Sinful Rewards 6 – Fashions
One of the fun things about writing Sinful Rewards was looking at all of the different fashions. Sinful Rewards 6 has a couple great fashion moments.
This Jonathan Saunders Benni crepe and satin-crepe dress is very similar to the dress Angel wears to the club, except her dress was all black.
This is THE Hermès Le Mors à la Conetable’ Silk Twill Scarf that is featured in Sinful Rewards 6. I’ve had the good fortune to touch a similar scarf (not own it – laughs) and they are very delicate works of art. A Hermès scarf is definitely a classic accessory that can be worn forever and handed down from mother to daughter, a possibility that really appeals to Bee.
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Bee Carter has spent a lifetime creating her good-girl persona. Three harsh words uttered in anger shred this carefully crafted façade, testing her relationships.
Nicolas, her handsome billionaire, is hiding a decades-old secret. Bee’s scandal will draw unwanted attention to his dark past, placing the real estate empire he’s built and the employees he manages in peril. Hawke, her tattooed bad-boy biker, protects the rich and famous. His high-profile clients won’t want their bodyguard to be linked to Chicago’s wild woman.
Both men desire her, craving her touch with a white-hot passion, but who will risk everything to stand by her side—her biker or her billionaire?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00J7Q61WO
Avon: http://www.avonromance.com/book/cynthia-sax-sinful-rewards-6
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-6-cynthia-sax/1119919840
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_6?id=5zzRAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-6/id847609485
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on Sinful Rewards 6 – Fashions
Writing Erotic Romance – Analyzing Scenes Part 1
This post has adult content. If you are under the age of eighteen years old and/or sensitive to adult language/situations, please do not read this post.
Since many of us are on holiday over these next two weeks, I thought I’d take a break from the learning heavy Writing Erotic Romance posts and illustrate how some of these tips can be put into action.
I’ll use scenes from Sinful Rewards 1 ( http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89H0 ). This isn’t because I think they are brilliantly written. As with most writers, I look at my own writing and see room for improvement. I’m using my scenes because I know what I was thinking and trying to do when I wrote them.
At exactly ten minutes after five, a sleek black limousine rolls to a stop in front of me. The door opens and a man barks, “Get in.” <-- Nicolas told Bee he’d arrive at EXACTLY this time. Bee believes she wants a reliable, constant man. Nicolas is definitely reliable. He does what he says he’ll do. This arriving exactly when he says he’ll arrive happens throughout all 12 installments. It is small quirk that makes him different. The limousine also tells readers that this is a man who doesn’t drive himself. Why doesn’t he drive himself? In Nicolas’s case, he’s a very busy man. He prefers to spend every minute he can working.
The urge to give him the finger is intense, but I obey because there’s no mistaking that irate tone. The man works for Nicolas, my husband-to-be.<-- Bee has backbone but she is more concerned about appearances than her pride. That she refers to him as her husband-to-be tells us that she is already thinking marriage at this first meet. She has crazy high expectations that I doubt any man could have met.
I settle back into the comfy leather seat, meet the man’s gaze, and suck in my breath. Correction. The man is Nicolas. <-- Bee likes luxury. She likes nice things. She notes the leather seat before she notes the man across from her.
He sprawls across from me, his arms and legs stretched out, his dark brown eyes glinting with intelligence. He’s well dressed, the craftsmanship of his suit even more impressive up close. He’s handsome, his countenance kissed by the gods.<-- The first thing she notices is the intelligence in his eyes. THEN she notices his clothes. If Bee was a true fashionista and completely fixated on appearances, she would have noticed his clothes first. That she notices an inner quality (his intelligence) hints that maybe she’s not as shallow as she acts. She also uses ‘kissed’ which is a passionate and physical description.
And unfortunately he’s a bit of an ass. <-- Nicolas might be her ideal man but Bee isn’t blind to his faults and she expects him to ‘woo’ her. She won’t make this easy for him.
As soon as this disloyal thought crosses my mind, I smother it with excuses. He’s had a bad day. He’s a busy man. He doesn’t know me. Once he realizes what type of a woman I am, how perfect we are for each other, he’ll treat me as I should be treated. <-- Again, Bee has her pride. She won’t be with a man simply because he’s handsome and has money. She’s also loyal and is trying her damnedest to remain loyal to Nicolas.
