Cynthia Sax's Blog, page 248
March 9, 2014
Interviewed At Turning The Pages
I’ve been interviewed at Turning The Pages
http://turningthepagesbooks.blogspot.ca/2014/03/march-madness-presents-cynthia-sax-and.html
Here’s a snippet…
What would you say is one of your more interesting writing quirks?
Cynthia Sax: I’m a pantser, a writer who writes without a plot, so I’m always excited about what happens in my own stories. The dear wonderful hubby will return home and I’ll be bouncing around the kitchen, saying “You’ll never guess what my heroine did today!” It is a constant surprise to me.
Henley, the head of cyber security at Blaine Technologies, is a man no one crosses. He watches employees constantly using his network of cameras and enforces his rules by any means possible. Rumors of his violent past, his scarred hands and huge size have resulted in him being feared by everyone… almost everyone.
Katalina, the new intern, worries about the revelation of her most painful secret much more than she fears her sexy boss’s wrath. She sees the loneliness in his dark eyes, feels the gentleness in his marred fingers, tastes the need in his kisses, and she knows he watches her. His silly rules about not stripping for the cameras and no sex at the office are destined to be broken.
Kat likes to be watched. Henley can’t look away. Will this beauty be able to tame her beastly boss?
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Flashes-Me-Novella-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B00F2I2GXO
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-flashesofme-1411711-149.html
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/flashes-of-me-cynthia-sax/1117322925
March 7, 2014
Interview With Tina Donahue
I sat down (virtually) with Tina Donahue for a short interview. Tina Donahue writes hot, hot, HOT erotic romances and her latest release is Stolen Desire, book four in the Outlawed Realm series.
Cynthia Sax: What makes Zekin, your hero, so dang sexy?
Tina Donahue: Zekin’s commanding but also tender when it comes to Paige. I’m all for Alpha heroes, but not the kind we used to see in romances. Brooding. Snarling. Always in a freaking bad mood. Makes you want to smack them upside the head and yell, “Chill out!”
I like a man with integrity, honor, and a soul. A great sense of humor is also good. Although Zekin comes from a world that doesn’t allow emotion, he gets playful with Paige. In other words, he’s fun to be with even outside of bed.
To me, the sexiest thing a man can do is listen to a woman and understand where she’s coming from. It’s not always about sex. Zekin makes that very clear in how he responds to Paige throughout the story. J
Cynthia Sax: What excites you about Stolen Desire?
Tina Donahue: I loved creating another world. Generally speaking, I’m not into sci-fi, but I did love Avatar. I’ve seen it numerous times and still marvel at the world the artists and writer created.
I wanted to do the same with Stolen Desire. To provide a sense of wonder and danger which bonds Zekin and Paige in their struggle to survive. Exciting and romantic stuff.
Cynthia Sax: Where did you get the idea for Stolen Desire?
Tina Donahue: Stolen Desire is book four of my Outlawed Realm series. Each book begins the story of new characters with the others from earlier books making ‘guest’ appearances. The series involves the five dimensions on earth – realms that are all inhabited, but the people don’t see each other because of time differentials.
E1 is earth as we know it. E2 is beneath it where the people are so advanced there isn’t illness any longer, nor is there desire. It’s been outlawed. E3 is the land of the dead. E4 is a dimension of jungles and twilight where the rulers of E2 have built a pleasure palace where they house pleasure slaves for their carnal use. E5 is the land of ice and fire. Ice because it’s the furthest dimension from the sun. Fire, because it’s also the closest to the earth’s core.
In Stolen Desire, I wanted to explore E5. What happens when a young woman from Seattle is abducted and brought there by a guard from E2 for his use as a pleasure slave. It all started rolling from there.
Cynthia Sax: What causes problems between Paige and Zekin?
Tina Donahue: First, they’re from different realms. Paige comes from Seattle, earth as we know it. Zekin is from E2 where feelings have been outlawed. Everything’s uniform, the men all resemble each other. There’s no difference between the women’s appearances, they’re all the same. The rulers have manipulated DNA to create perfect specimens. To eliminate risk, hunger, war. A flawless and stifling society. Paige is a wonder to Zekin. Her inner fire thrills him.
However, he feels they have no future. He can’t live in her dimension and she can’t very well stay with him on E5, a prison colony built by the rulers on E2. His goal is to bring her home. Her goal is to see that they remain together. That, coupled with the threat of guards and E2’s rulers keeps things hopping.
Thank you, Tina Donahue, for joining us today!
Tina Donahue’s Website: http://www.tinadonahue.com/
*****************************************************************************
Her freedom depends on one man. A criminal to his realm…
Outlawed Realm, Book 4
One minute, Paige Ross is outside a Seattle bar, grieving a failed engagement. The next, she jerks awake in a weird, candlelit room with velvet walls, black silk sheets, and a man who motions for silence.
