Sometimes we have sad news to report, and today we want to acknowledge one of our own as we tip our Wench bonnets in honor and loving memory to Nina Paules, who, on August 9, “graduated to heaven,” as her husband Brian Paules so beautifully phrased it.
If you were with our blog in the beginning, you may remember Nina from the early days of Word Wenches. when she was one of our first and most frequent blog visitors. Her encouraging presence was important to our new blog venture. Enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and cheerful, Nina loved romance and Regency in particular. At first a reader, she became an integral part of the industry by bringing that caring and intelligence to e-publishing; she also became an e-publisher for a few of the Word Wenches.
One of our fondest and most fun memories of Nina is when she attended a Regency weekend at a historic house near Washington, DC. She wore Regency costume with every perfect detail in place, including a corset. Nina truly enjoyed it, and shared her experience in a guest blog about that weekend—read Nina’s “The Truth About Corsets” blog here.
One day in an email exchange, Mary Jo asked Nina if she would like to try formatting an ebook version of one of Mary Jo’s earlier novels. At the time, there was no convenient software or pathway to accomplish it easily. “She took that idea and ran with it,” Mary Jo says, “and created a new business in a new and growing field. She was a very sharp businesswoman as well as a kind, helpful woman.”
That initial idea, combined with Nina’s love of the romance genre, became ePublishing Works!, the digital publishing business that Nina built with the help of her husband Brian and their daughter Anna. Filling a real need for authors, ePW has become a uniquely comprehensive e-publishing resource and support for authors, books, and ultimately, readers. Of the Wenches, Mary Jo, Pat, Andrea, and Susan have all published ebooks with ePW.
“Nina was a huge help in getting me into self-publishing,” Andrea says. “She was a lovely, cheerful person with a passion for helping authors. A big loss, not only for her family and friends but also for the world of self-pubbing.”
"Nina was a gem and will be missed," says Pat. "She made a big difference in the world of indy publishing."
“For me,” Susan says, “she was the bringer of good news for my ebooks. I’ll miss those cheerful notes about sales, promotions, bestsellers, and progress. She was a lovely person who truly loved the romance genre, especially Regency, and she made a real impact in the world of books. I wish I could thank her for that now.” 
To Brian, Anna, their family, and the rest of the ePublishing Works! team, we want to express our condolences and support. To the memory of Nina, we send our love and gratitude for her creative spirit, and for the difference she made in our world of books and stories.