“This wasn’t supposed to cost me any additional time,” Nicolas grumbles, his gorgeous face twisted into a very ugly scowl. “That wasn’t the plan.”<-- THIS is key. Nicolas had a plan. That plan wasn’t to meet with Bee. What was the plan? Readers don’t find out until Sinful Rewards 7. Bee also always has plans, for her life, for her career, for her relationships. This hints that the two of them have things in common.
“What plan was that, Mr. Rainer?” I ask, not brave enough to call him by his first name. Once I uncover the problem, I can fix it and fix us. Then our relationship will be back on track and my world will right itself. <-- Bee loves to fix things. When she’s faced with a problem, she derives a solution. This is important because her relationship with Nicolas and her relationship with Hawke both have problems. She also doesn’t allow problems to fester. She addresses situations immediately.
Nicolas ignores my question. His gaze sweeps over me, pausing on my purse. I wiggle, acutely aware of its embarrassingly ragged condition. “Do you have my phone?” He gets straight to the point.<-- In the previous paragraph, we learned that Bee likes to address problems immediately. Nicolas’ response is to ignore her, to avoid talking about problems. This conflict will shape their entire relationship. When Nicolas looks at her ragged purse, Bee feels he’s judging her. In previous scenes, we’ve learned that Bee has been judged harshly in the past. That Nicolas judges her makes him ‘dangerous.’
“Yes, I have your phone.” I hide my frustration under a polite smile. This isn’t how this meeting played out in my fantasies. There are no expressions of eternal gratitude or undying love. Nicolas appears grumpy, as though I inconvenienced him by finding his phone. <-- Again, Bee had a plan. She plotted out in her mind how the entire meeting would unfold. The meeting isn’t going to plan and Nicolas isn’t the man she thought he was. Her wording (eternal and undying) is also important. Bee likes relationships that last.
I dig through my purse and hand the device to him. His fingers brush over mine, his hands soft and cool. He’s a vampire, minus the sparkles. My smile spreads, my heart lightening. And it’s daylight hours. This explains his foul mood and the tinted windows.<-- Vampires live forever. They never die, never ‘leave’. Bee is also justifying Nicolas’s bad behavior, stubbornly trying to remain loyal to him.
Nicolas slides the phone into his inside jacket pocket. His form is firm and lean. He’s not all bulging muscle as the tattooed stranger is, but he’s fit. <-- Bee is sitting across from her dream man and she’s thinking about a stranger she’s seen once, a man who represents everything she’s trying to avoid.
If you liked this post, you might like
Writing Erotic Romance – Balancing Sex And Plot
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Making Every Sex Scene Different
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Making Sex Sexy
or
Writing Erotic Romance – The Basics Of A Sex Scene
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Word Choice
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Sinful Rewards 1
Cynthia Sax
Belinda “Bee” Carter is a good girl; at least, that’s what she tells herself. And a good girl deserves a nice guy—just like the gorgeous and moody billionaire Nicolas Rainer. He is everything she wants in a man.
Or so she thinks, until she takes a look through her telescope and sees a naked, tattooed man on the balcony across the courtyard. Hawke is mysterious, the bad boy she knows will bring only heartbreak. He has been watching her, and that makes him all the more enticing.
But when a mysterious and anonymous text message dares her to do something bad, she must decide if she is really the good girl she has always claimed to be, or if she’s willing to risk everything for her secret fantasy of being watched.
Is her mystery man the reclusive billionaire with a wild side or the darkly dangerous bad boy?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-1-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B00I7V89H0
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards1-1560586-237.html
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-1-cynthia-sax/1119055390
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_1?id=g08ZAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-1/id814148703?mt=11
Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Writing Erotic Romance – Analyzing Scenes Part 1
Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays
Christmas Tree In Barbados
Merry Christmas to reading and writing buddies who celebrate! Happy Holidays if you don’t celebrate. No matter what, today is usually a family day. I will be spending it with my dear wonderful hubby!