Paige has little choice but to trust the powerful stranger who promises a way out of what looks like Satan’s brothel. And pray his promise to keep her safe is as real as the heat burning in his eyes.
Banished from E2’s ruling elite for supposed crimes against the realm, Zekin risks everything to rescue those brought to E5 for the guards’ carnal pleasure. Paige will be leaving this inhospitable realm of fire and ice—if he can somehow forget the way her trembling body melts in his arms.
Safe—temporarily—in an underwater world populated by strange creatures, Paige’s sexual awakening explodes into an unquenchable need that consumes them both. But the guards will be looking for her. And Zekin’s plan to send her home is a dangerous journey she cannot—will not—take without him.
Product Warnings
Scorching-hot sex and loads of aching tenderness between a drool-worthy hunk who’s determined to do the right thing and a woman who’s not about to give him up.
Buy Now From Samhain: http://store.samhainpublishing.com/stolen-desire-p-73254.html
Buy Now From Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Desire-Outlawed-Realm-Donahue-ebook/dp/B00GN98BW6
Buy Now From B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stolen-desire-tina-donahue/1117398265
Interview With Sam Cheever
I sat down (virtually) with Sam Cheever for a short interview. Sam Cheever writes hot erotic romances and her latest release is Tall, Dark & Apocalyptic, a sexy Post-Apocalyptic Paranormal romance.
Cynthia Sax: How does Tall, Dark & Apocalyptic start?
Sam Cheever: Tall, Dark & Apocalyptic, as the title implies, is a post-apocalyptic romance. This story is actually based in the world of a previous story, which I hope to re-release under my own imprint in 2014. The twist of the first story was two mage hunters trying to find and stop a dark witch who was dabbling in powerful death magic to create a new kind of zombie…a near perfect human specimen. These zombies, called reborns in the book, are beautiful, smart, and dangerous because they allow the dark witch access to places a traditional zombie can’t go.
I carried that premise to a new level with TD&A. What if one of the zombies and one of the hunters fell in love? The idea has a set of built-in conflicts (see below) and the forbidden love aspect is a powerful aphrodisiac.
In the opening scene of the book, Yeira is badly injured and trying to escape as Audie hunts her. Here’s a little taste:
Yeira clawed her way across the floor, her limbs locking and clamping as horrific pain wracked her slim frame. A fresh blade of agony speared through her as she struggled to crawl just another sliver of space. The pain jolted her to a stop as she sucked in a breath, sending her into a coughing spasm. Blood sprayed the floor as she crawled. Her dazed, blue gaze stared down at the bright droplets arrayed before her over the oily rock and she knew a stark moment of pure fear.
What if she didn’t make it in time?
Beyond the thick, concrete walls of her hideaway, the sound of explosions and chaos were a constant drone, an unrelenting impetus pushing her ever forward.
With a monumental effort of will, Yeira gritted her teeth and dug her fingers into the gritty surface beneath them, dragging herself another inch.
She barely noticed the spark of pain as her soft, exposed belly was ripped open by shards of debris on the battle-ravaged floor. Her goal was a mere five inches away.
She thought she could make it.
She had to.
Yeira closed her eyes as agony washed through her again and lunged another inch. Her fingertips stretched…strained…mere inches from the leather strap.
The world beyond the door exploded and Yeira’s head snapped around. The blast had sounded close. Too close. Panic made her heart pound. “No!” Tears filled her eyes as something heavy hit the door. He’d found her.
With a cry of desperation, Yeira dug her toes into the concrete and shoved. The pain erupted in a burst that made her vision gray. She screamed as agony gripped her gut with icy needles, tearing and dislodging the ordered cells of her flesh.
Yeira fell onto her back, her fingers clenching against the torment. Warm, thick blood drenched her lips, dripping down her chin.
The door blasted inward, sending smoke and shrapnel through the room and driving the razor-sharp projectiles into her flesh.
On some level, Yeira felt the pain of the tiny missiles piercing her skin. But she was in the grip of a misery so complete that her mind could barely form a thought. All she could do was scream, her fingers closing convulsively around the thin strap of leather she’d been fighting to reach.
Yeira’s gaze slid to the large shape framed in the door. He was nothing more than a gray haze behind the smoke. A vision of massive male, whose form all but filled the ragged hole that had once been the door.
A fine vision.
Yeira shook her head, offended by the thought even in her tortured state. No! The man was there to kill her. She couldn’t lose sight…
The enormous figure shimmered and she realized he was moving closer. On some level Yeira knew she needed to move. But the pain had finally receded as her body gave out. It felt good not to be wracked with it. For just a moment she longed to lie there, enjoying the numbness, and let her life slip away.
Death. Her fingers moved along the leather strip in her hand. Oblivion would be bliss.
