Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates!
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Three Battered Hearts. One Perfect Love
Ace and Thrasher share a special bond. They’ve never acknowledged that connection and have never fully acted on it. The Humanoid Alliance kill cyborg males like them, deeming the warriors to be defective. Now that Ace and Thrasher have escaped, they don’t trust the cyborg council and their brethren to react any differently. Physical love is too risky for them to consider.
Until they meet her.
Carys is the Commander of a Rebel Battle Station. She has dedicated her lifespan to seeking vengeance against the Humanoid Alliance and the cyborgs who killed her daughter. On her battle station, she makes the rules, and if she wants to kiss, touch, and pleasure two mysterious warriors, she will. Nothing, not even enemy warships and a mass cyborg rebellion, can stop her.
In the midst of a war, enemies can become lovers and loyalties can change in a moment. Can a forbidden relationship between two cautious cyborgs and one unbending human Commander survive?
Hers To Command is Book 8 in the Cyborg Sizzle series.
Due to the number of returning characters in this story, you’ll enjoy Hers To Command more if you’ve read the other stories first.
This is a MMF BBW Cyborg SciFi Romance.
Pre-order Now:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Hers-Command-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01N0I7X49/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hers-Command-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01N0I7X49/
Apple/iBooks/iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/hers-to-command/id1179869260
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-herstocommand-2178067-340.html
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hers-to-command-cynthia-sax/1125247346
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/hers-to-command-6
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on Merry Christmas!
Interview With J.K. Coi
I sat down (virtually) with J.K. Coi for a short interview. J.K. Coi’s latest release is Loving Lord Spy, an absolutely delicious WWII romance included in Once Upon a Christmas: A Wynter Family Saga, a Historical and Contemporary Holiday Romance Anthology.
Cynthia Sax: I know you were super excited about contributing to Once Upon a Christmas. What makes this anthology special?
J.K. Coi: I love this anthology for a lot of reasons. The first is because the four of us have been good friends for a long time, and we’ve been hoping for an opportunity to collaborate, but since our styles and genres are pretty different across the board, we didn’t have a chance until the idea of doing this family saga spanning different time periods came to us.
I also love the stories because they’re all so wonderfully written, full of hope and the Christmas spirit. They just feel good to read.
Cynthia Sax: Where did you get the idea for Loving Lord Spy?
J.K. Coi: I LOVE LOVE LOVE the movie An Affair to Remember with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. It’s one of my all-time favorites, and so when I was thinking about how to put together the novella for this anthology, it immediately came to mind maybe because of the time period I would be writing in. So I took a little bit of Cinderella, and a little bit of this movie, and came up with Loving Lord Spy.
Cynthia Sax: Where is Loving Lord Spy set?
J.K. Coi: This anthology is exciting because it tells stories of the Wynter family through a couple of different time periods. My novella takes place at the end of WWII, and I hadn’t written in this genre before. I love a challenge and I realized while writing this that I would like to write more stories in this time period.
Cynthia Sax: Having read your story, I would LOVE if you wrote more stories in that time period. It really fascinates me.
What creates problems between David and Winnie?
J.K. Coi: The conflict between David and Winnie comes from their responsibilities. They don’t have a lot of time together. They fall in love hard and fast without knowing a lot about one another, and they’ve both made commitments to the war, so until that’s over, they can’t possibly think about a future together. Then again, so much can happen between now and then… and while they’re separated, both of them learn things that challenge what they thought they knew about the other.
Cynthia Sax: Thank you for joining us today, J.K.!
J.K. Coi’s Website: http://www.jkcoi.com
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The holidays are a time for family, celebration—and the Dukes of Ravenglass to fall in love. Spend the Christmas season with the Wynter family, as the Dukes of Ravenglass find their happily-ever-afters in this delightful, heartfelt collection that spans from the Regency era to the present day.
In A Price Above Rubies by Maggie Robinson, set in the Regency era, paid companion Helen Lowe doesn’t know the man she shares her first-ever dance—and first-ever kiss—is Gabriel Wynter, a reclusive, notorious duke. When Helen flees after being exposed, she leaves behind something of far greater value than a glass slipper. Can Gabriel find her, return it, and finally open his heart?
In the Victorian-era set, Never Have I Ever Fallen in Love with a Duke by Tiffany Clare, Alexander Wynter has a problem—his best friend’s younger sister grew up. When he agreed to help Emily MacCallon make her debut, he didn’t expect the beautiful, alluring woman before him—or for her to lead him on such a merry chase. Alexander knows one thing: the only man she’ll be kissing forever and ever is him.
