Cynthia Sax's Blog, page 13
January 23, 2025
IF And Having A Support System
Spoiler Alert – This post will talk about IF and it WILL contain spoilers. If you haven’t yet watched this film, you might wish to skip this post.
I didn’t have any interest in watching IF. A film about imaginary friends didn’t appeal to me.
I am one of six kids and I am also an extreme introvert. As a child, I certainly wasn’t inventing more people to spend time with. (grins)
But IF was playing on repeat on the cruise ship’s movie channel and…I got sucked in.
THREE times.
Because, stars, this movie was AWESOME. I laughed my a$$ off. AND I cried so hard.
The film could be interpreted in a variety of ways. I viewed it as an exploration of the importance of support systems.
We need them. Even if it means inventing imaginary support systems and beings.
And when we lose them, that could be through the death of a support being or growing up and getting too busy to maintain or believe in our support systems, it impacts us. Greatly.
The characters in our stories need support systems also. Sure, they might go it alone for a few scenes. But they eventually need to either establish a new support system or touch base with an existing one.
Because we, humans, need support systems. Even if they are all in our minds.
***
Claiming Cure
A proud cyborg medic meets his human match.
***
Cyra has tasks to complete before she dies.
There are patients to heal, a dangerous mission to undertake, and a world to save. She doesn’t have time to entertain uninvited guests.
Especially one coldhearted cyborg medic who thinks he’s better than her.
The male might be breathtakingly handsome. His sternly set lips might be extremely kissable. And his touch might draw out a passion she didn’t think she was capable of feeling.
But he’s also a distraction, one that might doom millions of innocent beings to a painful, horrible death.
Cure isn’t emotionless. He feels…greatly. Listening to that malfunction has caused other beings pain and suffering in the past.
He refuses to allow his desires to cloud his judgment now.
His resolve is tested when he’s forced to associate with the most provoking, alluring medic in the universe.
Cyra is his genetic match, the one being in the universe he is fated to protect, touch, claim. She’s clever and beautiful, and the need to hold her almost downs his systems.
But now is not the time to indulge his great wanting.
Cure has an assignment to complete.
If he fails to accomplish his goals, everyone he cares for, including his human female, will die.
***
Claiming Cure is a standalone Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features two skilled medics determined to ignore the toe-curling attraction between them, a perilous impossible mission, and foes seeking to ensure they never heal another being ever again.
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/Claiming-Cure-Dauntless-Cyborgs-Book-ebook/dp/B0D26MWGKC
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Claiming-Cure-Dauntless-Cyborgs-Book-ebook/dp/B0D26MWGKC
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Claiming-Cure-Dauntless-Cyborgs-Book-ebook/dp/B0D26MWGKC
Amazon Canada:
https://www.amazon.ca/Claiming-Cure-Dauntless-Cyborgs-Book-ebook/dp/B0D26MWGKC
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/claiming-cure/id6499055867
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/claiming-cure
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/1553992
January 22, 2025
Throwback Thursday – Intrepid Encounter
Intrepid Encounter is a true enemies-to-lovers romance.
Olrun, the VALKYRIE heroine, is sincerely trying to kill Intrepid, the cyborg hero. Because…of course, she is. (grins) She’s a Valkyrie, a famed female warrior.
Intrepid doesn’t want to end Olrun’s lifespan. He realizes she is his genetic match, the one being he was manufactured to love.
But he won’t allow ANYONE to damage the beings living on the cyborg Homeland and if that means decimating his own happiness, he’ll do that.
That’s the type of cyborg he is.
***
Intrepid Encounter
Cyborg vs. Valkyrie
Blood will be spilled and hearts will be captured.
Intrepid and his crew on the Dauntless guard the border to the cyborg sector. The D Model cyborg captain has dedicated his lifespan to protecting their homeland. He’ll do anything to secure the space and keep his brethren safe.
That includes confronting a Valkyrie intent on vengeance.
The female warrior is beautiful, brave, strong…and Intrepid’s genetic match. She’s the one being he is fated to claim. Her voice causes his circuits to hum. Her touch produces a passion he struggles to control.
But if he has to stop her…permanently…to protect his kind, he will make that sacrifice.
Olrun has been tracking the whereabouts of a one-of-a-kind object. The stolen item is critical to the safety of her Valkyrie sisters, and she’ll do anything to retrieve it.
That includes waging war on a tall, broad-shouldered cyborg warrior sporting brilliant-blue eyes and grimly set lips.
The male might…just might…have battle skills matching her own. And that excites the immortal fighter. She craves his rough handling, his punishing embrace, his stern words.
But Olrun’s desire for the cyborg won’t distract her from achieving her goal. She will shield her fellow Valkyries from danger, even if that means ending Intrepid’s lifespan in the process.
