Taste of Cyn

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Amazon AUS:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/under-strain/id1545957749

Apple Books:

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Topics: Cynthia Sax Weekly Update | Comments Off on Cynthia Sax Weekly Update – May 2nd

Under Strain, Cyborgs And Never Forgetting

By Cynthia Sax on May 1, 2021

Cyborgs, when their processors and databases are functional, never forget anything. Everything they have seen or heard or learned is stored inside them in perfect detail.

They store not only what THEY have experienced but also often what their brethren have experienced. Their memories can be shared.

(They don’t have to be shared. Cyborgs have the option of keeping information to themselves.)

Their perfect memories are usually beneficial. Their knowledge bases are greatly expanded. It increases their chances of survival tremendously. They learn faster.

But it can be a strain on them also. ALL experiences, the good AND the bad, are captured in their entirety, are always accessible to them. These memories never fade, never lose details, are as vivid now as they were two hundred solar cycles ago.

Cyborgs don’t have the gift of forgetting. And they remain half human, often have human reactions to bad memories. If an experience is especially traumatic, like the planet rotation Strain endured, it will always be with them.

Thankfully, cyborgs have coping mechanisms…if their machines allow them to use them. Many of them gather happier experiences and focus on them, not on the bad memories.

Rage, for example, replays moments with Joan and his offspring, rather than the footage of the Humanoid Alliance’s experimentation on him. That has allowed him to find great joy. Unfortunately, not every cyborg has that ability.

***

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Under Strain

A damaged cyborg warrior is hunted by a peace-loving human female.

***

A fully operational cyborg would end her lifespan.

Strain wants to claim her. Forever.

When a handsome, gray-skinned, brilliant-blue-eyed male arrives, surrounded by weapon-carrying warriors, she has to save him. Warriors harm and they kill. That is what they do.

She won’t allow them to hurt Strain.

***

Under Strain is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.

It features a broken warrior, a human female who thinks he’s perfect, and velociraptor-like dinosaurs who view them both as light, tasty snacks.

Pre-order Now:

Amazon US:

Amazon UK:

Amazon AUS:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/under-strain/id1545957749

Apple Books:

B&N:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/under-strain-cynthia-sax/1138505613

Kobo:

Smashwords:

Topics: Story Insights | Comments Off on Under Strain, Cyborgs And Never Forgetting

Under Strain And Eating Fruit

By Cynthia Sax on April 30, 2021

Kamyelle, the heroine of Under Strain, exists mostly on fruit. It IS alien fruit, fruit native to Rohini 9. But it is similar to fruit grown on Earth during the Jurassic period.

And there WAS edible fruit on Earth during the Jurassic period. We tend to think of the ‘caveman diet’ as consisting of only meat. That’s more marketing than reality.

Early humans ate fruit and vegetables. Paleoanthropologists have found bits of dates stuck in the teeth of Neanderthals. Researchers have found evidence of 7 million year old grapes. Plums and olives have been found dating back to the paleolithic period.

Could early humans have existed ONLY on fruit? There ARE fruitarians living on Earth today. It can be challenging, however, to get all the needed vitamins from our planet’s fruit selection.

Kamyelle, living on Rohini 9, can get all the nourishment she needs from the fruits on her planet.

***

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

Under Strain

A damaged cyborg warrior is hunted by a peace-loving human female.

***

A fully operational cyborg would end her lifespan.

Strain wants to claim her. Forever.

When a handsome, gray-skinned, brilliant-blue-eyed male arrives, surrounded by weapon-carrying warriors, she has to save him. Warriors harm and they kill. That is what they do.

She won’t allow them to hurt Strain.

***

Under Strain is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.

It features a broken warrior, a human female who thinks he’s perfect, and velociraptor-like dinosaurs who view them both as light, tasty snacks.

Pre-order Now:

Amazon US:

Amazon UK:

Amazon AUS:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/under-strain/id1545957749

Apple Books:

B&N:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/under-strain-cynthia-sax/1138505613

Kobo:

Smashwords:

Topics: Story Insights | Comments Off on Under Strain And Eating Fruit

Under Strain And The Heroine’s Name

By Cynthia Sax on April 28, 2021

The human heroine in Under Strain, the next Rebel Cyborgs story (releasing soon!), is named Kamyelle.

