Why Writers Should Know About Pokemon Go And Game Of Thrones
Whenever a writer posts (usually rather proudly) that she doesn’t know or care about Pokemon Go (or Game of Thrones or Supernatural or whatever the popular entertainment option of the day is), I want to scream. In my humble opinion, knowing about this stuff is our job. We shouldn’t be proud of not doing our job.
But-but-but I’m a writer. I don’t develop video games, a writer might argue.
The reason Pokemon Go is popular right now is because this game is giving our readers something we’re not. That’s why readers prefer to play Pokemon Go rather than read our books.
Does that mean we should all rush out and develop a romance novel game with similar characteristics?
No. (laughs) But we might be able to serve the same needs with our books.
For example, Pokemon Go asks players to go out and find things.
Marvel movies give viewers a similar quest. Viewers know that Stan Lee appears in many of the movies. I watch for him and feel an absurd amount of satisfaction when I spot him.
We could do something similar with our stories. Maybe every story we write has a certain object hidden in it and we ask readers to find that object. That’s a simple tweak that shouldn’t disrupt or change our stories in any significant way yet we’ve satisfied that need in our readers. We’ve given them more.
Or if we go deeper, what emotional need does Pokemon Go fulfill? Is one of these needs a yearning for spontaneity, the knowledge that targets can be anywhere at any time? Could we do something similar by surprising readers with a short story? Or a flash sale? Or an update of beloved characters in a newsletter?
But-but-but I don’t like Pokemon Go, a writer might say. I don’t have the time or the inclination to play it.
We don’t need to play Pokemon Go to understand it. Thankfully, our readers have been posting about this game all week on Facebook, Twitter, other social media outlets. All we have to do is read these posts to understand the appeal.
Readers have been sharing why they’re excited about Pokemon Go. We see the posts on finding certain targets, the satisfaction readers feel. We hear about readers going on hunts with their entire families, how they’re finding the targets in unusual places.
With popular TV shows, I normally watch at least one episode (either the first episode or the episode everyone is talking about or both). Again, I read posts about the show or episode, paying attention to what readers are excited about.
Please do NOT discourage these posts. We want readers to talk to us about their passions. We want them to share with us why they love a video game or book or movie. That’s how we learn about their likes, wants, underserved needs.
A Writing Perk
Still skeptical? Then listen to the taxman. A writer’s business need to stay abreast of entertainment trends is so key; even the government recognizes it. In Canada, for example, many writers can expense movie tickets and cable TV on their tax returns. (Consult your tax specialist before expensing these items.)
Going Your Own Way
If you decide to remain detached from popular culture (maybe that makes your muse happy), hey, I support your right to do this. But know the costs of being detached and think twice before posting proudly that you don’t know what is happening in our industry.
I must now re-watch the season finale of Game Of Thrones. It’s a tough job but this writer feels she has to do it. (grins)
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
He wants one night. I want forever.
Hit it and quit it—that’s Smoke Sheridan’s relationship philosophy. The tall, dark, and dangerous club owner never spends more than one night with any woman. He seduces the broken-hearted, leaving them with smiles on their faces and a sexual confidence other men can’t resist.
I need his services.
My boyfriend of four years dumped me because I’m a lousy lay. Smoke can help me win him back, teach me how to make my man writhe in ecstasy. I’ll show him such bliss, he’ll bellow my name in the dark of the night, want me with an all-consuming desire.
This sounds like a great plan. Except I see the loneliness in Smoke’s eyes, feel the wistfulness in his touch, experience the wanting in his embrace. The player isn’t as shallow as he appears.
And I’ve never been good at letting go.
One And Done contains inappropriate humor, very bad pickup lines, a BBW heroine who doesn’t know what she’s doing and a player who thinks he does.
This is a standalone story.
Buy Now:
On Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/One-Done-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B01FOVMF70
On Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Done-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B01FOVMF70
On ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-oneanddone-2040641-340.html
On Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-and-done-cynthia-sax/1123809444
On Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/one-and-done-1
Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Why Writers Should Know About Pokemon Go And Game Of Thrones
Sense And Sensibility And Tears
The July movie selection at Smart Bitches Trash Books is the 1995 adaptation of Sense And Sensibility. I rewatched this movie for the 15th or 16th time on Saturday.
This movie is my favorite reminder to limit a heroine’s tears. When I first started writing, I thought the more a character cried, the more a reader would feel. The reader would find the heroine more sympathetic, softer, likable.
The opposite usually happens. The more a character cries, the less sympathetic we are. We view the tears as meaning less to the heroine and that makes them mean less to us.
In Sense And Sensibility, Marianne (played by Kate Winslet) is extremely emotional. She cries and cries and cries. The first time she cries, I’m sympathetic. By the end of the movie, I feel irritation, not sympathy. Yes, she hurts but she hurt previously and recovered quickly. I assume she’ll recover quickly again.
