I loved, loved, loved Revelation. ~ Facebook

On Sister India A powerful evocative story on the banks of the Ganges. The characters are unforgettable. I would read this book again. ~ Goodreads

On Revelation. I have now read this book twice, and both times it grabbed and held me with great force, even at the point (same place, both reads) where I simply couldn't bear what appears to be going to happen next, and therefore had to stop reading for a while to build up my own reading courage. ~ Goodreads

Reading a book that challenges your beliefs, whilst you know it to be a work of fiction is a very strange experience. The books main character is looking for inspiration at a time in her life that she is recovering from a broken relationship and questioning what it is she truly wants from her life. She is struck by this transcendental experience that appears to unlock her deeper darker needs at a very base level, whilst at the same time her logical self tries to fight these impulses. What follows is in some parts a sexual misadventure and in some ways a certain amount of sexual liberty; as the character comes to understand and “control” her “need and cravings” and pour this into her art works. If all this is not enough there is political intrigue and pressure owing to a commission she has undertaken. Trips to new Orleans and connecting with Voodoo in order to better understand what she is experiencing. She has the support and love of her creative art studio friends and in some cases confesses the roller coaster of emotions and experiences she is currently working through. The bonds of friendship run deep within the studio friends making a nice contrast to the almost out of control nature of the main character; it give a homely feel and grounds the book. Enjoy the writing, the mystery and the joy. At it’s heart the book is a journey of self discovery and acceptance. ~ Blue Wolf Reviews, http://www.bluewolf-reviews.com/

From the novel's very first sentence, her ravaged voice grips the reader, her words so blunt, so scalded with disillusion, that they feel as if they've been bitten off and spat out." ~ New York Times

Cobalt Blue is entrancing and unsettling, a novel that gets at the marrow of sexual and spiritual experience. Peggy Payne is one of our most gifted writers. ~ Angela Davis-Gardner, author of Butterfly's Child (Dial Press)

A zesty, well paced read. Quite entertaining and rich in detail. ~ Oscar Hijuelos, Pulitzer Fiction winner

Gorgeously lyrical, Cobalt Blue ventures into dark psychological territory before the light finally rises. This is a bold story, dealing with frightening hypersexuality, unwanted religious experience, and hard-won transcendence. With its Jungian underpinnings and exotic settings, this beautifully written novel will appeal to anyone fascinated by boundaries, taboos, obsession, and mystery. ~ Anna Jean Mayhew, author, The Dry Grass of August, Kensington Press

Cobalt Blue is an engrossing story of the spiritual awakening of a painter who becomes so obsessed with sex that she nearly loses her sanity. Payne strips away the barriers to female passion; she entices the reader to vicariously experience the artist's hot and sensual fire. ~ Barbara Hand Clow, author popular New Age books including The Liquid Light of Sex

"Peggy Payne... has the potential to become a major popular novelist." ~ The New York Times, Sunday book review