Sinful Rewards And Being Small Town Infamous
I spent my teenage years in a small town (population: 4,500). When my family moved into the town, my big brother tried out for the hockey team, THE sports team in this town. He was their star defenseman.
I became known as his little sister.
It didn’t matter what I did or said or became. I was a figure skater, starring in a couple of town productions. I was a newspaper reporter, covering school activities for the local weekly paper and town activities for the regional daily paper. I won awards and earned a full four year scholarship to the university of my choice.
To this day, I’m known as my brother’s little sister. I question sometimes that local residents know my name because this is how they always refer to me.
I was lucky. I could live with my label. Some of my friends weren’t as fortunate. One of my buddies had a crazy wild weekend, earning her the town slut label. She’s now happily married with three kids, hasn’t lived in town for over two decades. When she returns to town, folks still whisper behind her back, referring to her as the town slut.
In Sinful Rewards, this is the label Bee’s mom is given. She had ONE wild night, unfortunately conceiving Bee during that encounter, and she became known as the wild woman of Happydale (population: 2,900). She’s been a model resident since that night but nothing she does changes how she’s perceived. I doubt anything will.
This drives Bee crazy. She wants to protect her mom, wants her to have the respect she deserves, yet she’s also terrified she’ll take her mom’s place, becoming the new wild woman of Happydale.
Have you ever been small town famous (or infamous)?
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Four years ago, Bee Carter left her tiny hometown, escaping her tormenters. She concealed her tarnished reputation under a good-girl persona, hiding her history from Nicolas, her strong and silent billionaire; Hawke, her tattooed bad-boy biker; and Cyndi, her man-crazy best friend.
Today, she’s returning home … and she’s not alone. Some of her deepest, darkest secrets will be revealed. Trust will be tested. Clothing and inhibitions will be discarded. Bee and her hometown will never be the same.
When her past and her present collide, will any of Bee’s relationships survive?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89N4
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards4-1645053-149.html
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-4-cynthia-sax/1119919839
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_4?id=PvxzAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-4/id814148698
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on Sinful Rewards And Being Small Town Infamous
First Excerpt For Sinful Rewards 5
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.
Here is a first excerpt for Sinful Rewards 5. (grins)
“Hating Cyndi won’t make your mistake disappear.”
“Nothing will make it disappear.” Nicolas tugs on his hand. “I should leave.”
I grip his fingers tighter, holding on to him. “You’re not going anywhere, Mr. Rainer.” I pivot on my bare heels and face him. He avoids my gaze, his expression bleak and his lips flat. “You promised me I’d have twenty minutes of your time.”
“Do you want twenty minutes of my time?” Nicolas asks. “I’m not a nice person, Bee.” The anguish in his voice makes my heart twist. “You heard what I did.”
I release his hand and slide my palms over his chest, the fabric of his suit luxuriously soft under my fingertips. “Yes, I heard what you did.” I’m not certain of the details, knowing only that Nicolas made a mistake, the consequences were terrible, and he’s been living with guilt since that day. “A truly bad man wouldn’t care about his actions.”
“A good man wouldn’t have made that decision.” Nicolas plucks on his shirt cuffs, clearly agitated. “How can you forgive me?”
He asks this because he can’t forgive himself. I read this truth in his dark eyes. Is this why he hasn’t yet formed a lasting romantic relationship—he doesn’t think himself worthy of love, doesn’t believe a woman can accept his past?
I wish I could tell him I loved him but I don’t, not yet.
“You’re not perfect, Nicolas.” I rise onto my tiptoes and press my lips against his chin. The phone on my right hip hums as Hawke, my possessive former marine, tries to interrupt the embrace. I ignore the call, focusing on my upset billionaire. “I knew that before I met you, before I decided to be your friend.”
“I’m a terrible friend also,” Nicolas mutters.
“You are a terrible friend,” I admit and a gold sparkle returns to his brown eyes. “But you have potential. I believe, after two or three years of constant training, you could progress from being a terrible friend to being a really bad friend.”
Nicolas’s lips twitch. “How many years will it take me to become a great friend?”