The sound of his footsteps across the littered floor was like a series of canon blasts, and she blinked under every one. His massive arms arched from his sides as he walked, the huge hands open, fingers gently curved. He held a long knife in one hand. Thick, muscular legs stuck out from underneath a bloody and tattered kilt, the burgundy and black pattern barely visible under the filth of an extended battle.
Yeira noted the blade in his hand, knowing it was meant for her.
He stopped a foot away, his intense, dark-blue gaze sweeping over her. “My god, woman. You look like hell.”
Yeira’s lips opened and something gurgled in her throat. She thought it might be a death rattle, but it emerged as a laugh. She licked her lips as he cocked his head. “Bite me, Sorceri.”
Amazingly his wide mouth turned upward in a smile. “I don’t swing that way, zombie.”
A dense cold crept up her legs, slipped along her spine. In another minute she would be completely numb. She wouldn’t even feel the knife he held down at his side as it sliced her head from her body. But though she was a breath away from dying, Yeira couldn’t help tweaking him one last time. “You haven’t got what it takes anyway, Kord.”
His smile slipped. The sexy gaze darkened. Yeira realized the smoke was clearing and she could see him in all his glory…a dark avenging angel sent to rip her from the living world. He inclined his dark head, the silky strands of black hair framing a square chin, dark with shadow even when cleanly shorn. “You could be right, woman. But…” He seemed to swallow. “There was a time I would have wished for a different outcome.”
Her eyes widened. A different kind of pain ripped her chest apart. She swore, her fingers closing over the slick, oblong object she sought.
So it was to be a death of a thousand cuts—the first cut deeply severing her heart?
She licked her dry lips. “I never wish, Sorceri. Wishing is for children and fools.” Holding his gaze with her own, she clutched the ancient bluestone in her fist and envisioned her lair. The air above her thinned, turning glossy, and her nemesis started to blur.
As his sexy gaze widened in realization, Yeira was brutally ripped from the battered castle. Her lips opened in a silent scream as the ascension tore her apart at a cellular level and sent her plummeting through the void between time.
But all was good Because the last thing she heard as her earthly form disintegrated, was the rage-filled roar of the deadly sexy Sorceri warrior as he realized she’d escaped him again.
Cynthia Sax: What creates trouble for Audie and Yeira?
Sam Cheever: As stated above, my characters are natural enemies. The hero, Audie, believes all reborn are evil and must be destroyed. In fact, as a Sorceri Bounty Hunter, destroying the heroine is his mission. But he doesn’t really understand the reborns in general, and he certainly particularly doesn’t understand the heroine, Yeira. She’s different from the other reborns, and she knows that the hunters have the wrong idea about her species, based on a jaundiced view of their creation. In TD&A, Yeira and Audie have to get beyond their instinctive distrust of each other and work together to take down the source of the death magic. They have the same goal, but totally different viewpoints about the outcome. And to make things even more complicated, Yeira and Audie struggle against an almost overwhelming passion for each other that they see as taboo. But as they work together to take down the dark witch, their feelings will become harder and harder to ignore.
Cynthia Sax: Does someone in Tall, Dark & Apocalyptic have a secret?
Sam Cheever: Reborn Yeira has a secret. She’s different from the other reborns but she doesn’t think the difference makes her better. She sees herself as a monster despite the fact that she’s risking everything to try to clear the world of the death magic and its tragic effects. The Sorceri hunters have shown a singular and remorseless hatred for all of the dark witch’s creations, and Yeira fears that Audie views her just like all the other reborns. Despite that fear, she doesn’t want him to know her secret because she thinks he’d hate her even more if he knew. This perception, fed by the fact that Audie himself is confused about his feelings toward her, creates a nearly impenetrable wedge between the two lovers.
Cynthia Sax: What do you love about writing Post-apocalyptic paranormals?
Sam Cheever: Paranormal is fun because there are no rules. It’s pure escapism. Anything goes in a fantasy/paranormal story as long as you can sell it to your reader. If it’s well written and presented realistically, your story can have green worm people with white goatees and cities built on the clouds with cars that run on strawberry Kool-Aid. It’s also a fairly passive genre. It’s fun and easy to just sit back and let the story unfold around you, infusing you with its unique flavor. For readers who like to get lost in a world that has no resemblance to their own, paranormal is definitely the ticket.
Post-apocalyptic paranormal is especially fun because everything is larger than life. Every moment, each task is a struggle, making human interactions particularly deep and powerful. In addition, the darker aspect of this type of paranormal lends a certain live for today because tomorrow you might be dead feeling that, if done well, draws readers in and holds them in thrall.
Thank you, Sam Cheever, for joining us today!
Sam Cheever’s Website: http://www.samcheever.com/
*****************************************************************************
A grand passion in an apocalyptic world. A love beyond reason and without boundaries.