As happens with many of the heroines in my stories, she was named after a beloved reader. If you reach out to me and you have a cool name, beware! I will likely steal it (letting you know first) and I’ll use it in a story. Your namesake will be paired with a sexy cyborg or alien. (grins) That is the price of being my buddy!

I didn’t find much information on Kamyelle on name sites. There was conflicting information about its origins and about the name’s meaning…which I thought was very apt for Strain’s female. Kamyelle in Under Strain has been forced to hide for solar cycles. She has ‘disappeared.’ For safety reasons, she tells other beings as little about herself and her kind as possible.

Until Strain arrives. (smiles)

***

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

Under Strain

A damaged cyborg warrior is hunted by a peace-loving human female.

***

A fully operational cyborg would end her lifespan.

Strain wants to claim her. Forever.

When a handsome, gray-skinned, brilliant-blue-eyed male arrives, surrounded by weapon-carrying warriors, she has to save him. Warriors harm and they kill. That is what they do.

She won’t allow them to hurt Strain.

***

Under Strain is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.

It features a broken warrior, a human female who thinks he’s perfect, and velociraptor-like dinosaurs who view them both as light, tasty snacks.

Pre-order Now:

Amazon US:

Amazon UK:

Amazon AUS:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/under-strain/id1545957749

Apple Books:

B&N:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/under-strain-cynthia-sax/1138505613

Kobo:

Smashwords:

Topics: Story Insights | Comments Off on Under Strain And The Heroine’s Name

Under Strain And Trees

By Cynthia Sax on April 27, 2021

Kamyelle, the human heroine of Under Strain, lives mostly in the trees on Rohini 9.

These alien trees are very tall and they have thick, horizontally growing branches. The branches often intertwine with the branches of neighboring trees.

This makes them easy to navigate. Kamyelle can run along the trees’ branches, using them as an in-the-sky pathway. She sleeps in the trees with little fear of falling out of them.

As a girl, I would often sleep on branches of less-sleeping-friendly Earth trees. (grins) Some kids can sleep anywhere and I grew accustomed to being in the trees.

When the Dear Wonderful Hubby and I travel, I take photos of interesting trees and other instances of nature I think might make great alien environments.

These tree photos were taken in Kauai. The trees on Rohini 9 are MUCH larger but the branches are very similar.

***

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

Under Strain

A damaged cyborg warrior is hunted by a peace-loving human female.

***

A fully operational cyborg would end her lifespan.

Strain wants to claim her. Forever.

When a handsome, gray-skinned, brilliant-blue-eyed male arrives, surrounded by weapon-carrying warriors, she has to save him. Warriors harm and they kill. That is what they do.

She won’t allow them to hurt Strain.

***

Under Strain is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.

It features a broken warrior, a human female who thinks he’s perfect, and velociraptor-like dinosaurs who view them both as light, tasty snacks.

Pre-order Now:

Amazon US:

Amazon UK:

Amazon AUS:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/under-strain/id1545957749

Apple Books:

B&N:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/under-strain-cynthia-sax/1138505613

Kobo:

http://tasteofcyn.com/?p=8157

Topics: Story Insights | Comments Off on Under Strain And Trees

Under Strain – Third Scene Of The First Chapter

By Cynthia Sax on April 26, 2021

Under Strain releases on May 11th. As we wait, I’m sharing scenes from the first chapter.

You can read the first scene from the first chapter of Under Strain here:

This week I’m sharing the third scene of that first chapter.

***

The bots completed 86.1288 percent of the cleaning. Strain and Grudge restocked supplies, inspected weapons, reset the modified freighter’s systems.

Grudge chattered during the tasks, continued to talk as he lumbered toward the front of the ship.

Strain, situated in one of the holding chambers, didn’t contribute to the conversation.

