Interview With Kayden Claremont
I sat down (virtually) with Kayden Claremont for a short interview. Kayden Claremont’s latest release is Hell’s Bounty, an Urban Paranormal Erotica.
Cynthia Sax: What is your favorite line from Hell’s Bounty?
Kayden Claremont: Marcus pointed to the file he held in his hand as he cleared his throat. “Nothing like a stiff to make Saturday night special.”
Raven watched the dark humor shining in his angelic eyes, and her clit stiffened. “That’s what I always say.”
Why do I love this so much, well it shows how playful Marcus is with his sexual innuendos. He is such a sexual being and it shows in not only his actions but in his words as well.
Cynthia Sax: Where did you get the idea for Hell’s Bounty?
Kayden Claremont: This is a funny story. I was sitting in a coffee short working on a romantic suspense story when two men stat down beside me. They were talking about how their wives such the life out of them and they were trying to outdo one another so the stories became interesting. Before I know what had happened I had a scene where the character literally sucked the life out of a sleazy politician.
Years later I was in a critique meeting and we were talking about the weirdest scene we’ve ever written. I told my friend about this scene and they both said, “That’s a succubus.” I went home and looked it up and sure enough they were right. I liked the character so much I built the book around her.
Cynthia Sax: How does Hell’s Bounty start?
Kayden Claremont: Raven is a bounty hunter collecting souls for hell. She is dressed in hooker shoes, the tight dress revealing her voluptuous body, the masses of red curls, and her ruby-red lips. She’s walks into the club and sitting at the bar drinking hemlock waiting for her prey.
A giant of a man ducked as he entered the bar, paused, took off his sunglasses, tucked them into his jacket pocket, and waited for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. He surveyed the bar, then decided his path. Keeping his head high and his eyes skimming the people, he avoided eye contact with everyone.
She watches him. An undeniable current of electricity pulsed through him. Stopping beside her, he dwarfed her slight stature with colossal height, muscular build that showed through the suit, and an air of confidence that made everyone in the bar notice him.
He says, “Waiting for someone special?”
She answers, “Everyone is special.”
I started the story here because I loved the sexual tension that snapped between them. These characters just came together with such a force, I just wrote down the words.
Cynthia Sax: Is Hell’s Bounty part of a series and will you be writing more stories in this series?
Kayden Claremont:
Hell’s Bounty is the first book in my Heaven and Hell series. After I discovered Raven’s character it just made sense to pair her up with a guy who is her opposite. They are in the next book in the series, Hell Hath No Fury and they are reunited again final book in the series Hell Bent in Leather.
Thank you, Kayden Claremont, for joining us today!
Kayden Claremont’s Website: http://kaydenclaremont.wordpress.com/
*****************************************************************************
Raven Hart, a succubus bounty hunter for Hell, is on a hunt. With her query in sight, she hits a brick wall, or rather the very hard chest of a giant sexy man. She might have lost the prize for now, but she’s a winner when the hottie wants to get physical. Marcus Dionysius, a Nephilim working for Heaven, has one mission—to prevent Hell’s beauty from stealing souls meant for the higher plane. But he soon realizes he’s met his sexual match. She’s naughty enough to tempt his senses, but her innocence means he can’t walk away when she needs him most. Working together to discover who is snatching souls.
Buy Now on Wild Rose: http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/wildcatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=182&products_id=1013
Buy Now on Amazon Canada: http://www.amazon.ca/Hells-Bounty-Kayden-Claremont-ebook/dp/B00NBIDL86
Buy Now on Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Hells-Bounty-Kayden-Claremont-ebook/dp/B00NBIDL86
Topics: Author Interviews | Comments Off on Interview With Kayden Claremont
Writing Erotic Romance – Second Drafts And Other Messes
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.
You’ve conquered NaNoWriMo and have written a fast first draft of your story. Now what do you do with this steaming pile of word feces?
There are some writers who claim to write perfect first drafts, first drafts that make the angels sing and editors weep with wonder. These writers can usually be found drinking by themselves at conferences. Publicly, we pretend to be happy for them. Privately, we know they can’t be trusted.
