Cynthia Sax's Blog, page 228

Writing The BIG Misunderstanding – Romance Tropes

We, romance writers and readers, love our tropes. According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trope_(literature) ), the word trope has “come to be used for describing commonly recurring literary and rhetorical devices, motifs or clichés in creative works.”

One of our favorite tropes is The BIG Misunderstanding. The heroine (99 percent of the time, it is the heroine) sees or hears something, interprets this something the ‘wrong’ way, and this interpretation drives a wedge between her and her love interest, causing big problems for them.

The reader can get frustrated with The BIG Misunderstanding because she knows if the hero and the heroine simply had a conversation, the misunderstanding would go away. Their lives would be honky dory again. Everything would be sunshine and rainbows.

She also knows if hero and heroine can’t have a simple conversation, their relationship is likely doomed anyway. Barring unusual circumstances, people in healthy, lasting relationships talk. That’s how we deal with the (borrowing one of Hawke’s favorite phrases) shit storms in life.

However, there are ways to make The BIG Misunderstanding work.

Unusual Circumstances

Writers can create an unusual yet believable situation where the characters can’t talk about The BIG Misunderstanding.

Some examples of such a situation are…

The heroine isn’t where she’s supposed to be when she sees/hears the misunderstanding. She’s a proper Regency miss and somehow ends up in a bawdy house, witnessing the hero’s conversation with a lady of the night. If she confronts him, she’ll have to admit to being there.

The heroine isn’t doing what she should when she sees/hears the misunderstanding. She’s stealing her nemesis’ diamond necklace out of a safe and sees the hero in her nemesis’ bedroom. Again, if she confronts him, she’ll have to admit to her wicked ways (in this case, possibly getting the hero into legal trouble).

On the legal theme… she’s a lawyer and, her client told her the information, invoking lawyer-client confidentiality. To compound things, the hero is a member (tee hee – I said member) of the opposition’s legal team, and the circumstances surrounding the misunderstanding could be used against her client.

Digging For More Information

The heroine could investigate farther with her results supporting the BIG Misunderstanding.

Perhaps the proper Regency miss asks one of the ladies of the night if the hero frequents the bawdy house frequently. The (not-so) happy hooker tells her the hero is a regular (not knowing he’s a spy, using one of the helpful ladies of the night as a source).

Having The BIG Talk

Writers can, of course, allow their characters to talk about The BIG Misunderstanding. This discussion, however, should make the shit storm worse, not better.

Our proper Regency miss leads the hero into a discussion on nobles visiting ladies of the night. He thinks she’s being judgmental and sprouts off about how ladies of the night aren’t too different from some of the wild widows in the nobility. Our heroine interprets this as confirmation.

In Sinful Rewards 3, Bee has the BIG talk. She sees an image and doesn’t like the conclusion she draws. Being a sane (and very stubborn) woman, she confronts the person in the photo. Although she doesn’t directly address the misunderstanding (she can’t without looking like a crazed stalker), everything this person says confirms her unhappy conclusion.

The Length Of BIG Misunderstandings

A well-crafted BIG Misunderstanding can be the primary plot device. She’s a princess in disguise. He assumes she’s a peasant, falls in love with her anyway. She allows him to believe this because she likes how he treats her and thinks his lovey dovey treatment will change if he knows she’s a princess.

A (not-so) BIG Misunderstanding can be a slice of the plot. Sinful Rewards is 12 novellas long. The BIG Misunderstanding in Sinful Rewards 3 is cleared up by the end of the novella.

There are usually some pages left in the story after The BIG Misunderstanding is cleared up to reassure readers that the hero loves the heroine for whom she truly is (or vice versa). Will the hero love his princess as much as he loves his peasant girl? How does he fit into her real life?

The Number Of BIG Misunderstandings

Writers should be careful about how many BIG Misunderstandings they have in a story. A heroine who constantly forms the wrong conclusions can be seen as irrational (unless this is her default conclusion – in Bee’s case, she always assumes men will leave). It signals a lack of trust between the love interests, putting the happy ever after in peril. Readers will assume The BIG Misunderstandings continue and that, eventually, one of these misunderstandings will tear the couple (or more) apart.

Have you read a well-written BIG Misunderstanding? Please share the title, author, and some of the premise!

***

Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/

Bee Carter’s carefully constructed world is tumbling down around her designer knockoff heels. Pleasing others isn’t working for this small-town fashionista. Bee decides to throw caution to the Chicago wind for one night and release her inner bad girl, accepting a sexy challenge from an unknown texter, exploring the backseat of a limousine with gorgeous billionaire Nicolas, and entering a rough, tough biker bar with the mysterious Hawke.

Two hot men, one wicked night. When this good girl goes wild, who will make her erotic dreams come true—the enigmatic billionaire or the tattooed bad boy?

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89JS

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards3-1613793-149.html

Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-3-cynthia-sax/1119919837

Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9780062354143

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-3/id814148707

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Published on September 18, 2014 23:00

Mention In The Chicago Tribune

I was mentioned in the Chicago Tribune!

“When Cynthia Sax, of Toronto, and her husband got married, they had little money for entertainment. “So we entered every free contest we saw in the newspaper, on the radio, on the Internet,” the romance author said. “We won at least one set of tickets a week to ballets, festivals, experimental theater, operas, movie premieres, TV show tapings.”

Bonus: You see events you would not see otherwise.”

Read the full article here

http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/sc-cons-0911-solutions-20140911-story.html

***

Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/

Bee Carter’s carefully constructed world is tumbling down around her designer knockoff heels. Pleasing others isn’t working for this small-town fashionista. Bee decides to throw caution to the Chicago wind for one night and release her inner bad girl, accepting a sexy challenge from an unknown texter, exploring the backseat of a limousine with gorgeous billionaire Nicolas, and entering a rough, tough biker bar with the mysterious Hawke.

Two hot men, one wicked night. When this good girl goes wild, who will make her erotic dreams come true—the enigmatic billionaire or the tattooed bad boy?

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89JS

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards3-1613793-149.html

Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-3-cynthia-sax/1119919837

Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9780062354143

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-3/id814148707

View more on Cynthia Sax's website »

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Published on September 18, 2014 22:00

Accepting Friends As They Are

I have a terrible memory. It took me a year of daily classes with my now-best friend before I remembered her first name. Twenty years later, I still have to look up how to spell both her last AND first names (her first name is Gillian and I can never remember if it has one L or two). I never remember birthdays. I forgot my own birthday one year (and my buddies will never let me forget it – grins).

My friends know this about me. They accept it. They realize that my bad memory isn’t all… well… bad. I don’t hold grudges. I forget their mistakes, their embarrassing moments, their secrets. They tell me everything, knowing I’ll forget most of it.

Cyndi, Bee’s best friend, isn’t perfect either. Cyndi is proud of her slut status. She goes home with a different man every night. When Bee ventures out with Cyndi, she knows she’ll be left alone while her best friend bounces around the event.

As shared in this snippet.

***

My face heats. “He promised to bring the red velvet cupcakes.”

“No way!” My friend throws herself against me. “You did not tell me that.” Every word is punctuated with a punch in the shoulder. I’ll be covered in bruises by the end of the evening. “You’ll definitely be riding a biker tonight.” She flops in the seat beside me. “You’re going to do the couple thing and leave me alone, aren’t you?” Her bottom lip curls.

“We’re not doing the couple thing.” I roll my eyes at her drama. “And I won’t leave you alone.” She’ll forget me, as usual, her focus turning to some guy she meets. A second limo chit is tucked into the bodice of my corset, along with my passcard and an emergency credit card. If things don’t work out with Hawke, I’ll make my way home alone.

***

Bee accepts this about Cyndi, loving her despite this quirk. She doesn’t try to change her or complain when she acts as she always does. Bee realizes that she’s not perfect either.

Do your friends accept you as you are? What are some of your quirks?

***

Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/

Bee Carter’s carefully constructed world is tumbling down around her designer knockoff heels. Pleasing others isn’t working for this small-town fashionista. Bee decides to throw caution to the Chicago wind for one night and release her inner bad girl, accepting a sexy challenge from an unknown texter, exploring the backseat of a limousine with gorgeous billionaire Nicolas, and entering a rough, tough biker bar with the mysterious Hawke.

Two hot men, one wicked night. When this good girl goes wild, who will make her erotic dreams come true—the enigmatic billionaire or the tattooed bad boy?

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89JS

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards3-1613793-149.html

Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-3-cynthia-sax/1119919837

Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9780062354143

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-3/id814148707

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Published on September 17, 2014 23:00

The Dreaded Friend Zone

In Sinful Rewards, Bee’s relationship with Nicolas, our enigmatic billionaire, starts as a friendship. They genuinely like each other, teasing each other about their foibles and their hang ups.

Nicolas admitted in Sinful Rewards 2 that this friend first progression of a romantic relationship is new to him. We’re not sure why he wishes to take his relationship with Bee slowly, why he wants to form this friend base first, but she must be special to him or he wouldn’t have changed his behavior.

In Sinful Rewards 3, Bee is ready to move out of the dreaded friend zone. She’s attracted to Nicolas. She doesn’t know if Nicolas is attracted to her.

Here’s a snippet…

***

When Nicolas holds me, I feel safe, cherished, protected. I relax, resting my head in the hollow of his shoulder. I haven’t felt safe in a long, long time.

“Friends don’t let friends take the bus,” I quip. Does my enigmatic billionaire still view me as a friend?

“Your friend Cyndi Wynters allows you to take the bus.” Nicolas doesn’t mention the limo chits.

If he’s determined to play this game, I’ll match him move for move, making the rules up as I go along. “Cyndi has offered to give me rides. She tries to pay for new purses and shoes and cover my part of restaurant bills.” I lift my chin. “But I have my pride.”

“That’s what he told me.” Nicolas rubs his fingertips into my body, the friction warming my skin. I’m hungry for touch, desperate for it, and I respond, the humming becoming a pulsing need.

“Your investigator told you I had pride?” I ask.

Nicolas nods, his gaze fixed on my face as though I’m the most interesting, enthralling creature he’s ever seen.

***

Progressing from friendship to lovers can be a perilous transition. If it’s not accomplished correctly and their romantic relationship falls apart, Nicolas and Bee will likely lose their friendship also. They’re now risking something by making this leap.

Do you enjoy reading friends to lovers romances? What do you love about them?

***

Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/

Bee Carter’s carefully constructed world is tumbling down around her designer knockoff heels. Pleasing others isn’t working for this small-town fashionista. Bee decides to throw caution to the Chicago wind for one night and release her inner bad girl, accepting a sexy challenge from an unknown texter, exploring the backseat of a limousine with gorgeous billionaire Nicolas, and entering a rough, tough biker bar with the mysterious Hawke.

Two hot men, one wicked night. When this good girl goes wild, who will make her erotic dreams come true—the enigmatic billionaire or the tattooed bad boy?

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89JS

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards3-1613793-149.html

Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-3-cynthia-sax/1119919837

Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9780062354143

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-3/id814148707

View more on Cynthia Sax's website »

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Published on September 16, 2014 23:00

Sinful Rewards 3 – Loving This Series

Reese’s Reviews shares….

“So far I am loving this series a lot and can’t wait for the upcoming fourth installment. I am really enjoying the balance of the sexy scenes and the rest of the story.”

Sinful Rewards 3 – Can’t Wait For The Next Book!

Falling In Fall Book Blog shares….

“Bee is ready for Nicholas to make the next move so they can finally be together, until the night Hawke has other plans for Bee and let me tell you, it is HOT!! I am team Hawke so I am VERY happy that we got to know more about him in this book. I am eager to know if the next book will have more on Nicolas and Bee! AHHH can’t wait for the next book! “

Release Day For Sinful Rewards 3!

Woot!!!

Sinful Rewards 3 releases today!

You’ve met most of the characters. Now, it is pure sizzling action!

Bee Carter’s carefully constructed world is tumbling down around her designer knockoff heels. Pleasing others isn’t working for this small-town fashionista. Bee decides to throw caution to the Chicago wind for one night and release her inner bad girl, accepting a sexy challenge from an unknown texter, exploring the backseat of a limousine with gorgeous billionaire Nicolas, and entering a rough, tough biker bar with the mysterious Hawke.

Two hot men, one wicked night. When this good girl goes wild, who will make her erotic dreams come true—the enigmatic billionaire or the tattooed bad boy?

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89JS

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards3-1613793-149.html

Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-3-cynthia-sax/1119919837

Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9780062354143

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-3/id814148707

View more on Cynthia Sax's website »

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Published on September 16, 2014 00:00

A Year Of Sizzling Hot Sax – Sinful Rewards 3 Read Along

The third novella in Sinful Rewards, a 12 novella contemporary erotic romance serial, releases today! I know many reading buddies have been waiting, wondering what Bee, our unlikely exhibitionist, will do next and whom she’ll choose – Nicolas, the billionaire with a dark secret or Hawke, the tattooed bad boy biker.

Between stories, we’re having a blast on our Goodreads group (https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/139616-a-year-of-sizzling-hot-sax-read-along ). I’m sharing fun facts, bad puns, and insider information. Last month, I shared a hot ménage scene between Cyndi and the Tantra Twins. This month, I will be telling more of Cyndi’s story.

Here are some other discussions we’ll be having this month on the Goodreads group.

How To Cheer Up A Friend/Love Interest

***

I enter the car and Isaac closes the door. A small table is pushed against the far wall. A piece of paper is set flat on the surface, beside a silver spoon and an ice bucket. I slide closer and read the jagged script.

Call me if you need more.

Your Friend,

N

I peer into the ice bucket. Nestled amidst the perfect cubes of ice is a single-serve tub of decadent chocolate ice cream. My chest warms, Nicolas’s thoughtfulness delighting me.

***

Bee receives some crushing news in Sinful Rewards 3. Nicolas, Hawke, Lona, and Cyndi respond to this news in very different ways. We’ll talk about what this says about them and their relationship with Bee.

Biker Bars

***

The street is reassuringly well lit, the streetlights supplemented by the headlights on hundreds of very pretty motorcycles. No, not pretty, I mentally correct myself, remembering how upset Hawke had been when I called his bike pretty. They’re manly. . .and beautiful. Handsome? I frown, searching for the right word.

“Come on, slowpoke.” Cyndi grabs my wrist, pulls me forward, toward the entrance to the Road Gator. The sign is lit in neon green. Leather-clad men lounge around their bikes. They turn their heads and then straighten, their perusal escalating my anxiety.

***

Hawke’s favorite biker bar is called The Road Gator. A road gator is a dangerous scrap of tire left on the pavement. It can cause a serious accident if bikers aren’t aware of it.

Why is this an appropriate name for the bar? Are there road gators in Bee’s life that she should be aware of? And, of course, we’ll be sharing funny bar and restaurant names. (grins)

If you’d like to discuss Sinful Rewards 3, please join our Goodreads group at https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/139616-a-year-of-sizzling-hot-sax-read-along .

***

Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/

Bee Carter’s carefully constructed world is tumbling down around her designer knockoff heels. Pleasing others isn’t working for this small-town fashionista. Bee decides to throw caution to the Chicago wind for one night and release her inner bad girl, accepting a sexy challenge from an unknown texter, exploring the backseat of a limousine with gorgeous billionaire Nicolas, and entering a rough, tough biker bar with the mysterious Hawke.

Two hot men, one wicked night. When this good girl goes wild, who will make her erotic dreams come true—the enigmatic billionaire or the tattooed bad boy?

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-Billionaires-Bikers-Novella-ebook/dp/B00I7V89JS

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-sinfulrewards3-1613793-149.html

Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-3-cynthia-sax/1119919837

Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9780062354143

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-3/id814148707

View more on Cynthia Sax's website »

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Published on September 15, 2014 23:00

Interview With K. Bromberg

I sat down (virtually) with K. Bromberg for a short interview. Today is the release day for K. Bromberg’s Raced (A Reading Companion to the bestselling Driven Series), a Contemporary Erotic Romance.

Cynthia Sax: What makes Colton so freakin’ sexy

K. Bromberg: What makes Colton sexy? He’s arrogant and harsh and yet can soften when face to face with little boys. He’s damaged and broken and yet he allows Rylee to try and piece him back together. He’s good-looking but not perfect…imperfectly perfect is how Rylee refers to him. He’s an asshole but there’s a reason behind it, a defense mechanism that his point of view allows the reader to see that he’s trying to let her in. He might still be messing up, but he’s trying. He’s got a dirty mouth, can dominate in bed, and loves cotton candy. He thinks extravagance is overrated and prefers simplicity – beach picnics and dates at a carnival – rather than jetting off somewhere else. He’s the little boy inside the damaged man wanting to be whole again, taking baby steps toward that peace. I think he’s such a myriad of contradictions and yet each one has a redeeming quality that makes you root for him, makes you fall for him right along with Rylee.

Cynthia Sax: What excites you about Raced?

K. Bromberg: I was excited to write RACED because it was fun to look at certain scenes in the story and figure them out through Colton’s eyes. When I originally wrote the chapter in Rylee’s point of view (POV) I didn’t have to think about what was going through Colton’s mind, what he was thinking, how he was figuring out how to handle these new emotions she stirred up in him. So sitting down to write these scenes after the entire series has been played out proved challenging as well as exciting.

It was challenging because there were times I’d explain what Colton was thinking and realize I couldn’t possibly write that because it would have altered the course of the books and since they are published I can’t do that. Writing RACED was almost like piecing a puzzle together and making sure the proper edges connected to make the picture complete. Even better than rewriting scenes was writing a few new scenes that better explain a few things and his actions.

The book was exciting because I missed Colton. He is fun to write. Full of sarcasm and humor and demons so there is always a schizophrenic nature to what he is thinking. It’s also liberating because he tells it like it is and where Rylee might have danced around a thought, Colton just plows right through it.

Cynthia Sax: Where did you get the idea for Raced?

K. Bromberg: My readers. Plain and simple. I’ve always said that I’d never rewrite the series in its entirety through Colton’s eyes because I feel like readers would get sick of him, that the nostalgia of reading his thoughts would become boring. With that said, I’d written several scenes from the series in Colton’s perspective for blogs over the past year. They were scattered across the internet and my readers kept asking me if I could put them all in one place. Along with that, they were asking for a few key scenes I hadn’t done, to be retold in his perspective. So after some thought, I asked them if they wanted something like this – a few scenes from each book in the series in one cohesive collection – and they said yes. So…RACED came about.

Cynthia Sax: What one piece of advice would you give new writers?

K. Bromberg: I still consider myself a new writer so please bear that in mind when I give any advice on writing. I’m still learning with every book, still trying to improve so take my comment for what it’s worth. To any new writer, I say write, write, and write some more. Writing makes you better. Every time you go through the process of putting pen to paper (fingers to keys) you learn something new, hone your craft. Each time you edit a book, you learn something different about grammar, about phrasing, about making your prose crisper, cleaner, and more concise. So if I was only allowed to give one piece of advice, it would be write something every day, even if you think it’s crap and you delete every single word, you’re still writing.

Thank you, K. Bromberg, for joining us today!

K. Bromberg’s Website: http://www.kbromberg.com

*****************************************************************************

The Colton Points of View Collection

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author K. Bromberg comes a companion novella to the best selling Driven Trilogy (Driven, Fueled, and Crashed). This novella is a compilation of reader requested scenes from the series retold through the eyes of Colton Donavan.

Colton Donavan lived life in the fast lane, but it took Rylee Thomas to teach him what racing was all about.

Arrogant

Rogue

Broken

Conceited

Dirty-Talking

Rebel

Egomaniacal

Voodooed

Bent

Reckless

You think you know me?

Think again.

*Raced is not a complete re-write of the Driven Trilogy. This companion explores pivotal scenes as well as some new ones written in Colton Donavan’s point of view that were not previously published in Driven, Fueled, and Crashed. Hear his thoughts, experience his inner-turmoil, and laugh with him on his journey as he overcomes his demons and accepts what it means to love.

This novella is for the devoted readers of the Driven series. It is recommended that this companion be read after Driven, Fueled, and Crashed.

Buy Now From Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MNLLAA8

Buy Now From Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Raced-Reading-Companion-bestselling-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00MNLLAA8

Buy Now From iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/raced/id909151619?ls=1&mt=11

Buy Now From Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/raced

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Published on September 15, 2014 00:00