Taste of Cyn

Librarians And The Pandemic

By Cynthia Sax on May 17, 2021

When the groups that are helping us all cope with and survive the pandemic are listed, librarians are often overlooked.

Librarian have played essential roles during this pandemic.

The crisis is far from over, of course. We’re still in lockdown in my corner of the universe. Libraries, the physical buildings, are currently closed to the public.

But librarians are working hard and often harder than they worked previously.

Contactless pickups and drop-offs are available to all patrons. That takes skill and effort to arrange. Books, print, digital, audio, etc, are being added to collections.

Online seminars on topics like dealing with stress or searching for jobs during a pandemic are being hosted. Even while physically closed, libraries continue to be sources of information and knowledge.

Whenever I pass the neighborhood library, it doesn’t matter what time it is, there are people, often students, seated outside the library, with their phones and laptops and other devices in their hands or laps, using the library’s Wi-Fi.

The schools in my area sent kids home with devices so they could continue their schooling online. They didn’t provide them with Wi-Fi.

Local libraries are supplying that essential service for many residents. (Especially with coffee shops and other Wi-Fi friendly places being closed.)

Libraries and librarians also distributed food during the pandemic, becoming outlets for food banks. They helped to ensure residents didn’t go hungry.

Currently, many librarians are phoning older residents, telling them about vaccination opportunities, putting them in contact with organizations if they require help.

Librarians are helping in a gazillion other, often semi-invisible, ways to ensure we get through this crisis. I appreciate libraries and librarians so much for all they have done and continue to do. (big hugs)

***

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Under Strain

A damaged cyborg warrior is hunted by a peace-loving human female.

***

Strain is severely malfunctioning. The D Model cyborg was the sole survivor after a horrific decision was made by his cruel manufacturers. He hates all humans, and when he attacks one who is under his cyborg leader’s protection, he is reprimanded, stripped of his weapons, and told to watch and not actively participate in the next mission.

That mission takes place on a small remote planet. Its lush terrain should only be inhabited by the cyborgs they were sent to rescue, but Strain senses another presence on the surface. She is watching him, tracking him, hunting him.

A fully operational cyborg would end her lifespan.

Strain wants to claim her. Forever.

Kamyelle is the only one left of her kind. Warriors have killed the other nonviolent human inhabitants of her planet. She survived…barely…by hiding in the trees, observing her enemies, and covering herself with lifeform scan-concealing mud.

When a handsome, gray-skinned, brilliant-blue-eyed male arrives, surrounded by weapon-carrying warriors, she has to save him. Warriors harm and they kill. That is what they do.

She won’t allow them to hurt Strain.

***

Under Strain is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.

It features a broken warrior, a human female who thinks he’s perfect, and velociraptor-like dinosaurs who view them both as light, tasty snacks.

Buy Now:

Amazon US:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08R322L7S

Amazon UK:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08R322L7S

Amazon AUS:

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B08R322L7S

Apple Books:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/under-strain/id1545957749

B&N:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/under-strain-cynthia-sax/1138505613

Kobo:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/under-strain

Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/10602

Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on Librarians And The Pandemic

KU, Libraries, Smashwords And Sales

By Cynthia Sax on July 3, 2020

I’m often asked why I don’t have my stories in KU. There are a number of reasons for that decision but the key one is…

I love libraries.

I grew up dirt poor. We didn’t eat every day. That was how poor we were. But we lived in Canada and access to the library was free. I’d walk into the library with my library card, leave with as many books as my little arms could carry and feel like the wealthiest person in the universe. I read entire libraries out, reading everything from small engine repair to thick research books on crows.

I want other people to have that experience. And I want my eBooks to be available to everyone.

KU doesn’t allow books in their program to be available at libraries. KU also costs money for readers to use.

Public libraries usually don’t cost money for readers to use. If things get tight, I want you to ALWAYS be able to read my stories. Why should you miss out on my next release simply because you’re a little short on cash?

So I list my eBooks at public libraries.

If my eBooks aren’t available at your public library, ask the awesome librarians there to order them. If your library doesn’t have the budget for my stories, let me know and I’ll work with them.

By asking for my eBooks at your local library, you’re leaving a legacy of sorts. Those eBooks should be available for other library patrons…forever. And that will be because of you. YOU will have accomplished that feat.

That’s all sorts of awesome, isn’t it?

If you prefer to own your eBooks (If you borrow books in KU, you don’t own them. Once you return them, there’s a chance they’ll be delisted and you’ll never be able to read them again.) and you’re on a strict budget, Smashwords is often the best place to buy my eBooks on sale.

There is a sale happening right now on all of my eBooks – https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/CynthiaSax .

You can find your specific format at Smashwords. Mobi is best for your Kindles. ePub is great for your Apple devices, your Nooks, your Kobo readers.

Smashwords has personal libraries so you have another off device storage place for the eBooks you buy there. If an eBook gets deleted or misplaced, you can download it again.

If you have any questions about libraries, Smashwords or heck, anything else, I am always here for you. (big hugs)

***

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Other Chameles view him as the enemy.

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

* * *

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

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

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

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

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

* * *

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

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

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

Book 1: Warlord Sky

Book 2: Warlord’s Bounty

Book 3: Warlord Unarmed

Book 4: Warlord Reunited

Book 5: Warlord’s Mercy

Book 6: Warlord’s Return

Buy Now:

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

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

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

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