In the World War II-set, Loving Lord Spy by J.K. Coi, Winnie Jenkins, a combat nurse, and Lord David Wynter, an injured British spy, fall in love at the worst possible time. Each of them owes a duty to their country and must go their separate ways. They promise that when the war is finally over, they’ll meet in Hyde Park on Christmas morning…but agree that if one of them doesn’t make it, the other won’t seek out the reason why. Can they keep their appointment? Or will secrets, lies, and the perils of war keep them apart?
A missed connection gets a second chance in the present-day contemporary romance, Saved by the Belle by Elyssa Patrick. Seven years ago, Kit Wynter met the woman of his dreams. Even after all this time, he’s never been able to forget the American girl who captured his heart. When Belle Sweeney answers his ad—for she, too, never forgot him—it feels like there’s something still there. Spending the holiday at Ravenglass Abbey is the perfect opportunity to figure out if this is love.
Buy Now:
On Amazon: http://amzn.to/2f3xURD
On Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/ouac_nook
On iBooks: http://bit.ly/ouac_ibk
On Google Play: http://bit.ly/ouac_gp
On Kobo: http://bit.ly/ouac_kobo
Topics: Author Interviews | Comments Off on Interview With J.K. Coi
Interview With Lexi Post
I sat down (virtually) with Lexi Post for a short interview. Lexi Post’s latest release is Christmas with Angel, a holiday Contemporary Cowboy Erotic Romance.
Cynthia Sax: Where did you get the idea for Christmas with Angel?
Lexi Post: As usual, I am inspired by the classics and the classic that inspired Christmas with Angel was “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” by Bret Harte. That story focuses on the tainted and the innocent, and the relationship between the two. In my story, I ask the question: Is tainted a spectrum and is it a matter of perspective? I did this by focusing on Cole and Lacey’s conflict and on the former abusive owner of Angel, the rescued horse that Cole gave to Lacey.
Cynthia Sax: How does Christmas with Angel start?
Lexi Post: This story starts with Cole setting up a Christmas bower in the barn so he and Lacey can be alone. This was important to show the steadfast love these two have, and have had, since this book focuses on looking in on Cole and Lacey’s Happily Ever After 🙂 As it turns out, they haven’t had much “alone” time.
After Lacey moved in with Cole and his grandparents, his two cousins, one with a baby, and old Billy from Poker Flat also moved in. Cole and Lacey are building a house on the ranch, but it barely has outside walls. So Cole lines an empty stall with hay and sleeping bags and adds Christmas decorations and a bottle of wine and brings Lacey out there to start their first Christmas together. Let’s just say that it gets a little hot in there, especially for this firefighter cowboy 😉
Cynthia Sax: What causes problems between Cole and Lacey?
Lexi Post: This is a combination of Cole always doing what is right and Lacey being unable to forgive her future mother-in-law. It is Christmas, and as with many couples, the question of where to spend Christmas day becomes a serious issue. Cole expects Lacey to go to his parents’ house for his mother’s annual Christmas dinner party because it’s “the right thing to do.” Lacey isn’t yet ready to forgive Cole’s mother for making him dump her eight years earlier. Lacey would prefer to spend the day at Last Chance because no one else will be on the ranch and they can have some much needed alone time.
Cynthia Sax: Is Christmas with Angel a series and will you be writing more stories in this series?
Lexi Post: Yes and yes! Christmas with Angel is the first book in the Last Chance series and is actually a sequel to Cowboy’s Match which was book #2 in the Poker Flat series. There will be more books in the Last Chance series including Trace’s Trouble which comes out at the end of this month in a boxed set called Ring in a Cowboy. This series takes place on the Last Chance Ranch, hence the name, but it’s more than that. This is a horse rescue ranch and so it is the “last chance” for a decent life for the horses that are brought there, but it also becomes a last chance for the people who gravitate to it as well. Right now I’m expecting this to be a four book series, but you never know 😉
Cynthia Sax: Thank you for joining us today, Lexi!
Lexi Post’s Website: http://www.lexipostbooks.com/
*****************************************************************************
Cowboy firefighter, Cole Hatcher, is determined to do what’s right and take his fiancé with him to his mother’s annual holiday dinner party. After all, the two most important ladies in his life need to learn to get along and the sooner the better. Besides, the rest of the family will be there.
Lacey Winters can’t forgive her future mother-in-law for keeping her and Cole apart for eight years. While she loves Cole’s family, including the five they are living with, she wants to spend Christmas alone with Cole on Last Chance Ranch.
But there are worse things brewing than family drama. This Christmas day, nothing goes as planned…for anyone.