He’d spent eight solar cycles, five planet rotations, and two shifts on the death planet. Utterly alone. He hadn’t spoken to another being throughout that entire duration, hadn’t transmitted for the first four solar cycles, forty-four planet rotations, and two shifts of his solitary sentence.

Transmitting had been too risky, and it would have served no purpose. His brethren remained under the control of the Humanoid Alliance. They couldn’t help him, and he didn’t want to draw attention to them, to put them in additional danger.

Once the cyborgs had mass rebelled, he requested a transport off the planet. Three solar cycles and three hundred and twenty-six planet rotations later, Cadet and her team arrived.

Chatter felt…unnatural at the point. And he had nothing he wanted to convey to anyone. He hadn’t saved his brethren, hadn’t died with them as an honorable warrior would have done.

During the bombing, he’d been trapped in an underground tunnel. By the time he escaped, there had been no one left to assist or fight. His fellow warriors were dead. The Humanoid Alliance and their ships were gone.

He was alone, had only his brethren’s corpses and his regrets for company.

For solar cycles.

His lifeform scans pinged, snapping him back into the present. A cyborg was approaching the chamber.

Grudge was currently situated in the bridge. Strain closed the compartment he had restocked with nourishment bars. There was a 75.1258 percent probability the newcomer was Cadet.

She had ordered him not to damage any humans. He had attempted to attack the rescued female. Cadet could relieve him of his duty, kick him off the team.

He would then have no access to a ship, would be stuck on the surface, unable to escape if there was an attack, a bombing. Strain’s muscles flexed to the point of pain. The screams in his auditory system amplified.

The stress would be too much. His slender hold on reality would be severed.

The door slid open. Cadet stepped into the holding chamber.

Strain braced his booted feet apart and faced her directly, waiting to be reprimanded.

“Unless I authorize it, human females are not to be killed.” The female cyborg leveled a hard glance on him. “You agreed to that directive when you joined our retrieval team.”

The human female had pointed a gun at a warrior’s back.

Strain said nothing, because that circumstance didn’t negate his leader’s orders. The Humanoid Alliance had beaten that truth into them. Orders were to be followed at any cost.

Even if those orders were illogical, were issued to soothe a human commander’s irrational female, and following them resulted in the loss of fifty-two thousand, three hundred and ten cyborgs.

Fraggin’ hole. His lips twisted. He hated humans.

“Cyborgs can’t lie.” Cadet shook her head. The inability to bend the truth was hardcoded into their programming. “You must have believed you could adhere to that rule.”

“I will adhere to that rule.” Strain forced himself to speak. “It won’t happen again.”

The female cyborg studied him. “You’re severely damaged. Frag.” Her laugh contained a hard edge to it. “We all are that way. But your damage puts the team and our mission at risk. We will find beings destined to be ours during the retrievals, and some of those beings will be human. I can’t stop you from attacking them and, at the same time, keep the others safe. That exceeds my bandwidth.”

“I won’t attack them.” He jutted his jaw. “I can do this.”

“If anyone can do it, you can.” Cadet nodded. “When we arrived on that war-battered planet you were trapped on, you were standing all alone on top of that toppled domicile, your fingers curled into fists, your stance defiant. The remnants of your body armor hung from your frame. Your eyes were wild, and your hair was scraggly. You reminded me of the images I’d seen of my dad when he’d first been freed.” Her face softened. “You definitely had his vocabulary.”

Cadet’s dad, the C Model he’d seen her with earlier, spoke as rarely as Strain did.

“It took tremendous strength to survive what you did.” The respect in the female cyborg’s voice straightened Strain’s spine. “I projected you’d make a solid addition to our team. All the other cyborgs were required to go through the rehabilitation process. I made an exception for you. Was I wrong to do that, warrior?”

“No.” He wasn’t like all the other cyborgs.

The rehabilitation program lasted for an entire solar cycle. None of the warriors in it were given access to the ships on Mercury Minor.

There weren’t enough vessels to allocate to everyone, and there were thousands of cyborgs who had arrived on the planet earlier than he had.

Not having a means of transport off the planet would break him.

