Taste of Cyn

The next story on my schedule to write is Holding Hoarse, this year’s free short story (releasing in December). The challenge is…

I haven’t yet figured out a great premise for this story. I have premises. I always have premises. (grins) But they aren’t right for Hoarse, the C Model cyborg hero.

One of the things I do to break out of my small idea box is look around me, find an object or a news story or a line of a song or something else random, and then write as many premises or story ideas as possible involving it.

I go wild with these ideas. I flip tropes or expectations. I think of the most bizarre things. There’s no judgment. I am unlikely to share these ideas with anyone else unless I use them or I think they’re fun and might inspire other writers.

When writers freely share premises with other writers, we call them writing prompts.

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Writing Prompt:

An asteroid speeds toward Earth.

As it draws closer to the planet, scientists realize it isn’t an asteroid.

It is an egg.

And it’s hatching.

***

This writing prompt or premise was inspired by a carton of eggs and was influenced by my love of disaster movies.

I am unlikely to ever write it. My alien romance stories aren’t set on modern Earth. So I’m sending it out into the universe, freely giving it to other writers, hoping they are inspired by it or write it as it is.

Has this premise already been written? That’s likely. There are thousands of books published every day. I’m certain someone else has thought of it.

But no one will think of it quite the same way as I do or as you do. Premises are common. Stories are unique to each writer because our voices are unique. No one has the same way of thinking, the same experiences, the same perspectives as you do.

If you are inspired by a story prompt, you are free to write it.

As for me… (big sigh) I’m still looking for a great premise for Holding Hoarse. It will come to me. I know that. But it might take a few more story idea brainstorming sessions.

(If you want to see some of the story prompts coming out of these brainstorming sessions, I usually share them on my Instagram account – https://www.instagram.com/cynthiasax/ )

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Other Chameles view him as the enemy.

She sees the warrior hero he never believed he could be.

* * *

Tolui is a Warlord in search of a planet to rule. He has been leading his fellow clones in a stealth battle, fighting for both control of the Chamele sector and the right to exist. The brave warriors he commands warrant respect, and they deserve the best.

That best isn’t the barren, dangerous terrain on Chamele 4. When Tolui crashes on that planet’s surface, he’s determined to leave it as soon as possible. The tiny human female rescuing him might be as beautiful and as wild as the land she inhabits, but her flowing words, trusting gaze, and enthralling submission won’t stop him from rejoining the war.

After many solar cycles of living alone, Lea is overjoyed when a tall, scarred, muscular warrior falls from the sky. Her savage stranger is strong and severe, and he makes her feel safe, an emotion she hasn’t experienced in a long, long time.

He also insists they must part. Before they do, she’ll show him the splendor of her home, and she’ll enjoy his big form, collecting passionate moments she can revisit when she’s solitary once more.

Every additional moment Lea and Tolui spend together increases the chance they’ll both die. Lea is being chased by female-hating fiends. Tolui is being hunted by the best bounty hunters in the universe. War will soon arrive on their threshold, and the blood spilled might be their own.

* * *

Warlord’s Mercy is based on a much shorter story sharing the same title.

It is a STANDALONE Alien Barbarian SciFi Romance featuring a villain turned hero and a brave, chatty heroine set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.

Warlord’s Mercy is the fifth of six core stories in the Chamele Barbarian Warlord series.

Book 1:  Warlord Sky

Book 2:  Warlord’s Bounty

Book 3:  Warlord Unarmed

Book 4:  Warlord Reunited

Book 5:  Warlord’s Mercy

Book 6: Warlord’s Return

Buy Now:

Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0886K65F9

Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0886K65F9

Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0886K65F9

Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/warlords-mercy/id1511995733

B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/warlords-mercy-cynthia-sax/1116524052

Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/warlord-s-mercy-1

SmashWords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1020349