Buy Now:
On Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018CLKQJS
On Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1ShMNw6
On iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1061507996
On Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/christmas-with-angel
On Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1NNjjSP
On Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/1LxxZUs
On Amazon DE: http://amzn.to/1lHqUfa
On Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1PX9xSJ
On Amazon ES: http://amzn.to/1QG5ifZ
Topics: Author Interviews | 1 Comment »
Interview With Lexi Post
I sat down (virtually) with Lexi Post for a short interview. Lexi Post’s latest release is Pleasures of Christmas Past, a holly jolly Paranormal Erotic Romance.
Cynthia Sax: What makes Duncan so freakin’ sexy?
Lexi Post: Where do I begin? I totally fell for Duncan Montgomerie, then again according to the heroine, who hasn’t? First, he’s Scottish but from the late 1700s so he has a lovely old-fashioned Scottish accent. Second, the man is built, barely fitting into his modern day t-shirt and jeans. Third, he has a good heart. Fourth, he is a good friend. Fifth, he will risk all for those he cares about. And in addition, his residence is a castle that has been in the family for six centuries! I just love castles :-} Of course, he “isna’ perfect” as he might say. He’s arrogant, far too sure of himself around the lasses, and has more sexual experience than a man has a right to. He was so much fun to write!
Cynthia Sax: Where did you get the idea for Pleasures of Christmas Past?
Lexi Post: I love this question! I write erotic romances inspired by the classics, so for Pleasures of Christmas Past I used Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. I don’t re-tell the classic, I get inspired by it. My thought on this story was, what if the Spirit was the one who learned something from the visit to the living person? So in my story, instead of a Scrooge I have Holly, a young grieving widow. Instead of Marley, I have her deceased husband, Cameron. And the Spirit of Christmas Past is Jessica Thomas a brand new Spirit Guide out on her first assignment, so she needed a mentor, and who better than Duncan?
Cynthia Sax: Tell us one super exciting thing about Pleasures of Christmas Past?
Lexi Post: As a writer, what I love about this book is the multilayered story. I hope it’s what my readers like as well. Not only do we see Jessica and Duncan’s relationship develop, but we also get to see Holly and Cameron’s story both in present time as widow and spirit and in the past as we witness the scenes the Spirit of Christmas Past brings us to. I didn’t realize what a challenge I had set for myself until I was writing scenes with both Holly and “young Holly” in them along with all the other characters. In addition to this, we get to witness Holly’s growth as well as Jessica’s and Duncan’s and all because Cameron didn’t want his wife to be so heartbroken on her first Christmas without him…or so it appears 😉 I have to say, I have a whole new appreciation for the talent of Charles Dickens!
Cynthia Sax: Is Pleasures of Christmas Past part of a series and will you be writing more stories in this series?
Lexi Post: Absolutely! This is only the first book in a 4 book series. Holly has just visited her past, and to be true to the classic story, she must visit the present and future as well, plus as far as I’m concerned, she has to have her own happily ever after. But like Holly, we all have to wait until next year for the second story when Desires of Christmas Present is released.
Cynthia Sax: Thank you for joining us today, Lexi!
Lexi Post’s Website: http://www.lexipostbooks.com/
*****************************************************************************
When present day American social worker Jessica Thomas is assigned her first case as a spirit guide, she’s excited to serve as the Spirit of Christmas Past for her client and prove she knows her profession well. Unfortunately, her mentor, the very hot, very single, and very Scottish Duncan Montgomerie has little faith in her ability and plans to catch her when she falls. As far as she’s concerned, he’s going to be waiting a very long time.
Bachelor Duncan Montgomerie hails from late 18th century Scotland where he enjoyed life to its fullest, something he continues in death. Having been dead a while, he is well equipped to handle the afterlife where time doesn’t exist and phasing is the norm. What has him stymied is his connection to the uptight Jessica and the strange feelings he’s experiencing being around her, even though she refuses to listen to his advice. Duncan needs to figure out what it all means and fast because the rules change after death and the path Jessica is headed down could cost her her soul.
Buy Now:
On Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013EVYRV4
On Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1jICy8T
On iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1026485012
On Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/pleasures-of-christmas-past
Topics: Author Interviews | 1 Comment »
Writing Erotic Romance – Analyzing Scenes Part 2
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.
Last week, I analyzed a scene, showing you what I wished to accomplish with each line. That scene was the first meet between Bee and Nicolas, our billionaire hero. This week, I’ll be doing the same thing with the first meet between Bee and Hawke, our bad boy biker hero.
Once again, I’ll be using a scene from Sinful Rewards 1 ( http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89H0 ).
“You’re a hot mess, aren’t you?” He bends over and retrieves the wayward tube. <-- Bee is a neat freak. She HATES messes. That Hawke calls her a hot mess is significant. It shows her that she can be sexy even if she’s imperfect. This paragraph also shows readers that Hawke is a take action type of guy. He picks up the tube because she needs it back. He doesn’t wait to be asked.
“I’m not normally a mess.” I stuff my brush, wallet, passcard, and, oh my God, my emergency tampon back into my purse. My hands tremble. “The strap broke and—”<-- Hawke has seen Bee at her worst. He’s seen her emergency tampon, for goodness sakes! Notice how Bee focuses on ‘mess’ and completely ignores the ‘hot’ part of Hawke’s comment. She can’t put the two side by side in her mind.
“You have black ink all over your pretty white shirt.” He skims the unopened tube of lipstick down my cotton-covered side, leaving a trail of sweet sensation. My nipples tighten and my spine arches, my body instinctually responding to his touch.<-- Hawke tells Bee exactly how it is. He doesn’t ignore the black ink or try to be polite. He’s unrelentingly honest. He takes the opportunity to touch her. She reacts physically, almost primitively.
“Give me that.” I snatch the lipstick from him, unnerved by my reaction, and I glance down at my blouse. “Oh, God.” Black ink is smudged over the fabric. “You’re right.” My heart sinks. Has it been there all day? Since I doctored my purse this morning? Nicolas, my boss, everyone must have seen it, and no one said anything, no one except my badass biker. “I am a mess.” My voice wobbles.<-- Bee was rigidly polite with Nicolas, showing him what she thought he wanted to see. She’s honest and open to the point of rudeness with Hawke. She cusses. She shows her emotions. That Hawke is the only one who pointed out the ink stain is significant also. She can trust him to tell the truth. Notice also that she says ‘MY badass biker.’ She has already claimed Hawke as her own, giving him some of her loyalty.
“You’re a hot mess,” he corrects. “There’s a big difference between the two.” His eyes are a faded blue, matching his jeans. “Let me see your purse.” He holds out one large hand. Calluses and scars mar his skin.<-- First, Hawke notices that his comment made Bee feel bad and he immediately addresses this. As we saw in the scene with Nicolas, Bee does the same thing. Second, Bee LOVES it when outfits coordinate. This is why she notes that Hawke’s eyes match his jeans. He naturally coordinates. Third, Hawke takes action once more, asking for her purse. Fourth, Hawke isn’t perfect. His skin is callused and scarred. Bee believes perfection is necessary for love.
I eye his palm with suspicion. “Why do you want to see it?”<-- Bee is a cautious woman. She doesn’t trust or change her plans quickly.
“I need to use your brush,” he jokes. “Why do you think?” I think he’s full of shit. His brown hair is buzzed close to his head. There’s nothing for him to brush. “I’ll fix the strap for you. There’ll be less of it.” His gaze drifts down my body, his perusal more stimulating than any touch. “But then there’s less of you.”<-- Hawke jokes and she knows he’s joking. He’s a fellow fixer. He looks at her, which Bee, our exhibitionist heroine, equates to caring.
“There’s the perfect amount of me.” I put my free hand on my hip. “I’m average height.”<-- Again, Bee uses the word ‘perfect.’ She feels perfection is necessary for love. She puts her hand on her hip which would draw his gaze there. Bee is in denial about her height. She doesn’t want to be viewed as ‘less than.’
“You are average height. . .for a munchkin.” The tattooed stranger stares unabashed at my chest. My taut nipples press against the cotton, begging for his attention. “A shapely, sexy—”<-- Hawke calls her on her lies. He’ll do this throughout the story, forcing her to be honest with herself. He calls her a munchkin which has cute connotations. Again, he looks at her and she wants even more attention.
“You’re one wrong word away from a slap across the face.” I glare at him.<-- This is an open, honest reaction. Bee says whatever pops into her head, her words uncensored. Notice how her threat is a physical one, as though she’s looking for an excuse to touch him.
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/
Sinful Rewards 1
Cynthia Sax
Belinda “Bee” Carter is a good girl; at least, that’s what she tells herself. And a good girl deserves a nice guy—just like the gorgeous and moody billionaire Nicolas Rainer. He is everything she wants in a man.
Or so she thinks, until she takes a look through her telescope and sees a naked, tattooed man on the balcony across the courtyard. Hawke is mysterious, the bad boy she knows will bring only heartbreak. He has been watching her, and that makes him all the more enticing.
But when a mysterious and anonymous text message dares her to do something bad, she must decide if she is really the good girl she has always claimed to be, or if she’s willing to risk everything for her secret fantasy of being watched.
