Muse Food – Framing And Trees
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I were trekking around Sitka National Historical Park in Alaska and we saw this gap in a tree trunk.
It isn’t very interesting, is it?
But look at it with the framing.
THAT is something different, special, exciting.
Framing is very important for images and it is also very important for stories. The most mundane scene can be thrilling if it is framed properly. The scenes before and after it can add tremendous emotion.
***
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Intrepid Encounter
(This blurb is VERY rough.)
Cyborg vs. Valkyrie
Blood will be spilled and hearts will be captured.
Intrepid and his crew on the Dauntless guard the border to the cyborg sector. The D Model cyborg captain has dedicated his lifespan to protecting their homeland. He’ll do anything to secure the space and keep his brethren safe.
That includes confronting a Valkyrie intent on vengeance.
The female warrior is beautiful, brave, strong…and Intrepid’s genetic match. She is the one being he is fated to claim. Her voice causes his circuits to hum. Her caresses produce a passion he struggles to control.
But if he has to stop her…permanently…to protect his kind, he will make that sacrifice.
Olrun has been tracking the whereabouts of a one-of-a-kind object. The stolen item is critical to the safety of Valkyries everywhere and she will do anything to retrieve it.
That includes waging war on a tall, broad-shouldered cyborg warrior sporting brilliant blue eyes and grimly set lips.
The male might…just might have battle skills matching her own. And that excites the immortal fighter. She craves his rough touch, his punishing embrace, his stern words.
But Olrun’s desire for the cyborg won’t distract her from achieving her goal. She will shield her Valkyrie sisters from danger, even if that means ending Intrepid’s lifespan in the process.
***
Intrepid Encounter is an enemies-to-lovers Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features a protective cyborg, a vengeful Valkyrie and a destiny neither of them can predict.
Pre-order Today:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/Intrepid-Encounter-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0C8BN96D1
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Intrepid-Encounter-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0C8BN96D1
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Intrepid-Encounter-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0C8BN96D1
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/intrepid-encounter/id6450374920
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/intrepid-encounter-cynthia-sax/1143664740
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/intrepid-encounter
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/1409350
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Muse Food – Fighting The Flow
The Dear Wonderful Hubby took this photo in Ketchikan, Alaska.
As implied by the salmon statue, the salmon swim upstream, navigating the rapids in order to reach their spawning grounds. This takes a LOT of effort, almost a miraculous amount of it. They’re fighting gravity and they’re literally swimming against the stream.
I remember that when I’m fighting a story, when I’m trying to force it where I want it to go. It is much easier to ‘swim with the stream’ and follow the story where it naturally leads.
I often find that results in a better story also!
***
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Intrepid Encounter
(This blurb is VERY rough.)
Cyborg vs. Valkyrie
Blood will be spilled and hearts will be captured.
Intrepid and his crew on the Dauntless guard the border to the cyborg sector. The D Model cyborg captain has dedicated his lifespan to protecting their homeland. He’ll do anything to secure the space and keep his brethren safe.
That includes confronting a Valkyrie intent on vengeance.
The female warrior is beautiful, brave, strong…and Intrepid’s genetic match. She is the one being he is fated to claim. Her voice causes his circuits to hum. Her caresses produce a passion he struggles to control.
But if he has to stop her…permanently…to protect his kind, he will make that sacrifice.
Olrun has been tracking the whereabouts of a one-of-a-kind object. The stolen item is critical to the safety of Valkyries everywhere and she will do anything to retrieve it.
That includes waging war on a tall, broad-shouldered cyborg warrior sporting brilliant blue eyes and grimly set lips.
The male might…just might have battle skills matching her own. And that excites the immortal fighter. She craves his rough touch, his punishing embrace, his stern words.
But Olrun’s desire for the cyborg won’t distract her from achieving her goal. She will shield her Valkyrie sisters from danger, even if that means ending Intrepid’s lifespan in the process.
