A Bee By Any Other Name
I truly believe that names help shape our destiny. When I’m introduced to a woman named Bambi, I assume she has a sense of humor. When I’m introduced to a woman named Prudence, I assume she’s more serious.
Belinda/Bee
Character names are even more key. Belinda or Bee has two names. This is because she has dual sides to her personality. She believes she should be prim and proper but she has a wild exhibitionistic side. Her two men refer to her by different names because they view her very differently.
Her name is also important because one of her greatest fears is not being good enough, being the alternate or ‘B’ choice. She wants to be a man’s first or ‘A’ choice.
Nicolas
Nicolas’s name has as much meaning as Bee’s. St. Nicholas aka Santa Claus makes good little girls’ dreams come true. If Bee becomes the good girl she thinks she should be, Nicolas, her billionaire, might give her everything she ever wanted—a permanent home, financial security, a forever love. However, Old Nick is also one of the names for the devil, hinting that maybe our billionaire has a dark side.
It is also important that he uses his formal name. He isn’t called Nick, a more intimate, friendly name. He prefers Nicolas, putting a barrier between him and others.
Hawke
Hawke is the opposite of Nicolas. Hawke isn’t our tattooed biker’s real name. This is a nickname. Hawke sees the bird as his symbol. Hawks fly freely, soaring above the ground, surveying the land below them.
As we find out in Sinful Rewards 2, he didn’t give himself this name. His best friend came up with Hawke. That he embraced this nickname and continues to use it today says much about his personality and his relationship with his friend.
Do you have a nickname? What would you like your name or nickname to convey about you?
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Belinda “Bee” Carter isn’t quite sure what she’s gotten herself into. She’s been receiving mysterious messages from a secret admirer who is sending her more and more erotic dares. Each time she fulfills his desires, she gets rewarded. She’s convinced that her mystery texter is one of two super-hot men—Nicolas, the handsome billionaire, or Hawke, the sexy biker—but she can’t tell which one it is. And she’s coming to realize that beneath her peaches-and-cream exterior beats a heart that longs to play out all of her most secret fantasies.
As the stakes are raised again, will Bee succumb to the sensual allure of this latest dare?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89HA
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-2-cynthia-sax/1119919836
Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9780062354129
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-2/id814153762
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on A Bee By Any Other Name
Learning With Bee, The Heroine From Sinful Rewards
We all have our own methods of learning things. I learn by example. A writing mentor can talk to me until she’s blue in the face about a technique and I won’t understand what she’s trying to explain. But if she shows me a before and after of a piece of writing using this technique, I grasp the concept immediately.
Bee, the heroine from Sinful Rewards, is an only child, raised by a single mom. Her mom is known as the wild woman of Happydale, a very small town, which left Bee isolated from the people around her. Her mom also had to work long hours at the diner, trying to pay the rent.
School taught her English and math and science. Bee taught herself many of the other skills in life.
How did she teach herself?
Here is a revealing snippet from Sinful Rewards 1…
I fiddle with my phone, willing it to ring. Nicolas’s number is listed on my incoming call list. As a joke, I draft a text to him, linking to an article I found in a woman’s magazine. The title is “How to Be a Better Friend.”
I shouldn’t send it. I know I shouldn’t. My finger has a brain of its own, however, and presses the send key.
Bee read articles. When she had a question or a concern, she couldn’t ask her hard working mom. Instead she researched the subject, reading magazines, eventually Googling it (Google launched in 1997 so yes, Bee is very much part of the Google generation). A much younger Bee must have read articles on how to fit in during recess, how to deal with boys, how to apply make-up.
This is one of the many reasons Bee is proud about appearing normal. She should be proud. She taught herself these life skills.
How do you learn? Have you taught yourself a skill?
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Belinda “Bee” Carter isn’t quite sure what she’s gotten herself into. She’s been receiving mysterious messages from a secret admirer who is sending her more and more erotic dares. Each time she fulfills his desires, she gets rewarded. She’s convinced that her mystery texter is one of two super-hot men—Nicolas, the handsome billionaire, or Hawke, the sexy biker—but she can’t tell which one it is. And she’s coming to realize that beneath her peaches-and-cream exterior beats a heart that longs to play out all of her most secret fantasies.
