Slowing Down
My writing schedule has slowed. Significantly.
And I love this. I can relax more and embrace every word written. I have more time to think about the scene I’ll soon write. I can daydream about the story and devote more time to the small details.
It is glorious.
In today’s world, we’re encouraged to rush, rush, rush. Rush through meals. Rush through the morning shower. Sleep less. Drive faster. Take the shortest routes.
This can be great. Especially if it allows us to spend more time with our loved ones or our dreams.
But slowing down can also be wonderful. Sitting around the table with our loved ones (human, furry or other), enjoying a meal, chatting can be magical. Taking a longer route can be an adventure. A longer shower can be a source of inspiration. Sleep…well…sleep is lovely. (smiles)
It is okay to slow down.
Topics: Cyn-Sights | Comments Off on Slowing Down
Muse Food – Ledaal, Norway And Introducing Characters
Our first sight of Ledaal, a magnificent historical Royal home in Stavanger, Norway took our breaths away.
The long pathway, the framing of the trees, the gates (not shown in the photo), all of it was carefully designed to do exactly that. It wasn’t accidental. It was orchestrated to relay awe and wonder.
We, writers, should be as deliberate and careful when we introduce heroes and heroines and other key characters in our stories. First impressions are lasting impressions. And this is as true on the page as it is in real life.
How do you want your characters to be perceived?
Ensure a reader’s first meeting with them reflects that.
Topics: Muse Food | Comments Off on Muse Food – Ledaal, Norway And Introducing Characters
Muse Food – Guard Geese And Other Unlikely Protectors
(The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I spotted this guard goose in Iceland.)
When I was a kid, our family lived on what people would today call a homestead. We had geese on this plot of land and we would refer to them as our guard geese. These birds would chase away and peck the living daylights out of anyone foolish enough to come close to our property. They would protect themselves AND us.
Last year, in my current home, we had what we referred to as guard bees. Yellowjackets built a hive in our eavestrough by the front door. They knew the Dear Wonderful Hubby and me and would tolerate our presence. But lord help anyone else who dared to knock on our door.
(grins)
Unlikely protectors can intrigue readers, whether that protector is a guard goose or a dainty-looking, ladylike heroine or an easy-going hero who acts decisively when his loved ones are threatened.
Topics: Muse Food | Comments Off on Muse Food – Guard Geese And Other Unlikely Protectors
Splitting A Series
I receive questions from quite a few writing buddies and a handful of reading buddies around why I’ve split the cyborg world into subseries.
It wasn’t really a sell more books strategy.
Sure, when I split a series, there are more entry points for new-to-me readers and more permafree first in series opportunities (as well as BookBub possibilities).
But that is offset by some booksellers having systems that greatly favor long series. Apple, for example, sends new release information to anyone who has ever purchased a book in the same series. Every time I start a new series, I start at zero. That’s not very effective.
I split the series because that’s how I think as a writer.
I can’t hold 20 future stories in my brain. (grins) I can barely hold 1. And I find a super long series daunting. I like 5 core stories. That’s manageable. If I apply myself, I can write that in a year and a half or less.
I also split the series because that’s how I like to read.
I like the way Lisa Kleypas, for example, splits her huge historical world into 5 (on average) book series. I can read 5 books and have the satisfaction of reading an entire series. That’s extremely fulfilling.
Then I can wait for a bit to start the next series. Or I can skip a series if the premise for that overall series doesn’t appeal to me (that hasn’t happened yet with Lisa Kleypas’ historicals). Or I can (gasp) stop. Yes, there will be things I’ll never uncover but there should be a satisfying stopping point.
You, as a writer or a read, might have different preferences. And hey, that’s okay! Do whatever brings you joy. Happiness is precious. Protect it.
***
Subscribe To My Newsletter: http://cynthiasax.com/newsletter/
Baring Grudge
No one in the universe is more determined than a cyborg warrior tracking his female.
***
Grudge, a C Model cyborg, has been assigned a mission – safeguard a Humanoid Alliance space station for his kind. Honor was once all he had, and he is determined to fulfill his duty.
That resolve is tested when a tiny human female enters the space station and sets the prettiest little explosives the warrior has ever seen. She is Grudge’s genetic match, the one being manufactured for him. He wants to touch her, kiss her, claim her in all ways, but first he has to stop her from blasting him into the next galaxy.
Taelyn has a self-appointed mission—to destroy every battle robot the Humanoid Alliance has ever manufactured. A huge gray-skinned, blue-eyed cyborg warrior with mismatched arms won’t prevent her from achieving her goal. She’ll escape him, leaving destruction in her wake.
