Muse Food – A Ship In Harbor
One of my favorite sayings is
“A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for”
(attributed to John A. Shedd).
I remember that saying when I’m writing a scene, a scene that will make my characters uncomfortable. Characters in stories aren’t meant to be comfortable. Comfortable beings don’t take extreme actions, actions that we expect characters in great stories to take.
Make your characters uncomfortable. Push them out of their safety zone. Get that ship in the sea.
(grins)
Topics: Muse Food | Comments Off on Muse Food – A Ship In Harbor
Cynthia Sax Weekly Update – June 14
I spent another wonderful week in the garden.
(smiles)
No writing was done.
Well, no typing was done. Stories are always being worked on in my head.
This upcoming week, I’ll strive (shout out to that charming cyborg) to put some of that story on the (virtual) page.
Have a wonderful week, my friends. (big hugs) If you’re fortunate to experience a thunderstorm this week (safely), revel in it. Watch the lightning streak across the sky. Savor the big boom of thunder. Nothing puts on a show like Nature. We are truly living on an amazing planet, aren’t we?
Cyborg Sizzle Escape Omnibus
Half Man. Half Machine. All Theirs.
* * *
While these cyborg warriors battle to escape their cruel manufacturers, they find the human females they are destined to love for all eternity.
This omnibus includes the first seven stories in the Cyborg Sizzle series: Releasing Rage, Breathing Vapor, Being Green, Crash And Burn, Defying Death, Chasing Mayhem and Jumping Barrel.
All of these Cyborg Romances are set in a dark, gritty, often violent universe.
Releasing Rage
Rage, the Humanoid Alliance’s most primitive cyborg, has two goals–kill all of the humans on his battle station and escape to the Homeland. The warrior has seen the darkness in others and in himself. He believes that’s all he’s been programmed to experience.
Until he meets Joan.
Breathing Vapor
Vapor is the most advanced cyborg the Humanoid Alliance has ever developed. He’s a finely honed weapon, a warrior without parallel, half man and half machine. No lock can contain him. No being can stop him. Whatever he wants, he takes.
He wants Mira Breazeal, the Designer’s daughter.
Being Green
Green, a cyborg warrior, cares for one being—his plant Windy. When Windy becomes sick, he’ll do anything to heal her, even venture across the universe to visit a worlds-renowned plant doctor.
He doesn’t expect to find love.
Crash And Burn
Crash was manufactured to be one of the best warriors in the universe. The cyborg has spent many human lifespans fighting the enemy. But, unlike his battle-loving brethren, he doesn’t enjoy killing. When he escapes the Humanoid Alliance, he vows to never end another life.
Then he meets Safyre, an infuriating human female, and he considers breaking his vow.
Defying Death
Cyborgs don’t show emotion. Death learned that lesson early in his long lifespan. To survive, he hides his fierce passions behind a stoic wall. He calls no warrior friend. He never admits to caring for any being.
Even the human female he’s destined to love.
Chasing Mayhem
Mayhem has spent his lengthy lifespan obeying the Humanoid Alliance’s rules. Finally free from their cruel control, the cyborg warrior plans to cause chaos. He infiltrates a remote settlement, provokes the savage locals until they want him dead, and allows himself to be captured by the sexiest little Retriever he has ever laid his mechanically-enhanced eyes on.
Jumping Barrel
Barrel requires an Expert for the Tau Cetian orphans. He’s looking for a female who is willing to commit to a lifespan-long role, who is comfortable with moving off planet, and who, preferably, has the ability to speak the offsprings’ first language.
His female, however, is looking for a hero.
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/Cyborg-Sizzle-Escape-Omnibus-Continuum-ebook/dp/B081VFHF1S
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cyborg-Sizzle-Escape-Omnibus-Continuum-ebook/dp/B081VFHF1S
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Cyborg-Sizzle-Escape-Omnibus-Continuum-ebook/dp/B081VFHF1S
Amazon Canada:
https://www.amazon.ca/Cyborg-Sizzle-Escape-Omnibus-Continuum-ebook/dp/B081VFHF1S
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/cyborg-sizzle-escape-omnibus/id1488934271
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/cyborg-sizzle-escape-omnibus
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/992060
Topics: Cynthia Sax Weekly Update | Comments Off on Cynthia Sax Weekly Update – June 14
Delight In Small Wonders
Some people only celebrate big events – birthdays, graduations, new jobs, vacations, others. They hinge much of their joy around these events or achievements.
I celebrate just about everything.
(grins)
I believe a great life is a combination of small joys, tiny wonders, little bits of happiness.
I saw a ladybug yesterday, for example, and that spotting delighted me. I was smiling for hours.
The Dear Wonderful Hubby sang in the shower this morning. He does this when he’s super happy. That put me in a great mood also.
Sure, the world is far from perfect.
(laughs)
But allow yourself to be happy, to be amazed, to revel in small wonders.
You deserve that joy!
Topics: Cyn-Sights | Comments Off on Delight In Small Wonders
The Running Man (2025) And Love Interests
Spoiler Alert – This post will talk about The Running Man (2025) and it WILL contain spoilers. If you haven’t yet watched this action-packed remake, you might wish to skip this post.