Elinor (played by Emma Thompson), in contrast, tries to contain her feelings. She fights her agony, struggles to hide it, and when she finally breaks down and cries, I cry with her. I know the pain is deep and will likely last.
Because she doesn’t cry often.
That’s key. When a character does something…well…out of character (grins), that action is highlighted, circled in red, meaningful for the reader.
The struggle is important also. It shows us there is something at stake for the heroine if she ‘fails’ and cries. Elinor sees how people judge Marianne when she becomes emotional, how they pity her, how they think her sister is weak. She’s proud and doesn’t want people to judge her the same way.
This makes her failure to suppress her emotions even more powerful. She hurts so much; she has to cry, even though she knows the possible consequences.
I love Sense And Sensibility for many other reasons (Alan Rickman being one of them – grins). I definitely recommend watching it, especially if you love period pieces.
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
He wants one night. I want forever.
Hit it and quit it—that’s Smoke Sheridan’s relationship philosophy. The tall, dark, and dangerous club owner never spends more than one night with any woman. He seduces the broken-hearted, leaving them with smiles on their faces and a sexual confidence other men can’t resist.
I need his services.
My boyfriend of four years dumped me because I’m a lousy lay. Smoke can help me win him back, teach me how to make my man writhe in ecstasy. I’ll show him such bliss, he’ll bellow my name in the dark of the night, want me with an all-consuming desire.
This sounds like a great plan. Except I see the loneliness in Smoke’s eyes, feel the wistfulness in his touch, experience the wanting in his embrace. The player isn’t as shallow as he appears.
And I’ve never been good at letting go.
One And Done contains inappropriate humor, very bad pickup lines, a BBW heroine who doesn’t know what she’s doing and a player who thinks he does.
This is a standalone story.
Buy Now:
On Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/One-Done-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B01FOVMF70
On Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Done-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B01FOVMF70
On ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-oneanddone-2040641-340.html
On Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-and-done-cynthia-sax/1123809444
On Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/one-and-done-1
Topics: Writing Tips | 3 Comments »
Being Green Available At Booksellers For Free
You’ve told me that you wanted Being Green, the free cyborg short story, available at booksellers so you can have this story in your library.
I, of course, listened and have done exactly that!
You’ve also told me that you want updates on your favorite characters. In months in which I don’t have a release (August is the first one), I’ll be giving updates in my newsletter. These will be exclusive to newsletter readers only (as they will only be 8-10 pages long).
This December’s free cyborg short story, Jumping Barrel (which I’m writing right now), will be available at as many booksellers as I can manage (Amazon has been pushing back on free stories recently, but ARe has a mobi option which is suitable for Kindle/Amazon users).
Green, a cyborg warrior, cares for one being—his plant Windy. When Windy becomes sick, he’ll do anything to heal her, even venture across the universe to visit a worlds-renowned plant doctor.
He doesn’t expect to find love.
Doctor Shelby Cooper is the sole resident of a tiny planet. She prefers to be alone rather than risk caring for another being and then losing him. The curvaceous scientist is determined to resist Green’s patient caresses, his thought-burning kisses, his slow seduction.
She has underestimated the power of a cyborg’s passion.
Download Now For Free:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Being-Green-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01I8BHE9W/
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-beinggreen-2065122-147.html
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/being-green-cynthia-sax/1124071199
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/being-green-1
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on Being Green Available At Booksellers For Free
One And Done – Sixth Scene
One And Done is releasing on July 19th (it is available for pre-order now) and I’m sharing the first two chapters of this 300 page plus contemporary erotic romance.
Read the first scene here: http://tasteofcyn.com/2016/06/06/one-and-done-first-scene/
“Oh.” There has to be a way to convince him. “What if I slipped you some bills?”
“The club would still be at capacity.” He shuts down my attempt at bribing him.
With money.
No one can resist my cookies. I open the tin. “Cookie?”
Tyrice hesitates for a moment, looks at me, at the cookies, at me once more. “You didn’t poison these or anything, did you?”
“You should ask that.” I nod, approving of the question. “The most successful serial killers in history have used poison.” I’m addicted to crime shows, especially those involving serial killers. They often prey on the homeless. If I ever end up on the street, I’m determined not to be one of their victims. “But that’s in history. Now, tests are almost certain to detect it as the cause of death. They’d trace the poison back to the cookies in your stomach. Everyone here has seen me offer them to you.” I gaze pointedly at the long line of club kids. “I’d get caught.”
Tyrice stares at me.
I smile gently. “If I was going to kill you, I’d be more careful.” I’ve watched enough shows to know how to kill someone and not get caught.
“Ummm…” He hesitates.
“My boyfriend, Edward Langston, is a lawyer. He can vouch for me.” If I’m ever permitted to see him. “The cookies are safe. I promise.”
Tyrice studies me.
I look as innocent as possible.
“Okay.” The doorman finally yields. “Thank you.” He selects one.