***
Intrepid Encounter is an enemies-to-lovers Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features a protective cyborg, a vengeful Valkyrie and a destiny neither of them can predict.
Pre-order Today:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/Intrepid-Encounter-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0C8BN96D1
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Intrepid-Encounter-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0C8BN96D1
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Intrepid-Encounter-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0C8BN96D1
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/intrepid-encounter/id6450374920
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/intrepid-encounter-cynthia-sax/1143664740
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/intrepid-encounter
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/1409350
Topics: Muse Food | Comments Off on Muse Food – Fighting The Flow
Muse Food – Glaciers And Changing Landscapes
When the Dear Wonderful Hubby and I visit Alaska, we see the impact the retreating glaciers have and have had on the landscape there.
The glaciers carve into rock. They transport other rocks thousands of miles. They create new lakes and streams, which, in turn, change the area around them.
The glaciers are a land-changing force. And it prompts me to think about what land-changing forces are impacting the alien planets and other settings my stories occur in.
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Strive For Forever
This cyborg seeks to vanquish an ancient entity and save his curvy human female.
Euryale made a terrible mistake. She opened a container she shouldn’t have touched and released one of the oldest lifeforms in existence. That all-powerful entity is now utilizing her as its host body and is slowly draining her energy.
Soon, she’ll die.
Euryale has accepted this fate and is determined to use her remaining moments in the universe to save as many lives as she can.
Her plans do NOT include a smoldering-hot, poetry-wielding cyborg willing to decimate entire planets to save her.
While under the control of the Humanoid Alliance, Strive, a K Model cyborg, disobeyed direct orders and refused to kill on their behalf. If he hadn’t escaped their cruel clutches, his defiance would have led to his death.
The male knowingly risked that fate to save the lifespans of complete strangers.
There is nothing he wouldn’t do to protect Euryale. The curvy human female is his genetic match, the one being he is destined to defend.
And she is in danger.
Strive would break every vow, cross every boundary, risk absolutely everything to keep her from harm.
Including battle a deity no one has ever defeated.
***
Strive For Forever is Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features an inspired cyborg, a joke-cracking scientist, and an all-powerful deity with plans of his own.
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/Strive-Forever-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BSMXYHPC
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Strive-Forever-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BSMXYHPC
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Strive-Forever-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BSMXYHPC
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/strive-for-forever/id6445480449
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/strive-for-forever-cynthia-sax/1142963331
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/strive-for-forever
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1322272
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Muse Food – Orca Sculptures And Second Glances
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I spotted this wonderful sculpture of an orca (killer whale) near Hoonah, Alaska.
The Dear Wonderful Hubby had the clever idea of photographing it so the orca looks like she’s jumping into the sky.
If someone looked at it quickly, they might think it was a real orca.
But on a second slower glance, they’d realize it was a skillfully-wrought sculpture.
I like to craft characters in stories that way also.
At first glance, you might think, for example, Strive doesn’t pay attention to the world around him. He appears ‘lost’ in his art and in his own processing.
But once you get to know him, you realize he pays attention to EVERYTHING. He sees the details in a scene. He hears the nuances in a friend’s voice. He’s ‘lost’ but he’s lost in the moment.
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Strive For Forever
This cyborg seeks to vanquish an ancient entity and save his curvy human female.
Euryale made a terrible mistake. She opened a container she shouldn’t have touched and released one of the oldest lifeforms in existence. That all-powerful entity is now utilizing her as its host body and is slowly draining her energy.
Soon, she’ll die.
Euryale has accepted this fate and is determined to use her remaining moments in the universe to save as many lives as she can.
Her plans do NOT include a smoldering-hot, poetry-wielding cyborg willing to decimate entire planets to save her.
While under the control of the Humanoid Alliance, Strive, a K Model cyborg, disobeyed direct orders and refused to kill on their behalf. If he hadn’t escaped their cruel clutches, his defiance would have led to his death.
The male knowingly risked that fate to save the lifespans of complete strangers.