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I enjoyed The Running Man (2025). It is a one watch only movie for us but it was entertaining and I liked the updates made to the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger version.
One update that I really WISH they would have made was creating more room for at least one positive female-facing character.
Three of the four main female characters were…awful.
The female contestant was a terrible person, glorifying wealth and putting the people around her in danger. The mom of the helper was a bloodthirsty cruel being. The reluctant helper was the cliché shallow Kardashian-watching type of female whom the hero had to convince to do the right thing.
The fourth main female character, the wife, was missing in action. The love of her life, the father of their child, was in serious danger and she…did nothing. Nothing to help him. Sure, she cared for their child. But otherwise, she remained in hiding (that SHE didn’t even arrange to do) and, basically, went on with her life.
That’s some cold sh*t right there. She is definitely not a romance novel love interest. (shakes head)
And this was definitely a movie produced by men for men.
Topics: Movie Reviews | Comments Off on The Running Man (2025) And Love Interests
Throwback Thursday – B Free
B believes he’s the last living B Model cyborg.
He’s huge. He’s more mechanical looking than the other cyborgs. He thinks differently.
And he very much wants to find someone like him.
When he uncovers a possibility there might be a second B Model still alive, he investigates.
And he finds a human female researcher, a space archaeologist who might, just might give him the sense of belonging he has been craving.
Oh and he also finds zombies, lots and lots of flesh-eating zombies.
(grins)
B Free
B is the last remaining B Model cyborg. All of his brethren, the beings he trained with, fought with, cared deeply for, have perished.
Or so he believes.
When he intercepts a communication mentioning the existence of one of his kind, he has to investigate its source. The message could be a trap set by his enemies. He’ll take that risk if it secures him the companionship he requires to be fully functional.
What he finds is a daring brown-eyed female who activates all his systems. She proudly proclaims she’s a researcher, brandishing that information like a weapon before her. He wants to kiss the sass off her beautiful face, protect her from the dangers around them, claim her forever.
Quinn is on a quest to locate the mechanics of an early-version cyborg. She believes the information captured within that frame will give her valuable insights into the past.
When her mission goes zombie-like beings levels of wrong, she comes face-to-face with a living, breathing B Model. He has big hands, a primitive countenance, and stern hard lips crafted for kissing.
She doesn’t trust him. And she doesn’t have time to indulge her desires.
Their shared enemies are chasing them, would kill to get their precious specimens back. One minor mistake could reduce B and Quinn to a mere line in the databases of history.
***
B Free is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features the sole surviving B Model cyborg warrior, a courageous researcher seeking to uncover the past, and an unplanned visit to a settlement ruled by an extremely scary all-knowing, all-powerful being.
B Free is the fourth of five core stories in the Rebel Cyborgs Series.
Book 1: Containing Malice
Book 2: Under Strain
Book 3: Baring Grudge
Book 4: B Free
Book 5: Seizing Power
Buy Today:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B097CJJ6B7
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B097CJJ6B7
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B097CJJ6B7
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/b-free/id1572709749
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/b-free
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1089821
Topics: Throwback Thursday | Comments Off on Throwback Thursday – B Free
Gardening – Decreasing The Need To Water A Garden
Water is one of the most precious resources on Earth. We, humans, are mostly water. All life on this planet needs water to survive.
Our plants need water also.
But there are ways to decrease the need to water our plants.
Organic matter in or on the soil is one of the best ways. Adding 1% more organic matter will increase water retention by 1%. Less water runs off and you need to water less often.
Organic matter, used as mulch, slows evaporation of this water. It also cools the soil.
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I use leaves as mulch. And we stack leaves knee-high on garden beds in Fall/Autumn to break down over the winter. This is easy peasy to do. Leaves are plentiful. And it is no financial cost. Leaves are everywhere. (smiles)
Topics: Gardening | Comments Off on Gardening – Decreasing The Need To Water A Garden
Stop And Look Around You
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I were strolling along a pier in a smaller town near the southern tip of Argentina.
We looked down and saw these two cute little friends (I think they’re seals).
Many people walked by them AND us. Some of these people had stickers on their shirts which indicated they had been on tours, tours they had paid for, tours that likely took them out to seen animals like these, tours that might not have been successful in that mission.
Here were two of the creatures they wanted to see.
And they didn’t see them.
Because these tour takers weren’t looking around them. They were focused on their destination.
Every so often, if you have a spare minute, stop and look around you. Notice the plants. Look up at the sky. Search for the unusual. Enjoy the wonder.
That might be the best one minute you’ve ever experienced.
(smiles)
Topics: Argentina, Cyn-Sights | Comments Off on Stop And Look Around You
Muse Food – Monkeys Eating Pringles And Sharing Our Treats
(The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I encountered this monkey eating Pringles in Malaysia.)
A human is trekking through the forest and they encounter a cute little creature.
They want to interact with this creature. So they reach into their pack, take out candy or chips/crisps or chocolate and they then offer this treat to the creature.