Because every writer tweaks SOMETHING. Maybe this tweaking happens immediately after the first draft of a sentence or scene or chapter is written. Maybe this tweaking happens after the entire first draft of the story is written. The timing doesn’t matter. Once we change something – a word, a scene, a name, a comma, it is no longer the first draft.
Dealing With The Doubt Demons
If we’re looking at a true first draft, we’re looking at a mess. There might be missing scenes. Our characters might be happy, then sad, then happy again in a three sentence paragraph. Sentences might lack verbs. Some sex scenes might not be physically possible.
We read it and have a mini melt down. Oh my God. We’ve spent a month on this story and it’s garbage. A five year old could write a better story.
But not on the first draft. This mess is what a first draft is supposed to look like. It is normal, expected, comforting. If I write a readable first draft, I worry. Am I not pushing myself? Am I repeating a story I’ve already written?
Embrace the mess. Devise a strategy to tackle it.
Look At All Of The Pretty Arcs
My strategy is to look at the story at a very high level and then drill down. It makes no sense to me to hone a sentence into literary perfection when I don’t know if I’m keeping the scene that sentence appears in.
My first step is to look at my arcs. Real life is full of ups and downs. We solve issues only to rehash them a year later. We have a terrible day followed by a great day. If we duplicated this in Romanceland, the reader would get whiplash. Characters would be perceived as being emotionally unbalanced.
In Romanceland, we create arcs, steady, somewhat graceful builds. Does the action accelerate until, oh my lord, I can’t read fast enough to satisfy me? Is there more at stake for the characters as the story progresses? Does the sex get sexier, more emotional? Does the relationship become more intense? Does the change in the character make sense? (and characters SHOULD change) Does the reader care more with each page?
The key word is more because…well… more is more. Scenes should drive the story relentlessly forward. Characters should grow and change. The future builds on the past.
Killing Our Darlings
If a scene doesn’t belong, I move it or I, gasp, delete it. This is brutal to do. I love all of my scenes. But writing isn’t easy. It is soul sucking work. Sometimes we have to kill our darlings. (You know this happens often when we have a phrase for it.)
To make myself happy, I usually collect my darlings in another file. I’ve never used any of these scenes because they’re customized for the characters and the story, but it helps me emotionally deal with their removal.
Emotion Flow
Yes, emotion flow is one of our arcs but it is so key in erotic romances that I devote a special draft to it. If an erotic romance nails emotion, almost everything else can suck great hairy donkey balls and readers will still enjoy the story. It is THAT important.
Flow is the right description for it. A character wouldn’t be sad in one paragraph and crazy happy in the next. That jolts the reader and makes the character look a bit cray cray. She might be sad, then okay, then cheerful, then ecstatic. There’s a gradual transition.
I usually rush through this transition in the first draft, not giving the reader enough time to truly feel what my characters are feeling. I add paragraphs or scenes in this draft, slowing the flow.
WTF Moments
When I’m happy with the arcs and the emotion flow, adding and removing scenes to smooth them out, I look at the What The Fuck moments. These could be scenes that aren’t physically possible, dialogue or actions that aren’t in character, or continuity issues.
The heroine is wearing a blue blouse when she walks into the bank and a pink blouse when she walks out. Purses and phones go missing. Condoms appear out of nowhere and then disappear magically after fuckfests. An alien who previously doesn’t know a word of English suddenly spouts poetry. Our dashing human hero who has taken a life threatening shot to the gut is able to, minutes later, fuck our heroine against the wall.
I have yet to ever find ALL of my WTF moments. This is one of the reasons we need editors or critique partners. We often can’t see them ourselves.
The Weeds
When I’ve completed the BIG revisions, I work on the nitty gritty stuff—the echoes (repeating the same noteworthy word in the same paragraph), the awkward phrasing, the missing verbs, the lazy sentences.
If I’m in danger of not meeting a deadline, I know I usually have time after the submission date to make these tweaks. Normally, my editor first looks at the big picture. Then copyeditors look at the nitty gritty.