Is her mystery man the reclusive billionaire with a wild side or the darkly dangerous bad boy?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-1-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B00I7V89H0
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards1-1560586-237.html
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-1-cynthia-sax/1119055390
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_1?id=g08ZAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-1/id814148703?mt=11
Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Writing Erotic Romance – Analyzing Scenes Part 2
Writing Erotic Romance – Analyzing Scenes Part 1
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.
Since many of us are on holiday over these next two weeks, I thought I’d take a break from the learning heavy Writing Erotic Romance posts and illustrate how some of these tips can be put into action.
I’ll use scenes from Sinful Rewards 1 ( http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89H0 ). This isn’t because I think they are brilliantly written. As with most writers, I look at my own writing and see room for improvement. I’m using my scenes because I know what I was thinking and trying to do when I wrote them.
At exactly ten minutes after five, a sleek black limousine rolls to a stop in front of me. The door opens and a man barks, “Get in.” <-- Nicolas told Bee he’d arrive at EXACTLY this time. Bee believes she wants a reliable, constant man. Nicolas is definitely reliable. He does what he says he’ll do. This arriving exactly when he says he’ll arrive happens throughout all 12 installments. It is small quirk that makes him different. The limousine also tells readers that this is a man who doesn’t drive himself. Why doesn’t he drive himself? In Nicolas’s case, he’s a very busy man. He prefers to spend every minute he can working.
The urge to give him the finger is intense, but I obey because there’s no mistaking that irate tone. The man works for Nicolas, my husband-to-be.<-- Bee has backbone but she is more concerned about appearances than her pride. That she refers to him as her husband-to-be tells us that she is already thinking marriage at this first meet. She has crazy high expectations that I doubt any man could have met.
I settle back into the comfy leather seat, meet the man’s gaze, and suck in my breath. Correction. The man is Nicolas. <-- Bee likes luxury. She likes nice things. She notes the leather seat before she notes the man across from her.
He sprawls across from me, his arms and legs stretched out, his dark brown eyes glinting with intelligence. He’s well dressed, the craftsmanship of his suit even more impressive up close. He’s handsome, his countenance kissed by the gods.<-- The first thing she notices is the intelligence in his eyes. THEN she notices his clothes. If Bee was a true fashionista and completely fixated on appearances, she would have noticed his clothes first. That she notices an inner quality (his intelligence) hints that maybe she’s not as shallow as she acts. She also uses ‘kissed’ which is a passionate and physical description.
And unfortunately he’s a bit of an ass. <-- Nicolas might be her ideal man but Bee isn’t blind to his faults and she expects him to ‘woo’ her. She won’t make this easy for him.
As soon as this disloyal thought crosses my mind, I smother it with excuses. He’s had a bad day. He’s a busy man. He doesn’t know me. Once he realizes what type of a woman I am, how perfect we are for each other, he’ll treat me as I should be treated. <-- Again, Bee has her pride. She won’t be with a man simply because he’s handsome and has money. She’s also loyal and is trying her damnedest to remain loyal to Nicolas.
“This wasn’t supposed to cost me any additional time,” Nicolas grumbles, his gorgeous face twisted into a very ugly scowl. “That wasn’t the plan.”<-- THIS is key. Nicolas had a plan. That plan wasn’t to meet with Bee. What was the plan? Readers don’t find out until Sinful Rewards 7. Bee also always has plans, for her life, for her career, for her relationships. This hints that the two of them have things in common.
“What plan was that, Mr. Rainer?” I ask, not brave enough to call him by his first name. Once I uncover the problem, I can fix it and fix us. Then our relationship will be back on track and my world will right itself. <-- Bee loves to fix things. When she’s faced with a problem, she derives a solution. This is important because her relationship with Nicolas and her relationship with Hawke both have problems. She also doesn’t allow problems to fester. She addresses situations immediately.
Nicolas ignores my question. His gaze sweeps over me, pausing on my purse. I wiggle, acutely aware of its embarrassingly ragged condition. “Do you have my phone?” He gets straight to the point.<-- In the previous paragraph, we learned that Bee likes to address problems immediately. Nicolas’ response is to ignore her, to avoid talking about problems. This conflict will shape their entire relationship. When Nicolas looks at her ragged purse, Bee feels he’s judging her. In previous scenes, we’ve learned that Bee has been judged harshly in the past. That Nicolas judges her makes him ‘dangerous.’
