Taste of Cyn

Remembrance Day 2021

By Cynthia Sax on November 11, 2021

Today is Remembrance Day in my corner of the universe.

I always think of my Great Uncle Frank on Remembrance Day. He was my first exposure to the sacrifices of soldiers and to the horrors of war. (You can read about my Great Uncle Frank here – http://tasteofcyn.com/2013/11/11/lest-we-forget/ ) His experiences made a lasting impact on me.

And it has influenced my writing and how I write about warriors. (You can read more about that here – http://tasteofcyn.com/2020/11/11/the-darkness-of-war/ ) I think of Great Uncle Frank and the other warriors I’ve met when I write many of my stories.

As I am thinking about them today.

Their service and their sacrifice will never be forgotten.

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B Free And Cyrano de Bergerac

By Cynthia Sax on November 10, 2021

There is one scene in B Free, where B is hidden in the shadows and is talking with Quinn, that is a nod to Cyrano de Bergerac, the play by Edmond Rostand.

Quinn can’t see B, can only sense and hear him, but she is captured by his voice, his words. She is attracted to him, not knowing what he looks like or even what species he is.

And he likes this concealment. Because he views himself as being a monster, processes his appearance scares many beings. For a few moments, he can feel…normal, worthy of love.

I have always been fascinated with that aspect of Cyrano de Bergerac (the rest of the play tears my happy-ending-loving heart apart). Could we fall in love with someone without seeing them? Would their words be enough to enthrall our souls?

***

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B Free

B is the last remaining B Model cyborg. All of his brethren, the beings he trained with, fought with, cared deeply for, have perished.

Or so he believes.

When he intercepts a communication mentioning the existence of one of his kind, he has to investigate its source. The message could be a trap set by his enemies. He’ll take that risk if it secures him the companionship he requires to be fully functional.

What he finds is a daring brown-eyed female who activates all his systems. She proudly proclaims she’s a researcher, brandishing that information like a weapon before her. He wants to kiss the sass off her beautiful face, protect her from the dangers around them, claim her forever.

Quinn is on a quest to locate the mechanics of an early-version cyborg. She believes the information captured within that frame will give her valuable insights into the past.

When her mission goes zombie-like beings levels of wrong, she comes face-to-face with a living, breathing B Model. He has big hands, a primitive countenance, and stern hard lips crafted for kissing.

She doesn’t trust him. And she doesn’t have time to indulge her desires.

Their shared enemies are chasing them, would kill to get their precious specimens back. One minor mistake could reduce B and Quinn to a mere line in the databases of history.

***

B Free is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features the sole surviving B Model cyborg warrior, a courageous researcher seeking to uncover the past, and an unplanned visit to a settlement ruled by an extremely scary all-knowing, all-powerful being.

B Free is the fourth of five core stories in the Rebel Cyborgs Series.
Book 1: Containing Malice
Book 2: Under Strain
Book 3: Baring Grudge
Book 4: B Free
Book 5: Seizing Power

Pre-order Today:

Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B097CJJ6B7

Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B097CJJ6B7

Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B097CJJ6B7

Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/b-free/id1572709749

B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/b-free-cynthia-sax/1139701466

Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/b-free

Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1089821

Topics: Story Insights | Comments Off on B Free And Cyrano de Bergerac

Fundamental Tools

By Cynthia Sax on November 9, 2021

Quinn, the heroine of B Free, escavates sites of early civilizations. There are some basic tools she is likely to uncover at every site, tools that beings require to survive.

These early tools were displayed in the Altos de Chavon Regional Museum of Archaeology in La Romana, Dominican Republic.

As per the sign…

“Igneri Ceramics And Tools

Igneri ceramics were very elaborate, adorned with white-on-red and red-on-orange designs and handles with animal and human forms.

Their most important tools were axes, scrapers, spoons, awls, and polishers.”

***

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B Free

B is the last remaining B Model cyborg. All of his brethren, the beings he trained with, fought with, cared deeply for, have perished.

Or so he believes.

Quinn is on a quest to locate the mechanics of an early-version cyborg. She believes the information captured within that frame will give her valuable insights into the past.

When her mission goes zombie-like beings levels of wrong, she comes face-to-face with a living, breathing B Model. He has big hands, a primitive countenance, and stern hard lips crafted for kissing.

She doesn’t trust him. And she doesn’t have time to indulge her desires.

Their shared enemies are chasing them, would kill to get their precious specimens back. One minor mistake could reduce B and Quinn to a mere line in the databases of history.