How do you attack your second drafts?
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 – Second Drafts And Other Messes
Sinful Rewards 5-Ordering Dinner In Another Language
The dear wonderful hubby and I travel quite a bit. We often don’t know more than a couple of courtesy words in the local language, which makes ordering food an adventure. We’ll point at something another patron is having. Once my hubby mooed to tell the waiter he wanted beef. (grins) I’ve clucked to indicate chicken. Sometimes we simply choose things at random. Many times we have no idea what we’re eating.
Bee, the heroine of Sinful Rewards, had a similar adventure when she had a lunch at a French restaurant.
Here’s a bit of the scene
The waiter returns, the hoity-toity bastard addressing me in French, knowing I don’t understand a word he says. I read his face. He gazes at me as my mom gazes at the customers she serves, waiting for their orders.
I glance down at the menu, having no idea what it says. He looks at me expectantly and I’m too damn proud to admit I don’t know a word of French. “I’d like this.” I point to a menu line.
The waiter sniffs. “Mademoiselle, that states that vegetarian options are available upon request.” He says nothing more, not helping me at all.
I point at another line. This seems to make him happy as he rattles off more French words. Then he waits. Again.
Oh, God. What does he want? I gaze at Lona. She’s cuddling with Jacques, in her own happy-little-couple world. I glance at Francois.
He sighs, shaking his head. “You don’t know a word of French, do you?”
“This is America.” I lift my chin. “I shouldn’t need to know French.”
“I’m American and I know French.” Francois changes languages as easily as I change outfits, talking with the waiter.
Have you ever had adventures in ordering food in another country or language?
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: Guest Post | Comments Off on Sinful Rewards 5-Ordering Dinner In Another Language
Sinful Rewards 5-This Series Is An Addiction
Fresh Fiction shares…
“SINFUL REWARDS 5 is a beautiful, touching, tender book; I really experienced Bee’s pain and conflict, and rejoiced when she was free and happy. How wonderful when an author infuses a character with so much life, that she is able to make us care so much about a fictional character that we wish we could hug Bee and console her. Superb!”
You can read the full review here
http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=48725
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: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Sinful Rewards 5-This Series Is An Addiction
First Excerpt For Sinful Rewards 6
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 6 releases on December 16th and I thought I’d share a first excerpt with you.
The doorbell rings mere seconds later. “Aargh.” I stalk across the main room, unable to handle more deliveries. “Make it stop.” I swing the door open, aggravated.
“I’ll make it stop, sweetheart.” Hawke stands before me, clad in his ugly black T-shirt, his faded blue jeans, and big army boots, his tanned skin covered with a sheen of moisture as though he ran the entire way. He’s big and broad, a mountain of a man, and there’s no one I trust more with righting my world.
“Hawke.” I throw myself at him, my heart pounding.
He catches my smaller body, cups my ass, and lifts me upward, pressing me against his solid form, the barbed wire tattoo encircling his right bicep rippling.
“I’m here.” Hawke walks into the condo, carrying me easily, and I link my fingers behind his neck, never wanting to let him go. “Everything will be okay,” he assures me as he kicks the door shut behind him.
“I don’t know how anything will ever be okay again,” I mumble into his neck, inhaling his unique scent, a combination of engine grease, leather, and man. “I’ve put my best friend in danger.” I gaze up at his rugged countenance, the silver scar on his chin a reminder of his difficult life. “I—”
Hawke covers my lips with his, the force of his kiss driving my head back, evaporating my thoughts and tightening my nipples. I open to him, welcoming my badass biker into my mouth, our tongues dueling, dancing, drawing us together, meshing us into one being.
My fingers spread over his skull, his hair short and soft under my palms. Hawke’s chest flattens my breasts. His defined abs undulate against my fabric-covered pussy, the pressure exciting me. He strokes into me, the stubble on his chin blazing a trail across my skin, and I respond with no inhibitions, sucking on his tongue as I wish to suck on his cock, tasting him, savoring him.
There’s no fear of Hawke judging me, rejecting me. He embraces my wild nature, encourages my perversions. With him, I’m safe, accepted, worthy.
