Interview With Zara Zenia
I sat down (virtually) with Zara Zenia for a short interview. Her latest release is Benzen: Warriors of Orba, a SciFi Romance!
Cynthia Sax: How does Benzen: Warriors of Orba start?
Zara Zenia: The Orbas are on their spaceship, fleeing their planet from the takeover by Palzu, another one of the Orbas. They end up crash landing on Earth and everything is new to them. I wanted to start it this way, so we get to see each of the Orbas who fled, and show what they know or don’t know about Earth, and to possibly have them come back in a future book!
Cynthia Sax: Where is Benzen: Warriors of Orba set?
Zara Zenia: It is set in Virginia, in the US, on Earth. It is in a smaller city, and the Orbas don’t know anything about customs or even foods on Earth. It is literally all foreign to them. It is exciting as you can see what another life form sees, thinks, feels, and knows compared to humans. It adds a sexy factor to the story, as it is as if Allison, the human on Earth, gets to do things with Benzen that he has never experienced before.
Cynthia Sax: Is Benzen: Warriors of Orba part of a series and will you be writing more stories in this series?
Zara Zenia: Yes this is a series, and I will certainly be writing more, possibly with the other Orbas as the lead characters!
Cynthia Sax: What advice would you give new writers?
Zara Zenia: To just start writing, get words on the page, and then publish! Just sitting and thinking about writing won’t help!
Cynthia Sax: Thank you, Zara Zenia, for joining us today!
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After escaping their home, six aliens hope to find freedom on a different planet. They end up crashing onto a strange land, a strange culture, and even stranger inhabitants.
They expected to learn some new things. However, one didn’t expect to find love.
Benzen, Voland, Draygus, Victorinth, Jarick, and Ethazol are on the run from their people, now that their once peace-loving planet has been taken over by a hostile dictator, Palzu. They end up on Earth in order to start over and meet a young woman named Allison who takes them under her wing.
When Palzu’s soldiers come after them, the group splits up and Benzen stays behind to protect Allison and begins to develop feelings for her. What will happen when he’s forced to show her what he truly is? Will she accept him or fear him?
This is a sci-fi romance novel, with NO cheating, NO cliffhangers, and guaranteed HEA!
Buy Now:
On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JVMVYHU#nav-subnav
Topics: Author Interviews | 1 Comment »
Releasing Rage And The SFR Brigade Showcase
See other great SciFi romance posts here – http://sfrcontests.blogspot.ca/p/sfr-brigade-presents.html
Chasing Mayhem, my sixth story in the cyborg series, is releasing on September 13th (you can pre-order it on Amazon US here – https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Mayhem-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01IRPO9WY#nav-subnav ). I’m super excited about this!
If you’re new to this series, Releasing Rage is now free at all booksellers.
Here is an excerpt from Releasing Rage
She stepped into the firewall square. The door behind her closed and she authorized the interior door to open.
A buzz swept over her. No, not simply over her. Into her. She gasped, her inhalation of air drawing more of this unknown presence inside her.
It was too much, almost suffocating. Joan swayed, lightheaded. “Do not faint. Do not faint,” she repeated to herself, closing her eyes.
The rolling under her feet gradually stopped. She opened her eyes and wished she hadn’t. Crimson spray covered everywhere she looked. Gore was splattered into the farthest corners, hanging from the ceiling. Cleaner bots scrubbed the walls and floor.
This was why she felt dizzy, she reasoned. She smelled and sensed this butchery.
C899321, the being she had been told was responsible, stood in his uploading dock, a cable inserted into his nape, his towering form naked, covered with blood, his long black hair dripping with it.
He turned his head, locked his gaze with hers and she sucked in her breath. There were worlds of agony, of rage, in those bright blue eyes. This was no rational, logic-driven cyborg. This was a man, an animal, crazed by bloodlust and pain.
“They thought to pacify me with the use of a human female?” he thundered, his deep gravelly voice clawing across her skin, awakening parts in her she didn’t realize slept. “I’d kill you before I allowed you to touch me.”
This insult didn’t hurt her the way he’d intended. Joan knew she wasn’t the slim tiny female males desired. She was solidly built, good breeding stock, as her mother had once said.
She discarded his words and focused on the torment in his tones. He hurt. Horrifically. Her fingers twitched, the urge to reach out to him, to comfort him, tremendous. Judging by the flex of his powerful biceps and thigh muscles, by the anger radiating from him, he wouldn’t appreciate that response.
He also wouldn’t listen to any command she issued. A reprimand, verbal or physical, would add to his hostility. Some being had already tried to restrain him and failed. The reportedly unbreakable wrist and ankle cuffs attached to the frame of the uploading dock had been shattered, rendered useless.
Joan discarded four solar cycles’ worth of theory on how to handle malfunctioning cyborgs, realizing now that the academy experts knew nothing.
Her late father, however, had taught her how to deal with wild beasts.