Before she departs, she’ll experience one toe-curling moment of hatred-edged passion with her handsome foe. She’ll show him how skilled with detonations she truly is. He will have his universe rocked.
Then she’ll disappear.
Her cyborg, however, has no intention of ever letting her go.
***
Baring Grudge is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features a determined, damaged warrior, an equally resolute human female, and an explosive game of predator and prey played across galaxies.
Baring Grudge is the third of five core stories in the Rebel Cyborgs Series.
Book 1: Containing Malice
Book 2: Under Strain
Book 3: Baring Grudge
Book 4: B Free
Book 5: Seizing Power
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08ZL2D986
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08ZL2D986
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B08ZL2D986
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/baring-grudge/id1559566673
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/baring-grudge-cynthia-sax/1139086727
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/baring-grudge
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1075600
Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Splitting A Series
Savvy Marketing Vs Simply Having Fun
I talked with a newer writer a few days ago. She is sharing updates on characters in her newsletters, hoping to increase her sales. I do that, she told me, so it must work.
Except…
I don’t share updates on characters to increase sales of my stories. I suspect it doesn’t increase sales at all.
I share updates because that’s fun for me. I like visiting with Rage and Joan and Kralj and other characters. It is like spending time with dear sometimes murderous friends. (grins)
I post the updates in my newsletters because I think you and some of my other reading buddies might enjoy them also. It might make you smile when you receive my newsletters. It might be the reason you agreed to receive communications from me. It might make you more excited about my next book release.
Who knows? (shrugs) The key thing is… I have fun with the updates.
I do many things simply because they’re fun. These things might look like marketing efforts. Because I continue doing them, other writers might believe they’re successful marketing efforts. But often, they’re simply fun things I like doing and think reading buddies might enjoy.
If you’re in doubt about whether a tactic is savvy marketing for me or merely me having some fun, contact me. I’ll happily tell you which one it is.
***
Subscribe To My Newsletter: http://cynthiasax.com/newsletter/
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: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Savvy Marketing Vs Simply Having Fun
How Long Should Your Book Series Be?
I shared my thoughts on The Wicked Writing Corner about how many stories a series should have (I’ve figured out the right length for my series but that likely won’t be the right length for every writer or every series.)
Here is a snippet…
“I’m a pantser, a writer who writes by the seat of her pants. Sometimes, I’ll start a series with the intention of it being X stories long and the series becomes X+12 stories long. That happens. I write as many stories as I have to write to give readers a satisfactory end to the series.
But my ideal series length at this moment is five.
That’s because I’m self-published so I know my publisher (me – grins) will give me those five stories to run with. It is because my current favorite marketing strategy is to price the first story in the series, after a few years of being published, at permafree. And it is because, in cyborg romance, I see readership of a series dramatically drop off after five stories.
That might not be your ideal series length.”
You can read the full post here –
https://thewickedwritingcorner.blogspot.com/2021/03/guest-post-how-long-should-series-be.html
***
Subscribe To My Newsletter: http://cynthiasax.com/newsletter/
Containing Malice
This tormented cyborg craves vengeance…and her.
***
Malice, a C Model cyborg, has spent his long lifespan enslaved by the Humanoid Alliance. His cruel manufacturers have hurt him in all the ways a male could be hurt.
His enemy has now added a new weapon to their arsenal—a tiny human medic with soft hands and a delectable scent. She experiments on him multiple times a shift, delivering pain…and frustration.
He wants her. He also seeks retribution.
Once Malice frees himself, he plans to achieve both of his goals, taking Medic Illona captive and ending her research…permanently.
Illona is as much a prisoner as the cyborgs she experiments on. Since her arrival at the Human Alliance’s secret laboratory, she has carefully, stealthily, crafted a plot to free her test subjects. To conceal her covert activities, the medic has been forced to harm beings rather than heal them.
The being she has damaged the most is also the cyborg she fiercely desires— Malice, a huge, gray-skinned, blue-eyed C Model with massive hands and a voice deeper than space. He hates her, has good reason to do so, and, when he’s freed, there’s a high probability he’ll kill her.
Illona will take that risk to ensure he survives.
***
Containing Malice is a STANDALONE enemies-to-lovers Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It is the first of five core stories in the Rebel Cyborgs Series.
Book 1: Containing Malice
Book 2: Under Strain
Book 3: Baring Grudge
Book 4: B Free
Book 5: Seizing Power
Buy Today:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08LK4CWHS
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08LK4CWHS
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B08LK4CWHS
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/containing-malice/id1536770487
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/containing-malice-cynthia-sax/1137961594
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/containing-malice
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1049881
Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on How Long Should Your Book Series Be?