He falls backward, his ass smacks against the leather couch cushion, and I bounce on top of him, the contact driving my arousal upward. His massive hands slide up my back, the friction delightful. I arch, rubbing my taut nipples against him, frustrated by the layers of clothing between us.
He breaks our kiss and rests his forehead against mine, the tips of our noses touching, both of us breathing heavily. “Who are you thinking about, love?”
“What?” I blink at him, my brain fuzzy with passion.
Hawke smiles his lopsided smile, his white teeth flashing in his tanned face. “Exactly.” He nips my bottom lip. “When we kiss, you don’t think about anyone else.”
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: Coming Soon | Comments Off on First Excerpt For Sinful Rewards 6
Sinful Rewards 5-One Of The Best Erotica Writers I’ve Ever Read
Awww… this review made me cry.
Reese’s Reviews shares
“I’m not a huge fan of Erotic mainly because I never get a story and instead get two people having sex all the time. Cynthia Sax gives me something so entirely different I can’t help but love her for it. She is one of the best Erotica writers I’ve ever read. She makes amazing characters and produces an even better plot that draws me in and keeps me in its’ clutches well after the final pages are turned.”
You can read the full review here…
http://reesesreviews.blogspot.ca/2014/11/sinful-rewards-5-by-cynthia-sax-blog.html
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: Reviews | Comments Off on Sinful Rewards 5-One Of The Best Erotica Writers I’ve Ever Read
Interview With Mara Leigh
I sat down (virtually) with Mara Leigh for a short interview. Mara Leigh’s latest release is Bedded by Strangers, a contemporary erotic.
Cynthia Sax: What excites you about Bedded by Strangers?
Mara Leigh: Everyone has sexual fantasies, even it they never expect to act them out in real life. What I love about this series, is that it allows readers to go along on the ride as my heroines play out their wildest dreams. In Bedded with Strangers, Jamie plays out the fantasy of being with more than one man—in a safe way, one that doesn’t jeopardize her marriage. It was exciting to discover, through writing, how this couple makes it work.
Cynthia Sax: What is your favorite line from Bedded by Strangers?
Mara Leigh: I’m going to cheat and include two short passages. Because that’s how I roll.
Here’s the first.
“Fantasies are one thing when they’re confined to our minds, when they’re used to turn us on when our lovers are away, or when we want to drift to somewhere different and exciting. My mind had played out variations on the same fantasy since I was a teen, but did I actually want the real thing?”
I like this passage because, in many ways, Jamie, the heroine of Bedded by Strangers, sums up the entire theme of the Fantasies Unleashed series. She states, in a nutshell, why reading (and writing) about sexual fantasies is so exciting and fun!
The second passage I’m including is:
“My knees trembled and, like an old-fashioned gentleman, he extended his arm for me to hold. The gesture set me at ease. My husband might have paid this man to have sex with me, but nothing about him or his demeanor read sleazy. And in spite of the words he’d just practically growled, I felt safe, like everything about this was at my discretion, my invitation.”
I like this quote because it shows that she’s safe. Maybe not entirely safe—she has no idea what’s about to happen—but it shows that she feels in control of the encounter. Some of the fantasies the women in my stories play out are pretty wild, and even if the “fantasy facilitators” do things that push the women to their limits and make them feel uncomfortable, the women always have the option to stop it. That was really important to me.
Cynthia Sax: Where is Bedded by Strangers set?
Mara Leigh: What do they say about what happens in Vegas? 😉 That’s one reason I chose it. And also because it’s possible that Fantasies Unleashed, the company featured in my series, might actually exist in the state of Nevada—legally. Although everything about the company is pure fantasy.
Many parts of the stories take place in luxurious penthouse suites in the fanciest hotels in Vegas, adding to the fantasy. Let’s face it, the glamourous elements of Vegas—the luxury, the decadent food and drink, the bright lights—they all ooze sex appeal.
Cynthia Sax: Does a character in Bedded by Strangers have a secret? What is it?
Mara Leigh:
Yes.
I’m not telling.