Monkey Christmas Tree In Barbados
I’m taking the opportunity between Christmas and New Year’s to work on a new story. This story is a contemporary erotic romance with characters and a setting you haven’t seen before. Yes, the hero is a billionaire. He makes me smile and I think you’ll love him also.
Purple Christmas Tree In St. Thomas
I can’t share much more about this new project because it might change significantly before it is published. I don’t know who will be publishing it yet. My awesome agent handles those details.
Christmas Tree And Yacht In St Thomas
As for the unsuccessful hero in Sinful Rewards, I hope to also write his story in 2015 (and no, I won’t tell you who that hero is – grins). He is definitely hero material, especially after all of the activities in this story.
Christmas Decoration In St Kitts
I hope to write some more SciFi erotic romances in 2015 also. I have a novella that is half completed with a hard as rock (literally) alien hero.
Christmas Tree In St Kitts
But for now, I’m concentrating on the contemporary erotic romance and am looking forward to reading great erotic romances from writing buddies. If I’ve been a good girl (unlikely – grins), there will be some under the tree today!
Poinsettia Christmas Tree In Charlotte Airport North Carolina
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Nicolas Rainer, Chicago’s most sought-after billionaire bachelor, has finally decided what he wants, and that’s Bee Carter in his arms, forever. He shows up unannounced on her doorstep and kisses her until her toes curl and her body burns.
Nicolas wasn’t the sexy man Bee expected to see this morning. Hawke Masters, her tattooed former marine, is riding his customized chopper toward the condo building, anticipating an equally mind-meltingly erotic encounter.
Both men want her with a thrilling intensity. Neither her billionaire nor her biker wishes to share her affections. Is today the day Bee is forced to choose?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00IMHU7FG
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards5-1663924-237.html
Avon: http://www.avonromance.com/book/cynthia-sax-sinful-rewards-5
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-5-cynthia-sax/1119919838
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_5?id=nFaYAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-5/id828414457
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Sinful Rewards And Anticipation
Christmas At Selfridges
Christmas, for me, is all about the anticipation. I love thinking about how loved ones will react when they receive my gifts. I put a lot of thought into each one, trying to find the perfect presents.
When we were kids, we were very poor (we didn’t eat every day) and we couldn’t afford much. We could, however, dream and man, oh, man, did we! We’d grab a toy catalogue and study the pages for hours, envisioning all of the toys, who would receive what, who we’d invite to play with us. We had so much fun. Even now, I look back at that time and smile.
Bee feels this way about the rewards she earns from Friendly, her mysterious texter. Cyndi, her best friend, wants to open every box immediately. Bee likes to dream about what might be inside. Before she opens the box, anything is possible. The reward could be a gown she’s always wanted, tickets to Paris, a night out for Cyndi and herself.
I also feel this way about the remaining stories in Sinful Rewards. There are some wonderful scenes, some heart wrenching magical moments and I love thinking about how you’ll react when you read them.
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Bee Carter has spent a lifetime creating her good-girl persona. Three harsh words uttered in anger shred this carefully crafted façade, testing her relationships.
Nicolas, her handsome billionaire, is hiding a decades-old secret. Bee’s scandal will draw unwanted attention to his dark past, placing the real estate empire he’s built and the employees he manages in peril. Hawke, her tattooed bad-boy biker, protects the rich and famous. His high-profile clients won’t want their bodyguard to be linked to Chicago’s wild woman.
Both men desire her, craving her touch with a white-hot passion, but who will risk everything to stand by her side—her biker or her billionaire?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00J7Q61WO
Avon: http://www.avonromance.com/book/cynthia-sax-sinful-rewards-6
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-6-cynthia-sax/1119919840
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_6?id=5zzRAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-6/id847609485
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on Sinful Rewards And Anticipation
First Excerpt For Sinful Rewards 7
This post has adult content. If you are under the age of eighteen years old and/or sensitive to adult language/situations, please do not read this post.
Sinful Rewards 7 releases January 20th! Here is a first excerpt, leading up to Nicolas’s secret. Warning: Once you know his secret, you’ll want to read the first 6 stories again. This will totally change your perception of the billionaire and his encounters with Bee.