“More years than you have.” I laugh, skipping away from him. “You’d have to be immortal to achieve great-friend status.”
Nicolas grins, his white teeth flashing against his tanned face. “You’re priceless.”
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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
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: Coming Soon | Comments Off on First Excerpt For Sinful Rewards 5
Cover Reveal For Sinful Rewards 7
Yay! We have a cover and blurb for Sinful Rewards 7 (releasing in January, available for pre-order now)!
Bee Carter has been offered everything she has ever dreamed of – a caring, lasting relationship with a handsome, often charming billionaire, the permanent home she’s never had but has always craved, wealth to buy the designer fashions she loves, support her hard-working mother, and ensure her acceptance by Chicago’s elite.
To obtain these things she’s desired for so long, she only has to do two things.
Walk away from her best friend, a woman who is destined to betray her…
…and end her passionate nightly encounters with a certain tattooed biker, a former Marine who can never give her what she needs.
Her answer should be clear, but the heart has a way of complicating even the most straightforward decisions.
Topics: Cover Reveal | Comments Off on Cover Reveal For Sinful Rewards 7
Sinful Rewards 4 – I Might Have A Busboy Thing Now
A Reader Lives A Thousand Lives has reviewed Sinful Rewards 4!
“A few Hawke related thoughts: 1) I might have a busboy thing now. 2) His interruption skills are EPIC. 3) “Passion isn’t tidy.” 4) What they share is real. No forced images, she lets go of her fears and faces them, not alone… with a biker whose real name she doesn’t know. But she holds his most valuable possession close to her heart.”
http://areaderlivesa1000lives.blogspot.ca/2014/10/sinful-rewards-4.html
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Four years ago, Bee Carter left her tiny hometown, escaping her tormenters. She concealed her tarnished reputation under a good-girl persona, hiding her history from Nicolas, her strong and silent billionaire; Hawke, her tattooed bad-boy biker; and Cyndi, her man-crazy best friend.
Today, she’s returning home … and she’s not alone. Some of her deepest, darkest secrets will be revealed. Trust will be tested. Clothing and inhibitions will be discarded. Bee and her hometown will never be the same.
When her past and her present collide, will any of Bee’s relationships survive?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89N4
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards4-1645053-149.html
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-4-cynthia-sax/1119919839
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_4?id=PvxzAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-4/id814148698
Topics: Reviews | Comments Off on Sinful Rewards 4 – I Might Have A Busboy Thing Now
Writing Erotic Romance – Making Every Sex Scene Different
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.
“I’m considering walking away from erotic romance because I’m tired of writing about sex. There are only so many combinations of tabs and slots a girl can think of.”
“My book needs to be longer so I’m adding a sex scene. I don’t care where in the book this additional fuckfest goes. I’ll write a generic scene and let my editor decide.”
“I’m in a time crunch so I’ll insert a sex scene from a story I discarded. Sure, the old story was a SciFi featuring a doubly blessed alien hero and I’m writing a contemporary with a one-cocked billionaire, but sex is sex, right?”
If you’re thinking any of these thoughts (and let’s face, we’ve all contemplated these – usually when staring at the bottom of a wine bottle), then you likely need a reminder of what a great sex scene should be.
No Separation Of Sex And Story
Sex scenes should change the romantic relationship or reveal character or push the plot forward, or accomplish all of those other things any great scene should do (that I can’t remember right now). It isn’t filler. It isn’t a bonus scene. It has a purpose.
There is also no separation of sex scene and story. Whatever happens while clothed affects what happens when naked and vice versa. Sex can really fuck things up, increasing conflict, or it can resolve differences, forcing couples to work together. If you can remove a sex scene and nothing changes, the sex scene shouldn’t be there.
Every sex scene should be different. I have over 80 erotic romances published. That translates to 250 sex scenes, give or take a few. No two are the same. There are some similarities because yes, there are only so many physical combinations we can write, but readers aren’t reading sex scenes for the actual sex. They’re reading for emotion, for character, for plot.
Every Character Approaches Fucking Differently
They do. Take a simple climax scene. The hero is sextastic. Boyfriend is pulling out all the stops, fucking the heroine into the mattress, and she’s coming hard, the lucky bitch.
A SciFi heroine might go supernova, seeing stars. Diamonds glitter for a fashionista heroine. A phoenix shifter heroine bursts into flames. A warrior heroine’s world explodes into a million daggers. A cowboy heroine is dazzled by sparks from a campfire.
You’re in your character’s point of view. Be your character. Ask yourself if your character would use the words you’re writing for him or her. Would the gruff, tough cop hero know his heroine is wearing a silk camisole (revealing his secret side job as a fashion designer) or would he remove a top so damn flimsy and soft, he’s worried about tearing it?
Would your talkative heroine be quiet during sex (maybe showing she’s nervous) or would she chatter during the entire encounter, forcing the hero to shut her up (in sexy ways)? Does coming loosen the normally stoic hero’s lips or does he stay in character and show his changing emotions? Is a clumsy heroine also clumsy in bed, kneeing our poor hero in the groin (taking care of that pesky birth control problem), or is that the one place she’s graceful, becoming the Cinderella of the bed sheets?
Your Character’s Fucking Style Will Change
In an erotic romance, the main characters have what is known as a character arc. They change. The hero and heroine grow as individuals, becoming people able to sustain a lasting love. This change affects EVERY aspect of their lives, especially their sexual encounters.
Bee, the heroine from Sinful Rewards, cares about her appearance and about what other people think about her. At the beginning of the serial, she gets pissy when thing get… ummm… messy (and things do get messy during sex, don’t they?). As she changes, becoming less uptight about appearances, she also becomes less uptight about sex. The Bee having sexy encounters in Sinful Rewards 12 isn’t the same Bee who had sexy encounters in Sinful Rewards 1. The sex scenes can’t be swapped.
The Relationship Will Change
The relationship between the hero and the heroine will change also. One of the reasons I love writing erotic romances is that, while men don’t always talk about their feelings, they’re really good at showing them, especially in the sack.
When two near-strangers fuck, it’s a gloriously selfish thing. Both the hero and the heroine are usually concentrating on getting themselves off. Sure, if the other person comes, that’s a bonus, a pat on the back for our big strong alpha male, but his focus is on himself.
He arranges the hook up so he can leave as soon as he’s done (they fuck in his car or between meetings). There’s no talking about personal things or the future. He doesn’t use her name or take her preferences into consideration.
As he cares more and more, his focus switches from himself, to the two of them, to her. Maybe he tucks a pillow under her ass before he pounds her senseless. Maybe he goes downtown on her and doesn’t expect anything in return (and it isn’t even her birthday! He IS a hero.). Maybe he cuddles.
Whether or not he/she sleeps over and where the couple sleeps can be a big indicator of where they are in a relationship. Does he make the bed before she comes over? Buy her a toothbrush? Prepare breakfast the next day? These details are important, revealing character.
Sex And Conflict
Sex is a delicious source of conflict. The heroine and hero could be at different stages in their relationship. She’s falling in love with him and he doesn’t want to sleep over (because, unbeknownst to her, he has nightmares from the war and worries about harming her). She sees his leaving every night as a rejection.
Sex could bring out deeper issues. She assumes the werewolf hero likes to do it doggy style and he thinks she views him as an animal, good for a fuck but not a relationship. He calls her his dirty little slut and she’s spent her life fighting that label.
Other Considerations
There are other things that can make your sex scenes special. I often use motifs or symbolism in my sex scenes. In Breaking All The Rules, the hero is called the Iceman. Temperatures or acts of nature (and Camille IS an act of nature) are woven into the scenes.
Sex in the city (in apartments with paper thin walls) is very different than sex in the country (scream your heart out, hon). Winter sex (cuddling in front of a fire place) is different from summer sex (fucking on the front lawn). Sex when we’re twenty (all night long) is different than sex where we’re fifty (let’s take a breather). Sex in a car (watch the steering wheel) is different from sex on a beach (sand in bad places).
There are a million ways to make your sex scenes unique. What are some of your favorite ways?
If you liked this post, you might like
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/
Four years ago, Bee Carter left her tiny hometown, escaping her tormenters. She concealed her tarnished reputation under a good-girl persona, hiding her history from Nicolas, her strong and silent billionaire; Hawke, her tattooed bad-boy biker; and Cyndi, her man-crazy best friend.
Today, she’s returning home … and she’s not alone. Some of her deepest, darkest secrets will be revealed. Trust will be tested. Clothing and inhibitions will be discarded. Bee and her hometown will never be the same.
When her past and her present collide, will any of Bee’s relationships survive?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89N4
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards4-1645053-149.html
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-4-cynthia-sax/1119919839
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_4?id=PvxzAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-4/id814148698
Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Writing Erotic Romance – Making Every Sex Scene Different
Sinful Rewards 4 – A Must Read!
Defying Tradition has reviewed Sinful Rewards 4!
“…you have more passionate kisses from both men, tempers flying, and more texts from the mysterious “Friendly”. This is a MUST READ”
http://traditionallydefiant.blogspot.ca/2014/10/spotlight-book-tour-sinful-rewards-4.html
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Four years ago, Bee Carter left her tiny hometown, escaping her tormenters. She concealed her tarnished reputation under a good-girl persona, hiding her history from Nicolas, her strong and silent billionaire; Hawke, her tattooed bad-boy biker; and Cyndi, her man-crazy best friend.
Today, she’s returning home … and she’s not alone. Some of her deepest, darkest secrets will be revealed. Trust will be tested. Clothing and inhibitions will be discarded. Bee and her hometown will never be the same.
When her past and her present collide, will any of Bee’s relationships survive?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89N4
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards4-1645053-149.html
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-4-cynthia-sax/1119919839
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_4?id=PvxzAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-4/id814148698
Topics: Reviews | Comments Off on Sinful Rewards 4 – A Must Read!
Sinful Rewards 4 – I will never look at riding a motorcycle in the same way!
Yay! We have a first review for Sinful Rewards 4!
“10 out of 10! delicious, gripping and I will never look at riding a motorcycle in the same way every again!” – Brit Nanny Reads
http://britnannyreads.wordpress.com/2014/10/14/sinful-rewards-4-by-cynthia-sax-review-and-blog-tour/
Cara also says this is her favorite Sinful Rewards yet and I agree. My stories build, they become more and more intense.
(Yeah, I know I should start intense but…)
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Four years ago, Bee Carter left her tiny hometown, escaping her tormenters. She concealed her tarnished reputation under a good-girl persona, hiding her history from Nicolas, her strong and silent billionaire; Hawke, her tattooed bad-boy biker; and Cyndi, her man-crazy best friend.
Today, she’s returning home … and she’s not alone. Some of her deepest, darkest secrets will be revealed. Trust will be tested. Clothing and inhibitions will be discarded. Bee and her hometown will never be the same.
When her past and her present collide, will any of Bee’s relationships survive?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89N4
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards4-1645053-149.html
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-4-cynthia-sax/1119919839
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_4?id=PvxzAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-4/id814148698
Topics: Reviews | Comments Off on Sinful Rewards 4 – I will never look at riding a motorcycle in the same way!
Release Day For Sinful Rewards 4
Woo hoo! Sinful Rewards 4 releases today!
Warning: You will likely cry… at least, I did. (grins)
Four years ago, Bee Carter left her tiny hometown, escaping her tormenters. She concealed her tarnished reputation under a good-girl persona, hiding her history from Nicolas, her strong and silent billionaire; Hawke, her tattooed bad-boy biker; and Cyndi, her man-crazy best friend.
Today, she’s returning home … and she’s not alone. Some of her deepest, darkest secrets will be revealed. Trust will be tested. Clothing and inhibitions will be discarded. Bee and her hometown will never be the same.
When her past and her present collide, will any of Bee’s relationships survive?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89N4
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards4-1645053-149.html
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-4-cynthia-sax/1119919839
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_4?id=PvxzAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-4/id814148698
Topics: New Releases | Comments Off on Release Day For Sinful Rewards 4
Sinful Rewards 4 And Expectations
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.
Our expectations of people, of the world, shape us. Bee, our heroine from Sinful Rewards, expects people to leave her.
This revealing excerpt from Sinful Rewards 4 (releasing tomorrow!) shows this.
I push through the front doors and stop, my breath catching. It can’t be. I stare, unable to believe my eyes. It is.
Hawke waits outside the building. Sunglasses are clipped to the collar of his black T-shirt. He’s wearing his usual blue jeans and military-style boots and straddles his huge bike. A blue helmet is perched on the sliver of a seat behind him. His head is bare, his brown hair styled short and straight, an adorable lopsided smile on his rugged face.
All thoughts of Happydale, of the bus, of anything other than Hawke disappear. My body hums to life, his mere presence resuscitating my desire, tightening my nipples, moistening my pussy. I want to run to him, to throw myself into his arms, to kiss the tiny scar on his square chin, brush my fingertips against his stubble.
Instead, I stand, frozen in place, my mind spinning. “You’re here.” My voice lilts with wonder. “You didn’t leave me.”
Hawke’s smile fades. “I’m not leaving you, love.”
This lie returns me to the cold, harsh reality. Nothing has changed. He remains a tattooed biker, a drifter unable to commit, and I’m a woman seeking forever.
“You told me you wouldn’t leave me last night.” I twist my lips, calling him on his bullshit. “Then I woke up and you were gone.”
Hawke’s thick eyebrows lower. “I had to run some errands this morning, but I’ll always return to you. You’re my girl.”
“You’ll always return to me?” I scoff, unable to believe in him, the cost of being wrong too painfully high.
“Always,” he repeats, his tone grave, as though he means what he says.
He’s not sincere. I release a ragged breath. This is another one of his flippant comments, such as calling me love or his girl. My military man doesn’t even know what forever means.
Hawke sighs, his big chest rising and falling. “You don’t believe me.”
“Of course I don’t believe you.” I roll my eyes. “People need a reason to return.”
His forehead furrows with thought lines. “You’re my reason.”
I can’t be the reason. I’m not enough for him, for anyone. Especially since he’s seen only the perverted, imperfect version of me. He’s heard me cuss, seen me stained with black ink, my nose and cheeks reddened from crying, watched me dance half-naked in the window. That’s not a woman worthy of returning for.
Bee’s dad left her mom as soon as he found out she was pregnant. He never returned. Bee’s default assumption is people will leave her. Ironically, her knee jerk response to difficult situations is to leave.
My default expectation of people is people are busy. They have their own sh*t to do and I should help myself. When folks help me out, I’m surprised and extremely grateful. I view this as a gift. They’re setting aside their own tasks to give me a hand.
What is your default expectation of people?
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Four years ago, Bee Carter left her tiny hometown, escaping her tormenters. She concealed her tarnished reputation under a good-girl persona, hiding her history from Nicolas, her strong and silent billionaire; Hawke, her tattooed bad-boy biker; and Cyndi, her man-crazy best friend.
Today, she’s returning home … and she’s not alone. Some of her deepest, darkest secrets will be revealed. Trust will be tested. Clothing and inhibitions will be discarded. Bee and her hometown will never be the same.
When her past and her present collide, will any of Bee’s relationships survive?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89N4
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards4-1645053-149.html
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-4-cynthia-sax/1119919839
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_4?id=PvxzAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-4/id814148698
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on Sinful Rewards 4 And Expectations
Writing Erotic Romance – Making Sex Sexy
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.
Sex, on its own, isn’t very sexy. Reading that Tab A is sliding into Slot B (or C or D) isn’t making anyone hot. Hell, I read a sex scene last week that reminded me of an erotic hokey pokey. He thrust his big cock in. He pulled his big cock out. He thrust his big cock in, came and shook it all about. No, just… no.
Great erotic romance is all about tone. I’ve read erotic romances with absolutely no sex that made my lady parts tingle. A talented erotic romance writer can craft a handholding scene into the sexiest snippet you’ve ever read. Her characters will eyefuck the hell out of each other before they even exchange a word. THIS is how erotic romances start sexy without characters jumping into bed together (beds? That’s so old-fashioned).
