Throwback Thursday – Crash And Burn
In my stories, the main couple (or more) ALWAYS has a romantic Happily Ever After. And this is EVER AFTER, which means past couples (or more) will ALWAYS maintain their romantic happiness.
They will never die or fall out of love.
Everyone else in the stories, however, is at risk. And in the cyborg world, they are REALLY at risk because the universe is engulfed in war.
Beings die during war. That’s a cruel reality.
And not all of those beings are enemies.
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.
Safyre will do anything to save her friend, the being she loves like a sister. She’ll ravish a huge hunky cyborg, kiss his best friend, and invoke scorching hot desires the male never realized he could feel. Dark soulful eyes, a quick wit, and a tempestuous passion won’t divert her from her mission.
Love, and a planet-destroying weapon, however, might stop her permanently.
Order Now:
On Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Crash-Burn-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B019EBKIF2
On Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crash-Burn-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook-x/dp/B019EBKIF2/
On Amazon AUS: https://www.amazon.com.au/Crash-Burn-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook-x/dp/B019EBKIF2/
On Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/crash-and-burn/id1068299424
On Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/ebook/crash-and-burn-13
Topics: Throwback Thursday | Comments Off on Throwback Thursday – Crash And Burn
Gardening On A Budget
I recently read an article stating that it was too expensive for individuals to grow some of their own food.
And I agree, the way the writer did it, it WOULD be too expensive. She had the fanciest gadgets and the priciest seeds.
But many of us grow food with little or no financial investment.
To grow food, all we truly need is
a seed
some soil
a container for the soil
water
sunlight
and
time.
Seeds can be gathered from grocery-purchased vegetables or fruit.
OR, even better, we can likely get more seeds than we ever need simply by asking a few people we know.
Because many gardeners happily save seeds and they usually have more seeds than they can use in multiple lifetimes. I know I’m in that situation. (sheepish grin) We’d be happy to give you some seeds.
Soil can be found…well…almost anywhere.
Stars, many folks put out potted plant containers filled with half-decent soil for garbage collection in the Fall/Autumn. Some cities give away compost.
Compost can be easily made using ripped up cardboard, coffee grounds and some water. (I’ve actually grown green beans directly in coffee grounds obtained from a nearby coffee shop though I don’t recommend this).
If there’s a building project in your neighborhood, those builders are likely planning to haul away a lot of dirt. Bring them your little container and ask them to fill it.
Containers are an easy resource to locate also.
A margarine or yogurt container with holes punched in the bottom is often perfect for a plant. I grow my tomato starts in red solo cups with holes punched in the bottom. I grow herbs in KFC buckets with holes punched in the bottom.
Put a tray under the container to catch the water. I use rotisserie chicken trays for this.
Water is also easy to source because you can reuse water you’ve used for something else as long as you didn’t put salt or chemicals in it.
If the shower takes a few minutes to heat up, put a bucket in the tub/stall and collect that water for your plants. If you’re boiling pasta, forgo the salt and then use the cooled drained water. If it rains, collect that water.
Sunlight can be free.
Herbs, for example, are often grown on windowsills. My houseplants are all placed next to windows. They’re tropical plants and they do well during the short sunlight days over winter.
If you’re growing in a place without windows, a white bulb with at least 2,000 lumens will simulate sunlight. That can be put in any appropriate fixture. My basement grow station (where I start my seeds) uses white LED shop lights.
Time is the final factor. Growing green beans might take 50 days total time but caring for 5 of those plants will take you about 10 minutes of not-so-speedy effort a week. Maximum.
Money isn’t a restriction if you truly want to grow some of your own food!
Topics: Gardening | Comments Off on Gardening On A Budget
Enchantment In Madagascar
The Dear Wonderful Hubby arranged for a naturalist to accompany the two of us as we trekked around the wild parts of Madagascar.
This naturalist has appeared in countless documentaries. He has accompanied hundreds of scientists as they completed their missions. He has lived amongst the trees and creatures of Madagascar most of his life.
Yet he still became super excited when he spotted certain frogs or insects or plants.
And I found that utterly enchanting. It added to our own excitement over seeing the wonders of nature.
(I LOVE beetles and Madagascar had SO MANY of them. That made me super happy. – smiles)
Topics: Madagascar, Travel | Comments Off on Enchantment In Madagascar
Muse Food – Jellyfish Sculptures And Multipurpose Scenes
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I spotted these jellyfish sculptures by a bus stop in Dubai.
They serve at least two purposes. They’re beautiful works of art. AND they provide much needed shade for waiting transit users.
Our scenes should, ideally, be like these jellyfish sculptures. They should, at the minimum, serve two purposes.
Maybe the scene hints at a future event. Or it reveals a character’s motive. Or it shows how the character is changing. Or it transitions the reader from one place to another. Or…it could have a gazillion different purposes.
Challenge yourself to make your scenes work harder and do more!
Topics: Dubai, Muse Food, Travel | Comments Off on Muse Food – Jellyfish Sculptures And Multipurpose Scenes
Cynthia Sax Weekly Update – March 9
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I spotted this LONG kitty in Dubai.