“It shows the world that I’m serious about you.” My billionaire meets my gaze, his expression solemn. “I am serious about you, Bee. I trust you. I feel comfortable around you.” He fiddles with his cuff links. “I can’t ask for more in a wife.”
He feels comfortable around me. A bleakness fills my heart. I shouldn’t say anything. Nicolas is offering me everything I’ve ever wanted—marriage, a forever commitment, wealth, a safe, secure home—and opening my mouth might mess all of that up. I should stay silent, swallow my misgivings.
Shit. I have to say something.
“You can ask for more,” I blurt. “You deserve love, passion, a woman who fries your brain with one touch of her fingers, a partner you can’t live without.”
Nicolas looks at me as though I’ve lost my mind.
Have I? A month ago, I might have been happy with the relationship we have. Now, I want more. I want to be his priority, his everything.
“When I’m with you, I’m happy,” Nicolas shares. “I haven’t been happy in . . .” He tilts his head, lines etching between his eyebrows, as he thinks. “I can’t remember the last time I was truly happy. The passion, all of the rest of it, will come.”
He sounds certain. I should let it go, but I can’t.
“If you knew what people are saying about me, you wouldn’t want me for a wife.” The stories Cyndi related disgust me. What will Nicolas think about them?
“What do you expect people to say?” His gorgeous face grows hard. “You live with a woman who has slept with half of Chicago and then you had lunch with an escort.”
My mouth opens, closes, opens again, this blunt truth from my sophisticated billionaire shocking me. I say nothing because there’s no refuting his words. Cyndi is proud of her slut status, and Lona is a high-class hooker.
“But we’ll change that.” Nicolas waves his hands in the air, dismissing my concerns. “You’ll attend dinners, parties, other events with me, no longer associate with Lona LaMarre or the Wynters girl, and—”
“Cyndi is my best friend.” I interrupt his not-so-grand plan. Lona is my friend also, but I decide to fight one battle at a time. “She lives in the same building. I’ll continue to associate with her.”
“Every time you’re seen with her, people will talk.”
If I wear a low-cut top, chat with a man, bend over in a skirt, do anything remotely risqué, people will talk. The rumors will never cease to circulate.
“I won’t turn my back on my best friend.” I lift my chin. “I’m loyal, remember?” I poke him in the chest with my finger. “Your investigator told you that.” His investigator was Hawke. “I can’t believe you asked me to abandon her.” I poke Nicolas again, disappointed in him. Hawke would never ask me to turn my back on Cyndi.
Nicolas catches my finger, stopping my assault. “I’m not asking you to do anything for me that I haven’t already done for you.”
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Bee Carter has been offered everything she has ever dreamed of—a caring, lasting relationship with a handsome, often charming billionaire; the permanent home she’s never had but has always craved; and wealth to buy the designer fashions she loves, support her hard-working mother, and ensure her acceptance by Chicago’s elite.
To obtain what she’s desired for so long, she has to do only two things: Walk away from her best friend, a woman who is destined to betray her … and end her passionate nightly encounters with a certain tattooed biker, a former Marine who can never give her what she needs.
Her answer should be clear, but the heart has a way of complicating even the most straightforward decisions.
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00JZOVYQG
Avon: http://www.avonromance.com/book/cynthia-sax-sinful-rewards-7
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-7-cynthia-sax/1119919841
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_7?id=CGsOBAAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-7/id870582006
Topics: Cover Reveal | Comments Off on First Excerpt For Sinful Rewards 7
Sinful Rewards And Dating Naked
One of my guilty pleasures is watching episodes of Dating Naked. Dating Naked is exactly what it sounds like—the participants go on blind dates while completely naked. The premise is that when people bare their bodies, they bare themselves.
This is similar to one of the premises of Sinful Rewards. When Bee first looks at Hawke, he’s standing on his balcony, completely naked. He has tattoos and scars. She reads his past on his skin. He’s open about who he is and what he wants.
In contrast, both Bee and Nicolas are very careful about who sees their bare bodies and who sees their true selves. They keep secrets, hiding under layers of clothing.