Intrepid Encounter is an enemies-to-lovers Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features a protective cyborg, a vengeful Valkyrie, and a destiny neither of them can predict.
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/Intrepid-Encounter-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0C8BN96D1
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Intrepid-Encounter-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0C8BN96D1
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Intrepid-Encounter-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0C8BN96D1
Amazon Canada:
https://www.amazon.ca/Intrepid-Encounter-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0C8BN96D1
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/intrepid-encounter/id6450374920
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/intrepid-encounter
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/1409350
January 21, 2025
Flamboyant Trees In Mauritius
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I were fortunate to visit Mauritius while the flamboyant trees were blooming. They traditionally bloom from November to January and WOW, their blooms are a bright, happy orange.
A driver called them New Year Trees, sharing that they signify luck for the new year. Another person called them Christmas Trees. The Mauritius Tourism Facebook account calls them “bouquet banané’ or flower of the year. By any name, they’re beautiful!
January 20, 2025
Sowing Seeds And Taking Names
Or, rather, recording names. So I remember which seeds I’ve placed in the reused yogurt containers. (grins)
I planted 3 seeds in every container (holes were punched in the bottom of these containers).
Two flats (i.e. reused rotisserie chicken trays) contain eggplants (those seeds were purchased from the dollar store), one flat contains mini bell peppers (those seeds were harvested from 2024’s mini bell peppers), and I also planted a couple containers of parsley.
They were then placed in the basement grow station.
And now…I wait for my favorite moments of gardening – when the baby plants first poke out of the soil! Woot!
***
Claiming Cure
A proud cyborg medic meets his human match.
***
Cyra has tasks to complete before she dies.
There are patients to heal, a dangerous mission to undertake, and a world to save. She doesn’t have time to entertain uninvited guests.
Especially one coldhearted cyborg medic who thinks he’s better than her.
The male might be breathtakingly handsome. His sternly set lips might be extremely kissable. And his touch might draw out a passion she didn’t think she was capable of feeling.
But he’s also a distraction, one that might doom millions of innocent beings to a painful, horrible death.
Cure isn’t emotionless. He feels…greatly. Listening to that malfunction has caused other beings pain and suffering in the past.
He refuses to allow his desires to cloud his judgment now.
His resolve is tested when he’s forced to associate with the most provoking, alluring medic in the universe.
Cyra is his genetic match, the one being in the universe he is fated to protect, touch, claim. She’s clever and beautiful, and the need to hold her almost downs his systems.
But now is not the time to indulge his great wanting.
Cure has an assignment to complete.
If he fails to accomplish his goals, everyone he cares for, including his human female, will die.
***
Claiming Cure is a standalone Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features two skilled medics determined to ignore the toe-curling attraction between them, a perilous impossible mission, and foes seeking to ensure they never heal another being ever again.
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/Claiming-Cure-Dauntless-Cyborgs-Book-ebook/dp/B0D26MWGKC
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Claiming-Cure-Dauntless-Cyborgs-Book-ebook/dp/B0D26MWGKC
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Claiming-Cure-Dauntless-Cyborgs-Book-ebook/dp/B0D26MWGKC
Amazon Canada:
https://www.amazon.ca/Claiming-Cure-Dauntless-Cyborgs-Book-ebook/dp/B0D26MWGKC
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/claiming-cure/id6499055867
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/claiming-cure-cynthia-sax/1145464760
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/claiming-cure
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/1553992
January 19, 2025
Muse Food – Dodos And Past Mistakes
When the Dear Wonderful Hubby and I were in Mauritius, we visited the Natural History Museum. This free museum had a display about the Dodo, the famously now-extinct flightless bird that was once found in Mauritius.
Some of the information talked about the decisions (or, in hindsight, mistakes) experts believe led to the dodo’s extinction.
How beings or societies handle the mistakes of their past says a lot about them. And ALL beings or societies HAVE made mistakes. That’s a universal truth.
Are they honest about why the mistake happened? Do they accept blame or try to shift it to another being/entity? What have they learned from that mistake?
All this tells us (and our readers) so much about beings/societies.
January 18, 2025
Cynthia Sax Weekly Update – January 19
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I stayed at the Maison Du Nord when we recently visited Mauritius. It was an absolutely delightful boutique hotel with amazing customer service and a wonderful buffet breakfast featuring crepes and local fruits.
And Maison Du Nord had its own resident guard cat! This extremely skilled hunter is shown here protecting the lobby. (grins)
As you likely guessed it, the Dear Wonderful Hubby and I have been traveling. We’re seeing the world while I figure out which writing projects to work on next.
These writing projects will be pitched to agents, publishers, or other entities so they likely won’t be published in the immediate future. Big wheels turn slowly and all that. (smiles)
Have a wonderful week, my friends. (big hugs) Do some traveling of your own – whether this is around the world or into the next neighborhood. There are so many delightful and interesting places all around us, alcoves we haven’t yet explored. Get out there and sightsee!
***
Claiming Cure
A proud cyborg medic meets his human match.
***
Cyra has tasks to complete before she dies.
There are patients to heal, a dangerous mission to undertake, and a world to save. She doesn’t have time to entertain uninvited guests.
Especially one coldhearted cyborg medic who thinks he’s better than her.
The male might be breathtakingly handsome. His sternly set lips might be extremely kissable. And his touch might draw out a passion she didn’t think she was capable of feeling.
But he’s also a distraction, one that might doom millions of innocent beings to a painful, horrible death.
Cure isn’t emotionless. He feels…greatly. Listening to that malfunction has caused other beings pain and suffering in the past.
He refuses to allow his desires to cloud his judgment now.
His resolve is tested when he’s forced to associate with the most provoking, alluring medic in the universe.
Cyra is his genetic match, the one being in the universe he is fated to protect, touch, claim. She’s clever and beautiful, and the need to hold her almost downs his systems.
But now is not the time to indulge his great wanting.
Cure has an assignment to complete.
If he fails to accomplish his goals, everyone he cares for, including his human female, will die.
***
Claiming Cure is a standalone Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features two skilled medics determined to ignore the toe-curling attraction between them, a perilous impossible mission, and foes seeking to ensure they never heal another being ever again.
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/Claiming-Cure-Dauntless-Cyborgs-Book-ebook/dp/B0D26MWGKC
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Claiming-Cure-Dauntless-Cyborgs-Book-ebook/dp/B0D26MWGKC
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Claiming-Cure-Dauntless-Cyborgs-Book-ebook/dp/B0D26MWGKC
Amazon Canada:
https://www.amazon.ca/Claiming-Cure-Dauntless-Cyborgs-Book-ebook/dp/B0D26MWGKC
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/claiming-cure/id6499055867
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/claiming-cure-cynthia-sax/1145464760
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/claiming-cure
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/1553992
January 17, 2025
Brush With Royalty In London
Recently, the Dear Wonderful Hubby and I had a full day layover in London, England. So we stored our luggage in lockers and headed out to explore.
(First, we had to visit the post office to exchange some ancient pounds for current currency, a task we were given by the elders to complete.)
The streets around Buckingham Palace were blocked off. The Qatar flag was flying everywhere.
Some guards on horseback passed.
We stopped and watched.
Then a carriage with King Charles III clearly visible in it passed. (He was looking his age.)
A carriage with Kate, Princess of Wales, visible followed. (She was looking extremely regal.)
The parade continued for many moments after that.
Dear Wonderful Hubby joked that every horse in England was in attendance. (grins)
It was all very exciting!
But not everyone was as enthralled as we were. During the display, one woman was enthusiastically taking photos…of a squirrel in a nearby park. (laughs)
January 16, 2025
A Quiet Place: Day One And Seemingly Trivial Missions
Spoiler Alert: This post will be talking about A Quiet Place: Day One, an AWESOME Sci-Fi movie, and it may contain spoilers. If you haven’t yet watched this movie, you might wish to skip this post.
I finally found the time to watch A Quiet Place: Day One and I absolutely LOVED it. The character arcs were amazing. The details were impressive. Sam, the main character, was relatable.
We find out right away that she is in hospice. She doesn’t have long to live.
And her ‘mission’ is to eat a slice of pizza at a little pizzeria in Harlem.
This mission seems trivial. We, viewers, could have easily rolled our eyes at her insistence that she be taken to get pizza.
Except we see how this normally gruff, suck-it-up-buttercup woman almost breaks down into tears when she’s told the trip to the pizzeria would have to be delayed. We KNOW then that this mission is much more important to her than it seems.
It is so important that an invasion by human-devouring aliens doesn’t stop her (and her cat!) from attempting to undertake it.
THAT is impressive acting and character building.
***
Claiming Cure
A proud cyborg medic meets his human match.
***
Cyra has tasks to complete before she dies.
There are patients to heal, a dangerous mission to undertake, and a world to save. She doesn’t have time to entertain uninvited guests.
Especially one coldhearted cyborg medic who thinks he’s better than her.
The male might be breathtakingly handsome. His sternly set lips might be extremely kissable. And his touch might draw out a passion she didn’t think she was capable of feeling.
But he’s also a distraction, one that might doom millions of innocent beings to a painful, horrible death.
Cure isn’t emotionless. He feels…greatly. Listening to that malfunction has caused other beings pain and suffering in the past.
He refuses to allow his desires to cloud his judgment now.
His resolve is tested when he’s forced to associate with the most provoking, alluring medic in the universe.
Cyra is his genetic match, the one being in the universe he is fated to protect, touch, claim. She’s clever and beautiful, and the need to hold her almost downs his systems.