“Yes, I have your phone.” I hide my frustration under a polite smile. This isn’t how this meeting played out in my fantasies. There are no expressions of eternal gratitude or undying love. Nicolas appears grumpy, as though I inconvenienced him by finding his phone. <-- Again, Bee had a plan. She plotted out in her mind how the entire meeting would unfold. The meeting isn’t going to plan and Nicolas isn’t the man she thought he was. Her wording (eternal and undying) is also important. Bee likes relationships that last.
I dig through my purse and hand the device to him. His fingers brush over mine, his hands soft and cool. He’s a vampire, minus the sparkles. My smile spreads, my heart lightening. And it’s daylight hours. This explains his foul mood and the tinted windows.<-- Vampires live forever. They never die, never ‘leave’. Bee is also justifying Nicolas’s bad behavior, stubbornly trying to remain loyal to him.
Nicolas slides the phone into his inside jacket pocket. His form is firm and lean. He’s not all bulging muscle as the tattooed stranger is, but he’s fit. <-- Bee is sitting across from her dream man and she’s thinking about a stranger she’s seen once, a man who represents everything she’s trying to avoid.
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/
Sinful Rewards 1
Cynthia Sax
Belinda “Bee” Carter is a good girl; at least, that’s what she tells herself. And a good girl deserves a nice guy—just like the gorgeous and moody billionaire Nicolas Rainer. He is everything she wants in a man.
Or so she thinks, until she takes a look through her telescope and sees a naked, tattooed man on the balcony across the courtyard. Hawke is mysterious, the bad boy she knows will bring only heartbreak. He has been watching her, and that makes him all the more enticing.
But when a mysterious and anonymous text message dares her to do something bad, she must decide if she is really the good girl she has always claimed to be, or if she’s willing to risk everything for her secret fantasy of being watched.
Is her mystery man the reclusive billionaire with a wild side or the darkly dangerous bad boy?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-1-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B00I7V89H0
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards1-1560586-237.html
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-1-cynthia-sax/1119055390
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_1?id=g08ZAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-1/id814148703?mt=11
Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Writing Erotic Romance – Analyzing Scenes Part 1
Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays
Christmas Tree In Barbados
Merry Christmas to reading and writing buddies who celebrate! Happy Holidays if you don’t celebrate. No matter what, today is usually a family day. I will be spending it with my dear wonderful hubby!
Monkey Christmas Tree In Barbados
I’m taking the opportunity between Christmas and New Year’s to work on a new story. This story is a contemporary erotic romance with characters and a setting you haven’t seen before. Yes, the hero is a billionaire. He makes me smile and I think you’ll love him also.
Purple Christmas Tree In St. Thomas
I can’t share much more about this new project because it might change significantly before it is published. I don’t know who will be publishing it yet. My awesome agent handles those details.
Christmas Tree And Yacht In St Thomas
As for the unsuccessful hero in Sinful Rewards, I hope to also write his story in 2015 (and no, I won’t tell you who that hero is – grins). He is definitely hero material, especially after all of the activities in this story.
Christmas Decoration In St Kitts
I hope to write some more SciFi erotic romances in 2015 also. I have a novella that is half completed with a hard as rock (literally) alien hero.
Christmas Tree In St Kitts
But for now, I’m concentrating on the contemporary erotic romance and am looking forward to reading great erotic romances from writing buddies. If I’ve been a good girl (unlikely – grins), there will be some under the tree today!
Poinsettia Christmas Tree In Charlotte Airport North Carolina
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 Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays
Writing Erotic Romance – Christmas And Other Holidays
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.
Writers work on a fucked up schedule. Right now, I’m writing a story I hope will be released in August 2015. The story is set in the summer. I have the heat cranked in my writing cave and am listening to the Beach Boys. Many of the Christmas stories that are releasing this week were written in July (of this or the previous year).
What this means is…
We, writers, celebrate Christmas twice–once when we write a Christmas story and again when this story is released.
Note: I’ll be focusing on Christmas for this post but many of my insights can be used for other holidays. Christmas is the biggest holiday theme in erotic romance. Valentine’s Day themed stories are usually a tough sell. I’m not quite sure why.
Reasons To Write A Christmas Erotic Romance
One of the reasons Christmas stories are popular in the print world is because, traditionally, friends and family members give readers print books as presents. Print books can be wrapped and placed under trees or in stocking. A Christmas theme signals to loved ones that the book is likely a recent release. The reader might not already have it.
In the eBook world (and erotic romance sales are mostly eBook), the sales bump occurs after Christmas. Readers have received gift cards for presents and are looking for stories for themselves. They are less likely to purchase Christmas stories because…well…Christmas is over. This is one of the downsides of Christmas stories. They don’t normally sell during the rest of the year. There’s a two month window for sales (November and December) and that’s it.