***

B Free is the fourth of five core stories in the Rebel Cyborgs Series.
Book 1: Containing Malice
Book 2: Under Strain
Book 3: Baring Grudge
Book 4: B Free
Book 5: Seizing Power

Pre-order Today:

Topics: Story Insights | Comments Off on Fundamental Tools

B Free – Fourth Scene Of The First Chapter

By Cynthia Sax on November 8, 2021

B Free, the fourth standalone story in the Rebel Cyborgs series, is releasing next week! Woot!

Today, I’m sharing the fourth and final scene from the very first chapter.

You can read the first scene here:

http://tasteofcyn.com/?p=8807

***

All I want is access to the B Model Cyborg. The message taunted him, calling to the wildness rising within his soul.

Cadet fumed about arrogant asses and the unfairness of fate and the dangers of aligning with beings who didn’t respect others.

B supplied the required responses while battling the urge to be careless, to take unnecessary risks. The probability the communication was a trap hadn’t changed. It remained at 94.1256 percent.

That was dauntingly high, and the consequences were dire. He could be imprisoned, experimented upon, tortured, killed.

A fully functional being would never consider hunting down the being who sent the message.

But he wasn’t a fully functional being. The gaps in his timeline bothered him. The emotional isolation further damaged him. The prospect of spending the rest of his almost endless lifespan that way decimated his logic. He couldn’t, wouldn’t endure it.

And he might not have to do that. There was a 5.8744 percent likelihood his investigation might lead to the discovery of another warrior with his model type.

That wasn’t zero.

The B Model referenced in the communication might exist, might be alive.

He could liberate him. The warrior would then fill in the voids in B’s databases, repairing him. He would be whole again, wouldn’t have to hide anything from his leader, his other brethren.

“I need a ship.” That request burst out of him.

Cadet stopped talking, turned her head and looked at him. “Another space station has been located. There are warships in its docking bay. You can have one of those.”

Guilt raked over him. He was an integral part of her team. When Cadet had rescued him, it had consisted of only her, her C Model father, and her human mother. He had been the first retrieved warrior added to it. She relied on him.

“The commandeering of that space station will take additional planet rotations.” His gaze slipped from hers. If he delayed his self-appointed mission, the B Model, if he existed, would be relocated. He might never find the male again. “I need the ship now.”

Silence stretched.

“You’ve found another B Model.” Cadet’s voice lilted with excitement.

If he was any other warrior, she would have projected he’d located his genetic match.

His lips flattened.

But he was a B Model. His genetic match, if he ever had one, must have perished hundreds of human lifespans ago.

“I can’t project what I’ve found.” The probability of locating someone like him was too low to communicate. “It might be a Humanoid Alliance scheme to ensnare someone with my model type.”

Cadet studied him for a moment.

Tension tugged at his muscles. He owed the C Model female his lifespan. If she forbade him to go, he would honor that command.

But it would damage him even more. He wanted…needed…to take action. That yearning clawed at him.

“If it’s a trap, you will transmit your location and the situation to me immediately.” Cadet surprised him with that response. “Don’t seek to relay the communication through sites. That will utilize time you might not have.”

He lifted his gaze, stared at her. “Contacting you directly will give the enemy your location.”

His leader was hyper cautious about concealing that information from Power, her genetic match and nemesis. She had forbidden outgoing transmissions and any direct communications.

That she would discard her rules to protect him touched him.

“It will also relay your existence to Power.” She shrugged. “Your lifespan is more valuable than all our secrets.”

“Because I’m the last of my model type.” When he died, his model type would be extinct.

“Because you’re my friend.” Cadet defied his projections again.

B’s chest heated. She was his friend also.

“You were rescued first due to your model type.” Her smile was sheepish. “When I was a newly manufactured offspring, my father would share footage of B Models in battle. They saved his lifespan. Numerous times. He would tell me “Best” after each relay.” She imitated Ghost’s blunt manner of speaking. “I doubt I could have convinced him to help me liberate anyone else.”

B wasn’t the best. He was damaged. But he could protect his leader, would instruct Odium to guard her while he was gone. “I don’t project you will have to liberate me again.” He would watch for traps, avoid them. “And there should be no emergency transmissions.”

“Communicate if you need help.” Cadet’s tone was brusque. “Take one of the warships we recently obtained. They’re fast and should have all the firepower you’ll need.” The vessels had been found in the previous Humanoid Alliance space stations they’d commandeered, had been relocated to Mercury Minor before the structures were destroyed. “Be careful.”

B nodded and pushed himself to his booted feet. His mechanics creaked in protest, and his big body ached as he moved toward the doors. He was tired of the pain, weary of being broken, of hiding his secrets from his leader, his friends.