“I would never touch you without your permission.” She lowered her gaze, showing submission, recognizing C899321 as the dominant male he was. He’d seek to harm any aggressor, to protect himself and his territory. If she wasn’t female, she suspected she’d already be dead.
“I also would never hurt you.” Joan stuffed a couple of cleaning cloths into her pockets and dropped to her knees, into a puddle of red. The moisture soaked through her flight suit. “I’m here to serve you, to clean you.”
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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 for FREE:
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 Apple/iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/se/book/releasing-rage/id1025933626?l=en&mt=11
On ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-releasingrage-1850041-340.html
On B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/releasing-rage-cynthia-sax/1122455646
On Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/releasing-rage
Topics: Guest Post | 6 Comments »
Interview With Tina Donahue
I sat down (virtually) with Tina Donahue, one of my good buddies, for a short interview. Today is the release day for Passionate Pursuit, Tina’s sexy new historical!
Cynthia Sax: What makes Tomás so freakin’ sexy?
Tina Donahue: Although Tomás is a warrior knight, having fought in countless conflicts for the Spanish crown, he’s also a fair and compassionate man. With Beatriz, the woman he adores, he’s protective and gentle. Add to that his generally easy-going nature and wit, and he’s everything any woman would want. Courageous and daring on his alpha side, but also cherishing on a deeper level. Like most women, I love a strong hero. However, that doesn’t mean a man who snarls, dictates, or is generally abusive toward the heroine. That isn’t strength. A real man is comfortable in his own skin and can afford to be kind, generous, and cooperative. That’s also an adult. Nothing is sexier than a man who isn’t afraid to be emotionally intimate.
Cynthia Sax: You had me at warrior. How does Passionate Pursuit start?
Tina Donahue: Tomás has just finished his service to the Crown and has survived a near-fatal illness. You’d think the poor guy has earned some down time. Not a chance. Time now for him to wed. At least that’s what the Spanish mamás and their eager-to-marry daughters think. They descend upon his castle en masse. Fighting Moors has never been this challenging. Tomás longs to flee. More importantly, he yearns for Beatriz, the one woman he does want. However, as the story opens, Beatriz is a mere servant at his castle. Tomás has no idea the secret she’s hiding or that her past is an enormous obstacle to their future happiness.
Cynthia Sax: Ohhh… secrets. I love secrets. Where is Passionate Pursuit set?
Tina Donahue: Passionate Pursuit is set in medieval Spain. 1489 to be exact. The war with the Moors is ongoing with the Crown eager to reconquer lands. The Inquisition rages. Within this turmoil, is the countryside. A veritable paradise of lush forest, endless wheat fields, and Moorish castles that warrior knights have reclaimed for Spain. The monarchs have gifted Tomás with an opulent estate for his military service. Within this Eden, Tomás devises numerous delights for Beatriz to woo her and make her his.
Cynthia Sax: What advice would you give new writers?
Tina Donahue:Write daily, read as much as you can, and know there isn’t anything close to overnight success. Yes, I know there are stories about authors who one day decided to write a book, did so, and now they’re zillionaires. If you dig deeper into their backgrounds, you’ll see they wrote and read as much as they could prior to writing that bestseller and they also were savvy marketers. Some also have contacts in the publishing industry. No successful writer happens by accident. That’s a myth. It takes endless hard work and constantly perfecting your craft to succeed. If you want to be a writer because it sounds cool or you’re eager to make a lot of money, this isn’t the career for you. Authors who last in this profession are those who write because they have to, not because they want to. Writing to them is as necessary as breathing, eating, living. It’s part of their soul. They’d be lost without it. If you don’t have that fire and drive, then you need to find another occupation.
Cynthia Sax: So true. I write for myself. I have stories published for readers. Thank you for the great advice, Tina, and also for joining us today!
Tina Donahue’s Website: http://tinadonahuebooks.blogspot.com/
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Is their passion strong enough to break her chains?
Andalucía Spain, 1489: Innocent Beatriz is desperate to escape the threat of a miserable marriage to a cruel Marquis. Forced into the betrothal by her ruthless merchant papá, her only hope is to conceal her identity and become a servant in a nearby castle—a life drastically different from her comfortable upbringing.
Tomás doesn’t know what to make of his well-spoken new servant girl. Her beauty and charm captivates the military hero; her mysterious nature intrigues him. And the desire she ignites burns brighter with each glance, as does his longing to claim her for his own.
Beatriz can’t resist Tomás’ passion nor deny the heat of her own. But neither the lush countryside nor the walls of the opulent Moorish castle can entirely protect her—and if he were to discover her secret, she could be torn away from him forever. Yet how can she sustain his love if she’s living a lie?
Buy Now:
On Amazon.com: https://goo.gl/GOhbrm
On Amazon CA: http://goo.gl/OQoyKI
On Kobo: https://goo.gl/ZjVJJ2
On Books a Million: http://goo.gl/FqvCzl
On Penguin-Random House Canada: http://goo.gl/WsuyMm
On Fantastic Fiction: http://goo.gl/uAlGdE
Topics: Author Interviews | 1 Comment »