Cynthia Sax: Is Bedded by Strangers part of a series and will you be writing more stories in this series?
Mara Leigh:
Yes. This is actually #2 in my Fantasies Unleashed series, but the stories can be read in any order.
The titles released right now are: Dirty Business, Bedded by Strangers, and Surrender. Humbling the Boss will release on December 2, 2014 and is available for pre-order.
I hope to continue the series for as long as I can come up with fun and fresh fantasies! I’m currently planning at least six titles, and numbers 5 and 6 will be coming in early 2015.
Cynthia Sax: What one piece of advice would you give new writers?
Mara Leigh:
Learn your craft and don’t give up! That’s two pieces of advice—one about writing, and the other about publishing—but I think they’re equally important.
Even though we all have some experience in writing from when we were students, or in other jobs, writing fiction is different from other forms of writing. It takes study and practice to do it well.
When it comes to publishing, that’s when the persistence comes in. Writers, even multi-published authors, are faced with rejection all the time, whether it’s from agents, editors, reviewers or readers. Writers need to develop a way to cope with their inevitable disappointments, revel in their eventual successes, and always, always focus on why they love writing and wanted to be a published author in the first place.
Cynthia Sax: What do you love about writing in your romance sub-genre?
Mara Leigh:
I also write bestselling novels in a completely different genre, under a different name.
**Shhh… Don’t tell anyone.**
Writing these steamy contemporary stories is a refreshing change from the novels I write under my other name. For me, writing as Mara Leigh is beyond fun! It’s freeing to break the bounds of my other author persona and let my imagination run wild!
Thank you, Mara Leigh, for joining us today!
Mara Leigh’s Website: http://www.amazon.com/author/maraleigh
*****************************************************************************
When Jamie confessed to her husband that she fantasized about sex with strangers, she never imagined he’d help make her fantasy come true. While in Las Vegas, Jamie has a sexual encounter with six hot men who fulfill her wildest dreams and leave her even more deeply in love with her husband.
What’s your sexual fantasy? The men of Fantasies Unleashed are here to fulfill your wildest, kinkiest and hottest desires.
Buy Now: http://amzn.to/1E3TDgh
Topics: Author Interviews | Comments Off on Interview With Mara Leigh
Sinful Rewards-Bee’s Dresses
This is the dress Bee wears to the fateful lunch in Sinful Rewards 5
http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/402646
This is the dress Hawke thought wasn’t sweet and innocent enough
http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/424605#
And this is the Dolce & Gabbana ‘number’
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: Guest Post | Comments Off on Sinful Rewards-Bee’s Dresses
Writing Erotic Romance – Virgins, Sluts And Toe Suckers
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.
We’re writing erotic romance. Sex plays a huge role in our stories. Exploration of the character’s sexuality is part of his or her growth as a person (or as an alien or as a sheepdog shifter).
We’re also trying to write interesting stories. No one wants to read about the average person. Average people are boring. Fucked up people are more exciting. Usually fucked up people have fucked up sex lives.
Tell Me Why
In the real world, people are random. If you asked me why I had jellybeans for breakfast, I couldn’t tell you. I do shit and have no idea why.
In erotic romanceland, characters should have a reason for doing things. If they like to have their ears tickled with feathers, something in their past made them crave this fetish.
Sexual Experience
If a character has more or less experience than the average person, readers want to know why. Your sluttastic Regency heroine is banging half of the ton for a reason. Tell us. Your modern New Yorker knows why she’s saving her cherry. Ask her to share this reason with readers.
Modern Virgins
I’ve written about virgin heroines in my contemporary erotic romances. It can be done. But they have to have a reason for waiting. There’s tremendous pressure from peers, society and media to have sex. Just saying “she wanted to meet someone special” isn’t going to cut it.
Anna in He Watches Me waited because she doesn’t trust people. At all. She wasn’t allowing some bigger, stronger man inside her. No way. No how. Arianna, my heroine in the Mastered 2 story, waited because her father threatened to disown her if she had sex. Some heroines are religious. Some heroines saw their moms being abused. Some heroines are training for the Olympics. Some heroines have the Godfather for a father.