Thanks to Friendly, the mysterious texter, Bee engages in more and more daring displays of exhibitionism, revealing her body and her true self. Nicolas doesn’t reveal his body until Sinful Rewards 6, when he showers at Bee’s place. This undressing coincides with emotional sharing, an openness, and signals trust.
Yep, I appreciate the premise behind Dating Naked. The biggest issue I have with the show is the man’s physical reaction. The man is expected to control himself, to look at his beautiful date and not get an erection. It is shameful if he gets a boner.
I don’t know about you but when a man looks at my naked body, I WANT him to get an erection. I want him to lose control, to want me, to not think about anything other than touching me, being with me. I’ve been with my hubby for over twenty years and he still can’t carry on a conversation while I’m naked.
Would you date naked? If a man sees you naked, do you expect him to react or to control himself?
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Bee Carter has spent a lifetime creating her good-girl persona. Three harsh words uttered in anger shred this carefully crafted façade, testing her relationships.
Nicolas, her handsome billionaire, is hiding a decades-old secret. Bee’s scandal will draw unwanted attention to his dark past, placing the real estate empire he’s built and the employees he manages in peril. Hawke, her tattooed bad-boy biker, protects the rich and famous. His high-profile clients won’t want their bodyguard to be linked to Chicago’s wild woman.
Both men desire her, craving her touch with a white-hot passion, but who will risk everything to stand by her side—her biker or her billionaire?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00J7Q61WO
Avon: http://www.avonromance.com/book/cynthia-sax-sinful-rewards-6
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-6-cynthia-sax/1119919840
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_6?id=5zzRAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-6/id847609485
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on Sinful Rewards And Dating Naked
Sinful Rewards – Our Changing Relationship With Our Moms
When I was a kid, I viewed my mom as a superhuman being who could fix anything and never require fixing herself. She’d absorb all of my temper tantrums and never strike back. She knew everything, could do anything, could shield me from the darkness in the world.
Then, when I was a teenager, I said something horrible to her and she cried. This totally changed our relationship. I realized I had the ability to hurt my mom. In that moment, I viewed her as…well… human, not supermom but a regular person with her own doubts and fears and concerns.
In Sinful Rewards 6, Bee realizes that she can hurt her mom and yes, this changes their relationship also.
“What’s wrong, honeybee?” she answers, expecting the worse. There have been too many nasty surprises in my mom’s past for her to anticipate anything else.
“There’s nothing wrong,” I lie, not wishing to add to my mom’s problems. “But you might hear some crazy rumors about me. Don’t believe any of them. They’re not true.”
“I stopped listening to gossip when I was three months pregnant with you.” My mom sighs. Her shift hasn’t begun and she already sounds exhausted. “I’m sorry. I know you wanted to leave all of the gossip behind you and start fresh, pretending you had normal parents, parents who loved each other, who married and planned to have you.”
Oh God. She realized what I was trying to do. I wiggle, uncomfortable, unable to remain still. I never intended to hurt her. She’s my mom, the only person who has ever loved me.
“This is new gossip,” I assure her.
“There’s always new gossip, putting a different slant on the same ol’ history.” She misinterprets my reply. “You’re my daughter. Someone will uncover our connection, tell others, and the talk will follow you. It will never end, you’ll never have a normal life, and it’s all my fault.” Her voice wobbles, and I feel like shit. I caused my hardworking mom pain, made her feel less than unworthy.
“I’m so sorry, honeybee,” she apologizes yet again.
“I’m not sorry to be your daughter.” As I say these words, I realize they’re the truth. A month ago, I might have wished I’d been born into a traditional family, but that wouldn’t have given me the skills, the backbone of steel, I need to manage my latest disaster.
“I’m proud that you’re my mom,” I continue, wishing to tell her this, something I should have shared with her years ago. “You raised me on your own, sacrificing everything for me, teaching me that I can survive any situation. I need that now.”
Did you have that moment with your mom?
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Bee Carter has spent a lifetime creating her good-girl persona. Three harsh words uttered in anger shred this carefully crafted façade, testing her relationships.
Nicolas, her handsome billionaire, is hiding a decades-old secret. Bee’s scandal will draw unwanted attention to his dark past, placing the real estate empire he’s built and the employees he manages in peril. Hawke, her tattooed bad-boy biker, protects the rich and famous. His high-profile clients won’t want their bodyguard to be linked to Chicago’s wild woman.
