My imagination took it from there. 

Are you in the BDSM lifestyle in your real life? If not, how do you do your research? 
I’m single now, plus I live in a small town, so there’s not much going on for me in the way of BDSM at the moment. Back when I lived in Maryland, with Baltimore and DC so close, everything was at my fingertips. Book research was easy.

I didn’t realize when I first became interested in BDSM the varying levels of interest that exist. For instance, just because someone is into BDSM doesn’t mean they like sado-masochism. They may prefer domination. Or if they do like bondage, they may enjoy being handcuffed to a bed, whereas someone else may be down with elaborate rope bondage. Once, when my ex-husband and I were in Georgetown, we went to this high end fetish boutique. Yes, they have those. And they had this elaborate leather arm bar contraption that the sub would slip her arms into. It covers both of her arms from hands to shoulders and laces up the middle. If I remember correctly, it was made for the sub’s arms to be behind the back, but could probably be worn either way. Five hundred bucks for this bad boy and it was a good seller. But something like that would make me feel claustrophobic! So there are so many levels of interest in BDSM. That’s one of the things that makes it so interesting to write about.

Any backlash from anything you’ve written? If so, for what work and what were the comments? 
Writing in the BDSM genre is a bit different from other genres. A bad review on Amazon with a reader complaining the author went too far, generally sells more books. Overall, I find that as long as the reader knows the heroine is having a good time, they feel comfortable enough to suspend reality and go on the journey with the author. If the reader feels the heroine is being raped or forced in any way, they won’t enjoy the story.

Do you have any current books out as Adrienne Kama? If so, post the titles and blurbs for each. 
Sure. Most of my backlist is no longer available, but I’m re-publishing most of the stories. 

 
The Chronicles of Stella Rice: Book One:

After one too many bad dates, Stella Rice gives up on men. Happily-ever-after doesn’t seem to figure anywhere in her future, unless it means being single in Baltimore where her closest companions are her three best girlfriends. But a trip to the gym and an unexpected encounter with her domineering kickboxing instructor, Jake Santos, leads Stella to wonder if she should give the man/woman thing another go. With a successful business, an exclusive home on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, and stunning good looks, Jake seems like the perfect man to pull Stella out of her dating rut.

Half Puerto Rican and half Native American, with a mane of long sable hair, Jake Santos has the kind of dark good looks that make him impossible to ignore. What Stella doesn't know is Jake has secrets that will make every other man from her past look like a saint.

Now available on Amazon.

 
Again:

Can wishes come true? A simple wish to erase a particularly annoying man from her past brings Peyton Pendagrass face to face with the very man she was hoping to expunge. Peyton finds out just how confusing life can get when lust, time travel and a little white magic get entangled. For Christopher Grant, learning his one-time lover Peyton is engaged to marry someone else shatters his world. Six months ago his longing for Peyton left him too terrified to face the fact that he was falling in love with her, so he fled. But fear isn't an issue anymore. Alone with Peyton for the weekend, Chris is prepared to use everything in his arsenal to win her back. Even if he has to hold her captive, tie her down and use all of his sexual prowess to do it.

Now available on Amazon.

How did you and Bridget Midway come up with your “Kickin’ It with Adrienne Kama and Bridget Midway” event coming November 7^th? 
This is an event Bridget has done before. I think if it has to do with selling books, Bridget has done it! For this one, she was kind enough to ask me if I wanted to take part. I jumped at it!

Will you have a new release for that event? If so, what is it (title and blurb)?  
I will. The Chronicles of Stella Rice: Book Three. I don’t have the blurb yet, since I’m still making changes to the story, but the book promises to be as fun as Book One and Book Two! Book Two, by the way, is coming out on June 26^th!

 
Now available on Amazon!

Bridget Midway has been very open in saying that you inspired her to write interracial BDSM erotic romance. Do you have any inspirations - BDSM or otherwise?  
There are two authors who write fantastic BDSM. Anne Rice, who everyone knows. And Morgan Hawke. If you’ve never read a Morgan Hawke erotic romance, you need to. Today. Right now. She’s incredible.


What inspires you to write BDSM?  
It’s fun, exciting, and pretty much no holds barred. I have two additional BDSM books I’m considering writing. One is a fantasy, the other, a contemporary. 

What inspires you to write? 
I’ve always told stories. I’m only fully happy when I’m writing.

 Where do you see Adrienne Kama in the next five years?  
Honestly, I don’t know. I had retired ‘her,’ but there was so much reader demand for me to finish out the Stella Rice trilogy that I brought her back just to do that. But the response has been so positive, it’s hard to pack her away again. And like I said, I have so many other BDSM tales I’d like to tell.

BDSM is hot right now. Where do you see that genre going in the next five years?  
I paranormal stories under my real name, Heather Elizabeth King. One series could have been classified as an urban fantasy, but the urban fantasy genre doesn’t sell as well as it used to. I don’t see the same thing happening with BDSM. It’s such a specialized area of fiction. The readers will always read BDSM. I’m an old heavy metal girl. One thing I love about metal is that the fans are devoted. Same goes for BDSM.

Besides BDSM, is there anything else Adrienne Kama writes?  
I write paranormal romance and paranormal mysteries under my name, Heather Elizabeth King.

What is your writing process? 
I work outside the home full-time as a business analyst in corporate America, so I don’t have as much time as I’d like. Typically, I get home from work and sort of meditate for about 30 minutes. It’s like I’m letting the business analyst go and becoming the author. Don’t laugh! It works for me. Then I make dinner, eat, watch a little TV, then I slide behind the laptop and write. My goal is 2,000 words a day. I don’t always get there. As long as I get over 1,000, I feel productive.

Any rituals you perform before you sit down to write? 
Not really, other than my 30 minute quiet period. I look out the window, lay with the cats, and try not to think.

Pants-er or Plotter? 
Total planner. But my outlines are what I call, living documents. I always feel free to make whatever changes the characters want me to make.

What was the best advice given to you before you got published, as a published author, and/or now?  
Write. All the promo in the world doesn’t help if you don’t have anything to promote.

What advice would you give to a yet-to-be-published author?  
Allow yourself a first draft that nobody will see except you. It doesn’t have to be pretty, you just have to get the story out. Making it pretty is what the 2^nd and 3^rd drafts are for. I typically do about 4 drafts of a book before I send it to my beta readers.

Chocolate or vanilla? 
Both!

Any guilty pleasures?  
As Tom Hiddleston once said, “The thing is, I never feel guilty about pleasures.”

Last book you read? 
Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s The Fall. It’s the sequel to The Strain. Yep, I’m getting ready for season two of the TV show.

Last movie you watched? 
"Out of the Dark", starring Julia Stiles and Scott Speedman. I’m a horror movie junkie! 

One surprising fact that readers would be shocked to know?  
I used to play lead guitar in a funk/rock group.

Dogs or cats?  
Both are irresistible!

Boxers or briefs?  
Boxers for sure.

Stay sexy,

BridgeT
www.BridgetMidway.com  

"My name is Dita. I'll be your mistress tonight."

Hi Kittens,

One of the great things about being an author is being able to share our craft with interested readers. A couple of weeks ago, I attended the Interracial Romance Authors Expo put together by author Kassanna. It was held in Orlando, Florida. The event was amazing! Since I write interracial romances, it was great to connect with readers who absolutely love the genre. Readers can feel comfortable asking us authors anything about our work and our process. I can't wait until we do this again next year. Kassanna has already set up new dates for May 2016.

Thanks to authors like Yvette Hines and Kassanna, I decided to put on an event this November with erotic romance author Adrienne Kama. It'll be called "Kickin' It with Adrienne Kama and Bridget Midway." Click here for more information or to register for the event.

I'm very excited about this event because we'll be releasing new work to readers and because we'll have people from the Lifestyle doing demonstrations throughout the day. One Dom named Sir Knotz will demonstrate rope play. I actually can't wait to see that. I've written about rope play and Shibari, the Japanese art of rope play, in several of my books. It'll be great to see it up close. I've been teasing my readers with pictures of rope play. This one caught a lot of attention.

Although I would love to show up to my event in this, there's no way I could ever rock an all-rope dress. Interesting thought.

As I had mentioned in my blog post a couple of months ago, I'll be releasing Is This Love? during the event. This will be the third and final book in the Love trilogy. I can't wait for that to happen. Before it can, though, I need to get to work and finish that book.

Until next month, I'll chat with you all later!

Stay sexy,

BridgeT
www.BridgetMidway.com

Oooh, no she didn't!

Hi kittens,

So lots of things happening for me right now. Too, too busy. But that's a very good thing. I'm writing a lot right now, which is a far cry to where I was a year and a half ago. Not sure what was going on with me. I'll just say my muse and I weren't speaking. I still loved writing. I just needed the bug back. No one could get me back on that horse but me. But I have that stallion between my legs and I'm riding him for all he's worth. You take that however you want.

So with the writing comes some great news. For one, I'll be releasing new work (Yeah!). The first book will be a sequel to Love My Way. It's called Slave to Love. Hey, what I can I say? You can take the girl out of the 80's but you can't take the 80's out of the girl.

Here's the blurb.

It’s been five years, and Christian Jace Morton still hears about his older brother, Eagan,and his controversial and groundbreaking TV show Love My Way. He’s also tired of everyone’s fascination with BDSM, so much so that he stops his involvement in the Lifestyle and opts to go by his middle name to keep his association away from a character with the same name in a popular book series. Considering he hasn’t truly forgiven Eagan for abandoning the family when their father died, Jace decides to put his full concentration on his construction business. His life would be fine if his sister-in-law, Eagan’s wife Ananda, didn’t ask him to use his house for another reality TV show.

Taren Kerrigan has been enamored with the BDSM lifestyle since she heard about the Love My Way TV show. Since she was only nineteen at the time the show was taped, her friend, Love My Way contestant Dorothy/Meadow, talks her out of trying out for the show. When Taren hears that Ananda “Begonia” Morton has been trying to contact Dorothy to have her own show for her to find a Dom...or Domme, Taren offers to go in Dorothy’s place. She wants the BDSM fairy tale.

Even though Jace wants nothing to do with the show, his interest is piqued once he sees Taren. When he discovers her love of the show and all things Eagan Morton, he doesn’t want to reveal his identity of being Eagan’s brother. He competes if only to refute the notion of finding the perfect BDSM relationship on a reality TV show.

Can Jace learn to let go of the past and trust his instincts? Will Taren see past the fanfare of the Lifestyle to discover its true meaning? Will they do it in time to discover each other?

Hot, right? This book will debut at A.C. Arthur's 2015 Beach Bash. Attendees there will get it first before it's released to the rest of the population. Kind of makes you want to go to the event, doesn't it? Click here for information about the event.

So you can't have just 2 books, especially if you want to call it a series. Has to be at least 3 books. So the third book in the series will be called Is this Love? Do your best Tawny Kitaen hair flip. I've always wanted to write a book where the hero is a sadist. This will be that book.

Here's the blurb.

Rocco Silva has zero interest in getting in front of the camera again. After being eliminated when he competed on “Slave to Love,” a reality TV show where a submissive looks for a Dominant, he pours his full concentration on his work as the owner of a garbage company until a sexy woman walks into his life.

Gia Curtiss is tired of her work as a staff photographer in a discount store. After earning her filmmaking degree, she wants to put her education to use by doing a documentary. After a friend tells her of an opportunity to work as a production assistant for Ananda Morton, the producer of “Slave to Love”, Gia decides to see the woman about a different proposition. She pitches the idea of doing a documentary on the eliminated Dominant from her show. Ananda doesn’t think the man will do it and challenges Gia to get him to agree. If he does, Ananda will hire her as a director.

Gia thinks she has it made until she runs into opposition with Rocco. He has no interest in making a fool of himself again unless Gia agrees to go on camera with him, allowing him to play with her.

When Gia gets caught up with playing with Rocco, it’s hard for her to discern what’s real and what’s just for show. Can she figure out her feelings before filming ends? Will he allow himself to be vulnerable for this special woman?

This book will be released at a BDSM event author Adrienne Kama and I will be holding on Saturday, November 7th in Williamsburg, Virginia. Nothing says kinky like Colonial Williamsburg. For more information on that event, click here. Registration is going on right now. Don't delay. We can only fit 40 attendees.

If you thought that that was all I have going on, you haven't heard the half of it. But I have to get going. I'm writing my fingers to the bone. I'll tell you more in May.

Stay sexy,

BridgeT
www.BridgetMidway.com

If it's good enough for Harper Lee...

Hey kittens,

First of all, Happy New Year! Since this is the first post on the Hot M.A.M.A.s blog, I wanted to share my well wishes for a wonderful and prosperous New Year! Now, let's get down to some business!

So who's Harper Lee and what does that person have to do with me? For those who don't know, Harper Lee is the author who wrote To Kill A Mockingbird. A wonderful book and awesome movie. When that's your first published work and you knock it out of the park with it, where else can you go? I'm sure that's what Harper Lee must have thought. Or maybe she just wanted her privacy. If that's the case, she's ruined it for herself. She announced that she plans on writing a sequel to her book. Amazing, right? Yeah, it's a sequel 55 years later!

I know I'm a slow writer. But 55 years? And here I was feeling bad for planning to release the sequel to Love My Way, my contemporary BDSM Interracial erotic romance through Phaze Books, years after it was released.

Slave to Love is the long-awaited sequel. After I had released Love My Way, readers sent me messages asking me to do a sequel. I toyed around with the idea for years. I even started and finished a story several times. Readers wanted me to explore the story of one of the contestants, which sounds great. The bad part about that idea is that none of the contestants were "speaking" to me. I didn't feel the need to explore their story. What I really wanted to do was to delve into Eagan Morton's brother's story. I mentioned his brother, Christian (yes, I understand that his name matches the name of a hero from that other book), and talked about the tense relationship between Eagan and Christian, who now goes by his middle name, Jace.

As far as the heroine, I wanted her to be someone unafraid of the BDSM scene. She's a newbie but not a novice, if that makes sense. The story will center on another reality TV show. This time, a submissive is searching for her Dom...or Domme. You all know me. I like to push boundaries.

Here's the cover. Awesome, right?

So when will the sequel be released? If you're going to A.C. Arthur's Beach Bash in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in July, you can buy the book then. If not, the book will be out the week after the event, so the first week in August. And if you're registered for the event, you can sit with any author during breakfast. If you want to pick my brain about the book, pick me to sit with.

Okay, I need to get writing! Time is ticking!

Stay sexy,

BridgeT
www.BridgetMidway.com

Ho, Ho, Ho! What did you call me?

Hi all!

Did you get all of your holiday shopping done? I'm taking it easy this year. I have a real aversion to big crowds. To be honest, and you all might as well clutch your pearls now, I'm not a big shopper to begin with. If I'm in a store shopping for anything it's because I really need that item. I'm not a browser. Not a big window shopper, which is funny because I love looking at things to buy online. The day after Thanksgiving, I did what I always do, which is sit in my office, watch Christmas movies, preferably a cheesy ABC Family holiday romance, and I fill out my Christmas cards. There is nothing like handwriting sentiments to people who mean a lot to you. My mother used to do it when I was a kid. I still do it. It's a nice, personal touch to let someone know that you're thinking about them this holiday season.

Although I am grateful for everything I've gotten this year, and I have grand plans for 2015, I have already experienced a terrible loss. My friend and BDSM mentor, Mistress Dama de Noche, passed away unexpectedly this past Thanksgiving. Her slave into called me before I could enjoy the day with my family to share the news. I was devastated. This is a woman who not only opened up her home and Lifestyle to me, she supported me a great deal in my writing and promotional endeavors. She and her slave attended almost all of my local book signing events. When Yvette Hines and I held our "Wrapped Up" event last year, she happily participated. I am going to miss my friend. Fortunately her legacy will live on. She wrote a book on BDSM called The ABC's of BDSM.

So this holiday season, I'm going to celebrate. I'll celebrate the people I have lost this year. I'll celebrate the accomplishments I've made in my professional career. I'll celebrate the health and well-being of my family and friends. And I'll celebrate you all, the readers. Whether you're complimenting my work or giving me some hard truth, I appreciate all of it.

Hug your family and friends. Be kind to everyone.

Stay sexy,
BridgeT
www.BridgetMidway.com

Ain't Nobody Got Time For That!

Hey, my sexy babies!

For those of you who follow me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/bridget.midway) know that I post whatever book I'm reading. I had made a determination a few years ago that in order to be a good writer -- which as writers, we all strive to be -- I had to be a good reader. "Huh? What? Come again." Yes, that's right, folks. In order to pump out the best fiction for you all, writers have to read, too.

No one crinkles their noses or shakes their heads when a Realtor says that he/she needs to attend a real estate conference to learn about changes in the market and how to adapt. No one bats an eye if a nurse, doctor or dentist attends a medical re-certification session for their job. So why would it seem strange that in order for a writer to improve their craft, he/she will have to read?

So what do I read? Everything. But what I've been trying to do is read a book on writing fiction, then a fiction book of my choice. Reading the how-to book is a no-brainer. I learn about plotting, setting, description, point of view, characterization, conflict, and more. All of it helps me when I'm writing a story. If I don't keep you all engaged, then I haven't done my job. The last book I read was The Making of a Story by Alice LaPlante.The book reminded me so much of the creative writing classes I took in high school and grad school. In between each lesson in the book, a short, fictional work appeared. So after a section on writing something with great descriptions, you got a piece by Raymond Carver. Talk about a lesson in fiction!

So after reading something like that, I read something fun. I can't just immerse myself in creative writing books all the time. I have to see how other authors write. Believe it or not, it does help. I also learn from every author I read. Some authors are masters at description or pacing or conflict. I'll read something and think, "Okay, I need to learn how to do that in my work." Even if the work doesn't get 4 and 5 star ratings or gets great reviews, I still learn something from it. I haven't encountered a book where the story didn't keep me engaged. Have I come across books with misspelled words? Sure. Have I come across books with missing or misused punctuation? All the time. If I an author can get me through that for me to get into the story, they've done their jobs.

What am I reading now? At the moment, I'm reading "Four Hard S.W.A.T.S" by Marteeka Karland. Last year, author Yvette Hines and I put on a BDSM conference to announce the release of our Decadent Series titles, Red Hots and Licorice Whips. The attendees were a mix of authors, readers, and people in the Lifestyle. After our event, an author sent me her latest release, saying that she wrote the book because she was inspired by what she heard and saw at our event. That makes me happy. It's great when an author can get inspired by something you do.

With that in mind, I have to go! I've already been inspired so I need to get writing. Hope you all dig it.

Stay sexy,

BridgeT
www.BridgetMidway.com

The Little Story That Could

Hi my sexy babies!

As I prepare for my very first interracial romance cruise on Princess Cruises while I promote my latest re-re-release, Last Call, I was thinking about that book. And, no, I didn't mistype back there. Last Call is my little story that could. It was originally released in a three-author anthology called Reignited along with authors Yvette Hines and Aliyah Burke through Whispers Publishing. When that publisher folded, I knew I wanted to expand the story from the 20,000+ novella to a full-length novel. So when I was asked to join the Scandalous Heroes box set, I found the perfect venue to expand the story and put it back out there.

The box set was only set to be on sale for only 2 months. So before it came down in September, I decided to expand it once again for when it was set to be released again, this time through Phaze Books. I had always had it in my mind that I was going to add at least 5 chapters, which seems crazy to do when I had already added over 30,000 words to the story when it was in the box set. As I was expanding it, little by little, I found that I was making my challenging goal of 5 extra chapters! Now it's on sale in ebook and print at Phaze Books, and it's available in Nook form at BN.com. Soon it'll be available at Amazon and Books-A-Million!

More exciting news that that: have you all heard about the newest Hot M.A.M.A. to join the set? Keep a look out for the announcement coming soon.

I hate to chat and run, but I have to get going.

Stay sexy,

BridgeT
www.BridgetMidway.com