(smiles)
There’s no new writing news to share this week. The Moonbeam sets are still on hold. I’m waiting to see what will happen in the US. And I haven’t heard back on any of my other projects.
I continue to write, of course, because I’m a writer and that’s what we do.
(grins)
Have a wonderful week, my friends. (big hugs) Stretch out your arms or legs if you can. Become longer yourself. (laughs) When I was a kid, I thought if people pulled on my legs, that would make me taller. I DID become taller but I suspect that had more to do with natural growth than the leg pulling trick.
***
Cyborg Sizzle Homeland Omnibus
Cyborgs will do anything to protect their Homeland.
* * *
The cyborgs have claimed their Homeland but that has come at a cost. As they reconcile with their pasts, they seek to manufacture happier futures with the females they’re destined to love and cherish forever.
This omnibus includes three stories in the Cyborg Sizzle series: Taking Vengeance, The Cyborg’s Secret Baby and Dark Arsenal.
All of these Cyborg Romances are set in a dark, gritty, often violent universe.
Taking Vengeance
The only force stronger than their hate is their love.
Vengeance hates all humans. They killed every being he ever cared about. When the huge C Model cyborg is told he’s genetically compatible with the enemy, he makes it his mission to capture the female and use her to expel all humans from his home planet.
The Cyborg’s Secret Baby
A fierce cyborg warrior and his curvy human female share a no-longer-so-little secret.
Stealth, a K Model cyborg, knows his passion for Zebrina, the commander’s human daughter, is forbidden, yet he can’t resist the curvy female. He craves her touch, cherishes her sounds of pleasure, would do anything to keep her safe.
Dark Arsenal
A cyborg warrior and a Rebel female’s first mission together might be their last.
Arsenal considers himself to be a disposable cyborg. He drifts from assignment to assignment, forming no connections to anything or anyone. When the cyborg council requires a warrior for a high-risk mission, Arsenal volunteers. He believes no one will miss him if he dies. He doesn’t realize he’s one female’s fantasy.
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/Cyborg-Homeland-Omnibus-Romance-Continuum-ebook/dp/B0DVQF51ZG
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cyborg-Homeland-Omnibus-Romance-Continuum-ebook/dp/B0DVQF51ZG
Amazon AU:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Cyborg-Homeland-Omnibus-Romance-Continuum-ebook/dp/B0DVQF51ZG
Amazon Canada:
https://www.amazon.ca/Cyborg-Homeland-Omnibus-Romance-Continuum-ebook/dp/B0DVQF51ZG
Apple Books:
Coming Soon
https://books.apple.com/us/book-series/cyborg-romance-continuum/id1488934279
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/cyborg-sizzle-homeland-omnibus
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1700426
Topics: Cynthia Sax Weekly Update | Comments Off on Cynthia Sax Weekly Update – March 9
Retirement For Readers
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I attended a baby shower recently.
(It was his first baby shower EVER and he was super excited to attend it. Usually only I and other female facing folks are invited to them.)
We listened as some loved ones chattered about retirement. Quite a few of them said they’d NEVER retire…because they’d be bored out of their minds within a week.
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I simply stared, saying nothing.
As readers, you and I both know we would NEVER be bored.
(grins)
Most readers have To Be Read piles (virtual and physical) that would keep us occupied for years. Stars. I’ve collected thousands of eBooks that I plan to read some day.
And retirement would give me some days.
(laughs)
I was also taught that retirement was when we dedicated more time to giving back to the world. That might be taking care of other people’s babies (human or furbabies or plant babies) or helping out at a food bank or growing food in our backyard gardens. We can do all those jobs we’ve wanted to do but didn’t have the time.
There are also countries I’d like to visit, languages and skills I’d like to learn, hobbies I’d like to take part in. We could even try out another paying job if we wanted to do that.
I don’t know if I’m ready to retire from the romance writing just yet. But if or when I do, I certainly won’t be bored.
(smiles)
Topics: Cyn-Sights | Comments Off on Retirement For Readers
The Cyborg Sizzle Homeland Omnibus And Honoring The Dead
Taking Vengeance and The Cyborg’s Secret Baby, the two lead stories in the Cyborg Sizzle Homeland Omnibus, feature cyborg heroes, human heroines and
The loss of loved ones.
Part of dealing with those losses and that tremendous grief is figuring out a way to express it, to honor the dead.
In Taking Vengeance, that looks like carving the dead’s names in stone so everyone seeing it knows they had lived a worthy life.
In The Cyborg’s Secret Baby, that looks like trying to make the dead’s ‘dreams’ a reality…in some way.
Both are acts of love.
***
Cyborg Sizzle Homeland Omnibus
Cyborgs will do anything to protect their Homeland.
* * *
The cyborgs have claimed their Homeland but that has come at a cost. As they reconcile with their pasts, they seek to manufacture happier futures with the females they’re destined to love and cherish forever.