Both men desire her, craving her touch with a white-hot passion, but who will risk everything to stand by her side—her biker or her billionaire?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00J7Q61WO
Avon: http://www.avonromance.com/book/cynthia-sax-sinful-rewards-6
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-6-cynthia-sax/1119919840
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_6?id=5zzRAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-6/id847609485
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on Sinful Rewards – Our Changing Relationship With Our Moms
Writing Erotic Romance – Christmas And Other Holidays
This post has adult content. If you are under the age of eighteen years old and/or sensitive to adult language/situations, please do not read this post.
Writers work on a fucked up schedule. Right now, I’m writing a story I hope will be released in August 2015. The story is set in the summer. I have the heat cranked in my writing cave and am listening to the Beach Boys. Many of the Christmas stories that are releasing this week were written in July (of this or the previous year).
What this means is…
We, writers, celebrate Christmas twice–once when we write a Christmas story and again when this story is released.
Note: I’ll be focusing on Christmas for this post but many of my insights can be used for other holidays. Christmas is the biggest holiday theme in erotic romance. Valentine’s Day themed stories are usually a tough sell. I’m not quite sure why.
Reasons To Write A Christmas Erotic Romance
One of the reasons Christmas stories are popular in the print world is because, traditionally, friends and family members give readers print books as presents. Print books can be wrapped and placed under trees or in stocking. A Christmas theme signals to loved ones that the book is likely a recent release. The reader might not already have it.
In the eBook world (and erotic romance sales are mostly eBook), the sales bump occurs after Christmas. Readers have received gift cards for presents and are looking for stories for themselves. They are less likely to purchase Christmas stories because…well…Christmas is over. This is one of the downsides of Christmas stories. They don’t normally sell during the rest of the year. There’s a two month window for sales (November and December) and that’s it.
However, some eBook only writers craft Christmas stories to take advantage of promotional opportunities. Maybe they want to have a story to feature on themed days or parties. Or their publishers might be promoting a Christmas themed series.
Plus Christmas stories are often light and fun, making readers happy. I certainly enjoy writing them.
Celebrate The Season Right
Do writers have to celebrate Christmas to write a Christmas erotic romance? Of course not. I’ve never had a ménage with two hunky well-hung aliens and I’ve written hot, steamy stories on that subject. Researching and writing a Christmas story is easy peasy by comparison.
BUT (and yes, this is a big but – insert ass joke here – grins) we should understand why readers read and love Christmas erotic romances.
Normally, Christmas erotic romances are even more hopeful and positive than non-Christmas erotic romances. There are some common erotic fantasies (having sex with Santa Claus, being on the naughty list, receiving a hot naked man for Christmas). Meshing a childhood memory with a very adult fantasy jacks up the naughtiness level.
Most Christmas erotic romances don’t touch the religious aspect of the holiday. I’m not saying it can’t be done (there are no rules in writing) but be cautious about this and know that you might offend readers.
Anti-Christmas Stories
Some readers hate Christmas. A few of my writing buddies have published anti-Christmas stories, thinking to appeal to these readers. These aren’t Scrooge stories (which is another popular theme in erotic romance – even the grumpiest Scrooge can be won over by three or four mind blowing orgasms). The characters don’t discover the Christmas spirit (between the sheets). These stories are truly anti-Christmas.
Unfortunately, my friends’ stories didn’t sell well. Why? The issue with anti-Christmas stories is that readers who hate Christmas don’t want ANYTHING to do with Christmas. They don’t want to read about characters hating Christmas. They don’t want their stories to mention Christmas at all.
There’s also a marketing challenge. At Christmas themed events, all of the readers love Christmas. Where is the anti-Christmas readership?
Again, I’m not saying your anti-Christmas erotic romance won’t be hugely successful. It simply has some sales challenges.
Setting The Mood For Christmas In July
When I wrote my Christmas stories, I listened to Christmas music all month long. Yep, I was listening to Deck The Halls in July. It drove my hubby bonkers. Some of my writing buddies decorate their writing caves. They might crank up the air conditioning or bake gingerbread cookies.
