Long Time SciFi Romance Writers
Woot! I’ve been featured as one of seven long time SciFi Romance Writers on Veronica Scott’s awesome blog!
I had my first SciFi Romance published in 2011. Before that, I was published in paranormal romance.
I’m in very good company. (grins)
If you wish to see who else made the list, have a look at the full post at
https://veronicascottauthor.com/2024/05/17/7-long-time-scifi-romance-authors
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Strike Zone
A cyborg devoted to duty…and to her.
***
While attending a party, Kesser, the daughter of her planet’s leader, witnesses the abduction of her best friend and her best friend’s mate.
She’s determined to rescue them. Preferably without fracturing the fragile peace agreement her mom has crafted with the abductors’ planet.
The only issue is…she has never participated in a retrieval mission.
Searching for assistance, she approaches the mate’s guard. The male, with his big broad shoulders and deep growly voice, affects her like no other being ever has.
Kesser wants him. She trusts him. And she requires his stealth combat skills.
Desperately.
Strike is no guard. The D Model cyborg has been sent to the sector to discreetly investigate a potential planet-destroying situation.
When a curvy human female with big brown eyes requests his help with a rescue, he doesn’t hesitate to say yes. She’s his genetic match, the one being he was manufactured to protect.
She’s also traveling to the next planet he has to search. He plans to claim his female while he fulfills his responsibilities to his kind.
Neither Strike nor Kesser realizes the dangers facing them are far greater than they imagine. Their enemies are converging, and one failed mission could doom the entire universe.
***
Strike Zone is a standalone, mistaken-identity, Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features a cyborg warrior with a finely honed sense of honor, a human support being taking on her first dangerous mission, and an evil that threatens everyone in existence.
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/Strike-Zone-Romance-Dauntless-Cyborgs-ebook/dp/B0CL5QZBQ8/
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Strike-Zone-Romance-Dauntless-Cyborgs-ebook/dp/B0CL5QZBQ8/
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Strike-Zone-Romance-Dauntless-Cyborgs-ebook/dp/B0CL5QZBQ8/
Amazon Canada:
https://www.amazon.ca/Strike-Zone-Romance-Dauntless-Cyborgs-ebook/dp/B0CL5QZBQ8/
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/strike-zone/id6469583228
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/strike-zone-cynthia-sax/1144231998
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/strike-zone-13
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1466811
Topics: Reviews | Comments Off on Long Time SciFi Romance Writers
How To Battle Second/Next Book Stress
The first book is difficult to write. Many writers think the second book will be easier.
It isn’t.
With the second book, there are expectations from readers.
The expectations might be good. Readers loved the first book. The book was a run away success or critically acclaimed. They expect the second book to be even better. OMG…what if it isn’t? What if readers hate the next book? What if you’re a one hit wonder? What if you never best that first book?
The expectations might be bad. Readers hated the first book. You have a collection of 1 star reviews that rival mine. The harshness is extreme. They hope the next book will be better, say they’ll give you one more chance. OMG…what if the second book is the same? What if you blow that second chance? What if you’ll never be good enough?
The most likely expectation is readers have no expectations. They didn’t read the first book. There are no reviews, not many sales. OMG… what if they don’t read the second book? What if the second book doesn’t have a strong enough hook? What if you’re a craptastic writer, destined to never have a readership?
Rationally, we know this is all bullshit. We’re creating art. Some readers will hate the next book. Some readers will love it. If our second book is different from the first, readers will assume that the third book will be different also and give us another chance. Sales have more to do with marketing than with the quality of the book or the strength of the writing.
But humans aren’t rational beings and writing is definitely not a rational exercise. Second or next book stress is very real. It’s one of the reasons there are so many one book writers in Romanceland. Success in writing is as much psychological, knowing how our own unique brains work, as it is about talent or skill.
The number one way to beat second/next book stress is to write the first draft of that second story before the first story releases. Almost every successful writer will advise you to ‘Write the next book.” This is one of the reasons why we’re given this advice.
Jumping Barrel, the Freebie cyborg story, is ready to be released now. I’m not releasing it now, however, because I don’t have the first draft of Theirs To Command, the next story, written. (I’ll have it written by December.) Having that one story buffer eliminates almost all of the next book stress for me. It makes writing much more enjoyable.
But-but-but the first story has already released. What do I do now?
What works for me is going into the writing cave and pretending the first story DIDN’T release, acting as though I’m starting from nothing. I once made up another pen name (privately) and told myself I would release my story under that name, simply to fool my brain into thinking there were no reader expectations.
I’ll turn off social media. I’ll stop obsessively checking book rankings (Admit it. You do it. Almost all of us do.) I won’t respond to my writer email. I’ll create the illusion that no one is waiting for the next book.
I’ll also give myself permission to write shit. My first drafts are always a mess. And I’m in good company.
“The first draft of anything is shit.” – Ernest Hemingway
“My first drafts are filled with lurching, cliched writing, outright flailing around.” – Jennifer Egan
“I’ll vomit out the first draft.” – Nora Roberts
Sometimes I’ll write a short story or flash fiction, simply to put a buffer between my latest release and my next longer story. Sometimes I’ll participate in writing sprints with other writing buddies. The speed doesn’t allow my brain time to worry about whether or not the current scene is ‘the best ever.’
The trick is to try multiple tricks until something works, until something feels natural. You get sucked into the story and forget about everything else.
What are your tricks to beat second/next book stress?
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Wild. Free. Hers.
Mayhem has spent his lengthy lifespan obeying the Humanoid Alliance’s rules. Finally free from their cruel control, the cyborg warrior plans to cause chaos. He infiltrates a remote settlement, provokes the savage locals until they want him dead, and allows himself to be captured by the sexiest little Retriever he has ever laid his mechanically-enhanced eyes on.
