Taste of Cyn

Which Toys Did Your Characters Play With?

By Cynthia Sax on December 5, 2014

One of my joys during the holiday season is buying toys for our local toy drive. The dear wonderful hubby and I weren’t blessed with children but we were both children once. Shopping for toys brings back memories of our own childhoods.

My characters also had childhoods and favorite toys. Some of them you might expect. Some of them might surprise you.

Belinda from Sinful Rewards

Belinda’s favorite childhood toy won’t be a surprise to any Sinful Rewards reader. This fashionista was (and still is) a Barbie lover. Her hard working single mom scoured yard sales for second hand Barbies and clothing, especially keeping an eye out for designer fashions (one of her finest finds was this Badgley Mischka Bride Barbie Doll – the dress was a little smudged but Bee was able to clean it).

Nicolas from Sinful Rewards

Nicolas’s favorite childhood toy is also not a surprise. This real estate billionaire played Monopoly every chance he could, learning skills he’d eventually use to build his empire. He preferred to be the banker and he considered the rules to be guidelines. He spent a bit of time in jail and he didn’t like it. He also didn’t understand why a low rent property had to stay low rent, especially if he owned all of the properties around it.

Hawke from Sinful Rewards

I expected Hawke, our former Marine, to be a G.I. Joe type of kid. Bee actually calls him G.I. Joe during one of their arguments.

But nope, Hawke spent his childhood outside, trekking around the orchard with his best friend Rock. He was an active boy and a bit of a terror. His favorite gift was a slingshot. He would use rotten apples as targets, challenging Rock to best him.

Writing buddies, which toys did your characters play with? Reading buddies, which toys did you play with when you were a child?

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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

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

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Sinful Rewards 5-Ordering Dinner In Another Language

By Cynthia Sax on November 26, 2014

The dear wonderful hubby and I travel quite a bit. We often don’t know more than a couple of courtesy words in the local language, which makes ordering food an adventure. We’ll point at something another patron is having. Once my hubby mooed to tell the waiter he wanted beef. (grins) I’ve clucked to indicate chicken. Sometimes we simply choose things at random. Many times we have no idea what we’re eating.

Bee, the heroine of Sinful Rewards, had a similar adventure when she had a lunch at a French restaurant.

Here’s a bit of the scene

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The waiter returns, the hoity-toity bastard addressing me in French, knowing I don’t understand a word he says. I read his face. He gazes at me as my mom gazes at the customers she serves, waiting for their orders.

I glance down at the menu, having no idea what it says. He looks at me expectantly and I’m too damn proud to admit I don’t know a word of French. “I’d like this.” I point to a menu line.

The waiter sniffs. “Mademoiselle, that states that vegetarian options are available upon request.” He says nothing more, not helping me at all.

I point at another line. This seems to make him happy as he rattles off more French words. Then he waits. Again.

Oh, God. What does he want? I gaze at Lona. She’s cuddling with Jacques, in her own happy-little-couple world. I glance at Francois.

He sighs, shaking his head. “You don’t know a word of French, do you?”

“This is America.” I lift my chin. “I shouldn’t need to know French.”

“I’m American and I know French.” Francois changes languages as easily as I change outfits, talking with the waiter.

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Have you ever had adventures in ordering food in another country or language?

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