Do whatever puts you in the Christmas mood. You’ll look crazy but hey, you’re a writer. Everyone already assumes you’re nuts.
Do you have any tips for writing/publishing holiday erotic romances?
If you liked this post, you might like
Writing Erotic Romance – Balancing Sex And Plot
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Making Every Sex Scene Different
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Making Sex Sexy
or
Writing Erotic Romance – The Basics Of A Sex Scene
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Word Choice
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Nicolas Rainer, Chicago’s most sought-after billionaire bachelor, has finally decided what he wants, and that’s Bee Carter in his arms, forever. He shows up unannounced on her doorstep and kisses her until her toes curl and her body burns.
Nicolas wasn’t the sexy man Bee expected to see this morning. Hawke Masters, her tattooed former marine, is riding his customized chopper toward the condo building, anticipating an equally mind-meltingly erotic encounter.
Both men want her with a thrilling intensity. Neither her billionaire nor her biker wishes to share her affections. Is today the day Bee is forced to choose?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00IMHU7FG
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards5-1663924-237.html
Avon: http://www.avonromance.com/book/cynthia-sax-sinful-rewards-5
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-5-cynthia-sax/1119919838
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_5?id=nFaYAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-5/id828414457
Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Writing Erotic Romance – Christmas And Other Holidays
Sinful Rewards 6 – I would recommend this series to anyone.
We have a review for Sinful Rewards 6!
Jodie’s W.I.N.E. List shares
“I promise you, once you start this series, you will want to get each book. I read 1-6 in one day. I would recommend this series to anyone.”
(that’s over 600 pages – grins – Jodie is my kind of reader!)
Read the full review here
http://jodieswinelist.blogspot.ca/2014/12/sinful-rewards-6-by-cynthia-sax-blog.html
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Bee Carter has spent a lifetime creating her good-girl persona. Three harsh words uttered in anger shred this carefully crafted façade, testing her relationships.
Nicolas, her handsome billionaire, is hiding a decades-old secret. Bee’s scandal will draw unwanted attention to his dark past, placing the real estate empire he’s built and the employees he manages in peril. Hawke, her tattooed bad-boy biker, protects the rich and famous. His high-profile clients won’t want their bodyguard to be linked to Chicago’s wild woman.
Both men desire her, craving her touch with a white-hot passion, but who will risk everything to stand by her side—her biker or her billionaire?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00J7Q61WO
Avon: http://www.avonromance.com/book/cynthia-sax-sinful-rewards-6
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-6-cynthia-sax/1119919840
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_6?id=5zzRAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-6/id847609485
Topics: Reviews | Comments Off on Sinful Rewards 6 – I would recommend this series to anyone.
Sinful Rewards – Interview At Fresh Fiction
Yay!
I’ve been interviewed at Fresh Fiction!
http://freshfiction.com/page.php?id=6574
Here’s a snippet (and a question)…
In SINFUL REWARDS 7, Bee is offered everything she’s ever wanted. But this comes at a price. How much will she give up to obtain her dream?
How much would YOU give up? If someone approached you today and offered you everything you’ve ever wanted IF you walked away from your best friend, would you take this deal? A true friend would encourage you to say “Yes.” Would you?
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Bee Carter has spent a lifetime creating her good-girl persona. Three harsh words uttered in anger shred this carefully crafted façade, testing her relationships.
Nicolas, her handsome billionaire, is hiding a decades-old secret. Bee’s scandal will draw unwanted attention to his dark past, placing the real estate empire he’s built and the employees he manages in peril. Hawke, her tattooed bad-boy biker, protects the rich and famous. His high-profile clients won’t want their bodyguard to be linked to Chicago’s wild woman.
Both men desire her, craving her touch with a white-hot passion, but who will risk everything to stand by her side—her biker or her billionaire?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00J7Q61WO
Avon: http://www.avonromance.com/book/cynthia-sax-sinful-rewards-6
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-6-cynthia-sax/1119919840
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_6?id=5zzRAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-6/id847609485
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on Sinful Rewards – Interview At Fresh Fiction