“You weren’t wrong to do that.” He had to be the exception. There was no other option for him, not if he wanted to survive with some of his processors intact.

***

Read the next scene (available May 3rd) here:

http://tasteofcyn.com/?p=8163

***

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

Under Strain

A damaged cyborg warrior is hunted by a peace-loving human female.

***

A fully operational cyborg would end her lifespan.

Strain wants to claim her. Forever.

When a handsome, gray-skinned, brilliant-blue-eyed male arrives, surrounded by weapon-carrying warriors, she has to save him. Warriors harm and they kill. That is what they do.

She won’t allow them to hurt Strain.

***

Under Strain is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.

It features a broken warrior, a human female who thinks he’s perfect, and velociraptor-like dinosaurs who view them both as light, tasty snacks.

Pre-order Now:

Amazon US:

Amazon UK:

Amazon AUS:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/under-strain/id1545957749

Apple Books:

B&N:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/under-strain-cynthia-sax/1138505613

Kobo:

Smashwords:

Topics: Coming Soon | Comments Off on Under Strain – Third Scene Of The First Chapter

Cynthia Sax Weekly Update – April 11th

By Cynthia Sax on April 25, 2021

As I wait for edits on Baring Grudge, the 3^rd Rebel Cyborgs story (releasing in August), I revised and expanded a short(er) romance featuring a tiger shifter hero for the next C.S. Sax collection. This is yet another fun, sexy story. It would be perfect for those times when you need a light shorter read.

This upcoming week, I plan to revise the third and final story in that collection. It will feature a leopard shifter hero. I love all three stories. I wouldn’t be sharing them with you if I didn’t love them. But the leopard shifter romance is my favorite of the three.

I’m wishing you a wonderful week! (big hugs) Please treat yourself to some new-to-you books this week if you can do that. Escape the world for a while. Do what you need to do to find happiness, my friends. Joy is what I want most for you.

***

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

Under Strain

A damaged cyborg warrior is hunted by a peace-loving human female.

***

A fully operational cyborg would end her lifespan.

Strain wants to claim her. Forever.

When a handsome, gray-skinned, brilliant-blue-eyed male arrives, surrounded by weapon-carrying warriors, she has to save him. Warriors harm and they kill. That is what they do.

She won’t allow them to hurt Strain.

***

Under Strain is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.

It features a broken warrior, a human female who thinks he’s perfect, and velociraptor-like dinosaurs who view them both as light, tasty snacks.

Pre-order Now:

Amazon US:

Amazon UK:

Amazon AUS:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/under-strain/id1545957749

Apple Books:

B&N:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/under-strain-cynthia-sax/1138505613

Kobo:

Topics: Cynthia Sax Weekly Update | Comments Off on Cynthia Sax Weekly Update – April 11th

Under Strain And Caviomorphs

By Cynthia Sax on April 23, 2021

Photo Taken By And Indirectly Purchased From: Pezibear

Under Strain, the second Rebel Cyborgs story, is set on Rohini 9, a dinosaur planet. The main predators are velociraptor-like theropods. The presence of a predator implies the existence of prey.

The main prey for the theropods are caviomorphs. I joke that caviomorphs are R.O.U.S. es or Rodents Of Unusual Size, a reference to the giant rat-like creatures in The Princess Bride. (grins)

Here on Earth, present day caviomorphs include the guinea pig, capybara and the chinchilla rat. The caviomorphs on Rohini 9 are MUCH larger. They are very similar to the Josephoartigasia monesi, an extinct rodent that lived about 4 to 2 million years ago. Josephoartigasia monesi might have weighed up to a ton. It was HUGE.

Rodents often make an appearance on planets. Earth rodents hitchhiked on ships and other means of transport, expanding their range to cover the entire planet. I suspect space rodents would do the same, extending their range to include the entire universe.

***

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

Under Strain

A damaged cyborg warrior is hunted by a peace-loving human female.

***

A fully operational cyborg would end her lifespan.

Strain wants to claim her. Forever.

When a handsome, gray-skinned, brilliant-blue-eyed male arrives, surrounded by weapon-carrying warriors, she has to save him. Warriors harm and they kill. That is what they do.