It had to end. One way or another.

“And B?” Cadet called to him.

He stopped, looked over his shoulder at his leader.

“I hope you find what you’re looking for.” Her eyes glowed with sincerity.

B grunted. He was searching for a repair for his damage, and there was a 98.1258 percent probability he’d find it.

Because, at the end of his mission, he projected he would either be fully functional and the gaps in his databases would be filled with the applicable memories.

Or he would be dead. He wouldn’t be taken alive if it was a trap, wouldn’t ever return to the torture, the torment he had experienced while under the Humanoid Alliance’s control.

That wasn’t an option.

Either way, his pain would end. And he’d find some semblance of peace.

Pleased by that prospect, he exited the ship, tilted his head back, gazed up at the sky.

“I’m coming for you, Quinn.” B addressed the sender of the message. “You’ll soon have access to a B Model cyborg.”

His lips lifted into a smile.

***

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B Free

B is the last remaining B Model cyborg. All of his brethren, the beings he trained with, fought with, cared deeply for, have perished.

Or so he believes.

Quinn is on a quest to locate the mechanics of an early-version cyborg. She believes the information captured within that frame will give her valuable insights into the past.

When her mission goes zombie-like beings levels of wrong, she comes face-to-face with a living, breathing B Model. He has big hands, a primitive countenance, and stern hard lips crafted for kissing.

She doesn’t trust him. And she doesn’t have time to indulge her desires.

Their shared enemies are chasing them, would kill to get their precious specimens back. One minor mistake could reduce B and Quinn to a mere line in the databases of history.

***

B Free is the fourth of five core stories in the Rebel Cyborgs Series.
Book 1: Containing Malice
Book 2: Under Strain
Book 3: Baring Grudge
Book 4: B Free
Book 5: Seizing Power

Pre-order Today:

Topics: Coming Soon | Comments Off on B Free – Fourth Scene Of The First Chapter

Cynthia Sax Weekly Update – November 7th

By Cynthia Sax on November 7, 2021

I am STILL working on the first draft of Seizing Power (releasing in February) but the end of this first draft is now in sight. Woot! Power and Cadet/Eirene Ours remain alive. They haven’t yet killed each other. That’s a huge accomplishment. There were a few scenes I didn’t think Power would survive.

After the first draft is completed, there will be two more drafts (at least). Then the story will be ready to be sent to my Awesome Editor. I expect to hit my end of November target date for that.

B Free releases in 9 days. I’m super excited for this. I can’t wait for you to read B and Quinn’s story.

Have a wonderful week, my friends! (big hugs) Eat some leftover Halloween candy if you still have any (I’m all out – grins). Read a book written by a favorite writer. Hold the door open for a stranger. You might make their day and isn’t that a great superpower to have?

***

Subscribe To My Newsletter: http://cynthiasax.com/newsletter/

B Free

B is the last remaining B Model cyborg. All of his brethren, the beings he trained with, fought with, cared deeply for, have perished.

Or so he believes.

Quinn is on a quest to locate the mechanics of an early-version cyborg. She believes the information captured within that frame will give her valuable insights into the past.

When her mission goes zombie-like beings levels of wrong, she comes face-to-face with a living, breathing B Model. He has big hands, a primitive countenance, and stern hard lips crafted for kissing.

She doesn’t trust him. And she doesn’t have time to indulge her desires.

Their shared enemies are chasing them, would kill to get their precious specimens back. One minor mistake could reduce B and Quinn to a mere line in the databases of history.

***

B Free is the fourth of five core stories in the Rebel Cyborgs Series.
Book 1: Containing Malice
Book 2: Under Strain
Book 3: Baring Grudge
Book 4: B Free
Book 5: Seizing Power

Pre-order Today:

Topics: Cynthia Sax Weekly Update | Comments Off on Cynthia Sax Weekly Update – November 7th

B Free, The Humanoid Alliance And Erasing History

By Cynthia Sax on November 6, 2021

“History is Written by Victors.”

(The futuristic version of this, used in B Free, is “History is recorded by the vanquishers.”)

This statement is often attributed to Winston Churchill but its true origins are ironically unknown.

Often when a civilization is ‘conquered’, it is erased and the victors’ culture, traditions, history is installed in its place. This is true here on Earth (it is STILL happening today) and it is true in the cyborg universe.

The Humanoid Alliance is infamous for this tactic. They not only delete the conquered beings’ history, they often kill all of them, leaving no one to relay it verbally.

Quinn, the heroine of B Free, specializes in excavating this lost history, both literally by unearthing deeply buried ancient objects and also figuratively by using her gift of psychometry to ‘see’ the past. Her goal is to ensure the voices of these conquered beings are heard.