As the stakes are raised again, will Bee succumb to the sensual allure of this latest dare?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89HA
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-2-cynthia-sax/1119919836
Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9780062354129
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-2/id814153762
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on Learning With Bee, The Heroine From Sinful Rewards
Another Great Review For Sinful Rewards 2
A Reader Lives A Thousand Lives shares
“This serial, like other stuff I have read from Ms. Sax, is all-consuming and addictive. Who sent the text? Will she get the job? Will we ever get to go to R? Will be ever get to know more about her Dad?
A easy FIVE star to give!”
Read the full review here
http://areaderlivesa1000lives.blogspot.ca/2014/08/belinda-bee-carter-isnt-quite-sure-what.html
Belinda “Bee” Carter isn’t quite sure what she’s gotten herself into. She’s been receiving mysterious messages from a secret admirer who is sending her more and more erotic dares. Each time she fulfills his desires, she gets rewarded. She’s convinced that her mystery texter is one of two super-hot men—Nicolas, the handsome billionaire, or Hawke, the sexy biker—but she can’t tell which one it is. And she’s coming to realize that beneath her peaches-and-cream exterior beats a heart that longs to play out all of her most secret fantasies.
As the stakes are raised again, will Bee succumb to the sensual allure of this latest dare?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89HA
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards2-1581413-149.html
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-2-cynthia-sax/1119919836
Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9780062354129
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-2/id814153762
Topics: Reviews | Comments Off on Another Great Review For Sinful Rewards 2
Great Review For Sinful Rewards 2
There’s no better present for a writer on release day than a great review. (big happy smile)
Falling In Fall shares
“Sinful Rewards has quickly becoming my reading crack. I am so hooked on this series, and I can’t wait to get my next high from the next book!”
Read the full review here
http://fallinginfall.blogspot.ca/2014/08/review-giveaway-sinful-rewards-part-2.html
Belinda “Bee” Carter isn’t quite sure what she’s gotten herself into. She’s been receiving mysterious messages from a secret admirer who is sending her more and more erotic dares. Each time she fulfills his desires, she gets rewarded. She’s convinced that her mystery texter is one of two super-hot men—Nicolas, the handsome billionaire, or Hawke, the sexy biker—but she can’t tell which one it is. And she’s coming to realize that beneath her peaches-and-cream exterior beats a heart that longs to play out all of her most secret fantasies.
As the stakes are raised again, will Bee succumb to the sensual allure of this latest dare?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89HA
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards2-1581413-149.html
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-2-cynthia-sax/1119919836
Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9780062354129
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-2/id814153762
Topics: Reviews | Comments Off on Great Review For Sinful Rewards 2
Interviewed By Harlequin Junkie
I was interviewed by Harlequin Junkie today!
Here’s a snippet..
If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title of the book should be? Why?
The title should be ‘Batsh*t Crazy’ (laughs) I’m a writer. I make up imaginary characters and then torture them before I give them their happy endings. If that isn’t crazy, I don’t know what is!
Belinda “Bee” Carter isn’t quite sure what she’s gotten herself into. She’s been receiving mysterious messages from a secret admirer who is sending her more and more erotic dares. Each time she fulfills his desires, she gets rewarded. She’s convinced that her mystery texter is one of two super-hot men—Nicolas, the handsome billionaire, or Hawke, the sexy biker—but she can’t tell which one it is. And she’s coming to realize that beneath her peaches-and-cream exterior beats a heart that longs to play out all of her most secret fantasies.
As the stakes are raised again, will Bee succumb to the sensual allure of this latest dare?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89HA
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards2-1581413-149.html
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-2-cynthia-sax/1119919836
Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9780062354129
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-2/id814153762
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on Interviewed By Harlequin Junkie
A Year Of Sizzling Hot Sax – Sinful Rewards 2 Read Along
The second novella in Sinful Rewards, a 12 novella contemporary erotic romance serial, releases today! I know many reading buddies have been waiting, wondering what Bee, our unlikely exhibitionist, will do next and whom she’ll choose – Nicolas, the billionaire with a dark secret or Hawke, the tattooed bad boy biker.
Between stories, we’re having a blast on our Goodreads group (https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/139616-a-year-of-sizzling-hot-sax-read-along ). I’m sharing fun facts, bad puns, and insider information. Readers asked for an extra scene involving sexy times on a bike and I happily wrote this! I can’t wait to hear what you’d like me to write next!
Here are some snippets about what we’ll be talking about this month on the Goodreads group.
Pretty Bikes
Hawke rides a customized chopper. Bee makes the mistake of calling his bike pretty in Sinful Rewards 2.
