Taste of Cyn

Interview With Jane Leopold Quinn

By Cynthia Sax on August 27, 2015

I sat down (virtually) with Jane Leopold Quinn for a short interview. Jane Leopold Quinn’s latest release is Welcome to Dust-Part 1-Eve and Brandon, part of Smokin’ Hot Mini Tales of the Olde West, an Erotic historical western romance serial!

Cynthia Sax: What makes Brandon so very sexy?

Jane Leopold Quinn: You mean I have to explain what makes a cowboy sexy? 😉 Brandon Prosper looks like the quintessential cowboy in a Stetson and has a secret to boot. He’s an undercover federal marshal looking for train robbers. He takes his mission seriously but is distracted by the beauteous Eve Storm. He flirts wildly with her, giving her the idea that’s all he is — a flirt. And the fact that Eve easily handles the riff raff coming in for drinks doesn’t threaten his masculinity. He gets a kick out of watching her put the bozos in their place.

Cynthia Sax: Where did you get the idea for Welcome to Dust?

Jane Leopold Quinn: I’ve been trying to remember exactly where the story of Dust and its denizens came from. I wanted to try to write a serial. Okay, that’s a start. I just began making notes. The town name, Dust, describes exactly what it looks like — desolate and dusty. Then came the character names. Names just come to me. When I first began writing, I poured through naming books for just the right thing. But as the years went on, character names would just appear in my mind. I have to laugh at myself coming up with a name like Sam Dash (the hero of Part 2).

Cynthia Sax: How does Welcome To Dust start?

Jane Leopold Quinn: I’ve watched enough western movies and TV shows to have no problem imagining an upscale, fancy saloon bar. The first scene begins with the Emerald Saloon. I could see it in my mind. It appeared to me like in a play with Eve wiping off the bar and lusting over Bran. Then Bran flirts and the story is on!

Cynthia Sax: What causes problems between Eve and Brandon?

Jane Leopold Quinn: Neither Eve nor Bran know anything about each other’s pasts. Eve is only working in Dust in the saloon until she earns enough money to go back East. She wants to become a school teacher like the ones who taught her. She’s attracted to Bran but holds him off because she certainly doesn’t want to become serious with a man out here in the West. Bran is a federal marshal undercover in Dust to catch train robbers. Eve, gorgeous and gutsy enough to handle the cowboys who come into the saloon, is distracting him from his job and driving him nuts. He wants her and considers her standoffishness a challenge and he wants to win her.

Cynthia Sax: Does someone in Welcome To Dust have a secret? I love secrets!

Jane Leopold Quinn: Eve is determined to keep her secret especially from Bran. She left her father’s home in the East because of her uncle’s actions. Age and distance makes her feel able to handle the man when she goes back. I’ve mentioned that Bran is an undercover officer.

Cynthia Sax: Is Welcome To Dust a series and will you be writing more stories in this series?

Jane Leopold Quinn: At this point, the Smokin’ Hot stories are a serial in two parts. Welcome to Dust is Part 1 and ends on a cliffhanger. Part 2, The Emerald Saloon, features the saloon owner Francine and the town sheriff Sam. I have more stories in mind, for example Johnny, the saloon’s piano player.

Cynthia Sax: What advice would you give new writers?

Jane Leopold Quinn: Never give up, but if for some reason your muse leaves town for a while, don’t despair. The stories are still in you. They’ll come back.

Cynthia Sax: What do you love about writing in your historical western romance?

Jane Leopold Quinn: The happily ever after is what attracts me to romance. Recently I tried to read a couple of “literary” historical novels and they might have ended happily but things happened, tragedies early in the stories, that turned me off. Real life has some really sucky things going on, and I think romance is the best antidote. I love to write the hope and promise of a happy ending. And read it.

Thank you, Jane Leopold Quinn, for joining us today!

Jane Leopold Quinn’s Website: http://janeleopoldquinn.blogspot.com

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Welcome to Dust is the first of an erotic two-part serial and ends with a cliffhanger.

Dust, a town on the edge of nowhere, has a lot going on.

Eve Storm tends bar at the Emerald Saloon and yearns to increase her savings to go home back East. The fly in her ointment is the gorgeous cowboy who comes in all the time.

Brandon Prosper, federal marshal undercover as a simple cowboy, cannot stay away from Eve. She doesn’t have a problem keeping away from him though and thwarts his attempts at seduction at every turn.

Dust, the Emerald Saloon, and its denizens are the centerpieces in this erotic historical western two-part serial about a down and out town, train robbers, female saloon owners and bartenders, and hunky lawmen. Welcome to Dust is just the beginning…

Buy Now:

http://amzn.com/B014BWWF7I

Topics: Author Interviews | 1 Comment »

Writer’s Block Or The Causes Of Word Constipation

By Cynthia Sax on July 8, 2014

Some writers claim that there’s no such thing as writer’s block. They’ve written a gazillion stories and they’ve never suffered from it. That’s awesome. Good for them.

But, unfortunately, it is all too real. Just because these writers haven’t experienced it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It is like love at first sight. Many people insist that isn’t real either. I thought the same way until I met my dear wonderful hubby. Heck, I mocked friends who experienced this phenomenon. Then the hubby and I fell in love at first sight. Bam. I was a goner, one of those besotted fools I once mocked. Twenty plus years later, we remain very much in love.

Writer’s block is less fun than falling in love at first sight. The words don’t flow. There may be a trickle or a complete stoppage.

Here are some of the sources of writer’s block and how I solve the issue (If you have your own solutions, please share them in the comments).

We’ve Run Out Of Story Ideas

We need a story for a call for submission (a publisher asking for types of stories) or a boxed set or a contest or (name your need here) and we have NO ideas, absolutely nothing. We look in our brain and it’s a barren wasteland, our imaginations parched and lifeless. We panic, worrying about our deadlines and thinking we’ll never have another great idea again. This makes matters even worse, diverting our creative juices to deal with our insanity.

THIS is what writing buddies are for. I keep a list of my top 100 story ideas. Perfectly good ideas drop off this list every damn day. I write light and the idea might be darker. I might not write in that genre. The idea is a little too mainstream for me. Whatever the reason, ideas drop off. I would be THRILLED to give you some of these ideas. I’d hand them to you happily. You likely won’t write them either but they might prompt another idea, a better idea (for you).

If your writing buddies are currently as insane as you are (hey, it happens), consider reading headlines, JUST the headlines. Guess the rest of the story. Or go to the mall and listen to conversations. Phone calls are the best for this as we only hear one side of the conversation. Take a book you love and play what if with some of the elements. What if Pride and Prejudice was set in a steampunk world? What if Mr. Darcy had a delicious secret he was trying to hide (maybe he’s scarred from a war or…)?

We’re Staring At A Blank Page

We have a story idea and now we don’t know where to start. We’re staring at the blank screen until blood drips from our ears and THERE ARE NO WORDS. Oh my God. What happens if there are NEVER any words?

When this happens to me (with every single story start – big sigh), I write down what I know. I already have my story idea. I’ll write that down. Voila! The screen is no longer blank. I have words and I’m writing. Hey, this isn’t so intimidating. I might have a glimpse of a scene or a tidbit of a conversation. I write that down also. I don’t expect to keep any of this. The idea is to start writing because usually when I start writing, I continue writing.

Usually.

Our Words Simply Stop

We’re zipping along, writing like madwomen, super excited about our stories, and the words simply stop. Can’t…Get…Past…This…Scene. We force ourselves to write because that is what many more experienced writers advise. This isn’t bad advice as long as we realize that all we’re doing is buying time to figure out what is wrong. These forced words will likely have to be scrapped.

Because we’ve made a wrong decision.

This is the number one reason why MY words stop (your reasons might be different). I’ve made a wrong decision for my characters. They know this. My brain knows this. But I’m stubborn as hell and determined to be right. I refuse to revisit it and my characters go on strike. The characters ALWAYS win and they should. If they know they’re doing something they wouldn’t, readers will know this also.

I go back to where the words were flowing in the manuscript and examine the following scenes. If I still can’t see the wrong decision, I’ll hand the manuscript to a writing buddy or I’ll talk it over with my dear wonderful hubby. Sometimes simply talking about it clears the issues up in my mind.

It could be something minor like the heroine’s motivation for an action isn’t right. In Sinful Rewards, I first thought that Bee was clothing obsessed because she cared what other people thought. Yes, she cares but the REAL reason she’s clothing obsessed is because she associates clothing with happiness. When Bee was young, her mom always looked tired and unhappy when she wore her cheap waitress uniform. As soon as I figured that out, the words flowed.

It could be something major like a lack of magic between a hero and a heroine. Writing romance is much like matchmaking. A couple might look good in theory but when we put them in the same room together, there’s no spark, no magic. I originally paired Camille from Breaking All The Rules with Michael. That was the grand plan. But when I got them together, there was NO interest, nothing, nada, zip. Then I introduced her to Nate and there was magic, that zing of sexual attraction. The trickle of words became a deluge.

We Don’t Want This Story To End

We only have one last scene to write. All of the plot threads have been wrapped up. We have that last lovey dovey scene to write and we’re done.

But we don’t want to write it because this means saying good-bye to the characters OR in the case of pantsers, we know what this last scene is. There will be very few surprises.

THIS is the scene I usually force myself to write. I tell myself that I’m writing a series (whether or not I am) and I will see this couple (or more) again. I like circular storytelling so I’ll focus on creative ways to reference the beginning of the story. I remind myself why this scene is important to my characters (it is their reward for surviving the story – grins) and readers (it is their sweet dessert at the end of the romance meal).

What are some of your techniques for dealing with writer’s block?

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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 | 1 Comment »

Should Writers End Installments Of A Serial In A Cliffhanger?

By Cynthia Sax on June 27, 2014

I was chatting with a fellow serial erotic romance writer and we were discussing cliffhangers. According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliffhanger ), a “cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction.”

My buddy is pro cliffhanger. She ends every installment of her serial with a cliffhanger. She feels this, yes, prompts readers to buy the next installment, but this also heightens the drama of these key split scenes. The anticipation spotlights the scene’s importance. These are the scenes she most wants readers to talk about, examine, notice.

I don’t end the installments in my serials with cliffhangers. I believe that every installment in an erotic romance serial should have that awww… happy for now ending expected with romance (the last installment, clearly, will have a happy ever after ending). This is difficult to do. I won’t lie. But no one said writing was easy. (grins)

I also use the pause between installments to strengthen the story. It is the pause between action scenes, the quiet, reflective moment needed in good storytelling. When readers tell me they wait until my serial is completed and then read them all at once, I groan because the breaks are necessary for the full experience.

Talking to readers, the preference seems to be split between cliffhanger lovers and cliffhanger haters. I tell readers what to expect from my serials so they know the type of story they’re investing their valuable time in.

Should you end your installments in a cliffhanger? That’s your call. Yes. (grins) I realize that’s not the answer you’re looking for. There are no rules in writing. Do what you believe best serves your story.

Readers, do you love or hate cliffhangers? Writers, what is your preference?