But now is not the time to indulge his great wanting.
Cure has an assignment to complete.
If he fails to accomplish his goals, everyone he cares for, including his human female, will die.
***
Claiming Cure is a standalone Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features two skilled medics determined to ignore the toe-curling attraction between them, a perilous impossible mission, and foes seeking to ensure they never heal another being ever again.
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/Claiming-Cure-Dauntless-Cyborgs-Book-ebook/dp/B0D26MWGKC
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Claiming-Cure-Dauntless-Cyborgs-Book-ebook/dp/B0D26MWGKC
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Claiming-Cure-Dauntless-Cyborgs-Book-ebook/dp/B0D26MWGKC
Amazon Canada:
https://www.amazon.ca/Claiming-Cure-Dauntless-Cyborgs-Book-ebook/dp/B0D26MWGKC
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/claiming-cure/id6499055867
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/claiming-cure-cynthia-sax/1145464760
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/claiming-cure
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/1553992
January 15, 2025
Throwback Thursday – Strive For Forever
Cyborgs were manufactured to be warriors. Their primary purpose was to kill.
Some of them, however, had no stomach for ending lifespans. Most of those cyborgs were decommissioned by their creators.
Strive, fortunately, escaped before that happened. He has the heart of an artist, is skilled with words and with materials.
But, to save his female, he WILL kill.
Frag, for her, he would burn the entire universe down.
Strive For Forever
This cyborg seeks to vanquish an ancient entity and save his curvy human female.
Euryale made a terrible mistake. She opened a container she shouldn’t have touched and released one of the oldest lifeforms in existence. That all-powerful entity is now utilizing her as its host body and is slowly draining her energy.
Soon, she’ll die.
Euryale has accepted this fate and is determined to use her remaining moments in the universe to save as many lives as she can.
Her plans do NOT include a smoldering-hot, poetry-wielding cyborg willing to decimate entire planets to save her.
While under the control of the Humanoid Alliance, Strive, a K Model cyborg, disobeyed direct orders and refused to kill on their behalf. If he hadn’t escaped their cruel clutches, his defiance would have led to his death.
The male knowingly risked that fate to save the lifespans of complete strangers.
There is nothing he wouldn’t do to protect Euryale. The curvy human female is his genetic match, the one being he is destined to defend.
And she is in danger.
Strive would break every vow, cross every boundary, risk absolutely everything to keep her from harm.
Including battle a deity no one has ever defeated.
***
Strive For Forever is Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features an inspired cyborg, a joke-cracking scientist, and an all-powerful deity with plans of his own.
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/Strive-Forever-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BSMXYHPC
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Strive-Forever-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BSMXYHPC
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Strive-Forever-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BSMXYHPC
Amazon Canada:
https://www.amazon.ca/Strive-Forever-SciFi-Cyborg-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BSMXYHPC
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/strive-for-forever/id6445480449
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/strive-for-forever-cynthia-sax/1142963331
January 14, 2025
Love And Hamburgers In Dubai
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I were taking a City Sightseeing hop-on hop-off bus around Dubai. It had a longer stop at Atlantis, The Palm, a luxurious resort in the city.
From the bus, we watched a man eat a hamburger while he was waiting for a taxi.
The man, at first, looked like he has stepped out of a page out of GQ. He was impeccably dressed in a navy blue suit, white shirt and a royal blue tie with a geometric design on it. There was a silver Rolex on his wrist and shiny black leather dress shoes on his large feet. His dark hair was swept back. His skin was tanned. He had romance cover-worthy dark stubble on his square chin.
I say ‘at first’ because the hamburger he was eating was HUGE.
As the man was devouring it, his expression was blissful.
That hamburger must have been delicious. But eating it came at a price.
Its innards went EVERYWHERE. Hamburger toppings and juice splattered on the man’s chin, his cheeks, his suit, his shoes and the sidewalk.
We’re talking complete disaster.
(grins)
An equally well-dressed woman, around the same age, then claimed the next spot in line.
The man saw her, his eyes widened and he straightened…which yes, showed off his fit physique but also caused more of the hamburger to drip down his tall form.
He then OFFERED this beautiful woman some of his hamburger!
(laughs)
The woman looked at the burger, then at his chin, lowered her gaze to the bit of hamburger topping now clinging to his tie.
She grinned and shook her head, refusing his most generous offer.
He shrugged and said something to her. I suspect it was along the lines of “You don’t know what you’re missing. This hamburger is GOOD.”
He resumed eating the hamburger with great gusto.
The woman laughed and chattered to him and that was when the bus, unfortunately, moved.
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I continued on our tour.
We don’t know what happened next but I project the woman and the hamburger-eating man exchanged phone numbers. There was definitely a spark between them.
(smiles)