This happens often in books and in movies, whether that forest is on Earth or in Space.
We share our treats, the foods that taste good to us, hoping we’ll make a connection. It is our way of saying “I want to be friends.” We do this with people and we do this with other living things.
How would the main character in your story try to make friends?
Topics: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Muse Food | Comments Off on Muse Food – Monkeys Eating Pringles And Sharing Our Treats
Cynthia Sax Weekly Update – June 7
I spent another week in the garden. (smiles) I don’t regret it. It was peaceful and green and there were butterflies and bumblebees and some mafia squirrels.
I hope to get back to working on the Super Secret Project this week. That’s the plan. We’ll see where the week takes me. (grins)
Have a wonderful week, my friend. Be flexible, if you can, with your schedule also. If the day is glorious, consider skipping out on can-be-delayed duties and enjoy it. Go to the park. Have a picnic. And a nap. And a meander (or roll) through the greenery. Feel the sun on your sunscreen-protected face and the breeze on your skin. You deserve this!
Cyborg Sizzle Escape Omnibus
Half Man. Half Machine. All Theirs.
* * *
While these cyborg warriors battle to escape their cruel manufacturers, they find the human females they are destined to love for all eternity.
This omnibus includes the first seven stories in the Cyborg Sizzle series: Releasing Rage, Breathing Vapor, Being Green, Crash And Burn, Defying Death, Chasing Mayhem and Jumping Barrel.
All of these Cyborg Romances are set in a dark, gritty, often violent universe.
Releasing Rage
Rage, the Humanoid Alliance’s most primitive cyborg, has two goals–kill all of the humans on his battle station and escape to the Homeland. The warrior has seen the darkness in others and in himself. He believes that’s all he’s been programmed to experience.
Until he meets Joan.
Breathing Vapor
Vapor is the most advanced cyborg the Humanoid Alliance has ever developed. He’s a finely honed weapon, a warrior without parallel, half man and half machine. No lock can contain him. No being can stop him. Whatever he wants, he takes.
He wants Mira Breazeal, the Designer’s daughter.
Being Green
Green, a cyborg warrior, cares for one being—his plant Windy. When Windy becomes sick, he’ll do anything to heal her, even venture across the universe to visit a worlds-renowned plant doctor.
He doesn’t expect to find love.
Crash And Burn
Crash was manufactured to be one of the best warriors in the universe. The cyborg has spent many human lifespans fighting the enemy. But, unlike his battle-loving brethren, he doesn’t enjoy killing. When he escapes the Humanoid Alliance, he vows to never end another life.
Then he meets Safyre, an infuriating human female, and he considers breaking his vow.
Defying Death
Cyborgs don’t show emotion. Death learned that lesson early in his long lifespan. To survive, he hides his fierce passions behind a stoic wall. He calls no warrior friend. He never admits to caring for any being.
Even the human female he’s destined to love.
Chasing Mayhem
Mayhem has spent his lengthy lifespan obeying the Humanoid Alliance’s rules. Finally free from their cruel control, the cyborg warrior plans to cause chaos. He infiltrates a remote settlement, provokes the savage locals until they want him dead, and allows himself to be captured by the sexiest little Retriever he has ever laid his mechanically-enhanced eyes on.
Jumping Barrel
Barrel requires an Expert for the Tau Cetian orphans. He’s looking for a female who is willing to commit to a lifespan-long role, who is comfortable with moving off planet, and who, preferably, has the ability to speak the offsprings’ first language.
His female, however, is looking for a hero.
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/Cyborg-Sizzle-Escape-Omnibus-Continuum-ebook/dp/B081VFHF1S
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cyborg-Sizzle-Escape-Omnibus-Continuum-ebook/dp/B081VFHF1S
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Cyborg-Sizzle-Escape-Omnibus-Continuum-ebook/dp/B081VFHF1S
Amazon Canada:
https://www.amazon.ca/Cyborg-Sizzle-Escape-Omnibus-Continuum-ebook/dp/B081VFHF1S
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/cyborg-sizzle-escape-omnibus/id1488934271
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/cyborg-sizzle-escape-omnibus
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/992060
Topics: Cynthia Sax Weekly Update | Comments Off on Cynthia Sax Weekly Update – June 7
Take An Internet Break
I know. I know. The world is changing so quickly. We think we’ll be ‘left behind’ if we walk away from the fast and furious news cycle for even a minute.
But we do NEED breaks from it. This is important for our mental and emotional health.
And there isn’t much the average person can do to immediately change the situation anyway. Hearing the news now or in two hours won’t make a huge difference to most of our lives.
So turn your phone or computer (or brain – grins) off and trek (or wheel if you are in a wheelchair) about the block (or merely sit on the front steps).
Look at the flowers. Say hi to people (and squirrels) you encounter. Listen to the birds as they narrate your progress. (laughs) Breathe deeply and lower your shoulders.
You deserve this break! You NEEED it. Take it!
Topics: Cyn-Sights | Comments Off on Take An Internet Break