Trad, Hybrid AND Indie – I’ve Tried Them All
I’m at Coffee Time Romance, talking about the wandering route I’ve taken in this wonderful writing career.
Here’s a snippet..
“I didn’t want to be Indie, so I did it in the laziest way ever. I built a team, finding an awesome editor, cover artist, formatter. I was already doing the bulk of the marketing for my books. To my amazement, self-publishing wasn’t much extra work.”
Read the full post here: http://coffeetimeromance.com/CoffeeThoughts/adjun2018-cynthia-sax/
Subscribe To My Monthly Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Dark Fire
What the Beast wants, the Beast gets.
Dare’s savage nature has made him an outcast among his kind. The silver-scaled Dracheon warrior can’t control his inner beast. It’s too strong. When his primitive instincts told him his destined mate was on Carinae E, he had no choice. He had to travel to the outlaw planet. There, he hoped to meet a female powerful enough to survive his Drache.
He finds Faylee, a delicate little human.
Faylee is the best thief on the planet. Everyone she encounters mistakes her for a young boy…except for a tall, shiny warrior from off-planet. When she gazes into Dare’s flame-filled eyes, he makes her feel, for the first time, like a desirable female. The fire-breathing male has her yearning for hot kisses, fierce embraces, and a future filled with love. She doesn’t realize mating with him might be the last thing she ever does.
Dare’s beast isn’t the only danger on the planet. An enemy from the past has returned and he’s determined to stop Dare and Faylee…permanently. They’ll need luck and the assistance of every warrior in the Refuge to stay alive.
Dark Fire is a STANDALONE SciFi Romance set in a gritty, dark world.
Buy Today:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Fire-Refuge-Book-4-ebook/dp/B07CW2Y8B7/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Fire-Refuge-Book-4-ebook/dp/B07CW2Y8B7/
Apple/iTunes : https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dark-fire/id1381353384
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-fire-cynthia-sax/1128614574
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dark-fire-22
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/824382
Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Trad, Hybrid AND Indie – I’ve Tried Them All
Crash And Burn And Open-Ended Series
Today, I’m visiting EverydayFangirl, talking about open ended series
Here’s a snippet…
Series can also be closed (the writer knows exactly how many stories will be in the series) or open-ended (the writer doesn’t know how many stories will be in a series).
Crash And Burn, my most recent release, is the latest installment in my open-ended cyborg series. Reading buddies ask me how many stories I plan to write in the series and I have no idea. Each story is crafted to be read on its own.
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Crash And Burn
Crash was manufactured to be one of the best warriors in the universe. The cyborg has spent many human lifespans fighting the enemy. But, unlike his battle-loving brethren, he doesn’t enjoy killing. When he escapes the Humanoid Alliance, he vows to never end another life.
Then he meets Safyre, an infuriating human female, and he considers breaking his vow.
Safyre will do anything to save her friend, the being she loves like a sister. She’ll ravish a huge hunky cyborg, kiss his best friend, and invoke scorching hot desires the male never realized he could feel. Dark soulful eyes, a quick wit, and a tempestuous passion won’t divert her from her mission.
Love, and a planet-destroying weapon, however, might stop her permanently.
Order Now:
On Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Crash-Burn-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B019EBKIF2
On Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crash-Burn-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook-x/dp/B019EBKIF2/
On ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-crashandburn-1950244-147.html
On B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/crash-and-burn-cynthia-sax/1123141101
On Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/ebook/crash-and-burn-13
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on Crash And Burn And Open-Ended Series
Talking Crash And Burn And Building A Series
I’m talking about one way to write a standalone series today on Liza O’Connor ‘s online home.
http://multiuniversesoflizao.blogspot.ca/2016/02/cyborg-brethen-building-series-with.html
Here’s a snippet…
There are a number of ways to build a standalone series (a series with books that can be read on their own). My favorite, by far, is the sexy brother premise.
This is exactly what it sounds like. The hero of the first book in the series has two or three or four or more sexy, single brothers. In the subsequent books, these brothers find their own heroines (or heroes or heroines and heroes, depending on the stories being told – grins).
These brothers don’t have to be brothers by birth.
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Crash And Burn
Crash was manufactured to be one of the best warriors in the universe. The cyborg has spent many human lifespans fighting the enemy. But, unlike his battle-loving brethren, he doesn’t enjoy killing. When he escapes the Humanoid Alliance, he vows to never end another life.
Then he meets Safyre, an infuriating human female, and he considers breaking his vow.