He’s a warrior, a bounty hunter in a world turned upside down. She’s a target, a creature of dark magic. His job is simple. Kill the target. Her goal is more complex. She must stay alive until she finds and destroys the source of death magic staining the twenty worlds. But the passion burning within them may be their undoing. It’s going to take an apocalyptic will to overcome the distraction their bodies are creating…and not lose themselves in the process.
Buy Now: http://www.samcheever.com/talldark&alphaboxset.html
March 6, 2014
The Magic Number Of Sex Scenes In An Erotic Romance
Note: This post uses adult language. If you are under the age of eighteen years old or are sensitive to erotic language, please do not read this post.
How many sex scenes should an erotic romance have?
Newer writers ask me this question all the time. “My story is 25,000 words (100 pages) and has 3 sex scenes. Is it an erotic romance?”
Ummm… maybe?
Determining whether or not a story is an erotic romance isn’t as easy as counting the sex scenes. I’ve read some over-the-top sexy erotic romances with NO sex scenes in them. The hero doesn’t even undo his pants. I’ve read some stories with 20 sex scenes that weren’t erotic at all. They were as steamy as the sex entry in Wikipedia.
IMHO (and other writers/readers/reviewers have different opinions), writing erotic is all about tone, word choice, and character arc.
Tone
A great erotic writer can take a simple glance across the room and make it the steamiest, hottest encounter a reader could wish for. Many newer writers think the action makes the scene erotic. Nope. It isn’t the reaction of the other character either. Though both of these components are necessary. It is the emotional reaction that turns a scene from okay to erotic (the always fabulous Christine d’Abo taught me this early in my career – hugs Christine). The character has to feel for readers to feel.
A random example would be
“Nate glances upward, our gazes lock and hold, and I forget to breathe, to think, to move.”
There’s action – Nate glances upward
There’s reaction – Our gazes lock and hold
And there’s emotional reaction – I forget to breathe, to think, to move
Without the last part, the scene is flat, non-erotic.
Erotic romances have this highly sensual tone throughout most of the story. The writing is very touchy feely with the emphasis on feely.
Word Choice
Highly sensual tone in romance has existed for years. What divided erotic romance from other romances is word choice. We call body parts by their street names. There are no purple helmeted warriors. Our heroes have cocks. There are no blossoming flowers. Our heroines have pussies. Our characters don’t have sex. They fuck. The bedroom door is wide open and the words used there are uncensored.
Character Arc
You have a scene using everyday words with a highly sensual tone. What else do you need?
Need is the key word. The scene should be needed.
Characters in erotic romances must grow and change through their sexual experiences. If a writer can remove a sex scene and the characters don’t change, the sex scene shouldn’t be there. Adding sex scenes to increase word count or for titillation irritates readers and gives erotic romance a bad name. Erotic romance isn’t about the sex. It is about great storytelling.
What makes a story erotic to you?
Henley, the head of cyber security at Blaine Technologies, is a man no one crosses. He watches employees constantly using his network of cameras and enforces his rules by any means possible. Rumors of his violent past, his scarred hands and huge size have resulted in him being feared by everyone… almost everyone.
Katalina, the new intern, worries about the revelation of her most painful secret much more than she fears her sexy boss’s wrath. She sees the loneliness in his dark eyes, feels the gentleness in his marred fingers, tastes the need in his kisses, and she knows he watches her. His silly rules about not stripping for the cameras and no sex at the office are destined to be broken.
Kat likes to be watched. Henley can’t look away. Will this beauty be able to tame her beastly boss?
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Flashes-Me-Novella-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B00F2I2GXO
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-flashesofme-1411711-149.html
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/flashes-of-me-cynthia-sax/1117322925
Great Review For Breaking All The Rules
Yay! Breaking All The Rules received a starred review from The Library Journal!
“Hot, darkly funny, and slightly crass, Sax’s novella stands out for its excellent character development and refreshingly different female protagonist.”
You can read the full review here
http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2014/03/books/genre-fiction/erotica/erotica-reviews-march-15-2014/
***
Nathan Lawford, Blaine Technologies’ chief financial officer, is known as the Iceman. He conducts his personal and business affairs without emotion, never allowing himself to become involved with anyone. When Nate sees something or someone he wants, he negotiates, paying a simple, set monetary price.
Now he wants Camille, the company’s green-haired intern.
Camille Joplin Trent never expected to be paid to pleasure the man of her dreams. She can’t quite figure out why this is a bad thing. Nate is intelligent, handsome, sophisticated, everything she’s ever wanted in a lover and never thought she could have. Their contract is for a month, thirty lust-filled days of making every sexual fantasy they’ve ever had come true. At the end of this month, the rules state their relationship will end.
Of course, Camille has never been good at following rules.