This omnibus includes three stories in the Cyborg Sizzle series: Taking Vengeance, The Cyborg’s Secret Baby and Dark Arsenal.
All of these Cyborg Romances are set in a dark, gritty, often violent universe.
Taking Vengeance
The only force stronger than their hate is their love.
Vengeance hates all humans. They killed every being he ever cared about. When the huge C Model cyborg is told he’s genetically compatible with the enemy, he makes it his mission to capture the female and use her to expel all humans from his home planet.
The Cyborg’s Secret Baby
A fierce cyborg warrior and his curvy human female share a no-longer-so-little secret.
Stealth, a K Model cyborg, knows his passion for Zebrina, the commander’s human daughter, is forbidden, yet he can’t resist the curvy female. He craves her touch, cherishes her sounds of pleasure, would do anything to keep her safe.
Dark Arsenal
A cyborg warrior and a Rebel female’s first mission together might be their last.
Arsenal considers himself to be a disposable cyborg. He drifts from assignment to assignment, forming no connections to anything or anyone. When the cyborg council requires a warrior for a high-risk mission, Arsenal volunteers. He believes no one will miss him if he dies. He doesn’t realize he’s one female’s fantasy.
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/Cyborg-Homeland-Omnibus-Romance-Continuum-ebook/dp/B0DVQF51ZG
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cyborg-Homeland-Omnibus-Romance-Continuum-ebook/dp/B0DVQF51ZG
Amazon AU:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Cyborg-Homeland-Omnibus-Romance-Continuum-ebook/dp/B0DVQF51ZG
Amazon Canada:
https://www.amazon.ca/Cyborg-Homeland-Omnibus-Romance-Continuum-ebook/dp/B0DVQF51ZG
Apple Books:
Coming Soon
https://books.apple.com/us/book-series/cyborg-romance-continuum/id1488934279
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/cyborg-sizzle-homeland-omnibus
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1700426
Topics: Cyn-Sights | Comments Off on The Cyborg Sizzle Homeland Omnibus And Honoring The Dead
Throwback Thursday – Dark Flight
Dark Flight is an enemies-to-lovers alien-like romance featuring a claw-sporting winged warrior hero and a protective human heroine on a mission to save her beloved sister.
There are sexy times in the air, fights to the death on the ground, and a love to last all eternity…if they survive the next few planet rotations. (grins)
Dark Flight
His mission. His challenge. His forever.
Orol, the Refuge’s second-in-command, has been given what he believes is a simple mission—escort two human females to the settlement. The winged warrior arrives at the meeting site to find one of the females missing and the other aiming a gun at his head. To rescue the first, he must capture the second. Once he has Rhea in his talons, however, he realizes he never wants to let her go.
Her enemy. Her captor. Her everything.
Rhea doesn’t trust anyone. She certainly doesn’t follow commands issued by a gorgeous flying male with glittering eyes, a beautiful face, and a seductive touch. Orol is dominant, edged with darkness, and determined to find her sister. Rhea will do anything to prevent that, even if it means playing sensual games of submission with her powerful enemy, seducing him into forgetting everything except her.
Dark Flight is a STAND-ALONE SciFi Romance set in a gritty, dark world.
Buy Now:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Flight-Refuge-Book-2-ebook/dp/B07124941B/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Flight-Refuge-Book-2-ebook/dp/B07124941B/
Amazon AUS: https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B07124941B
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/dark-flight/id1242494643
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dark-flight-3
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/727350
Topics: Throwback Thursday | Comments Off on Throwback Thursday – Dark Flight
The Hornet And The Grasshopper In Madagascar
Trekking around Madagascar with the Naturalist was like living in a nature documentary. There was life all around us. We witnessed births, deaths, courting rituals and struggles for survival.
For example, we watched as this hornet dragged a stunned grasshopper across a patch of sandy soil.
The hornet, the naturalist explained, had laid its eggs inside the grasshopper.
The hornet then dug a hole and stuffed the grasshopper into the mini tunnel.
The grasshopper would serve as a food source for the hornet’s young.
That’s some circle of life sh*t right there. (grins) I LOVED it.
Topics: Madagascar, Travel | Comments Off on The Hornet And The Grasshopper In Madagascar
Gardening – Start Small
As you’re planning your 2025 garden, one piece of advice I would give you is to start small.
Plant 3 tomatoes, not 30, for example. 3 tomatoes are manageable. You can dig a garden to hold those 3 tomato plants in less than an hour. You can sow seeds for 3 tomato plants in mere minutes. You can weed around those plants in minutes.
30 tomatoes, in contrast, is almost a full time job. Caring for a garden that size is a lot of work.
And things will go wrong. Plants will die. Or become ill. Or have to be moved.
You are learning. Allow yourself plenty of time to do that.
If you’re successful with the 3 tomato plants and you have excess time and energy, you can plant a few more and expand your garden next year.
Or not.
Maybe the 3 tomato plants are enough.
Start small.
Topics: Gardening | Comments Off on Gardening – Start Small