Safyre will do anything to save her friend, the being she loves like a sister. She’ll ravish a huge hunky cyborg, kiss his best friend, and invoke scorching hot desires the male never realized he could feel. Dark soulful eyes, a quick wit, and a tempestuous passion won’t divert her from her mission.
Love, and a planet-destroying weapon, however, might stop her permanently.
Pre-order Now:
On Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Crash-Burn-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B019EBKIF2
On Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crash-Burn-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook-x/dp/B019EBKIF2/
On ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-crashandburn-1950244-147.html
On B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/crash-and-burn-cynthia-sax/1123141101
On Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/ebook/crash-and-burn-13
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on Talking Crash And Burn And Building A Series
Writing Erotic Romance – Prologues
I wrote a 3,000 word, 12 page prologue for Breathing Vapor, the follow up story to Releasing Rage (Breathing Vapor will release in November).
Mira, my heroine, acts like a major beyotch when she’s around other beings. She has a great reason for acting this way but I was worried that if you didn’t know this reason when you first met her, you might find her an unsympathetic heroine (i.e. you’d hate her guts).
So I wrote a prologue, sharing a scene from her past that showed why she was that way. It was powerful. It made me, as a writer, cry.
It was also unnecessary. My awesome editor convinced me I didn’t need it, that I’d created a character readers would love without knowing the backstory. I took it out and you know what? It’s a much stronger story without the prologue.
I’ve written many prologues. Not one has survived the editing process. Why? Because usually a prologue isn’t required (usually! There are always exceptions to every rule, including this one, but those exceptions are rare.).
Why Editors (and Readers) Hate Prologues
A prologue is set at an earlier time and often a different place than the core story. Every time writers change settings, we jar the reader out of the story. Jarring the reader out of the story between the prologue and chapter one is a HUGE risk. The reader hasn’t yet become emotionally invested in the story.
Especially since the first pages are a prologue. The reader bought the story expecting the hero or heroine portrayed in the back cover copy. In Releasing Rage, readers want to meet a tormented, angry hero. They don’t want to read about Rage when he had a kinder, gentler view of the worlds. It is kind of like seeing a guy’s baby photos on a first date. It’s much too soon for that.
Prologues are also backstory dumps. Backstory is powerful. Readers often read for it (in the case of E.L. James’ Grey, they’ll buy an entire book to read a character’s backstory). That’s why they turn the pages. “This hero is completed fucked up. I have to know why.” We can only use a juicy piece of backstory once. Do we really want to use it at the beginning of a story, before the reader cares about the character?
Alternatives To Prologues
A great writer once told me that ideally backstory should be threaded into a story as the reader needs to know it (threaded, not dumped – again, you don’t want to draw readers out of the story). That timing often makes it more powerful.
In romance, this revelation is often easy to do because a heroine, loving a fucked up hero, for example, will eventually want to know WHY he’s fucked up. The reader can discover this at the same time.
If both of the characters already know the backstory, it is a bit more challenging. If the past truly haunts the character, he or she will likely dream about it. An incident might also trigger a memory. In Breathing Vapor, the heroine sees someone and, at first, thinks that person is a person from her past. The character might be facing the same decision they faced in the past. Will he or she make the same choice?
There are thousands of great ways to reveal backstory. If you’re stuck, reread beloved stories and note how those authors handle it. (Or email me and we can brainstorm!)
How did I handle the unsympathetic heroine in Breathing Vapor?
Mira acts like a beyotch when she’s around other beings. The solution? I show her true nature when she’s alone (actually, she’s caring for a cyborg baby but he can’t tell anyone about her kindness so she feels she’s safe).
Yes, the solution was ridiculously simple. I threaded the rest of the information throughout the core story and eliminated the prologue entirely.
How have you eliminated prologues in your own manuscripts?
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Half Man. Half Machine. All Hers.
Rage, the Humanoid Alliance’s most primitive cyborg, has two goals—kill all of the humans on his battle station and escape to the Homeland. The warrior has seen the darkness in others and in himself. He believes that’s all he’s been programmed to experience.
Until he meets Joan.
Joan, the battle station’s first female engineer, has one goal—survive long enough to help the big sexy cyborg plotting to kill her. Rage might not trust her but he wants her. She sees the passion in his eyes, the caring in his battle-worn hands, the gruff emotion in his voice.
When Joan survives the unthinkable, Rage’s priorities are tested. Is there enough room in this cyborg’s heart for both love and revenge?
Buy Now:
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Releasing-Rage-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B00ZOL1DRO
On ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-releasingrage-1850041-340.html
On B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/releasing-rage-cynthia-sax/1122455646
Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Writing Erotic Romance – Prologues