Pre-order Now At Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-All-Rules-Erotic-Novella-ebook/dp/B00F2I2GXY
March 5, 2014
Review For Flashes Of Me
Imagine The World shares
“The romance was both sweet and hot. I liked how Kat and Henley understood each other so completely. And, their chemistry was ON FIRE! There was some super hot steaminess. Get ready to fan your face, because it was downright steamy.”
http://thegoldenruleof666.blogspot.ca/2014/03/flashes-of-me-book-tour-review-excerpt.html
Henley, the head of cyber security at Blaine Technologies, is a man no one crosses. He watches employees constantly using his network of cameras and enforces his rules by any means possible. Rumors of his violent past, his scarred hands and huge size have resulted in him being feared by everyone… almost everyone.
Katalina, the new intern, worries about the revelation of her most painful secret much more than she fears her sexy boss’s wrath. She sees the loneliness in his dark eyes, feels the gentleness in his marred fingers, tastes the need in his kisses, and she knows he watches her. His silly rules about not stripping for the cameras and no sex at the office are destined to be broken.
Kat likes to be watched. Henley can’t look away. Will this beauty be able to tame her beastly boss?
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Flashes-Me-Novella-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B00F2I2GXO
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-flashesofme-1411711-149.html
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/flashes-of-me-cynthia-sax/1117322925
March 4, 2014
First Excerpt From Breaking All The Rules
This post has adult content. If you are under the age of eighteen years old or sensitive to adult language/situations, please do not read this post.
Here’s the very first excerpt from Breaking All The Rules, my April 1st release from Avon Impulse.
***
Chapter One
This is the morning I break Nathan Lawford, Blaine Technologies’ notoriously uptight chief financial officer, the executive employees call the Iceman.
I hum the words to an extremely vulgar hip-hop song as I stride through the concrete-and-glass lobby, my phone in my right hand and the straps of my backpack slung over my shoulder.
Not even Jerome, the company’s powerful high-security guard, could dampen my enthusiasm today. He searched my black canvas bag for a record twelve minutes, wrinkling important papers and poking his clumsy fingers into delicate electronics. He leered and sneered at me, and I said nothing, tolerating the harassment.
Because today Nate will touch me.
I’ve spent months defrosting the Iceman, following rules I’ve crafted, rules he isn’t aware of. I can’t touch him unless he touches me. I can’t see him outside of our morning elevator rides unless he approaches me. I can e-mail him but not call him, check his agenda but not change it.
Even with these self-imposed restrictions, I’ll win, my victory growing more certain as our daily skirmishes escalate in intensity.
Every morning Nate takes the same elevator at the same time, his schedule as rigid and unbending as he is. Every morning I share the same elevator car. He looks at me. I look at him. We exchange a couple of verbal barbs, some increasingly steamy sexual innuendos, and then we part ways, going to our different floors, our different worlds.
I’m the green-haired rebel intern. Nate is an unemotional rule setter, a huge immovable wall I can’t stop pushing against, a challenge I can’t back away from. He drives me absolutely wild and I will have him. On my terms.
I glance at my phone’s screen. Shit on a stick. I have three minutes to trek to the elevators. Clipping my phone to my skirt’s frayed waistband, I march faster, the heels of my shoes ringing against the gleaming white marble tile. Video screens hang from the walls, displaying happy images of the conforming masses. Dark-suited corporate clones linger around the paid-to-be-perky receptionist.
Loitering isn’t an option, as there’s no flexibility in the Iceman’s timetable. I turn the corner and my heels squeak on the floor. No one is waiting for the elevators, the area empty. I press the up button three times in rapid succession, pleased that I’ll have Nate’s complete attention during our five-minute elevator ride.
Privacy is essential for my plan to work, as I’m not the type of woman any career-minded executive would choose to acknowledge publicly. I glance at my reflection in the elevator’s shiny metallic doors and wince. Although I no longer wear my temporary tattoos or visible body jewelry, the green hair and the holes in my ears, nose, and bottom lip remain, declaring my rebel status to the world.
This is who I am, who I’ve always been. I break rules. I push people. I don’t fit in anywhere. I tell myself I’m okay with this. In my heart I know I’m not. But I can’t change, not even for the Iceman.
The bell rings, the doors to elevator number four open, and my heart pounds. Nate stands in the back right corner, staring down at his phone, appearing as unapproachably handsome as usual, his blond hair short and neat, his broad shoulders clad in a form-fitting black suit, his crisp white shirt accentuating his golden tan. His tie is always black, always plain.
He wears the same clothing combination every day, and I want to peel the monochromatic fabric away from his kicking hot physique and lick him from his head to his toes. This impulsive act, while certain to be sexually satisfying, violates the rules of my game. He must touch me first. I keep my hands to myself and stride into the elevator, my hips swaying and my head held defiantly high.
Nate glances upward, our gazes lock and hold, and I forget to breathe, to think, to move. His eyes are the palest, coldest gray, a frigid blast of icy wind on a hot Californian day, and I want him as I’ve never wanted anyone else, my need for him carnal and raw.
He slides his phone into his jacket pocket and the silver Rolex on his wrist gleams. This symbol of wealth and the establishment, a physical reminder of who Nate is, doesn’t squelch my lust. It perversely feeds my fantasies.
In my overactive imagination Nate doesn’t stay in his corner. He stalks toward me, hooks one of his arms around my waist, pulls my curves into his muscle, and—
“Miss Trent.” His crisp businesslike tone returns me to reality.
“Nate.” I mimic his curtness, breaking an unspoken company rule by addressing a top executive by his first name. I tap the button for the legal floor. This is the law-enforcing, super-quiet department I’ve been sentenced to. I don’t fit in there, but then, I’ve never fit in anywhere.
Except here. I belong in this elevator car. I belong with Nate. I claim the corner across from him and openly study the object of my obsession. “You spent another weekend alone, I see.” The lines around his mouth and eyes are deeply etched, attesting to his many months of celibacy. This pleases me. I don’t want Nate to touch any other woman. He’s my iceberg to melt.
He raises one of his eyebrows. “Have you added stalking to your long list of crimes?”
I roll my eyes. I was found guilty of three minor misdemeanors while I was a careless teenager and now I’ve been labeled a criminal for life. “Don’t flatter yourself. A blind woman can tell you’re not getting any.” I stretch the truth. His expression is as cold and as emotionless as it normally is.
Nate frowns, glances at his reflection in the mirrored walls, sweeps one of his hands over his perfect hair.
“What’s the matter?” I grin at him as I set my backpack on the floor by my feet. “Are all of the hookers in LA on strike?”
He returns his gaze to me and narrows his eyes. “You’re well informed.” Ice drips from his words, his coolness indicating I’ve scored a direct hit. Many people subjected to Nate’s subzero demeanor assume he’s a frigid, unfeeling bastard. I recognize it for what it is—a shield, as effective as my sarcasm and green hair.
“You bet I’m well informed.” It didn’t take me long to discover that every well-dressed, insanely beautiful woman appearing beside Nate in the newspaper’s society pages was a high-end escort. His hooker fetish doesn’t bother me. Nate is a faithful, serial-monogamous John, taking a long time to choose the right escort and then paying for her exclusive attentions.
“You’re not hideous.” I unbutton my formerly black blazer, the sole suit I own faded from having been hand washed every night. “Why do you pay for sex?”
“Everyone pays for sex in one way or another.” Nate visually tracks my movements as I shrug out of the garment, removing one more barrier between us. “Some muddle the price with talk of love and feelings. I prefer straightforward, honest negotiations.”
He prefers to live life on his terms, laws be damned. I find this sexy, very sexy. I roll back my shoulders, my muscles tight from having carried the backpack, my movements deliberately sensuous.
Nate’s gaze lowers to the pale curves threatening to spill out of my favorite black leather corset. He peruses my breasts thoroughly, leisurely, his eyes darkening to a stormy gray. An exciting awareness radiates from him, causing my nipples to pucker and my body to hum.
“What are you doing, Miss Trent?” His voice is low and tongue-suckingly deep, making me think of entwined limbs and tangled bedsheets.
“I’m hot.” I drift my fingertips across my cleavage, teasing my skin, tormenting him, the man I must and will have. “And I’m moist. Do you have a tissue?”
Nate hesitates before extracting a neatly folded square of pristine white fabric from the inside pocket of his jacket. He holds it out to me.
I reach for the handkerchief, my fingers brush against his, and a sensual spark surges up my arm, lighting fires throughout my body. Nate’s mask of ice slips for two heartbeats, revealing a hunger as raw and as savage as my own. He then yanks his hand away, and this hunger is concealed, sealed by a layer of frost.
He wants me. Badly. I pat the sinfully soft cotton over my breasts, and Nate’s clean, fresh-out-of-the-shower scent transfers from the fabric onto my skin. He watches me, his expression carefully blank. Only his eyes convey his emotions, his gaze dark and intense.
“You need to get laid, Nate,” I bluntly state, hoping to shock him into action, to snap his control as he’s snapping mine.
Nate leans closer, looming over me, tall and overpoweringly masculine. “Are you making me an offer, Miss Trent?”
***
Nathan Lawford, Blaine Technologies’ chief financial officer, is known as the Iceman. He conducts his personal and business affairs without emotion, never allowing himself to become involved with anyone. When Nate sees something or someone he wants, he negotiates, paying a simple, set monetary price.
Now he wants Camille, the company’s green-haired intern.
Camille Joplin Trent never expected to be paid to pleasure the man of her dreams. She can’t quite figure out why this is a bad thing. Nate is intelligent, handsome, sophisticated, everything she’s ever wanted in a lover and never thought she could have. Their contract is for a month, thirty lust-filled days of making every sexual fantasy they’ve ever had come true. At the end of this month, the rules state their relationship will end.
Of course, Camille has never been good at following rules.
Pre-order Now At Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-All-Rules-Erotic-Novella-ebook/dp/B00F2I2GXY
March 2, 2014
Interviewed At Ink Motions
I’ve been interviewed at Ink Motions!
http://taigecrenshaw.com/blog/2014/02/24/ink-motions-with-cynthia-sax-2/
Here’s a snippet…
Is there any advice you can offer to anyone who would like to write?
Be fearless. The great romances break the established rules. Of course, we should know the rules before we break them, but we shouldn’t hesitate to write something different, something groundbreaking. Write balls to the wall, all out.
Flashes Of Me may look like a regular Beauty and the Beast story but there’s a twist. I attempt something in this story that I’ve never seen done before. It was scary. I didn’t know if my editor would like it (she did – she loved it) and I don’t know if readers will like it. But I know they won’t be bored while reading it. (grins)
Henley, the head of cyber security at Blaine Technologies, is a man no one crosses. He watches employees constantly using his network of cameras and enforces his rules by any means possible. Rumors of his violent past, his scarred hands and huge size have resulted in him being feared by everyone… almost everyone.
Katalina, the new intern, worries about the revelation of her most painful secret much more than she fears her sexy boss’s wrath. She sees the loneliness in his dark eyes, feels the gentleness in his marred fingers, tastes the need in his kisses, and she knows he watches her. His silly rules about not stripping for the cameras and no sex at the office are destined to be broken.
Kat likes to be watched. Henley can’t look away. Will this beauty be able to tame her beastly boss?
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Flashes-Me-Novella-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B00F2I2GXO
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-flashesofme-1411711-149.html
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/flashes-of-me-cynthia-sax/1117322925
February 28, 2014
Interview with Tina Donahue
I sat down (virtually) with Tina Donahue for a short interview. Tina Donahue writes steamy erotic romances and her latest release is Seven Sensuous Days, Book Four in the Appointment with Pleasure series.
Cynthia Sax: What excites you about Seven Sensuous Days?
Tina Donahue: I love writing about people who’ve had a tough time with love, as most of us have had in the real world. That means that we haven’t been able to find it, or we’ve been hurt in the past.
In Seven Sensuous Days, Tessa’s more or less given up on anyone loving her. Although she’s pretty, she’s also curvy and had been bullied as a kid about her weight. That hurt is still with her. However, she’s one of the most upbeat characters I’ve ever written. Funny and sweet with a good heart. A year before the book begins, Logan lost everything he cherished. Now, he wants only to have a good time. He simply doesn’t trust anything else, especially intimacy. And then he meets Tessa. She reminds him of spring, all that’s good in the world, everything being renewed. However, that also frightens him badly. And so he resists.
I love the interplay between them, the depth of their characters, their yearning souls. They’re both good people who’ve finally found each other. J
Cynthia Sax: What is your favorite line from Seven Sensuous Days?
Tina Donahue: When Tessa arrives at Logan’s estate to begin her seven sensuous days, she says to him: “I’d like us to get to know each other a little bit before we, well, you know, do anything.”
This really sets the stage for their romance. Although she’s an escort and he’s a man who doesn’t want to get close, you just know that dynamic isn’t going to last. They’ve wanted each other too badly from the first moment they met. Logan resists and Tessa persists, lovingly tearing down his barriers, burrowing deeper into his heart, making him laugh, bringing his life back.
Good stuff.
Cynthia Sax: How does Seven Sensuous Days start?
Tina Donahue: It begins with an erotic auction sponsored by the agency where Tessa works. The proceeds are going to charity – mainly breast cancer research and academic scholarships for women. The mansion where the auction takes place has been decorated to look like a sultan’s lair. The men in the audience, all powerful and wealthy, bid on the lady of their choice, buying one evening or a full day of her time. The setup is rich and seductive with the women posed on stage, nude and in chains, as though they’re being sold at a slave auction.
I wanted to start Seven Sensuous Days with a bang, so to speak. However, while making it erotic, I also wanted Tessa’s personality to come out. Again, she’d been teased as a child about her weight. She’s still curvy. Like the redhead in Mad Men. She’s uncertain if anyone will bid on her. Then Logan comes along and what he does stuns Tessa and the audience. It sets into motion a romance that nothing can stop, not even Logan’s initial resistance.
Cynthia Sax: What is one aspect that makes Tessa and Logan right for each other?
Tina Donahue: They’re both good people. I know there will be those who think Tessa’s less than honorable for being an escort. However, she has her reasons. And she’s the finest person I’ve ever written. Logan’s the same, though he has lost his faith in anything good and lasting. She coaxes him back to trust, showing him there is a future, that love doesn’t always hurt. Without her, he would have drifted. With her, he’s found a home.
Cynthia Sax: Is Seven Sensuous Days a series and will you be writing more stories in this series?
Tina Donahue: Yes, this is a series. Claiming Magique started it all. Losing Control is book two. Illicit Intent, book three. All of them sexy but also exceedingly romantic.
And yes, I will absolutely continue the series as long as my fans enjoy it. J
Thank you, Tina Donahue, for joining us today!
Tina Donahue’s Website: http://www.tinadonahue.com/
*****************************************************************************
At an erotic auction, she’s his to bid on…to take…to command.
The night’s sultry, filled with carnal promise as Tessa participates in an agency event to raise money for charity. She’s chained and bared—as women were once displayed for a sultan’s harem—her sweet looks and full figure offered to the wealthy and powerful men.
Among them is Logan. To him, Tessa is so different from his late wife, the seemingly perfect female who cruelly stole his hope and future. Wanting only to forget and have a good time, he wins Tessa, demanding she be his in every way possible, engaging in all wanton acts, though not only for an evening…for seven sensuous days at his secluded Virginia estate.
A provocative proposal with such a dangerously virile man.
A week that changes everything, with Tessa’s exquisite vulnerability and Logan’s suddenly unquenchable desire more than either bargained for.
Buy Now From Ellora’s Cave: http://www.ellorascave.com/seven-sensuous-days.html
February 27, 2014
Beautiful Writers And The Best Seller Lists
Beauty matters. It sucks that it matters but it does. That’s the unfortunate reality.
The results of the study, which used an algorithm on facial beauty analysis site Anaface.com to rate the attractiveness of 677 CEOs, confirmed that better-looking CEOs make more money (sometimes called a “beauty premium”). It also found that stock market returns were higher on M&A announcement dates for companies whose CEO ranked high on the Facial Attractiveness Index.”
One would think that beauty wouldn’t matter in Romanceland. Sales should be all about the stories, about the yummy heroes and the intriguing heroines, right?
Yeah, no. If appearances didn’t matter, writers wouldn’t be asked for their photos… ALL the time. Our photos wouldn’t appear next to our online bios, in the back of print books, in the media kits.
And how we look in these photos makes a difference to our careers. The average reader is more likely to buy from an attractive writer. The media is more likely to feature or interview attractive writers.
There are a number of reasons why you won’t find my photo anywhere online. The main reason is that my dear wonderful supportive mom-in-law is very religious and would be embarrassed if one of her church-going friends knew what I was writing. I don’t ever want to hurt this terrific woman. I love her to bits.
But another reason is… I’m beauty impaired. The plain Jane heroine whom only the hero finds attractive? That’s me. Ironically my super awesome hubby IS handsome and he DOES think I’m beautiful, even twenty years and twice my original weight later. (Oh, and we fell in love at first sight – yes, I base my romance stories on real life).
I had to work ten times as hard in business to overcome this lack of beauty issue (because in business, beauty also matters). When I followed my dream into writing, I thought this wouldn’t be an issue. I was naïve. It IS an issue.
I use cover art for my bio photo. I prefer to look at Henley’s handsome face than mine. Some media won’t accept that, won’t cover the story unless I supply my real photo. I miss out on these promotional avenues. Some of my beauty impaired buddies (big hugs) use avatars, logos, and other clever images. They also miss out on opportunities.
I’m as guilty as the next person about judging writers based on their appearances. I’d rather not see who is writing the erotic romances I enjoy reading. I love my fellow writers but I don’t want to picture their faces while the hero is boinking the living daylights out of the heroine. SO not sexy. (grins)
And I don’t begrudge my beautiful writing buddies their successes. (big hugs) I merely wish their successes were due 100% to their wonderful stories. I wish we all stopped judging each other on our appearances. (And since we’re talking about fantasies, I also wish eating Nutella qualified as a form of exercise)
Have you been judged on your appearance? Does a writer’s appearance make a difference to you?
Henley, the head of cyber security at Blaine Technologies, is a man no one crosses. He watches employees constantly using his network of cameras and enforces his rules by any means possible. Rumors of his violent past, his scarred hands and huge size have resulted in him being feared by everyone… almost everyone.
Katalina, the new intern, worries about the revelation of her most painful secret much more than she fears her sexy boss’s wrath. She sees the loneliness in his dark eyes, feels the gentleness in his marred fingers, tastes the need in his kisses, and she knows he watches her. His silly rules about not stripping for the cameras and no sex at the office are destined to be broken.
Kat likes to be watched. Henley can’t look away. Will this beauty be able to tame her beastly boss?
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Flashes-Me-Novella-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B00F2I2GXO
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-flashesofme-1411711-149.html
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/flashes-of-me-cynthia-sax/1117322925