I wait until he’s munching happily, his eyelids partially lowered, a sublime expression on his scary face. Then I present my case yet again. “I need a minute, five tops. I just want to give these to Edward.”
“There’s no outside food allowed in the club, ma’am,” Tyrice mumbles between bites.
“You can have the cookies.” I press the tin into his big hands. “Let me inside.”
“Can’t.” He avoids my gaze. “Those are the—”
“Rules, I know.” Which rule am I breaking now? “I gave you cookies.”
“Nana Zaire gives me cookies too. I don’t allow her inside during club hours.”
I frown. “Are you saying I look as old as your grandma?”
His eyes widen. “No, I—”
“You don’t think I’m hot or young enough for your club, do you?” Desperate, I play my last card—hysterical female. “You’re no spring chicken yourself.” I look him over. “And you’re definitely not a skinny Minnie. Yet you’re a man, so it’s okay.” I’ve heard enough rants from Azure on this subject to do it justice. “It’s acceptable. Well, I—”
“Look, ma’am.” Tyrice grabs my arm and moves me two steps away from the line. “You’re hot. Fuck. You’re smokin’.” His gaze lowers to my heaving chest. “All those lush curves and endless skin. Mmm… Mmm…” He smacks his lips and my face heats. “If I wasn’t working and you were willing, I’d bend you over and fuck you against the wall until you screamed my name. Then I’d fuck you some more. They’d be calling the cops, you’d be making so much noise.”
Holy shit. I stare at him.
“I’d tap that ass so hard, you’d be feeling my dick for weeks.” He cups himself. “Have you ever had a massive man like me in your back door, princess?”
I shake my head, speechless. I’ve never had anyone in my back door.
“Fuck. You’d be tight.” The doorman grins. “I could come in my pants thinking about those lush, white cheeks hugging my big dick.” He looks around us, signals to another large man dressed similarly to him. “Tell me you’re game and—”
“I have a boyfriend.” My voice is high and squeaky.
His smile fades. “And I’m working.” He waves his friend away. “If my job was to let smokin’ hot women into the club, I’d allow you to enter in a heartbeat. Hell, I’d buy you a drink and take you home at the end of the night. But that isn’t my job. My job is to ensure the white boys are happy.” He glances at the club kids in the line and his top lip curls. “Do you know what they like?”
I know what Edward likes. I open my mouth to tell him.
“They like blonde chicks so skinny they could snap them into two.” Tyrice doesn’t wait for my answer. “Little girls with poky hips and no ass to speak of. They must be good at giving head because they certainly aren’t built for fucking.” He mutters this last sentence. “My job is to let those types of girls and only those types into the club.”
“I’d only be a minute.” I try again. “No one would know.”
“My boss would know. He knows everything.”
“If I talked to your boss—”
“He’d ban you from the club for wasting his time and you’d never get in. Ever.” Tyrice folds his big arms in front of him. “Go to the back of the line or, better yet, go home.”
I mimic his stance. “I’m not going home.”
No one is as stubborn as I am.
The doorman’s jaw juts.
I stick my chin out and rise onto my toes.
He leans forward, looming over me. “You’re not getting into this—”
“She’s with me, Tyrice.” A warm hand grasps my hip and I jerk, surprised by the contact, by the deep male voice, by the jolt of energy zinging from the newcomer’s body to mine.
“I didn’t realize that, Mr. Sheridan, sir.” Tyrice straightens.
I glance upward and stare.
The man oozes sex appeal, from his form-fitting, black suit and gray, silk shirt to his brown-velvet eyes.
The ebony hair touching his collar begs to be touched, to be pulled during orgasm. He has shoulders wide enough to cling to yet stopping short of body-building meathead territory. His narrow hips would fit perfectly between a woman’s thighs.
The jagged, black tattoo on his neck screams ‘wild in bed’. The laugh lines fanning from his eyes hint at age and experience.
He’s no club kid, fumbling with bras and buttons. This man would fuck hard, wringing every ounce of pleasure from his lover, leaving her sexually sated and delirious with pleasure. Everything about him is designed for seduction.
Judging by Tyrice’s reaction, he’s also the boss, a man to be respected.
And he has his hand on my hip, his fingers spread wide, touching as much of my form as he possibly can. His body heat engulfs me.
“I’m sorry, sir.” Tyrice continues to apologize. “A boyfriend was mentioned, an Edward Langston. She said nothing about being with you.”
“That’s an oversight I must correct.” Mr. Sheridan flashes a smile, his teeth vividly white against his tanned skin and I suck in my breath. That handsome face is deadly to a woman’s composure.
Tyrice hustles to open the door for us. “I meant no offense, ma’am.”
His apology breaks the spell his boss has cast on me. What am I doing—gawking at a stranger? I have a boyfriend, a man who loves me.
“What I said earlier.” The doorman waves his hands. “About tapping your—”
“It’s forgotten.” I stop him from completing that embarrassing sentence. “It will never to be mentioned again.”