Action, Physical Reaction, Emotional Reaction
This is a trick I learned from Christine d’Abo, a woman who can make a soccer mom’s grocery list sound like the dirtiest piece of literature ever written. The basic construct for a sexy exchange is action, physical reaction, emotional reaction.
Here’s an example from Sinful Rewards 4
He nibbles, licks, sucks, ravishing my sensitive neck, and I press against him, relishing his strength and his size, his distinctive scent filling my nostrils.
He nibbles, licks, sucks, ravishing my sensitive neck <-- this is the initial action
I press against him <-- this is her physical reaction
relishing his strength and his size <-- this is her emotional reaction Every part is key and yes, you can write them out of order (though having the reaction before the action weakens the sentence) and the parts can appear in different sentences but for erotic romance readers, the emotional reaction is key. This is why we’re reading your story.
Size Matters
Because erotic romance readers are reading for emotion, EVERYTHING in the story should serve this emotion. This includes grammar. Yes, I saw the grammar Nazis wince. But it’s true. Short sentences are choppy. They’re great for action scenes. They’re not-so-great for sex scenes. Sex scenes call for luxuriously long, flowing run-on sentences.
Let’s revisit our example
He nibbles, licks, sucks, ravishing my sensitive neck, and I press against him, relishing his strength and his size, his distinctive scent filling my nostrils.
Compare this to
He ravishes my sensitive neck. I press against him. I relish his strength and his size. His distinctive scent fills my nostrils.
These two snippets have completely different tones. The first is sexy. The second… yeah, not-so-much.
A trick I use is to read my scenes out loud, taking a breath at every period. If I sound like I’m hyperventilating, I know I need longer sentences.
Magical Body Parts
It is tempting, especially in erotic romances written in first person (as Sinful Rewards is), to have body parts lead the action.
His big hands cupped her ass.
This adds variation to sentences, breaking up the he did this, he did that structure.
The problem with this is a) body parts don’t move on their own and b) readers don’t care about body parts. They care about characters. Readers want characters to take action.
He cupped her ass with both of his big hands.
Is always more powerful than
His big hands cupped her ass.
The pet peeve of editors everywhere is moving eyeballs. Gazes move. Eyes, unless you’re writing a Minority Report type of SciFi erotic romance, don’t move.
Felt, Touched, Saw, Smelled
These are filtering words, putting distance between your reader and your character.
Instead of saying “Bee saw his cock harden.”, simply tell us what Bee saw. “His cock hardened.”
“She felt white hot desire.” becomes “A wave of white hot desire swept over her.”
Word Choice
Word choice is key in any sex scene. One wrong word will pull a reader out of the story. Some words aren’t sexy at all. “He scissors her nipples with his fingers.” Ouch! Unless you’re writing horror erotic romance, keep the scissors away from delicate body parts.
Some words are wrong for your specific scene. “He eased his cock into her pussy.” is very different than “He pounded his cock into her pussy.” Both are great sentences. Only one fits the mood of the scene you’re writing.
How do you make your sex scenes sexy?
Next week, I’ll talk about how to make every sex scene different.
If you enjoyed this crazy post, you’ll probably enjoy
Writing Erotic Romance – The Basics Of A Sex Scene
or
Writing Erotic Romance – Word Choice
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Four years ago, Bee Carter left her tiny hometown, escaping her tormenters. She concealed her tarnished reputation under a good-girl persona, hiding her history from Nicolas, her strong and silent billionaire; Hawke, her tattooed bad-boy biker; and Cyndi, her man-crazy best friend.
Today, she’s returning home … and she’s not alone. Some of her deepest, darkest secrets will be revealed. Trust will be tested. Clothing and inhibitions will be discarded. Bee and her hometown will never be the same.
When her past and her present collide, will any of Bee’s relationships survive?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89N4
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-4-cynthia-sax/1119919839
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_4?id=PvxzAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-4/id814148698
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