Imee’s sole mission in life is to keep her family alive. To do this, she must hunt rebels, returning them to the Humanoid Alliance’s evil clutches where they will be executed. She doesn’t allow herself to feel anything for her targets…until she meets a tall, muscular cyborg with wild hair and even wilder eyes.
With his sure hands, laughing lips and erotic holds, Mayhem makes Imee’s body sizzle and her resistance melt. Their love is doomed. She must deliver the warrior to his death or she’ll place her family’s safety at risk. But she can’t resist him.
Imee soon discovers that Mayhem, life, and love are never predictable.
Chasing Mayhem is Book 6 in the Cyborg Sizzle series and is a STANDALONE story.
It is also a BBW Cyborg SciFi Romance.
Buy Now:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Mayhem-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01IRPO9WY#nav-subnav
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chasing-Mayhem-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01IRPO9WY/
Apple/iBooks/iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/chasing-mayhem/id1136333685
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-chasingmayhem-2077430-340.html
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chasing-mayhem-cynthia-sax/1124139998
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/chasing-mayhem
Topics: Writing Tips | 1 Comment »
Why I Love Tropes And Why All Romance Writers Are Literary Writers
According to Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trope_(literature) ), a literary trope is “the use of figurative language – via word, phrase, or even an image – for artistic effect such as using a figure of speech. The word trope has also come to be used for describing commonly recurring literary and rhetorical devices, motifs or clichés in creative works.”
In Romanceland, tropes often refer to popular story premises. Why are they popular? Because readers love them, ask for them, buy books using them.
Examples of some popular Romance tropes are
– Beauty And The Beast (my personal favorite)
– The Wealthy Boss And His/Her Assistant
– Enemies To Lovers
– Friends To Lovers
– Secret Baby
– Forbidden Romance
– Marriage Of Convenience
– Second Chance At Love
– The Shocking Twist
– Fated To Mate/Love At First Sight
I could list tropes all day. (grins)
In fact, Romance is a trope. In the beginning (when dinosaurs roamed the Earth), books with strong romance storylines and romantic happy ever afters or happy for nows were classified simply as literary works. Romance didn’t have its own category. Readers loved this type of story. Writers wrote more romance novels. Readers bought them. Romance grew to be so popular; it became its own category.
So using tropes is NOT a bad or shameful thing. You MIGHT wish to evaluate whether or not you want to use a particular trope. There are some tropes in Romanceland that I don’t feel comfortable reading or writing. But never apologize for using tropes, especially if you’re a romance writer. Our entire category is one huge trope.
There will be readers who hate the trope you use, as there are readers who hate every story premise. Those are NOT your readers. Suggest other books to them and concentrate on the readers who love your trope.
How do you make trope readers happy?
You bring something fresh to the trope. I’ve read thousands of Beauty and the Beast stories. I never get tired of them because great writers in this trope incorporate something different in each of their stories.
Maybe your Beauty and the Beast story is set in India, the caste system there adding an extra layer to the premise. Or your Beast is a Mafia Boss who was born into the family and longs to go legit. Or your Beauty was once a Beast. She was horribly scarred and underwent extreme cosmetic surgery. There are thousands of ways to make this trope different.
I like to read in my trope so I know I’m bringing something fresh, something different to it. This also ensures that I understand what aspects of the trope appeal to readers. Part of the appeal of the Beauty and the Beast trope, for example, is that two beings who appear very different can find common ground and appreciation for each other.
If you love a trope, can you use it for every story?
Heck yeah. Many of the bestselling writers concentrate on one trope. Nora Roberts, with her books published under that name, is known for the small town trope. Laurann Dohner is one of the masters of Beauty And The Beast. I gobble up every one of her beast-like heroes. Harlequin often publishes a book a month using their bestselling tropes because they know readers will pick up that book based on the trope alone (in the past, they put the trope in the titles – The Billionaire’s Secret Baby, for example).
The trope can become a strong part of your branding, one of the things you’re know for writing. Tropes should definitely be included as keywords on book listings. Readers search for tropes.
Embrace the trope you’re writing. Respect it and its readers. And have fun. I love writing books with tropes as much as I love reading them.
Reading buddies, which tropes do you love? Writing buddies, which tropes do you write?
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Wild. Free. Hers.
Mayhem has spent his lengthy lifespan obeying the Humanoid Alliance’s rules. Finally free from their cruel control, the cyborg warrior plans to cause chaos. He infiltrates a remote settlement, provokes the savage locals until they want him dead, and allows himself to be captured by the sexiest little Retriever he has ever laid his mechanically-enhanced eyes on.
Imee’s sole mission in life is to keep her family alive. To do this, she must hunt rebels, returning them to the Humanoid Alliance’s evil clutches where they will be executed. She doesn’t allow herself to feel anything for her targets…until she meets a tall, muscular cyborg with wild hair and even wilder eyes.
With his sure hands, laughing lips and erotic holds, Mayhem makes Imee’s body sizzle and her resistance melt. Their love is doomed. She must deliver the warrior to his death or she’ll place her family’s safety at risk. But she can’t resist him.
Imee soon discovers that Mayhem, life, and love are never predictable.
Chasing Mayhem is Book 6 in the Cyborg Sizzle series and is a STANDALONE story.
It is also a BBW Cyborg SciFi Romance.
Buy Now:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Mayhem-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01IRPO9WY#nav-subnav
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chasing-Mayhem-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01IRPO9WY/
Apple/iBooks/iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/chasing-mayhem/id1136333685
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-chasingmayhem-2077430-340.html
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chasing-mayhem-cynthia-sax/1124139998
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/chasing-mayhem
Topics: Writing Tips | 3 Comments »