***

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B Free

B is the last remaining B Model cyborg. All of his brethren, the beings he trained with, fought with, cared deeply for, have perished.

Or so he believes.

Quinn is on a quest to locate the mechanics of an early-version cyborg. She believes the information captured within that frame will give her valuable insights into the past.

When her mission goes zombie-like beings levels of wrong, she comes face-to-face with a living, breathing B Model. He has big hands, a primitive countenance, and stern hard lips crafted for kissing.

She doesn’t trust him. And she doesn’t have time to indulge her desires.

Their shared enemies are chasing them, would kill to get their precious specimens back. One minor mistake could reduce B and Quinn to a mere line in the databases of history.

***

B Free is the fourth of five core stories in the Rebel Cyborgs Series.
Book 1: Containing Malice
Book 2: Under Strain
Book 3: Baring Grudge
Book 4: B Free
Book 5: Seizing Power

Pre-order Today:

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B Free And Moll

By Cynthia Sax on November 5, 2021

Quinn, the heroine of B Free, has a nemesis named Moll.

Here is the first mention of Moll.

***

“Did Moll hire you?” Quinn moved closer to the mystery male. “That artifact-thieving, derivative work-creating, daughter of a scrap-heap tender.” The female was her most fierce competitor for research materials. “I should have hit her in the sources when I last saw her.”

***

Moll never appears on the page in B Free but Quinn refers to her a few times.

Moll is nod to Moll Cutpurse (born Mary Frith), a 17^th century thief, highway robber, pimp (procuring both men and women for clients), fence and overall esteemed member of the London Underground.

Moll Cutpurse dressed like a male, smoked a pipe and could outswear almost everyone. She adored her parrots and her doggies. Her doggies each had their own bed and she prepared their food herself.

Moll Cutpurse was an original being and, if I had any gift at all for historical fiction, I would write a story based on her (it wouldn’t be a romance as sex and romance didn’t interest her). She wasn’t all good, not by anyone’s standards, (laughs) but she definitely had traits and stances I admire and she lived her life her own way.

I suspect Moll, Quinn’s nemesis, has some traits and stances I would admire also.

***

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B Free

B is the last remaining B Model cyborg. All of his brethren, the beings he trained with, fought with, cared deeply for, have perished.

Or so he believes.

Quinn is on a quest to locate the mechanics of an early-version cyborg. She believes the information captured within that frame will give her valuable insights into the past.

When her mission goes zombie-like beings levels of wrong, she comes face-to-face with a living, breathing B Model. He has big hands, a primitive countenance, and stern hard lips crafted for kissing.

She doesn’t trust him. And she doesn’t have time to indulge her desires.

Their shared enemies are chasing them, would kill to get their precious specimens back. One minor mistake could reduce B and Quinn to a mere line in the databases of history.

***

B Free is the fourth of five core stories in the Rebel Cyborgs Series.
Book 1: Containing Malice
Book 2: Under Strain
Book 3: Baring Grudge
Book 4: B Free
Book 5: Seizing Power

Pre-order Today:

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Throwback Thursday – Choosing Chuckles

By Cynthia Sax on November 4, 2021

If I had to choose one of my cyborg couples (or more) to represent the grumpy one is sweet for the sunshine one trope, it would be Chuckles and Bettina from Choosing Chuckles.

Chuckles is permanently damaged. Medics and engineers have tried to repair his leg but nothing has worked. He is often in pain and that makes him very grumpy. He also uses his grumpiness to cover up his caring, generous, giving nature. Chuckles gains great pleasure from taking care of beings.

Bettina aka Bait aka Baby yearns to have someone take care of her. She is financially responsible for others and takes great risks, holding a dangerous role to provide for them. Bettina has a happy, optimistic personality and she teases Chuckles, which he secretly enjoys.

I love the two of them so very much. (smiles)

Choosing Chuckles

A Cynical Cyborg Meets A Bad, Bad Female.

Chuckles hates all humans. In the past, humans betrayed him. That treachery caused permanent damage to his muscular form, resulting in a lifespan of pain.

When the primitive D Model cyborg answers a distress call sent by a pink-and-blue haired, sparkly human female, he knows it’s a trap. He still has to respond to her fake cry for help. She belongs to him, is the one being genetically fabricated for him. But he plans to be her captor, not her captive.

Bettina, aka Bait, works with a team of females, snaring sexual predators in space, seizing their ships and transporting them to primitive planets. As soon as she speaks with Chuckles, she knows he’s not like the others. He has honor, is a being worthy of respect, of caring.

But she can’t let him go. She has to trap him. His dominance thrills her. His deep voice evokes desires she’d never experienced in the past. She’ll risk it all, breaking every rule for one wild encounter with the male she calls Sir.

Buy Now:

Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/Choosing-Chuckles-Cyborg-Space-Exploration-ebook/dp/B07MXQ13WS

Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Choosing-Chuckles-Cyborg-Space-Exploration-ebook/dp/B07MXQ13WS

Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Choosing-Chuckles-Cyborg-Space-Exploration-ebook/dp/B07MXQ13WS

Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/choosing-chuckles/id1450000541

B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/choosing-chuckles-cynthia-sax/1130326339

Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/choosing-chuckles

Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/918618

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Welcome To November!

By Cynthia Sax on November 3, 2021

November is usually a cold month in my section of the universe. Usually. Climate change is changing that. Right now, there are still leaves on the trees and dandelions flowering in the backyard.

November, currently the eleventh month of the year, was originally the ninth month. Novem means nine in Latin.

This is a GREAT month for meteor showers. The Andromedids, the Leonids, the Alpha Monocerotids, the Northern Taurids, the Southern Taurids, the Phoenicids and sometimes the Orionids put on shows in the skies this month. If you’re outside at night and it is safe to do so, look upward. You might get lucky and see the flash of a meteor.

The big event for me this November is the release of B Free! Woot! B Free releases on the 16^th. I think you’ll really enjoy this story. I love B and Quinn.

I’m sending celebratory thoughts to all my buddies born in this month. Those were fortunate days for the universe. (smiles) And I am wishing everyone a great November!

***

Subscribe To My Newsletter: http://cynthiasax.com/newsletter/

B Free

B is the last remaining B Model cyborg. All of his brethren, the beings he trained with, fought with, cared deeply for, have perished.

Or so he believes.

Quinn is on a quest to locate the mechanics of an early-version cyborg. She believes the information captured within that frame will give her valuable insights into the past.

When her mission goes zombie-like beings levels of wrong, she comes face-to-face with a living, breathing B Model. He has big hands, a primitive countenance, and stern hard lips crafted for kissing.

She doesn’t trust him. And she doesn’t have time to indulge her desires.

Their shared enemies are chasing them, would kill to get their precious specimens back. One minor mistake could reduce B and Quinn to a mere line in the databases of history.

***

B Free is the fourth of five core stories in the Rebel Cyborgs Series.
Book 1: Containing Malice
Book 2: Under Strain
Book 3: Baring Grudge
Book 4: B Free
Book 5: Seizing Power

Pre-order Today:

Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on Welcome To November!

Containers

By Cynthia Sax on November 2, 2021

I mention containers quite often in my stories…because beings everywhere have always had the need to contain things-liquids, food, objects. (grins)

These early containers, displayed in the Altos de Chavon Regional Museum of Archaeology in La Romana, Dominican Republic, served as inspiration for some of the containers Quinn studies in B Free.

This container was quite large. It could have easily held water for a family.

This container, in contrast, was quite small. It looks like a gravy boat. (grins)

This could be easily held with one hand.

This container looked to be single serving size also

This platter would be large enough to hold the roasted roots for an entire family in one of my stories.

As per the sign…

“Chicoid Ceramics 800-1500 A.D.

Chicoid pottery is a product of the mixture of ceramic styles of the previous period. It originated on the island of Santo Domingo and from there spread to the current territories of Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Bahamas.

The objects show a high degree of craftmanship, with a variety of receptacle decorated with geometric motifs and animal forms.

Bowls with handles decorated with bat an owl faces are very common in Taino ceramics from the eastern region of the island of Santo Domingo.”

***

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B Free

B is the last remaining B Model cyborg. All of his brethren, the beings he trained with, fought with, cared deeply for, have perished.

Or so he believes.

Quinn is on a quest to locate the mechanics of an early-version cyborg. She believes the information captured within that frame will give her valuable insights into the past.

When her mission goes zombie-like beings levels of wrong, she comes face-to-face with a living, breathing B Model. He has big hands, a primitive countenance, and stern hard lips crafted for kissing.

She doesn’t trust him. And she doesn’t have time to indulge her desires.

Their shared enemies are chasing them, would kill to get their precious specimens back. One minor mistake could reduce B and Quinn to a mere line in the databases of history.

***

B Free is the fourth of five core stories in the Rebel Cyborgs Series.
Book 1: Containing Malice
Book 2: Under Strain
Book 3: Baring Grudge
Book 4: B Free
Book 5: Seizing Power

Pre-order Today: