Cynthia Sax's Blog, page 184
June 8, 2016
Curvy Girl And Super Shy Hunky Guy
I’m at Selena Robins’s online home today, talking about Curvy Girl and Super Shy Hunky Guy, a real life romance I witnessed.
https://selenarobinsmusings.com/2016/06/08/adorable-inspiring-a-true-account-of-romance-in-the-gym/
Here’s a snippet…
I’ve been watching a real life romance between a super shy hunky guy and an oblivious curvy girl at the gym every day.
Hunky Guy runs on the treadmill every day, watching the business news as he works out.
Girls give him the eye (I admit to checking him out too – he’s no Dear Wonderful Hubby but he is REALLY good looking).
He pays them no attention.
Then this girl walks by. She’s a curvy girl, brown hair up in a ponytail, glasses, no make- up, wearing an oversized T-shirt, leggings, and black goth-like running shoes.
He almost gets whiplash, watching her pass him.
***
***
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
He wants one night. I want forever.
Hit it and quit it—that’s Smoke Sheridan’s relationship philosophy. The tall, dark, and dangerous club owner never spends more than one night with any woman. He seduces the broken-hearted, leaving them with smiles on their faces and a sexual confidence other men can’t resist.
I need his services.
My boyfriend of four years dumped me because I’m a lousy lay. Smoke can help me win him back, teach me how to make my man writhe in ecstasy. I’ll show him such bliss, he’ll bellow my name in the dark of the night, want me with an all-consuming desire.
This sounds like a great plan. Except I see the loneliness in Smoke’s eyes, feel the wistfulness in his touch, experience the wanting in his embrace. The player isn’t as shallow as he appears.
And I’ve never been good at letting go.
One And Done contains inappropriate humor, very bad pickup lines, a BBW heroine who doesn’t know what she’s doing and a player who thinks he does.
This is a standalone story.
Buy Now:
On Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/One-Done-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B01FOVMF70
On Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Done-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B01FOVMF70
On ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-oneanddone-2040641-340.html
On Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-and-done-cynthia-sax/1123809444
On Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/one-and-done-1
June 6, 2016
Game Of Thrones And Bringing Characters Back From The Dead
Warning: This post will contain Game Of Thrones spoilers. If you haven’t watched Sunday’s episode, please don’t read this post.
This week, one of my favorite characters on Game Of Thrones was brought back from the dead. Yes, we didn’t see him die (just as we didn’t see Hodor and many other characters die) but he was left in a situation he couldn’t survive. I assumed he’d died. I grieved. I moved on.
Now, he’s back. Many buddies thought I’d be thrilled.
I’m not. This is the second character they’ve brought back from the dead this season. I suspect they plan to bring Khal Drogo back (based on the prophecy and the fact they haven’t stopped talking about him). Who else will they resurrect?
And if any character can be brought back from the dead, why should we care when characters die? Why should we care when they fight, when they’re in perilous situations, when they’re inflicted with a seemingly incurable disease? The tension, the emotions from those scenes are gone for me.
THIS is the reason, as writers, we have to be very careful about bringing characters back from the dead. It changes the way readers view a story and a series.
Few writers kill characters for no reason. It is a gut wrenching experience. I cry every time I kill a character. I created him or her. To destroy him or her tears my heart out.
We know the death will impact readers. If the character is much loved, we know we’ll cause readers pain, perhaps make them cry. As a romance writer, I love making readers happy. Making them sad hurts me.
But killing our characters is sometimes necessary. Maybe we write medical romances or stories with battle scenes or murder mysteries, stories in which death and danger happens. To not have a death (especially in a series) wouldn’t be right for the story or the series.
In one of my cyborg stories, I killed a beloved secondary character. It was the right thing to do for that character, for the book, for the series.
I’d created a character who couldn’t live in the world without substantially changing, without losing every aspect that made him special.
I also knew a cyborg had to die eventually. The cyborgs are at war and, although they seem indestructible, they aren’t.
In addition to this, I needed something extremely shocking and personally moving to happen to force the cyborgs to change, to reevaluate their priorities. They were too inward looking, too focused on themselves. This death was that shocking incident.
The reader backlash from this character’s death was intense. Readers were angry. They sent me emotional messages. They vowed never to read another book I write. I lost two-thirds of the readership for the cyborg series with that decision.
Yeah. (grimaces) It was one of the darkest times of my writing career. I will always write but I questioned if publishing my stories was the right thing to do. My goal in life is to make at least one person a day happy. With this story, I’d made many people unhappy.
The temptation to miraculously bring the character back from the dead in the next story was tremendous. Some readers asked for this. Readers wrote fanfiction in which this character survived.
I didn’t resurrect this character. While allowing him to stay dead might not have been the best decision for sales, it was the right decision for the series. My reasons for his death hadn’t changed. Bringing him back to life would have felt wrong, like a cheat, and that would have dampened my love for the series, a series I originally wrote only for me.
Killing a character, even a minor character, should be a serious decision. Bringing him or her back from the dead is an even bigger decision. It will have an impact on your story and on your series.
Think before you resurrect characters.
***
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Defying Death
He’ll risk it all for one moment of happiness.
Cyborgs don’t show emotion. Death learned that lesson early in his long lifespan. To survive, he hides his fierce passions behind a stoic wall. He calls no warrior friend. He never admits to caring for any being.
Even the human female he’s destined to love.
Tifara is Death’s obsession, his sole opportunity for happiness, to express the all-consuming passion burning brightly inside him. He’ll do anything to obtain the curvaceous medic: defy a direct order, abduct Tifara from her battle station, and wage war on his fellow cyborgs.
To earn her love, he’ll have to risk much, much more.
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Defying-Death-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01D6OUQS2/
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Defying-Death-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01D6OUQS2/
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-defyingdeath-2001671-147.html
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/defying-death-cynthia-sax/1123562659
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/defying-death-2
June 5, 2016
One And Done – First Scene
As One And Done is releasing on July 19th (and is available for pre-order now), I thought I’d share the first two chapters of this 300 page plus contemporary erotic romance.
***
Chapter One
“Yes, yes, yes,” Azure, my roommate and best friend chants, her pitch rising, rising, rising. Her bedroom door is closed yet I hear every word, every pant, every moan. “Yes,” she screams.
I press my lips together, sucking back my envy, the taste of it acidic on my tongue. That’s the third time this evening she’s come.
I’m happy for my friend. I am. We’ve lived together since our first year of university, got jobs at the same company, have each other’s backs. Azure is my sister in every way except blood. She’s chosen family, the best kind, and her joy usually feeds mine.
Usually.
But not tonight. Listening to her find release over and over again reminds me of what I’ve been missing. It has been almost two weeks since I’ve seen Edward, my lawyer boyfriend, twelve days and twenty-two hours since I’ve had sex.
Sex with another person, that is. I pleasure myself in the shower every morning. That takes the edge off but is never enough to completely satisfy me.
I need a man’s hands on my body, more specifically, my boyfriend’s hands.
Which is why I’m baking cookies on a Thursday night.
I open the oven and a wave of chocolate-and-vanilla-infused air sweeps upward, heating my arms and face. This last tray of chocolate chip cookies is almost ready. The previous batches are cooling on the laminate-topped island separating the tiny kitchen from the equally tiny living room.
I’ll package these cookies up, bring them to Edward, and, once I’ve satisfied that hunger, I’ll appease his sexual appetites.
That’s the plan.
Azure’s bedroom door opens. “You boys entertain yourselves.” She closes the door. “I’m taking a break.”
My best friend dances toward me, her lush body swathed in a colorful robe made from hemp and natural dyes. A smile lights her makeup-free face. She’s been banged silly by her two men of the moment.
I grin at her. “Do you want me to make you a sandwich?”
“There’s no need for a sandwich.” She spins, almost losing her robe in the process. The soles of her bare feet smack against the hardwood floor. She smells like sex and marijuana. “We have chocolate chip cookies.”
“These cookies aren’t organic.” I didn’t expect her to emerge from her bedroom tonight. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. It’s my cheat day.” Azure pulls a barstool out from under the kitchen island and plops her curvy ass on the vinyl. “I ate white bread at lunch.”
“No.” I gasp. My friend considers white flour to be the work of evil corporations hell-bent on destroying the world.
“That’s my truth.” She dips her head. “I’m not proud of it. There were leftover sandwiches in the fourth floor lunchroom and I was weak, so very weak.”
Since Azure is confessing, I decide to make one of my own. “I made these for Edward.” I remove the last sheet from the oven and turn it off. “He’s working late again tonight.”
“He’s working?” Azure’s lips twist. “Is that what he told you?”
“That’s his truth.” I set the sheet on a cooling rack. “He wouldn’t lie to me.”
“I didn’t say he was lying.” She grabs one of the ready-to-be-eaten cookies and breaks it into pieces.
I watch her, waiting. My friend has more to say. She always does.
“You haven’t seen Steady Eddy in…how long?” Azure tilts her head.
“It’ll be two weeks tomorrow.” I’ve missed him, desperately. “And you know he doesn’t like that nickname.”
She shrugs. “It suits him.”
My friend says this as though it’s a bad thing. It isn’t. Edward is forty-three, thirteen years older than I am. His steadiness and his maturity are two of the many things I love about him.
And I do love him. My boyfriend might not look like a movie star. His blond hair is thinning and some unkind people might call him scrawny.
But he eats whatever he wants, is able to devour a tin of my cookies and not gain weight. And his hair, the few strands he still has, is baby fine, soft to the touch.
He’s also kind and intelligent, his eyes are a beautiful shade of blue, a couple of hues lighter than mine, and he treats me like a princess. He doesn’t care that I’m two dress sizes larger than I was when we first met; that I’m an accountant, a career many people find boring; that I’m not trendy or fashionable. He loves me the way I am.
I share none of this with Azure. My best friend isn’t as lucky as I am. She doesn’t yet have a permanent guy. The two men in her bedroom are casual lays.
Azure claims that’s because she doesn’t believe in monogamy. I think it’s because she hasn’t found ‘the one.’
“It’s been almost two weeks, huh?” She arches one of her eyebrows.
“We’ve both been busy.” We’ve never gone this long without seeing each other. This frustrates me sexually but it doesn’t worry me. I know why we’ve been apart. “Edward is hustling for clients, trying to make partner. I had month-end.”
“Those are excuses.” Azure waves her right hand dismissively. “If he wanted to see you, he would.”
“He’s busy.” Securing our future, ensuring we never have to struggle for money like my parents did.
“No man is too busy for sex.” She destroys another cookie.
Her bedroom door opens before I think of a reply. Rohaan, one of her meditation buddies, struts out, wearing absolutely nothing. The man is short and round and hairy, his chest covered by a thick mat of fur, but he has a reason to be confident.
He’s packing. I’ve never seen a cock as long or as thick as the one he’s been blessed with. It’s semi-erect and bobs as he walks. It’s impossible to gaze away from it.
Azure turns her head and frowns at him. “What did I say about leaving Evan unsupervised?”
“Oh fuck.” Rohaan changes course without another word and strides back into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.
I blink, trying to purge images of his humongous cock from my brain. “Do I want to know why Evan can’t be left unsupervised?” I look at Azure.
“No.”
I wait. The expression on her face says she wants to tell me.
“Last time he was here, he stuck a curling iron up his ass.” She pauses. “While it was heated.”
“Ouch.” I wince. Then I think about this a little bit more. “Wait a minute.” Azure always allows her hair to dry naturally. “Do you own a curling iron?”
“No.”
“Did he stick my curling iron up his ass?”
“Don’t worry.” She avoids my gaze. “He replaced it.”
I open my mouth and then close it again. With Azure, it’s sometimes best not to know the details.
***
***
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
He wants one night. I want forever.
Hit it and quit it—that’s Smoke Sheridan’s relationship philosophy. The tall, dark, and dangerous club owner never spends more than one night with any woman. He seduces the broken-hearted, leaving them with smiles on their faces and a sexual confidence other men can’t resist.
I need his services.
My boyfriend of four years dumped me because I’m a lousy lay. Smoke can help me win him back, teach me how to make my man writhe in ecstasy. I’ll show him such bliss, he’ll bellow my name in the dark of the night, want me with an all-consuming desire.
This sounds like a great plan. Except I see the loneliness in Smoke’s eyes, feel the wistfulness in his touch, experience the wanting in his embrace. The player isn’t as shallow as he appears.
And I’ve never been good at letting go.
One And Done contains inappropriate humor, very bad pickup lines, a BBW heroine who doesn’t know what she’s doing and a player who thinks he does.
This is a standalone story.
Buy Now:
On Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/One-Done-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B01FOVMF70
On Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Done-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B01FOVMF70
On ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-oneanddone-2040641-340.html
On Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-and-done-cynthia-sax/1123809444
On Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/one-and-done-1
June 1, 2016
Interview With Siren Allen
I sat down (virtually) with Siren Allen for a short interview. Siren Allen’s most recent release is Her Alien Protector, a Sci-Fi Romance!
Cynthia Sax: What makes Raynor so freakin’ sexy?
Siren Allen: Raynor is handsome. He’s got a body that looks like it was carved from stone. He’s a great warrior and his smile sends chills down his mate’s spine. But, it’s the way he cares for his female that really makes him sexy. He puts her first and will do whatever he has to, even kill, to make sure her and those she love remains safe. Oh, and he looks good with his shirt off… and his pants.
Cynthia Sax: What is your favorite line from Her Alien Protector?
Siren Allen: “Lark, you smell,” he inhaled deeply and then growled. “You smell like something I would like to taste.”
I absolutely love this line. It’s sexy. Raynor has a habit of saying extremely sexy things to his reluctant mate, Lark. His words make her blush. However, the sexier he talks to her, the more comfortable she gets around him and the more comfortable she feels in her own skin. After years of being treated as the ‘ugly sister’, she’s starting to realize that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. By just being himself, he’s helping her accept who she is. This sentence is not only sexy to Lark, it’s also refreshing and uplifting.
Cynthia Sax: Where does Her Alien Protector take place?
Siren Allen: Her Alien Protector takes place on Venus. I have always been obsessed with this planet. It happens to spin in the opposite direction of the other planets in our solar system. Though it’s not the closest planet to the sun, it’s still the hottest. I found the idea of placing a vampire on Venus intriguing. One day on Venus is about 243 Earth days, which meant my vampire would have to endure hellish conditions to be with his mate. Oh and did I mention there’s a harem filled with enhanced concubines? What happens on Venus stays on Venus.
Cynthia Sax: Is Her Alien Protector part of a series and will you be writing more stories in this series?
Siren Allen: The name of this series is, The Beasts From Beyond. You will not only get to meet Raynor, but you’ll also meet his brethren. Though book 1 takes place on Venus, the other stories will be spread out all over the galaxy. Escape pods have a habit of crash landing on unknown worlds. J
Cynthia Sax: Thank you for joining us today, Siren!
Siren Allen’s Website: https://sirenallen.com/beastsfrombeyond/
*****************************************************************************
Falling in love with a prisoner was against the rules.
So why was Lark allowing herself to get close to Raynor? He was domineering, cocky and much too handsome for his own good. Though her mind found him unbearable, her body was ready to endure anything he could deliver. However, inside of him lived a darkness unlike anything she’d ever witnessed. If the rumors were true, that darkness would consume any and everyone in its path. Lark was going to try her best to stay out of his way.
They called him The Destroyer.
Raynor Batiste was many things: a monster, a killer, one of the most feared creatures in the galaxy. He was a beast whose name sent shudders through his enemies. However, a prisoner he was not. He’d only allowed himself to be captured so he could get close to his mate, Lark Valdese.
That task was proving harder than he’d anticipated. Lark is afraid of what lives inside of him, and she should be. Yet, when her planet comes under attack, the evil lurking within him may be the only thing that can save her and her people. He’s willing to protect her planet, but his aid comes at a price, a price only Lark can pay.
Will Beauty give in to the Beast in order to save her world? Or will she learn that the monster inside of him is the reason her planet is being destroyed?
Buy Now:
On Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G3S6SEY
On Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01G3S6SEY
May 30, 2016
Interview With Jolie Mason
I sat down (virtually) with Jolie Mason for a short interview. Jolie Mason’s next release is Brother Mine, a Science Fiction Romance about a brotherhood of assassins!
Cynthia Sax: Is Brother Mine part of a series and will you be writing more stories in this series?
Jolie Mason: This is part of a new series, The Brother Assassins. I’m leaving the number open ended, but there will be more assassins in future.
Cynthia Sax: What makes Mal and Adame right for each other?
Jolie Mason: This couple is drawn together because they share a cause, but they stay together because they see the other as the best person they’ve ever met. I know this sounds strange since he kills people for a living. But, for Mal, Adame is the product of his people’s oppression, and she’s right. Had there never been an invasion and his people never assimilated and enslaved, he’d be an ordinary guy on a Braxian planet. Instead, he took the only way out that circumstances presented him. He won his freedom, and he’s had to kill to keep it. Mal may have been raised in money and prejudice, but she’s been fighting for his freedom as well. Adame sees her as unique in the universe, maybe even as a gift from the Universe that has been so cruel and unjust.
Cynthia Sax: What makes Adame sexy?
Jolie Mason: Adame Sacha, pronounced Ah-Dah-may, is Braxian, not human, but this isn’t beauty and the beast. He’s pretty close to human, but intensely different. His sexy qualities are linked to his Braxian qualities. He’s focused, even before a mating happens, he’s curious about Mal, wants to know her, understand her. He displays a single minded determination to be the other half of this woman. Loyalty is extremely sexy.
Cynthia Sax: How does Brother Mine start?
Jolie Mason: The first scene is an assassination. It’s the pivotal point where Adame and Mal are set on course to meet and fall in love. The man who dies is an influential senator who put up a bill that will destroy the Brax one at a time. Adame is the one who kills him, and Mal needs to find the one who destroyed her chance to convince Trill to pull the bill.. There was no other moment for the story to begin. The ripples start right there.
Cynthia Sax: Thank you for joining us today, Jolie!
Jolie Mason’s Website: https://joliemasonblog.wordpress.com/
*****************************************************************************
Mal Renata was born with the proverbial silver spoon in her mouth, but it never stopped her from becoming the voice of the Braxian people. As an activist fighting off mankind’s inevitable slide into cruelty and prejudice, she wants to stop the Scourge bill from becoming law, but how can she do that, if the bill’s supporters keep dying? Public outcry wants someone to pay, so she intends to give them someone.
Until she tracks down, Adame Sacha, a Braxian freedman and one of the notorious Brother Assassins, she thinks the brotherhood is her problem. Instead, she finds they may be the best allies she could hope for. Together, she and Adame search for those who are eager to profit from the suffering of the Brax, and they track their prey in a world where lives are held cheaply, but death is expensive.
They may be able to elude the dangers of his world for awhile, but they can’t run from the attraction to each other. No matter what their differences.
Buy Now:
On iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1111079698
On Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/brother-mine
May 29, 2016
One And Done Available For Pre-Order
One And Done is available for pre-order!
This is a standalone 300 page contemporary erotic romance featuring a curvy girl and a super slick player set in the same world as One Night With My Billionaire Master and The Good Assistant (in other words, set in Toronto – grins)
He wants one night. I want forever.
Hit it and quit it—that’s Smoke Sheridan’s relationship philosophy. The tall, dark, and dangerous club owner never spends more than one night with any woman. He seduces the broken-hearted, leaving them with smiles on their faces and a sexual confidence other men can’t resist.
I need his services.
My boyfriend of four years dumped me because I’m a lousy lay. Smoke can help me win him back, teach me how to make my man writhe in ecstasy. I’ll show him such bliss, he’ll bellow my name in the dark of the night, want me with an all-consuming desire.
This sounds like a great plan. Except I see the loneliness in Smoke’s eyes, feel the wistfulness in his touch, experience the wanting in his embrace. The player isn’t as shallow as he appears.
And I’ve never been good at letting go.
One And Done contains inappropriate humor, very bad pickup lines, a BBW heroine who doesn’t know what she’s doing and a player who thinks he does.
This is a standalone story.
Buy Now:
On Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/One-Done-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B01FOVMF70
On Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Done-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B01FOVMF70
On ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-oneanddone-2040641-340.html
On Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-and-done-cynthia-sax/1123809444
On Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/one-and-done-1
May 26, 2016
Defying Death And Names
One of the most common questions I receive from reading and writing buddies is
“Where do you get your names?”
The quest for unique names is very real for every writer. Reusing names can be confusing for reading buddies. Heroes, heroines, every significant secondary character requires a name.
When I first started writing, I would use names of friends and family members. That made writing scenes even more fun. All of my siblings, my mom, my aunts and uncles have had their names used in my stories.
As I hit 20 stories, I started running out of the common names. That’s when I picked up a used book of baby names. That book was awesome. The listings gave me meanings for the names, which added to the stories. I’d cross off names as I used them. I felt super organized.
Then, after about 100 stories, there were fewer and fewer names left in the baby name book. Many of these names aren’t hero or heroine worthy.
Lucky for me, I have plenty of reading buddies and you often have AWESOME names, strong, unique, sexy names. Nymphia, Safyre, Tifara are all names of reading buddies. They seem exotic and SciFi-like but they belong to wonderful women right here on planet Earth.
So don’t be surprised if, after you contact me, I ask to use your name.
***
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Defying Death
He’ll risk it all for one moment of happiness.
Cyborgs don’t show emotion. Death learned that lesson early in his long lifespan. To survive, he hides his fierce passions behind a stoic wall. He calls no warrior friend. He never admits to caring for any being.
Even the human female he’s destined to love.
Tifara is Death’s obsession, his sole opportunity for happiness, to express the all-consuming passion burning brightly inside him. He’ll do anything to obtain the curvaceous medic: defy a direct order, abduct Tifara from her battle station, and wage war on his fellow cyborgs.
To earn her love, he’ll have to risk much, much more.
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Defying-Death-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01D6OUQS2/
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Defying-Death-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01D6OUQS2/
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-defyingdeath-2001671-147.html
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/defying-death-cynthia-sax/1123562659
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/defying-death-2
May 24, 2016
Seducing My Billionaire Boss And Offices
I believe that our living spaces reflect our selves, what we find beautiful or interesting or valuable. For executives, the spaces they spend the most time in are usually their offices. They have 8, 9, 14 hour work days. They eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at work. They entertain clients and others in their offices.
In The Good Assistant, John Powers, the Founder and CEO of Powers Corporation, has a bookcase spanning the entire wall, filled with books he has read. This tells visitors that here is a self made, self educated man.
In Seducing My Billionaire Boss, Robert Reyes, John Powers’ CFO, has a very different office.
Here’s a snippet from Seducing My Billionaire Boss
***
At first glance, Rob’s office appears like every other executive’s space. There’s the big desk, the black captain’s chair, two guest chairs, the wall of shelving on one end, the rectangular table with eight chairs on the other. The walls are decorated with the usual gold-framed photos of Powers Corporation properties.
Except there are books about art, not simply weighty volumes about tax codes and accounting policies, on his shelves, and there are people hidden in his photos.
In the bottom left-hand corner of the first photo, a tiny figure of a woman briskly pushes a stroller, her back straight, her stride long. It takes me several moments of intensive searching to find the old man staring forlornly out of a window in the second photo. In the third photo, a uniformed security guard maneuvers through the revolving doors. He’s a shadow behind the glass, there, yet not.
Why is he drawn to photos with people in them? I don’t know. Robert Reyes is a complicated man. It would take a woman a lifetime to figure him out.
***
I suspect he’s drawn to photos with people in them because, although he’s a financial guy, people are important to him. He will risk his job, his income, his future, to help the people he cares about.
What does your work space tell people about you?
***
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Note: If you purchased the Salacious boxed set, you already have this story.
This job and this man are mine.
I have to land the position Robert Reyes, the CFO of Powers Corporation, recently posted. My friend’s health depends on it. I’ve heard the rumors—that Rob will require… extra duties from this new hire.
He’s young, handsome, intelligent. Pleasing him won’t be a hardship. Not falling in love with him will be the big challenge. I’ve lusted after Rob for years, like him more than is prudent, dream of him every night. Touching his body, tasting the salt on his skin, will be both a self-inflicted torment and a fantasy come true.
I’ll be a convenience for my hunky executive. This is a job, not a romance. As long as both of us remember this, our relationship should work.
Buy Now:
On Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Seducing-Billionaire-Boss-City-Sizzle-ebook/dp/B01EPB5EYG/
On Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seducing-Billionaire-Boss-City-Sizzle-ebook/dp/B01EPB5EYG
On ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-seducingmybillionaireboss-2025128-149.html
On Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/seducing-my-billionaire-boss
May 23, 2016
Interview With Tina Donahue
I sat down (virtually) with Tina Donahue, one of my good buddies, for a short interview. Today is the release day for Wicked Whispers, Tina’s sexy historical!
Cynthia Sax: You’ve written so many delicious stories. What makes Wicked Whispers special?
Tina Donahue: My heroine, Sancha, and my hero, Enrique. The story takes place in 1488. Women weren’t allowed much, if any, freedom in those days. They were expected to wed and produce heirs. Sancha is different. She longs to heal. Highly educated, she can read and write Latin, Spanish, and Arabic, and has used Islamic medicine to help the peasants. As the storyline takes place during the Inquisition, Sancha’s healing could lead to her arrest and burning as a witch. She has more guts than I do. She’ll stop at nothing to save people, change the world, make it a fair place for men and women. She’ll also stop at nothing to love Enrique.
Although Enrique is a man of his time, he learns that to claim and keep Sancha’s love he must respect her as an individual. He moves heaven and earth to keep her safe so she can continue healing.
Cynthia Sax: What is your favorite line from Wicked Whispers?