However, some eBook only writers craft Christmas stories to take advantage of promotional opportunities. Maybe they want to have a story to feature on themed days or parties. Or their publishers might be promoting a Christmas themed series.
Plus Christmas stories are often light and fun, making readers happy. I certainly enjoy writing them.
Celebrate The Season Right
Do writers have to celebrate Christmas to write a Christmas erotic romance? Of course not. I’ve never had a ménage with two hunky well-hung aliens and I’ve written hot, steamy stories on that subject. Researching and writing a Christmas story is easy peasy by comparison.
BUT (and yes, this is a big but – insert ass joke here – grins) we should understand why readers read and love Christmas erotic romances.
Normally, Christmas erotic romances are even more hopeful and positive than non-Christmas erotic romances. There are some common erotic fantasies (having sex with Santa Claus, being on the naughty list, receiving a hot naked man for Christmas). Meshing a childhood memory with a very adult fantasy jacks up the naughtiness level.
Most Christmas erotic romances don’t touch the religious aspect of the holiday. I’m not saying it can’t be done (there are no rules in writing) but be cautious about this and know that you might offend readers.
Anti-Christmas Stories
Some readers hate Christmas. A few of my writing buddies have published anti-Christmas stories, thinking to appeal to these readers. These aren’t Scrooge stories (which is another popular theme in erotic romance – even the grumpiest Scrooge can be won over by three or four mind blowing orgasms). The characters don’t discover the Christmas spirit (between the sheets). These stories are truly anti-Christmas.
Unfortunately, my friends’ stories didn’t sell well. Why? The issue with anti-Christmas stories is that readers who hate Christmas don’t want ANYTHING to do with Christmas. They don’t want to read about characters hating Christmas. They don’t want their stories to mention Christmas at all.
There’s also a marketing challenge. At Christmas themed events, all of the readers love Christmas. Where is the anti-Christmas readership?
Again, I’m not saying your anti-Christmas erotic romance won’t be hugely successful. It simply has some sales challenges.
Setting The Mood For Christmas In July
When I wrote my Christmas stories, I listened to Christmas music all month long. Yep, I was listening to Deck The Halls in July. It drove my hubby bonkers. Some of my writing buddies decorate their writing caves. They might crank up the air conditioning or bake gingerbread cookies.
Do whatever puts you in the Christmas mood. You’ll look crazy but hey, you’re a writer. Everyone already assumes you’re nuts.
Do you have any tips for writing/publishing holiday erotic romances?
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 – Christmas And Other Holidays
Hunky Holiday Blog Hop – Sinful Rewards
Nice Girls Writing Naughty is hosting a sizzling hot blog hop. We’re sharing how our heroes are spending the holidays, giving away prizes at each stop, and there’s a grand prize on http://nicegirlswritingnaughty.wordpress.com/ !
Comment on my post for a chance to win your choice of any one eBook from my backlist! Yep, it is THAT easy.
So what are the men from Sinful Rewards doing during the holidays?
Hawke
Christmas isn’t one day in the Masters household. The weekend before Christmas, Hawke returns home to the apple orchard, usually dragging along some of his military buddies, the men without families. They march into the forest behind the orchard, argue over trees. Hawke’s mom usually decides, choosing a lonely little tree that deserves to be fussed over. They cut down the tree, heft it back to the house and spend the day decorating it, listening to carols and drinking warm apple cider.
On Christmas day, Hawke brings more of his buddies home. It’s always a full house, the more, the merrier. There will be turkey, stuffing and his mom’s special apple, celery and onion stuffing (Rachel Ray has a variation on the recipe here – http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/19090_apple_celery_and_onion_stuffing/ ). They eat too much, open presents, and enjoy one day of peace.
Nicolas
Nicolas, our hard working billionaire, will be working over Christmas. Some of the people living in his beautiful buildings don’t have anyone to spend the holidays with. Nicolas knows exactly how that feels. He oversees his management team as they throw an all day party in one of the common rooms.
Shhh… don’t tell anyone but he also plays Secret Santa, sending little gifts like chocolates or red and green jellybeans to these lonely men and women.
How do you spend the holidays?
Please visit these fellow NGWN blogs for more chances to win.
Every blog has a different prize!
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: Guest Post | 7 Comments »
Writing Erotic Romance – Creating Interesting Secondary Characters
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.
With Sinful Rewards 6 releasing next week (Cyndi, Bee’s bubbly best friend, returns to Chicago in this installment), I thought we’d talk about creating interesting secondary characters.