This is his response
“Pretty?” He scowls, appearing deeply offended, lines grooved around his mouth. “Paintings are pretty. You’re pretty.”
He thinks I’m pretty. My soul fills with happiness.
“Bikes aren’t pretty, sweetheart. They’re powerful machines.” Hawke turns the key in the ignition, clutches the throttle and revs the engine, the sound vibrating through my chest. “One thousand CCs, like having a beast between your legs,” he shouts, quieting the machine once more.
One of the many things I love about Hawke is he’s big and he’s bad and he doesn’t feel the need to prove himself to anyone. He rides a ‘pretty’ bike, not caring if other men (or women) think less of him for doing so. In my opinion, this makes him even more of a bada$$ than if he had ridden the classic black Harley.
How To Train A Billionaire
Nicolas and Bee got off to a rocky start in Sinful Rewards 1. Their first meeting didn’t progress as she’d fantasized.
This scene indicates there might be hope for their relationship.
“Hello, Nicolas,” I purr, attempting to duplicate Lona LaMarre’s husky tones.
“This is Nicolas Rainer,” the billionaire barks, his voice curt. “Meet me in five minutes. Outside your office.” The phone clicks and there’s silence.
Nicolas introduced himself this time. I grin. Billionaire bachelors can be trained.
Nicolas is a successful, driven man. When Bee suggests he introduce himself when he calls and not assume everyone recognizes his voice/number, he implements this suggestion immediately.
Would he do this with someone he didn’t trust, he didn’t care for? If he’s willing to make this change, what else is he willing to do for Bee?
If you’d like to read more insights on Sinful Rewards 2, please join our Goodreads group at https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/139616-a-year-of-sizzling-hot-sax-read-along .
Belinda “Bee” Carter isn’t quite sure what she’s gotten herself into. She’s been receiving mysterious messages from a secret admirer who is sending her more and more erotic dares. Each time she fulfills his desires, she gets rewarded. She’s convinced that her mystery texter is one of two super-hot men—Nicolas, the handsome billionaire, or Hawke, the sexy biker—but she can’t tell which one it is. And she’s coming to realize that beneath her peaches-and-cream exterior beats a heart that longs to play out all of her most secret fantasies.
As the stakes are raised again, will Bee succumb to the sensual allure of this latest dare?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89HA
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards2-1581413-149.html
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-2-cynthia-sax/1119919836
Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9780062354129
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-2/id814153762
Topics: New Releases | Comments Off on A Year Of Sizzling Hot Sax – Sinful Rewards 2 Read Along
Sinful Rewards 2 Releases Today!
Woot!!! Sinful Rewards 2, the second novella in my serial, releases today! I’m super excited!
Belinda “Bee” Carter isn’t quite sure what she’s gotten herself into. She’s been receiving mysterious messages from a secret admirer who is sending her more and more erotic dares. Each time she fulfills his desires, she gets rewarded. She’s convinced that her mystery texter is one of two super-hot men—Nicolas, the handsome billionaire, or Hawke, the sexy biker—but she can’t tell which one it is. And she’s coming to realize that beneath her peaches-and-cream exterior beats a heart that longs to play out all of her most secret fantasies.
As the stakes are raised again, will Bee succumb to the sensual allure of this latest dare?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89HA
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-2-cynthia-sax/1119919836
Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9780062354129
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-2/id814153762
Topics: New Releases | Comments Off on Sinful Rewards 2 Releases Today!
Another Great Review For Sinful Rewards 2
Brit Nanny Reads shares…
“So this book leaves you craving for more! so much more! But I do give Sinful Rewards 2 a 10 out of 10 and prayers to the publishing gods that Sinful Rewards 3 is out soon…”
Read the full review here
http://britnannyreads.wordpress.com/2014/08/11/sinful-rewards-2-by-cynthia-sax-review-and-blog-tour/
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Belinda “Bee” Carter isn’t quite sure what she’s gotten herself into. She’s been receiving mysterious messages from a secret admirer who is sending her more and more erotic dares. Each time she fulfills his desires, she gets rewarded. She’s convinced that her mystery texter is one of two super-hot men—Nicolas, the handsome billionaire, or Hawke, the sexy biker—but she can’t tell which one it is. And she’s coming to realize that beneath her peaches-and-cream exterior beats a heart that longs to play out all of her most secret fantasies.
As the stakes are raised again, will Bee succumb to the sensual allure of this latest dare?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89HA
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-2-cynthia-sax/1119919836
Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9780062354129
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-2/id814153762
Topics: Reviews | Comments Off on Another Great Review For Sinful Rewards 2
Shark Week At The Shedd
Sinful Rewards is set in Chicago, a city I absolutely love. One of the fun things about this story are the references to the local attractions and buildings.
When I wrote Sinful Rewards 2, I had NO idea when the story would be releasing. It could have released in May, December, April. I didn’t know.
So I was THRILLED when I found out it would be releasing tomorrow, right in the middle of shark week at the Shedd (Chicago’s aquarium and a beloved landmark).
Why? Because this scene in Sinful Rewards refers to this awesome event!
The bus arrives six minutes late. It’s crammed full of people. Painted faces are pressed against the steamed-up windows. I spot dorsal fin hats and giant foam fish, which can mean only one thing—it’s Shark Week at the Shedd.
The driver opens the door, looks at me, glances behind him at the masses of bodies wedged into the space. “You’re small. You might fit.” He flicks his fingers, ushering me onto the vehicle.
John Shedd Aquarium Dome
“Thank you.” I’m average size but I don’t argue. I pay my fare and slide between a broad woman proudly wearing an I Heart Hammerheads T-shirt and a bearded man in a suit. My hand sticks out of the suffocating human sandwich, my purse hanging over the fare box.
The bus jerks forward. I slam against the corporate lumberjack, my breasts smacking against his chest. “Sorry.” I widen my stance, better bracing myself, embarrassed by the contact.
He grunts, his response swallowed by his beard. Moisture beads on his forehead. His suit jacket smells like wet wool.
I stare at his lapels, trying to act as though I’m not pressed against him, as though I’m not sharing an intimate embrace with a stranger, our thighs, hips, chests touching. The floor vibrates under my shoes. I don’t know how fast we are moving, as I can’t see outside, my view blocked by bodies, my fellow passengers much taller than I am.
John Shedd Aquarium From The Front
A lady grumbles loudly about great whites giving other sharks a bad name. “Everyone knows the great white is the only shark worth talking about,” a man snaps.
Passengers gasp, their reactions encouraging the combatants. The verbally dueling duo exchange increasingly shrill insults, drawing oohs and aahs from the shark-savvy crowd. I wince, my eardrums ringing. Shark fans make Black Friday shoppers appear civilized, and these adversaries are locked in a to-the-death standoff, their hostility spiraling my anxiety skyward.
The man finally calls her a seal lover, the ultimate insult. The woman shrieks. Foam slaps against foam. Bodies sway. The bus stops, and everyone groans.
“Is this an incident?” the driver asks. “Do I have to notify dispatch?”
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Belinda “Bee” Carter isn’t quite sure what she’s gotten herself into. She’s been receiving mysterious messages from a secret admirer who is sending her more and more erotic dares. Each time she fulfills his desires, she gets rewarded. She’s convinced that her mystery texter is one of two super-hot men—Nicolas, the handsome billionaire, or Hawke, the sexy biker—but she can’t tell which one it is. And she’s coming to realize that beneath her peaches-and-cream exterior beats a heart that longs to play out all of her most secret fantasies.
As the stakes are raised again, will Bee succumb to the sensual allure of this latest dare?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89HA
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards2-1581413-149.html
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-2-cynthia-sax/1119919836
Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9780062354129
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-2/id814153762
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on Shark Week At The Shedd
First Review For Sinful Rewards 2
Woot!!! We received our first review for Sinful Rewards 2.
Monique at Fresh Fiction shares…
“Ms. Sax knows her way around novellas and short stories better than anyone else, and this series promises to exceed my expectations, which were very high to begin with. Cynthia Sax raises the bar very high with SINFUL REWARDS 2!”
Read the full review here
http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=45548
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Belinda “Bee” Carter isn’t quite sure what she’s gotten herself into. She’s been receiving mysterious messages from a secret admirer who is sending her more and more erotic dares. Each time she fulfills his desires, she gets rewarded. She’s convinced that her mystery texter is one of two super-hot men—Nicolas, the handsome billionaire, or Hawke, the sexy biker—but she can’t tell which one it is. And she’s coming to realize that beneath her peaches-and-cream exterior beats a heart that longs to play out all of her most secret fantasies.
As the stakes are raised again, will Bee succumb to the sensual allure of this latest dare?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89HA
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-2-cynthia-sax/1119919836
Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9780062354129
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-2/id814153762
Topics: Reviews | Comments Off on First Review For Sinful Rewards 2