There is nothing he wouldn’t do to protect Euryale. The curvy human female is his genetic match, the one being he is destined to defend.
And she is in danger.
Strive would break every vow, cross every boundary, risk absolutely everything to keep her from harm.
Including battle a deity no one has ever defeated.
***
Strive For Forever is Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features an inspired cyborg, a joke-cracking scientist, and an all-powerful deity with plans of his own.
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/Strive-Forever-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BSMXYHPC
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Strive-Forever-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BSMXYHPC
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Strive-Forever-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BSMXYHPC
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/strive-for-forever/id6445480449
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/strive-for-forever-cynthia-sax/1142963331
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/strive-for-forever
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1322272
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Muse Food – Starfish And Origins Of Myths
When the Dear Wonderful Hubby and I were in Hoonah, Alaska ago, we spotted hundreds of starfish stranded on the rocky beach during low tide.
Most of them should have been okay (including the starfish in the photo). The day was overcast. The temperatures were cool. There was water between the rocks. They should have survived.
Some of the starfish, however, were in danger of being squashed by humans. They were on popular routes and people weren’t being very cautious.
So the Dear Wonderful Hubby and I carefully moved as many of them as we could.
We joked about how those starfish would have stories to tell their buddies. They were in one place. A giant hand picked them up. And suddenly, almost miraculously, they were in another place.
(grins) That is how legends and myths are created.
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Strive For Forever
This cyborg seeks to vanquish an ancient entity and save his curvy human female.
Euryale made a terrible mistake. She opened a container she shouldn’t have touched and released one of the oldest lifeforms in existence. That all-powerful entity is now utilizing her as its host body and is slowly draining her energy.
Soon, she’ll die.
Euryale has accepted this fate and is determined to use her remaining moments in the universe to save as many lives as she can.
Her plans do NOT include a smoldering-hot, poetry-wielding cyborg willing to decimate entire planets to save her.
While under the control of the Humanoid Alliance, Strive, a K Model cyborg, disobeyed direct orders and refused to kill on their behalf. If he hadn’t escaped their cruel clutches, his defiance would have led to his death.
The male knowingly risked that fate to save the lifespans of complete strangers.
There is nothing he wouldn’t do to protect Euryale. The curvy human female is his genetic match, the one being he is destined to defend.
And she is in danger.
Strive would break every vow, cross every boundary, risk absolutely everything to keep her from harm.
Including battle a deity no one has ever defeated.
***
Strive For Forever is Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features an inspired cyborg, a joke-cracking scientist, and an all-powerful deity with plans of his own.
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/Strive-Forever-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BSMXYHPC
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Strive-Forever-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BSMXYHPC
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Strive-Forever-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BSMXYHPC
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/strive-for-forever/id6445480449
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/strive-for-forever-cynthia-sax/1142963331
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/strive-for-forever
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1322272
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Muse Food – Tlingit Canoe And Decorating Important Objects
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I admired this Tlingit Canoe we spotted in Sitka, Alaska.
We’ve noticed that almost every culture decorates some versions of the objects important to them.
The Tlingit are people tied closely to the water. They decorated some of their canoes.
If people are farmers, they decorate some of the baskets used to gather crops from the fields.
Warrior groups decorate their swords. People in a dry climate decorate their water pots.
I think of this when I’m writing or reading about alien cultures. If an item is beautifully decorated, it usually has some significance to those beings.
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Strive For Forever
This cyborg seeks to vanquish an ancient entity and save his curvy human female.
Euryale made a terrible mistake. She opened a container she shouldn’t have touched and released one of the oldest lifeforms in existence. That all-powerful entity is now utilizing her as its host body and is slowly draining her energy.
Soon, she’ll die.
Euryale has accepted this fate and is determined to use her remaining moments in the universe to save as many lives as she can.
Her plans do NOT include a smoldering-hot, poetry-wielding cyborg willing to decimate entire planets to save her.
While under the control of the Humanoid Alliance, Strive, a K Model cyborg, disobeyed direct orders and refused to kill on their behalf. If he hadn’t escaped their cruel clutches, his defiance would have led to his death.
The male knowingly risked that fate to save the lifespans of complete strangers.
There is nothing he wouldn’t do to protect Euryale. The curvy human female is his genetic match, the one being he is destined to defend.
And she is in danger.
Strive would break every vow, cross every boundary, risk absolutely everything to keep her from harm.
Including battle a deity no one has ever defeated.
***
Strive For Forever is Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features an inspired cyborg, a joke-cracking scientist, and an all-powerful deity with plans of his own.
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/Strive-Forever-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BSMXYHPC
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Strive-Forever-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BSMXYHPC
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Strive-Forever-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BSMXYHPC
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/strive-for-forever/id6445480449
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/strive-for-forever-cynthia-sax/1142963331
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/strive-for-forever
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1322272
Topics: Muse Food | Comments Off on Muse Food – Tlingit Canoe And Decorating Important Objects
Muse Food – Interesting Pairings And Alaska Ravens
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I spotted this magnificent raven perched on a beached boat near Hoonah, Alaska.
A raven on his own isn’t noteworthy in Alaska. A beached boat isn’t noteworthy either.
But when these two elements are combined, it becomes an interesting sight.
Combinations of things or events or beings can add interest to stories also. He is a cyborg warrior, for example, and he carries around and cares for a potted plant. Or she is a human medic and she has sweets hidden in her jacket pocket. Bam. The character becomes much more intriguing.
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Strive For Forever
This cyborg seeks to vanquish an ancient entity and save his curvy human female.
Euryale made a terrible mistake. She opened a container she shouldn’t have touched and released one of the oldest lifeforms in existence. That all-powerful entity is now utilizing her as its host body and is slowly draining her energy.
Soon, she’ll die.
Euryale has accepted this fate and is determined to use her remaining moments in the universe to save as many lives as she can.
Her plans do NOT include a smoldering-hot, poetry-wielding cyborg willing to decimate entire planets to save her.
While under the control of the Humanoid Alliance, Strive, a K Model cyborg, disobeyed direct orders and refused to kill on their behalf. If he hadn’t escaped their cruel clutches, his defiance would have led to his death.
The male knowingly risked that fate to save the lifespans of complete strangers.
There is nothing he wouldn’t do to protect Euryale. The curvy human female is his genetic match, the one being he is destined to defend.
And she is in danger.
Strive would break every vow, cross every boundary, risk absolutely everything to keep her from harm.
Including battle a deity no one has ever defeated.
***
Strive For Forever is Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features an inspired cyborg, a joke-cracking scientist, and an all-powerful deity with plans of his own.
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/Strive-Forever-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BSMXYHPC
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Strive-Forever-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BSMXYHPC
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Strive-Forever-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BSMXYHPC
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/strive-for-forever/id6445480449
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/strive-for-forever-cynthia-sax/1142963331
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/strive-for-forever
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1322272
Topics: Muse Food | Comments Off on Muse Food – Interesting Pairings And Alaska Ravens
Wayback Wednesday – Last Resort
Last Resort is a short, fun story about one of those elusive Alaskan bachelors we often hear about. This is part of Changeling’s Foxy multi-author series based in Alaska. It was a blast to write!
By Cynthia Sax
Now Available From Changeling Press
Ren may flirt outrageously with everyone else, but his intentions
toward Sloane are till-death-do-us-part serious. He wants her in his
bed… permanently, and he plans to turn up the heat during this tour, making his stop her last resort.
Buy It Now: http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=1849
Buy It On ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-lastresortfoxy-924204-140.html
Buy It On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Foxy-Last-Resort-ebook/dp/B0095M3UWE
Buy It On B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/last-resort-cynthia-sax/1112679592
Topics: Wayback Wednesday | Comments Off on Wayback Wednesday – Last Resort