Tyrice heaves a sigh of relief. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“You two had an interesting conversation, I see,” Mr. Sheridan murmurs, his voice stroking along my neck, sending tremors down my spine.
He doesn’t ask for any details about the conversation I had with Tyrice. Thank God. I don’t want to repeat what the doorman had said.
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
He wants one night. I want forever.
Hit it and quit it—that’s Smoke Sheridan’s relationship philosophy. The tall, dark, and dangerous club owner never spends more than one night with any woman. He seduces the broken-hearted, leaving them with smiles on their faces and a sexual confidence other men can’t resist.
I need his services.
My boyfriend of four years dumped me because I’m a lousy lay. Smoke can help me win him back, teach me how to make my man writhe in ecstasy. I’ll show him such bliss, he’ll bellow my name in the dark of the night, want me with an all-consuming desire.
This sounds like a great plan. Except I see the loneliness in Smoke’s eyes, feel the wistfulness in his touch, experience the wanting in his embrace. The player isn’t as shallow as he appears.
And I’ve never been good at letting go.
One And Done contains inappropriate humor, very bad pickup lines, a BBW heroine who doesn’t know what she’s doing and a player who thinks he does.
This is a standalone story.
Buy Now:
On Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/One-Done-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B01FOVMF70
On Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Done-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B01FOVMF70
On ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-oneanddone-2040641-340.html
On Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-and-done-cynthia-sax/1123809444
On Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/one-and-done-1
Topics: Coming Soon | Comments Off on One And Done – Sixth Scene
Upcoming Releases
I thought I’d share what I have planned thus far for the rest of 2016.
July 19th
One And Done – Contemporary Erotic Romance
One And Done is a longer standalone story set in the same world as One Night With My Billionaire Master, The Good Assistant, and Seducing My Billionaire Boss.
We meet Jenella briefly in Seducing My Billionaire Boss.
He wants one night. I want forever.
Hit it and quit it—that’s Smoke Sheridan’s relationship philosophy. The tall, dark, and dangerous club owner never spends more than one night with any woman. He seduces the broken-hearted, leaving them with smiles on their faces and a sexual confidence other men can’t resist.
I need his services.
My boyfriend of four years dumped me because I’m a lousy lay. Smoke can help me win him back, teach me how to make my man writhe in ecstasy. I’ll show him such bliss, he’ll bellow my name in the dark of the night, want me with an all-consuming desire.
This sounds like a great plan. Except I see the loneliness in Smoke’s eyes, feel the wistfulness in his touch, experience the wanting in his embrace. The player isn’t as shallow as he appears.
And I’ve never been good at letting go.
One And Done contains inappropriate humor, very bad pickup lines, a BBW heroine who doesn’t know what she’s doing and a player who thinks he does.
This is a standalone story.
Buy Now:
On Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/One-Done-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B01FOVMF70
On Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Done-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B01FOVMF70
On ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-oneanddone-2040641-340.html
On Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-and-done-cynthia-sax/1123809444
On Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/one-and-done-1
September
Chasing Mayhem – Cyborg Erotic Romance
We first meet Mayhem in Crash And Burn. He also makes an appearance in Defying Death.
Defying Death and Chasing Mayhem are sidequels (like Releasing Rage and Breathing Vapor). The two stories happen at the same time.
Here is the VERY rough, unedited blurb…
Wild. Free. Hers.
Mayhem has spent his lengthy lifespan obeying the Humanoid Alliance’s rules. Now that he’s finally free from their cruel control, the cyborg warrior plans to cause chaos. He infiltrates a remote settlement, provokes the savage locals until they want him dead, and allows himself to be captured by the sexiest little Retriever he has ever laid his mechanically-enhanced eyes on.
Imee’s sole mission in life is to keep her family alive. To do this, she must hunt rebels, returning them to the Humanoid Alliance’s evil clutches where they will be executed. She doesn’t allow herself to feel anything for her targets…until she meets a tall, muscular cyborg with wild hair and even wilder eyes.
With his sure hands, laughing lips and erotic holds, Mayhem makes Imee’s body sizzle and her resistance melt. Their love is doomed. She must deliver the warrior to his death or she’ll place her family’s safety at risk. But she can’t resist him.
Imee soon discovers that Mayhem, life and love are never predictable.
December
Jumping Barrel – Cyborg Erotic Romance
This will be a FREE cyborg short story (around 40 pages – the same length as Being Green) and will, hopefully, be available at all booksellers.
It will assume that you’ve read the series up to, at least, Crash And Burn. If you haven’t read that far, you won’t have met some of the secondary characters.
A Possible Release In November
I’m considering releasing the first story in my new SciFi Erotic Romance series in November. This series will be set in the same world as the cyborgs. You’ll meet the hero in Chasing Mayhem. It will be dark and sexy and violent. Yes. (grins) All the good stuff!
Topics: Coming Soon | Comments Off on Upcoming Releases
Why I Love Just Wright
I watched Just Wright for the gazillionth time this weekend. It’s one of my favorite RomComs, a feel good movie about a curvy physical therapist who falls in love with the hunky basketball player she’s helping to recover from a career-threatening injury.
Yes, it is a fantasy (why would a top basketball player listen to his jealous girlfriend and hire an unknown physical therapist?) but the characters, especially Leslie (played by Queen Latifah), spoke to me. I could relate to her. I felt her pain.
Leslie meets Scott, the hero before he’s injured (Scott is played by the yummy Common – who was very nice to me when I met him at the Consumer Electronics Show years ago). There’s immediate chemistry between them but she’s so accustomed to being the ‘friend’, the woman guys like but don’t lust after, she doesn’t take it seriously.
When Morgan (played by Paula Patton), her good looking, size nothing friend, goes after Scott and lands him, Leslie steps aside. She hasn’t known Scott for very long and she simply assumes she doesn’t have a chance with him.
Because that is what many of us curvy girls do. We assume that handsome, super fit, super nice guys want the more socially acceptable size nothing women (in the case of Scott and my Dear Wonderful Hubby, that isn’t true). And when we step aside, the men usually see this as a sign we’re not truly interested in them and they DO walk away.
Which is exactly what Scott does in this movie.
And Leslie merely shrugs her shoulders and moves on. I love that she isn’t the bitter perma-single curvy girl. She knows (what she believes is) her place in the world and she’s okay with that.
Leslie is also aware of her own worth. She knows she can get a man tomorrow. She is waiting for THE man, the man who will capture her heart.
And our girl has her own life to live. She has a house that she’s constantly fixing up, a job that she loves, and she’s a dedicated basketball fan. She doesn’t need Scott. She wants him. There’s a big difference between the two.
I thought the love triangle was handled well and semi-realistically. Scott made some frustrating choices but I understood why he made them. He maintained his nice guy status throughout those choices.
I loved how Leslie was devastated during the dark moment but she didn’t crumble. She went on with her life, focusing on her career. I cheered when she questioned the hero after he came to his senses. She doesn’t blindly forgive him.
There were some silly moments (her rolling in his bed) and some WTF moments (her job situation at the end of the movies – that is definitely a conflict) but, overall, I really enjoyed this movie…which is why I watched it for the gazillionth time (grins).
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
He wants one night. I want forever.
Hit it and quit it—that’s Smoke Sheridan’s relationship philosophy. The tall, dark, and dangerous club owner never spends more than one night with any woman. He seduces the broken-hearted, leaving them with smiles on their faces and a sexual confidence other men can’t resist.
I need his services.
My boyfriend of four years dumped me because I’m a lousy lay. Smoke can help me win him back, teach me how to make my man writhe in ecstasy. I’ll show him such bliss, he’ll bellow my name in the dark of the night, want me with an all-consuming desire.
This sounds like a great plan. Except I see the loneliness in Smoke’s eyes, feel the wistfulness in his touch, experience the wanting in his embrace. The player isn’t as shallow as he appears.
And I’ve never been good at letting go.
One And Done contains inappropriate humor, very bad pickup lines, a BBW heroine who doesn’t know what she’s doing and a player who thinks he does.
This is a standalone story.
Buy Now:
On Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/One-Done-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B01FOVMF70
On Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Done-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B01FOVMF70
On ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-oneanddone-2040641-340.html
On Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-and-done-cynthia-sax/1123809444
On Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/one-and-done-1
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on Why I Love Just Wright
Writing Romance – Showing Love
Note: In this post, for simplicity reasons, I’ll use couple to refer to the romantic relationship. Your ‘couple’ might be a threesome. It might be five women and one alien. The thinking should apply to all relationship constructs. I’ll also refer to a hero and a heroine. The same thinking can apply to two heroes in love or five vampires in love or any other combination/types of characters.
The sole ‘rule’ of writing romance is that the couple has a romantic happy ever after or a romantic happy for now at the end of the story. What this means is they’re in love and reading buddies believe this love is going to last.
Simply having the couple say “I love you” won’t achieve this. We’ve all said things we didn’t mean (like telling people we’re ‘fine’ when we feel like shit). We’ll all been lied to. The words aren’t enough.
Writers have to show love also.
This is reflective of reality.
“Dr. Albert Mehrabian, author of Silent Messages, conducted several studies on nonverbal communication. He found that 7% of any message is conveyed through words, 38% through certain vocal elements, and 55% through nonverbal elements (facial expressions, gestures, posture, etc).”
How To Show Love
There are internal sensations when you’re in that character’s point of view. The hero’s pulse races when the heroine is near. Her stomach flutters. She gets tingles when he touches her (this sometimes happens when the Dear Wonderful Hubby touches me). He loses his train of thought when she looks at him. She feels safe with him. Tension eases from his shoulders when she’s in the same room.
There are the physical actions. The hero brushes a strand of hair away from the heroine’s face. He lowers his voice when he talks to her. When she walks in the room, she captures his complete attention. He anticipates her needs, pulling out a chair before she sits, bringing her a cup of coffee, prepared the way she likes, when they have a meeting.
I usually get a good indication for how people feel about each other by how they stand or sit near each other. Couples in love naturally move or lean into each other. The hero rests his forehead against the heroine’s. The heroine leans back into the hero. The hero, in a crowded party, gradually drifts toward the heroine’s corner of the room.
The Transition From Hate To Love
The power of non-verbal communication is we can use it to show the gradual transition from indifference/hate (paired with lust) to love (ideally still paired with lust – grins). As the relationship progresses and the love builds, the non-verbal clues become more and more pronounced.
In Chasing Mayhem, Mayhem and Imee are adversaries. She’s a Retriever, a bounty hunter for the Humanoid Alliance. He’s her target. They physically fight. In the early scenes, Imee doesn’t pull her punches. She knees Mayhem in the groin, hard (Mayhem, being the wild cyborg he is, loves that she does this). As their relationship progresses, Imee plays nicer and nicer, choosing not to inflict pain on her cyborg.
Love In The Black Moment
We can also use non-verbal communication to show there’s still love in the midst of the black moment, the point in the story where everything goes wrong. This is especially important if our black moment is close to the end of the story. We want to show there’s some love left to be saved.
In One And Done, Smoke is extremely angry and upset with something Jenella has done. His actions, however, tell her (and readers) he still cares.
I chatter about nonsense—my job, my childhood, my adventures with Azure. Smoke says nothing, driving stone-faced.
But he doesn’t turn on the radio, doesn’t try to drown me out.
And he leans slightly toward me.
He’s like Woofer. Both of them say more with their actions than their words. Both of them have been hurt badly.
Both of them need love.
A Checklist I Use
To ensure I’m not relying on the words, I’ll often refer to The 5 Love Languages as a checklist when I revise my story. These are the five ways people usually give or receive love (and can be very helpful in our real relationships).
Has the hero said the words (Words Of Affirmation)?
This should, ideally, be “I love you”. Many readers won’t believe the hero feels the love unless these three words are spoken.
If that’s not possible (and sometimes it isn’t), it might be the hero’s equivalent, something he has never said to another being.
Has the hero done something for the heroine (Acts Of Service)?
This ‘something’ shouldn’t benefit him. His sole reason for doing it is to make the heroine happy.
For example, in Defying Death, Death carefully cuts Tifara’s nutrition bars into squares. This is an act of love for him.
He had always loved her. She simply hadn’t seen it.
Tifara gazed at the squares Death sliced so diligently with his dagger. The Erinomean girl had offered him pieces of nutrition bars. That had been his first experience with love.
And now he offered them to her. He sheathed the dagger and slid the squares toward her. “Eat.”
“I love you too.” She tossed one into her mouth.
His eyes gleamed.
Has the hero given the heroine a token of his love (Receiving Gifts)?
I love it when the token is something personal, unique, meaningful for the two of them. The billionaire hero gives his heroine a necklace he bought for her the weekend they met. He’d been holding onto it for years, waiting for her to be ready. Death’s gift of the nutrition bars is definitely a token of his love.
Has the hero chosen to spend time with the heroine (Quality Time)?
The workaholic hero takes the day off to hold his heroine’s hand as she visits her sick mom. The cyborg hero forgoes a mock battle to plant seedlings with his botanist heroine.
Has the hero touched the heroine in a loving way (Physical Touch)?
This is touching without the possibility of sex. The hero kisses the back of the heroine’s neck and then walks away. In the midst of reviewing a report, he picks up her hand and brushes it over his cheek.
It isn’t essential that all of the love languages are represented but the more that are present in the story, the more readers tend to believe in the happy ever after.
How have you shown the love in your stories?
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
He wants one night. I want forever.
Hit it and quit it—that’s Smoke Sheridan’s relationship philosophy. The tall, dark, and dangerous club owner never spends more than one night with any woman. He seduces the broken-hearted, leaving them with smiles on their faces and a sexual confidence other men can’t resist.
I need his services.
My boyfriend of four years dumped me because I’m a lousy lay. Smoke can help me win him back, teach me how to make my man writhe in ecstasy. I’ll show him such bliss, he’ll bellow my name in the dark of the night, want me with an all-consuming desire.
This sounds like a great plan. Except I see the loneliness in Smoke’s eyes, feel the wistfulness in his touch, experience the wanting in his embrace. The player isn’t as shallow as he appears.
And I’ve never been good at letting go.
One And Done contains inappropriate humor, very bad pickup lines, a BBW heroine who doesn’t know what she’s doing and a player who thinks he does.
This is a standalone story.
Buy Now:
On Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/One-Done-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B01FOVMF70
On Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Done-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B01FOVMF70
On ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-oneanddone-2040641-340.html
On Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-and-done-cynthia-sax/1123809444
On Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/one-and-done-1
Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Writing Romance – Showing Love
Releasing Rage – “I was so hooked with Releasing Rage”
Woot!
Reading As My Therapy has reviewed the books to date in the cyborg series and loves it!
https://melissacl.wordpress.com/2016/06/21/cyborg-sizzle-series-by-cynthia-sax/
Here’s a snippet…
“The author wrote with such emotion that as a reader I was drawn in and couldn’t help but feel the pain in the scene. To me this is a great writer if the reader can get that involved with the storyline.”
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Defying Death
He’ll risk it all for one moment of happiness.
Cyborgs don’t show emotion. Death learned that lesson early in his long lifespan. To survive, he hides his fierce passions behind a stoic wall. He calls no warrior friend. He never admits to caring for any being.
Even the human female he’s destined to love.
Tifara is Death’s obsession, his sole opportunity for happiness, to express the all-consuming passion burning brightly inside him. He’ll do anything to obtain the curvaceous medic: defy a direct order, abduct Tifara from her battle station, and wage war on his fellow cyborgs.
To earn her love, he’ll have to risk much, much more.
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Defying-Death-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01D6OUQS2/
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Defying-Death-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01D6OUQS2/
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-defyingdeath-2001671-147.html
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/defying-death-cynthia-sax/1123562659
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/defying-death-2
Topics: Reviews | Comments Off on Releasing Rage – “I was so hooked with Releasing Rage”
One And Done – Fifth Scene
One And Done is releasing on July 19th (it is available for pre-order now) and I’m sharing the first two chapters of this 300 page plus contemporary erotic romance.
Read the first scene here: http://tasteofcyn.com/2016/06/06/one-and-done-first-scene/
The taxi driver drops me off in front of a cube-shaped building. A spotlight illuminates the sign on its roof. Smoke. The name sounds familiar. This club must belong to one of Edward’s clients.
I study the structure. It’s situated on prime real estate. The property taxes must be hefty. The utilities bill would be high also.
The frosted windows are brightly lit, silhouettes of women appearing on the glass. There’s exactly one dancer per frame, perfectly placed.
That must be their job—to dance in windows. How were they chosen? Did they go to school for this?
I picture a stuffy tweed-garbed professor standing at the front of a classroom, droning on and on about the ideal speed to shake one’s ass and my lips twitch.
The training process, whatever it was, worked. The dancers are accomplishing their goal—to attract guests. A crowd circles the club. The line to get into the club stretches along the paved perimeter.
As I study the club goers, two scantily clad waifs wobble toward the biggest, broadest man I’ve ever seen. He’s imposing, as large as the door he’s guarding, his arms crossed, his feet braced apart.
I clasp my tin of cookies tighter, daunted by his size.
The girls either don’t have the sense to be intimidated or they don’t care. They giggle and smile, teetering on their high heels, one strong breeze away from falling over.
The doorman listens to their nonsense for a minute or two, his darkening expression hinting at his irritation. Just when I’m convinced he’ll deny them, sending their bony asses to the back of the line, he unclips the velvet rope, his bulging biceps straining the seams of his ill-fitting black blazer.
The doorman waves the girls into the building and refastens the velvet rope, acting as though he hasn’t seen the dozens of people standing in line along the sidewalk.
Groans rise from the club kids. And club kids is the right description. These infants are predominantly male and young, so damn young, their faces round and smooth, their bodies not yet filled out with muscle and time.
They smell of cheap cologne and desperation, as though not getting into this club tonight will result in a lifetime alone. I remember that feeling, only too well.
Thank God, I have Edward now. I no longer have to worry about hooking up, no longer have to sift through hundreds of would-be players to find one worthy man. I’ve already met the love of my life, the future father of my children.
Eager to see that wonderful man, I stride to the front of the line.
“Uh-oh Dave, your mom is here,” one of the club kids yells. His sneer makes him appear more cute than fierce.
I doubt he’s legal. He looks like he’s ten, not the required nineteen.
“Fuck you,” a pretty blond child cusses. The two jostle each other, jabbing stomachs with elbows.
I ignore them and their insults. Edward loves me the way I am. His opinion is all that matters.
“Good evening.” I smile at the doorman. His grumpy expression doesn’t change. “I’m meeting my boyfriend, Edward Langston. He’s already inside.” I step forward.
The doorman shifts to the left, blocking me. “The line is to your right, ma’am.”
I glance over my shoulder. I’m not waiting in line. That could take hours.
“I’ll call him.” I dig my phone out of my pocket. “He’ll come and get me.”
“If he leaves the building, I can’t allow him back inside.”
“What?” I stare at the doorman.
“Those are the rules, ma’am.” The big man shrugs. “No re-entry.”
“You don’t understand.” He mustn’t or he’d let me in. “Edward is here for business. He’s a lawyer.”
“I don’t care if he’s the Queen of England.” The doorman sounds as exasperated as I feel. “He won’t be allowed back into the club. Join the end of the line. We’re at capacity.”
I glance at the line. There are wrappers from Bob’s Burger Barn and disposable cups from trendy coffee shops scattered around the club kids’ feet. They’ve been waiting for a while.
I don’t have time for this. “I—”
“Join the end of the line, ma’am.” The doorman gestures in that direction.
“Moove along, lady,” Dave, the club kid, yells, setting off a wave of moos and increasingly ignorant comments.
The doorman is doing the world a favor, not allowing these creatures to breed.
I’m thankful once again that I have Edward, a man who appreciates me, who sees past my dress size. I don’t belong in this club.
As though the universe wishes to drive this realization home, a trio of bleary-eyed size-nothing blondes approach us. “Hi, Tyrice.” The head blonde waves at the bodyguard. “Is it bring-your-mom-to-work day?” The other girls giggle.
Was I ever that young?
Or thin?
Or stupid?
Tyrice the doorman and I are on the opposite sides of the skin tone spectrum. He’s as dark as I am pale. Either she’s assuming Tyrice is adopted or she’s as dumb as she appears.
The man grunts and lets the idiotic trio through the door. The kids waiting in line express their unhappiness. My gaze follows the girls’ scrawny frames.
Calling their outfits lingerie would be greatly overstating the amount of fabric used. Their skirts are so short I see the folds under their ass cheeks.
I’m wearing my long coat.
I’m the idiot. Of course, Tyrice won’t allow me into the club. He doesn’t think I’m suitably dressed. I shrug out of the coat and fold it over one arm.
“Put it back on,” one of the club kids yells.
“She’s blinded me.”
I disregard the rude comments, keeping my attention on Tyrice. The doorman’s gaze sweeps over me.
Is that a glint of approval I see in his eyes?
“Is this better?” I beam at him, trying to ignore the fact that I’m standing on a sidewalk in downtown Toronto wearing a babydoll, boy shorts and heels.
“That’s much better.” His voice deepens. “But I still can’t let you in, ma’am.”
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
He wants one night. I want forever.
Hit it and quit it—that’s Smoke Sheridan’s relationship philosophy. The tall, dark, and dangerous club owner never spends more than one night with any woman. He seduces the broken-hearted, leaving them with smiles on their faces and a sexual confidence other men can’t resist.
I need his services.
My boyfriend of four years dumped me because I’m a lousy lay. Smoke can help me win him back, teach me how to make my man writhe in ecstasy. I’ll show him such bliss, he’ll bellow my name in the dark of the night, want me with an all-consuming desire.
This sounds like a great plan. Except I see the loneliness in Smoke’s eyes, feel the wistfulness in his touch, experience the wanting in his embrace. The player isn’t as shallow as he appears.
And I’ve never been good at letting go.
One And Done contains inappropriate humor, very bad pickup lines, a BBW heroine who doesn’t know what she’s doing and a player who thinks he does.
This is a standalone story.
Buy Now:
On Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/One-Done-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B01FOVMF70
On Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Done-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B01FOVMF70
On ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-oneanddone-2040641-340.html
On Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-and-done-cynthia-sax/1123809444
On Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/one-and-done-1
Topics: Coming Soon | Comments Off on One And Done – Fifth Scene
Releasing Rage-Feedback That Made Me Cry
I write my stories for me. Writing is part of who I am as a person. I can’t not write.
I publish the stories I think other people might enjoy reading. I’m hoping these stories will make readers laugh or cry and I’m thrilled when I hear from readers that my stories have done that.
Once in a while, this feedback will make me cry. That was the case with Jolie Mason’s post about Releasing Rage.
Here is a snippet…
“Occasionally, when I determine that my anxiety is interfering with my life, if it’s making me avoid something I would normally love, I will sometimes employ something called exposure therapy. Books are an excellent way to do this for me, simply because I can put them down. I’m not out in a crowded place or stuck in a situation. I can put it down, and come back when I’m stronger.
Releasing Rage has rape. It has an abuse theme. Yes, but I found something more in the pages. Something healing.”
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Half Man. Half Machine. All Hers.
Rage, the Humanoid Alliance’s most primitive cyborg, has two goals—kill all of the humans on his battle station and escape to the Homeland. The warrior has seen the darkness in others and in himself. He believes that’s all he’s been programmed to experience.
Until he meets Joan.
Joan, the battle station’s first female engineer, has one goal—survive long enough to help the big sexy cyborg plotting to kill her. Rage might not trust her but he wants her. She sees the passion in his eyes, the caring in his battle-worn hands, the gruff emotion in his voice.
When Joan survives the unthinkable, Rage’s priorities are tested. Is there enough room in this cyborg’s heart for both love and revenge?
Buy Now:
On Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Releasing-Rage-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B00ZOL1DRO
On Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00ZOL1DRO/
On ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-releasingrage-1850041-340.html
On B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/releasing-rage-cynthia-sax/1122455646
Topics: Reviews | Comments Off on Releasing Rage-Feedback That Made Me Cry