Tina Donahue: The night was perfect for love, their attraction too intense, his kiss soft and searching at first then filled with raw male need.
Given the Inquisition and a woman’s accepted role, Sancha and Enrique face no end of obstacles. Constraints Sancha fights against. She and Enrique shouldn’t be together, but can’t help themselves. Their love is so powerful, nothing can keep them apart.
Cynthia Sax: Where did you get the idea for Wicked Whispers?
Tina Donahue: Years ago I wrote a paranormal romance that began during the Spanish Inquisition then fast forwarded to modern times. The research on this historical period fascinated me. I wanted to write a romance that took place when women could easily be called witches and lose their freedom or lives when all they wanted to do was heal and learn.
Cynthia Sax: Where is Wicked Whispers set?
Tina Donahue: Wicked Whispers takes place in medieval Spain, 1488 to be exact. Spain is a beautiful country, the men decidedly sexy. The romance takes place against the backdrop of the Inquisition. During that period, danger lurked everywhere.
Cynthia Sax: I love Spain so much and I also love medieval romances. This sounds like exactly my kind of book, Tina. Thank you for joining us today!
Tina Donahue’s Website: http://tinadonahuebooks.blogspot.com/
*****************************************************************************
Follow the heart through darkness…
As the Inquisition gains force, even the faintest rumor can brand one a heretic. In this world it is Sancha’s gift–or curse–to be blessed with the gift of healing. But the villagers are in need of her arts more than ever, and she feels it is her duty to help them at the risk of losing her life. And at the sacrifice of her heart…
Enrique has never wanted a woman as he does Sancha. Determined to have her love, he woos her with exquisite passion, giving her refuge to pursue her healing in secret. But their very desire and escape from the ruthless forces of the world may be their undoing. And together, they must pit themselves against a jealous rival and archaic tradition to secure their place in a hopeful new dawn…
Buy Now:
On Amazon.com: http://goo.gl/JKkMaZ
On Amazon UK: http://goo.gl/EFPTuo
On iBooks: https://goo.gl/Q3vQ18
On Kobo: https://goo.gl/kUPgPE
May 19, 2016
Defying Death And Carinae E
In Defying Death, Death and Tifara stop at Carinae E to restock nutrition bars.
Here’s a snippet…
***
“We’ll work together going forward. We’ll have to. In a little over a planet rotation, we’ll land on Carinae E. It’s a primitive, harsh planet.”
Airspace wasn’t monitored, which appealed to her cyborg. There were great expanses of terrain with very few inhabitants. A ship could land and depart without detection.
The databases also described the planet as lacking sanitation and liquid purification systems. That intrigued Tifara.
“The locals could have viruses humanoids haven’t seen in solar cycles.” A thrill zinged through her. “Like Silean 5692.”
Death grunted. He didn’t sound as enthused as she was about that prospect.
“That virus has a cure but the local population might not have it.” They were isolated. “We could share it with them and save millions, thousands.” She thought about the number more. “High hundreds.” The planet wasn’t very populated. “Of beings.”
***
Carinae E is named after the stars in the constellation Carina.
Carina contains Canopus (formerly called Alpha Carinae), a white-hued supergiant that is the second brightest star in Earth’s night sky. It is 313 light-years from Earth.
Carina also contains Beta Carinae and Theta Carinae, blue-white hued stars, Epsilon Carinae, an orange-hued giant star, and Iota Carinae, a white-hued supergiant star, among other stars. There are several double stars and binary stars in the constellation.
Little is known about the planets in the constellation. Could there be a planet like Carinae E? It’s possible.
***
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Defying Death
He’ll risk it all for one moment of happiness.
Cyborgs don’t show emotion. Death learned that lesson early in his long lifespan. To survive, he hides his fierce passions behind a stoic wall. He calls no warrior friend. He never admits to caring for any being.
Even the human female he’s destined to love.
Tifara is Death’s obsession, his sole opportunity for happiness, to express the all-consuming passion burning brightly inside him. He’ll do anything to obtain the curvaceous medic: defy a direct order, abduct Tifara from her battle station, and wage war on his fellow cyborgs.
To earn her love, he’ll have to risk much, much more.
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Defying-Death-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01D6OUQS2/
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Defying-Death-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01D6OUQS2/
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-defyingdeath-2001671-147.html
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/defying-death-cynthia-sax/1123562659
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/defying-death-2