Erotic romances focus on the romantic couple (or more). And they should. They’re romances. But our hero and heroine (or hero and hero, or hero, hero and heroine, or whatever type of erotic romance you’re writing) usually live in a world with other beings. They usually have parents, might have siblings, bosses, best friends, co-workers, baddies, etc. (I say usually because there’s only one rule in romance and that is a romantic happy ever after or romantic happy for now.)
Rule #1 For Secondary Characters
When a secondary character walks onto the page (Helloooo, ladies!), he or she naturally distracts the reader simply by being his/her fine self, drawing the reader’s attention away from the heroine and hero. Danger, Will Robinson! (Yes, I’m having a wayback playback SciFi moment) We want readers to remain focused on the main characters, to give a shit about our couple (or more).
How do we minimize the damage?
The secondary character’s appearance must change something for the hero or heroine. She or he could push the plot forward or show/change the hero/heroine’s character or give them insights or fuck up/otherwise influence the romantic relationship. Supporting the hero/heroine’s story is the secondary character’s sole reason for existence.
Three Times The Charm
Every new character also distracts the reader. She must keep track of all of these names and identities (Hint: If you need a glossary of characters at the beginning of your story, you have too many). I’m as guilty as any writer is about having my cast of thousands. After the fast first draft, I list all of my characters, noting how many times they appear in the story. I ask myself “Can an existing character play this same role?”
My magic number is three. If a secondary character appears in at least three separate scenes, I feel her existence is justified. Her life is spared.
Another reason for consolidating characters is that the more page time a character has, the more the reader cares (this could be love or hate) about the character. We want readers to be emotionally invested in all of our characters, including our secondary characters.
I then ask myself if this secondary character could do more in these existing scenes. Could she not only push the plot forward but also show readers another aspect of the heroine? Could she display a twist on the main theme? For example: Could Cyndi, Bee’s best friend, interpret loyalty differently?
There are no lazy bitches in my stories.
Your Secondary Character’s Hopes and Dreams
Fully developed characters, even secondary characters are more interesting. (and no, we’re not talking about breast sizes) At the minimum, we should know their goals, motivations and conflicts. What do they want? Why do they do what they do? Why does Cyndi, Bee’s best friend, need a roommate? Why does she live in Nicolas’s building? Why does she work at the candy manufacturing plant? Why is she Bee’s best friend? Why does she have blonde hair?
(I’ll write a post in the future about best friends. They’re a special type of secondary character. i.e. If you fuck them up, readers will hate your heroine/hero forever.)
Again, in a tightly crafted story, many of these answers tie back to the heroine or hero.
For example: Cyndi has blonde hair because blonde hair is often viewed as being more attractive to men. Bee wants people to watch her but when she’s with Cyndi, she isn’t usually noticed.
I also wanted them not to be competitors. A man (like Nicolas or Hawke) who is attracted to the brunette Bee is less likely to be attracted to the blonde Cyndi.
And it was important that Cyndi has enough admirers that she won’t be tempted to pursue Nicolas or Hawke. It would have been a very different story if Cyndi had been interested in the same men. Bee, being loyal and non-aggressive, likely would have stepped aside. (Yes, I can see Sinful Rewards readers thinking about the dynamic between Nicolas and Hawke. – grins – I deliberately cast them with a contrasting dynamic to Bee and Cyndi)
In your story, EVERYTHING counts.
When Secondary Characters Take Over
If you’ve crafted a full, vibrant secondary character, you’ll likely face another problem. The secondary character will turn diva and wish to take over, to dominate the story, to twist it into a tale about him or her.
When that happens, I remember the first rule of secondary characters. Supporting the hero/heroine’s story is the secondary character’s sole reason for existence.
If the focus is on the secondary character, I rewrite the scene, bitch slapping this upstart until she/he behaves. If the scene isn’t about the hero/heroine at all, I cut it, saving it for this secondary character’s own story (and if you craft an interesting character, readers WILL ask you to write his/her story – so don’t call, for example, a male secondary character in an erotic romance Flopsy – http://www.amazon.com/Godrabbit-Protect-Serve-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B006YFO18C ).
Romance Subplots
But-but-but the secondary character has his/her own romance. His/her romance is a romance subplot.
Tough shit. In a tightly crafted story, any subplot, including a romance between secondary characters, is about the hero/heroine also.
Maybe the heroine sees her best friend fall in love with a guy she’s known forever and then doubts her love at first sight with the hero.
Maybe the heroine sees the best friend’s ho hum, boring romance and wants something different. Then she feels like a freak for wanting this something different.
Is this difficult? Of course. But no one said writing was easy.
How do you create interesting secondary characters?
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 – Creating Interesting Secondary Characters