She won’t allow them to hurt Strain.

***

Under Strain is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.

It features a broken warrior, a human female who thinks he’s perfect, and velociraptor-like dinosaurs who view them both as light, tasty snacks.

Pre-order Now:

Amazon US:

Amazon UK:

Amazon AUS:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/under-strain/id1545957749

Apple Books:

B&N:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/under-strain-cynthia-sax/1138505613

Kobo:

Topics: Story Insights | Comments Off on Under Strain And Caviomorphs

Under Strain And Fruit-Scented Hair

By Cynthia Sax on April 21, 2021

Image Taken By And Indirectly Purchased From: Shutterbug75

Once Kamyelle, the heroine of Under Strain, washes the lifeform scan blocking mud off her body, Strain notices her hair smells like the fruit growing around them.

There’s a reason for that—she uses the fruit as a form of shampoo.

The word shampoo (which isn’t used in Under Strain) originated in India. One of the ancient recipes for shampoo in India used a combination of soapberries and gooseberries. It was, of course, all natural, made from ingredients grown around them.

Today, here on Earth, many shampoos are fruit-scented. There are also recipes for shampoos made from fruit and vegetables.

Rohini 9 has a vast and diverse selection of alien fruits. It is logical that at least one of those fruits would make a great shampoo. Kamyelle’s ancestors have lived on the planet for many generations. They would have discovered this use for the fruit.

***

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

Under Strain

A damaged cyborg warrior is hunted by a peace-loving human female.

***

A fully operational cyborg would end her lifespan.

Strain wants to claim her. Forever.

When a handsome, gray-skinned, brilliant-blue-eyed male arrives, surrounded by weapon-carrying warriors, she has to save him. Warriors harm and they kill. That is what they do.

She won’t allow them to hurt Strain.

***

Under Strain is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.

It features a broken warrior, a human female who thinks he’s perfect, and velociraptor-like dinosaurs who view them both as light, tasty snacks.

Pre-order Now:

Amazon US:

Amazon UK:

Amazon AUS:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/under-strain/id1545957749

Apple Books:

B&N:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/under-strain-cynthia-sax/1138505613

Kobo:

Smashwords:

Topics: Story Insights | Comments Off on Under Strain And Fruit-Scented Hair

Under Strain And The Death Planet

By Cynthia Sax on April 20, 2021

Strain, the hero (though he wouldn’t consider himself one) of Under Strain, is dealing with emotional trauma. The worst planet rotation in his long existence, the source of that trauma, happened on, what he refers to as, the Death Planet.

Strain is a cyborg. He knows the name of that planet.

Yet he never ever uses it.

Why?

Because that would make the experience even more real for him, even more challenging to live with.

That’s also the reason why he doesn’t specifically name his cyborg brethren during his relaying of that planet rotation’s events. He knows their names, ALL their names, but he can’t handle that level of detail. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

And that’s okay.

We all deal with grief differently. (big hugs) We all have our own unique methods of coping. We all do what we have to do to get through trying times.

We all WILL get through it, however. We’ll find happiness again.

It might be a different type of happiness. Strain’s happiness post trauma doesn’t look exactly the same way happiness looked for him before the events on the Death Planet.

But he DOES find peace and joy and love.

And, along the way, courtesy of Grudge and Rancor and his female, he also has some laughs. (grins)

Cadet has both of her cyborg hands full managing her team. They are intent on causing chaos.

***

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

Under Strain

A damaged cyborg warrior is hunted by a peace-loving human female.

***

A fully operational cyborg would end her lifespan.

Strain wants to claim her. Forever.

When a handsome, gray-skinned, brilliant-blue-eyed male arrives, surrounded by weapon-carrying warriors, she has to save him. Warriors harm and they kill. That is what they do.

She won’t allow them to hurt Strain.

***

Under Strain is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.

It features a broken warrior, a human female who thinks he’s perfect, and velociraptor-like dinosaurs who view them both as light, tasty snacks.

Pre-order Now:

Amazon US:

Amazon UK:

Amazon AUS: