At last I'm coming out of the closet…
No, I'm not gay.
I am however, on the cover of the erotic fiction anthology 39 and Holding… Him edited by Robin Slick.
No, your eyes aren't deceiving you. I just said I was an erotic fiction cover girl.
I'll let that sink in for a minute…
Ok close your mouths.
When N.L. asked me if I wanted to do a photo shoot for an erotic fiction book that Robin Slick was putting together, I said sure. I admire Robin; her writing is sexy as hell! I thought it would be fun. I was a few days from turning 39 and I thought doing the photo shoot for the cover would be a great 39th birthday present to myself.
At the time, I had no clue what doing the book cover really meant. I just thought it would make me feel better about my 39th birthday. And besides, I'd get to be 39 forever in bookstores! Who wouldn't like that?
For me, realization soon dawned at what an incredibly empowering and liberating experience this was the first time I saw myself on the cover of the book. Let me tell you, I'm proud of the cover! I'm proud to say, "that's me on the cover and I look good."
This book cover is about being brave! Something I've never really been in my life. In fact, I wish I had been brave enough, empowered enough to do something like this book cover 15-20 years ago.
This book cover is about projecting a good self-image of myself and believing in myself. It's about conquering fears and taking risks. It's risky to put yourself out there in a skimpy outfit and not care what people think. Not caring what people think of me is a new concept I'm embracing. However, the book cover is so tastefully done I've received nothing but good positive feedback from all who've seen it.
Hopefully this book cover will inspire other women to find ways to empower themselves. For me, the feeling of empowerment that I've received from doing this book cover has inspired me to take risks in other areas of my life as well, like buying my first home all on my own.
But the spirit of empowering women doesn't stop with the cover of 39 and Holding… Him. Each story within features women in their 40's who are strong, independent, living life on their terms and having an adventurous time. It's the epiphany of "40 is the new sexy!" Not only is life not over at 40, but these stories show that as a woman in your 40's you can have it all. You can have the fairy tale endings and the Sex and the City sexcapades. In fact you're entitled to have it all!
As a woman who is about to turn 40, it's nice to know that life is definitely not over and I can have it all!
And with empowerment comes opportunity…
Robin and Phaze liked the first book cover so much that I got the opportunity to do the second book cover in the 39 series: 39 and Still Holding. The second book cover has a different look and attitude than the first, which is exciting.
But even more exciting than doing these fabulous book covers was the opportunity to write an erotic fiction short story called A Rabbit Hole for Emily, for the second book 39 and Still Holding. I can't wait to see it in print!
Which brings me to my closet erotic fiction collection... I've been reading erotic fiction for years but I've kept my erotic fiction collection stored away from prying eyes instead of displayed on my book shelves. However, being an erotic fiction cover girl has empowered me to get rid of the chest I stored my erotic fiction collection, and in my new house my erotic fiction collection will be on the bookshelves proudly displayed with all the other books.
So at last I'm proud to be out of the closet… I'm an erotic fiction girl!
*********
-Buy your copy of 39 and Holding him today! Click on the checkout link on our myspace page!
-Read other adventures by Matildakay on www.matildakay.com