Modern virgins and, hell, even rural living Regency virgins, know about sex. Anyone coming from the farm has seen bulls and cows (or horses or squirrels) go at it. A modern virgin has likely watched quite a bit of porn (either Hollywood approved or the real hard core stuff). Unless she has lived under a rock, she has read or heard of Fifty Shades.
The modern heroine knows what and where her pussy is. The hero shouldn’t have to point her pussy out to her (Oh my God. WHAT is THAT doing THERE?) or explain how it works. She’s touched herself. She might have used sex toys or a cucumber or the anal invader (grins).
When the heroine has sex for the first time, it is unlikely to be fucktastic (unless there’s been a LOT of prep – Anna had two novellas plus worth of prep). The first time hurts. Unless she’s a pain whore, she won’t get off during penetration.
A considerate, in love, aware hero will prepare the heroine. Maybe he’ll give her an orgasm before the main event, ensuring she enjoys some part of it. If the hero is none of the above, the first time could be a disaster, adding delicious conflict to the budding relationship. She loves him but, oh noes, the sex is bad. Whatever will she do?
The Super Slut
The opposite of the virgin heroine is the super slut. I’ve written about super sluts also. Again, they have a reason for banging every guy (or girl or chicken) they meet. Condoms are a must for the super slut heroine or you’ll receive an email from the condom police, a group of passionate readers ensuring fictional characters don’t get herpes. Proving that super sluts feel differently for their heroes is a big challenge. What makes our stud different from the hundreds of men who came (grins) before him?
Be careful with the super slut heroine. Some readers become very angry if the heroine (or the hero) has sex with a person other than her love interest. If super slut needs a monogamous relationship to be happy, I usually hint at her past but don’t show it. So maybe she runs into people she’s had sex with (awkward!). If super slut needs variety, I show that the hero is as into this sharing of her naughty bits as she is.
Toe Suckers, Exhibitionists And Pets
Any kink or fetish or different sexual lifestyle should have a reason for being. If I receive a review saying “I don’t understand why anyone would like (insert kink here)”, I know I haven’t made this reason clear enough. That’s a #WritingFail
My story for the Mastered 2 box set has a BDSM theme. BDSM is complicated. It usually has two or more elements to it. In my story, I had to explain why the heroine likes pain with her sex AND giving over control. I also had to explain why the hero likes to deliver pain AND take control.
Exhibitionism is simpler. The heroine likes to be watched. What in her past created this preference? Why is the hero attracted to a woman who likes to be watched?
Having the kink helps with the mechanics. It doesn’t always help with the psychology because, as I mentioned previously, we don’t always know why we do things.
Truly understanding why a kink appeals to people takes a bit of research. This is often why writers specialize in one kink. Once we’ve done all of this research (normally because we’re personally interested in that kink), we spread that knowledge over multiple
stories.
From a marketing point of view, if the kink has a large following (as BDSM does), mentioning the kink in the back cover copy might increase sales (with BDSM – this might mean talking about Doms and subs and BDSM clubs in the back cover copy). If the kink has a smaller following and you’re looking for a wider readership, hinting that the heroine has strange yearnings might be a better route to take. I’m not into foot fetishes so I won’t pick up a story centered around this but I WILL read a well crafted story starring a character with a foot fetish.
What do you keep in mind when writing about characters with extreme sexual experiences or fetishes?
If you liked this post, you might like
Writing Erotic Romance – Balancing Sex And Plot
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Writing Erotic Romance – Making Every Sex Scene Different
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Writing Erotic Romance – Making Sex Sexy
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Writing Erotic Romance – The Basics Of A Sex Scene
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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 – Virgins, Sluts And Toe Suckers
Sinful Rewards 5-An Addictive Series
Shannon at Cocktails and Books shares this about Sinful Rewards 5
“I normally don’t like episodic novellas, but this is an addictive series and I anxiously wait the next episode.”
http://www.cocktailsandbooks.com/26947/
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: Reviews | Comments Off on Sinful Rewards 5-An Addictive Series
