Raleigh, NC -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/09/2013 -- While dozens of literary pundits hailed 2012 as the Year of Erotica, many have since become frustrated by the genre’s tendency to simply recycle narratives. Now, however, New York Times Notable author, Peggy Payne, has once again stormed onto the scene with gusto to release something very different from the norm.

Cobalt Blue mixes God and sex like never before. The novel explores raw and dark sexual territory as a spiritual crisis and the lures of seduction meld into an adventure that will leave sweat on the palms of any reader.

Synopsis:

A novel for courageous readers and seekers, COBALT BLUE is a turbulent, gorgeous ride into sacred sex, compulsion, obsession, unmentionable attractions, and ultimate empowering redemption. Burned out from work and a break-up, Andie Branson, a 38-year-old commercial artist in a small Southern town, hungers for whatever will force her out of her familiar limits. She has a sudden, shocking religious encounter, kundalini rising, the physical experience of tantric enlightenment.

When this mysterious, seductive yet terrifying brush with the divine catapults Andie into compulsive sexual behavior she must find what has seized her and stop these new disturbing cravings.

Andie's struggle to regain control of her mind and body is complicated by a too-close connection with her glamorous parents, especially her magnetically attractive father, and by working closely with a bigoted U.S. Senator, the man who for her personifies evil.

Her story ranges from the elegant golf town of Pinehurst, North Carolina, to the raucous and shadowy byways of pre-Katrina New Orleans, with pauses in India, Ecuador, and other exotic locations.

As the author explains, her narrative is wholly unique.

“It is very dark and raw at times, yet too spiritual to be classed as traditional erotica. Scenes of sex and religious experience seem contradictory to some, but I have found that they can coexist very powerfully. Yes – God and offbeat sex can be on the same page!” says Payne. “And it’s important that some stories combine sex and spirituality; in life they are so entwined.”

Continuing, “It was actually written before many of last year’s erotica classics. My aim was to help readers really explore the depths of sexual and spiritual experience – rather than just produce emotionless-sex scenes for the sake of shocking people.”

The results have been highly positive. Since its release, the book has garnered rave reviews.

Huffington Post celebrated the book as “beautifully intense,” while Pulitzer Fiction Winner Oscar Hijuelos, author of The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, hailed it as “zesty…entertaining and rich in detail.”

“A book about rapture in all its meanings,” said Amazon reviewer T. Abraka. “A master story-teller, Peggy Payne surprises with a journey of artistic/spiritual/physical ecstasies explored through one woman's journey of self-discovery. Perhaps most admirable in this novel is the writer's willingness to see how far the body will take us into the religious realm. Quite a ways, it turns out.”

With the holidays on the horizon, Cobalt Blue makes the perfect gift for the reader who favors lyrical writing and daring exploration. If you and/or a friend meet that description, order your copies as soon as possible.
Cobalt Blue, published by Roundfire Books, is available now: http://amzn.to/1izgevG.

Author’s official website: http://bit.ly/1gEmRIW.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peggy.payne.142.

About the Author
A New York Times Notable novelist, Peggy Payne is the author of Sister India and Revelation, among others. She lives near Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and is married to a psychologist who specializes in clinical hypnosis. She is a gardener, kayaker, traveler, and of course: reader.