Cynthia Sax's Blog, page 4

The Mummy (Brendan Fraser And Rachel Weisz) And Action Heroes Expressing Love

Spoiler Alert – This post will talk about The Mummy (Brendan Fraser And Rachel Weisz Version), and it WILL contain spoilers. If you haven’t yet watched this awesome action/romance movie, you might wish to skip this post.

I’ve been finding serenity and joy in rewatching some of my favorite movies.

The Mummy starring Brendan Fraser And Rachel Weisz is definitely one of those. It has action and adventure, Egypt and mummies.

And it has love.

The Mummy is a romance, a true romance. There is a romantic happy ever after that would make any romance reader happy.

(smiles)

Rick O’Connell is a romance hero.

He is also an action hero.

And he shows his growing affection for Evy in a variety of ways.

He kisses her during their first meeting. Yes, he believes he’ll soon die but all that does, I believe, is push him to act on his feelings.

Which is love at first sight.

(And that feeling is clearly mutual.)

He steals the excavation tools to give to her.

We suspect he doesn’t know what all those tools are used for but the dig is important to Evy so it becomes important to him.

And he will do anything to ensure she is successful and happy.

Rick also protects her. Numerous times.

His first thought is of her. He puts her safety above his own.

My favorite statement of his feelings, however, is…

When everyone is sitting around a fire at Hamunaptra, Evy approaches them and Rick tells the guy beside him, “You’re in her seat.”

THAT is a declaration of love.

Evy’s ‘seat’ is by Rick’s side.

Always.

As equals. Wherever they might be. In whatever situation they’re in.

The Mummy (Brendan Fraser And Rachel Weisz Version) is often held up by romance readers as a wonderful romance movie for a reason – it follows all the rules of romance.

That makes me happy. It might make you happy also.

And I’d like you to be happy, my friends.

(smiles)

Geysir Hot Spring, Iceland

One of the stops on the Golden Circle Tour the Dear Wonderful Hubby and I went on in Iceland was the Geysir Hot Spring.

Strokkur Geyser was definitely the star of this site. It ‘erupts’ every couple minutes, shooting water high into the air.

But there were awesome bubbling hot springs. And some great hikes.

The scenery was amazing.

Muse Food – Deep Crevasses In Iceland

One of the (many) things I absolutely love about Iceland is there are awesome rock formations everywhere. And there are SO MANY deep crevasses.

We’re talking release-the-old-gods types of cracks in the rock-covered ground.

What is breaking free? WHO is breaking free? Do they mean us harm or will they be friendly?

The story possibilities are endless.

(grins)

Cynthia Sax Weekly Update – August 3

This motorcycle-loving kitty at The Sanctuary Of Truth in Pattaya, Thailand would enjoy hanging out with Giselle, the kitty in my Sinful Rewards serial. They both have biker humans.

(grins)

I continue to craft the first Moonbeam duet. Things are going slowly because…well…it is summer in my part of the universe and I’ve spent a lot of time in the garden and chillaxing with the Dear Wonderful Hubby.

(smiles)

It IS on my to-do list, however. And it is creeping closer to being finalized.

Have a wonderful week, my friends. (big hugs) If you get a chance to embrace joy, try your dangest to rearrange your busy schedule so you can revel in that happiness. The only task we truly have to do each day is to make it to the next day. Everything else is extra. So if you have the choice, choose joy.

The Cyborg’s Secret Baby

A fierce cyborg warrior and his curvy human female share a no-longer-so-little secret.

Stealth, a K Model cyborg, knows his passion for Zebrina, the commander’s human daughter, is forbidden, yet he can’t resist the curvy female. He craves her touch, cherishes her sounds of pleasure, would do anything to keep her safe.

When he’s faced with the choice of protecting his fragile human or living to see the next sunrise, he chooses her, always her, sending Zebrina halfway across the universe to safety. He doesn’t realize their stolen moments had consequences neither of them believed possible.

After hearing her warrior died in battle, Zebrina focuses on the last gift he gave her. Doing what is right for their child is her sole priority. She will put their son’s happiness first, even if that means choosing another male over the love of her life.

The Cyborg’s Secret Baby is a STAND-ALONE story loosely connected to the Cyborg Sizzle series.
It is also a Second Chance Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, often-violent universe.

Buy Now:

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Cyborgs-Secret-Baby-Stars-ebook/dp/B07F2NK6D4

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cyborgs-Secret-Baby-Stars-ebook/dp/B07F2NK6D4

Amazon AUS: https://www.amazon.com.au/Cyborgs-Secret-Baby-Stars-ebook/dp/B07F2NK6D4

Apple : https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-cyborgs-secret-baby/id1404800721

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-cyborg-s-secret-baby

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/870968

Baby Bunny Zoomies

My corner of the universe finally received some rain after a long stretch of high temperatures and no rain.

And the wild creatures in the neighborhood went even more wild.

(grins)

The baby wild bunny was doing zoomies in our backyard, running back and forth, back and forth.

The mafia squirrels were sitting on their haunches in the rain with their faces upturned and their front paws held out as though they were trying to catch the droplets.

The birds were singing.

It was a wonderful celebration!

Uptown Girls And Stoic Characters

Spoiler Alert – This post will talk about the 2003 movie Uptown Girls and it WILL contain spoilers. If you haven’t yet watched this hit-you-right-in-the-feels movie, you might wish to skip this post.

I’ve been rewatching some of my favorite movies as a coping mechanism during these interesting times.

One of my favorite movies is Uptown Girls showcasing Brittany Murphy as Molly Gunn, a very unusual nannie and Dakota Fanning as Ray, her rigidly self-possessed young charge.

A much beloved trope of mine is when stoic characters finally ‘break’ and show how very deep their emotions run. And Uptown Girls does this brilliantly.

Ray holds her emotions in, not showing her disappointment or grief or even joy.

Until an event happens that emotionally destroys her.

Even at this point, she fights her emotions. Hard. She hides her complete devastation under a calm exterior until it gets too much for her to handle.

Then she puts space between herself and everyone she knows. She isolates herself.

And she continues to try to manage her emotions.

Alone.

When her emotions finally escape, they are first expressed as fury, as a shocking amount of anger. This is expressed in the presence of someone she loves, someone she trusts to see it.

The tears eventually come. And we can physically see the weight of her emotional burden being shared with her loved one.

This scene makes me cry. Hard.

I know how fiercely Ray feels because I’ve been shown how fiercely she conceals her emotions. And I’ve been shown the battle to manage them.

When she finally capitulates to her emotions, it is a well-earned release.

Not only for the character. But also for me, the viewer.

That is the power of the stoic character breaking down.

If you want a masterclass on how to do this well, consider watching Uptown Girls.

Throwback Thursday – Testing Truth

Testing Truth is the closest story I have in the cyborg world to a fairytale.

The human heroine is a Princess. The cyborg hero is…well…he is rarely serious and likes to tease everyone and he is not at all related to Royalty but he IS her Prince Charming. There’s action and adventure and love, lots and lots of love.

(smiles)

Testing Truth

A fun-loving cyborg gets serious about love.

***

Truth lives each moment as though it were his last. Thecyborg warrior rushes into danger, teases beings he shouldn’t provoke, acceptsevery call of adventure he encounters.

When a prissy little human princess floats into the Rebelstructure Truth is occupying, seeking a mercenary to assist her and her unusualentourage, he volunteers to be her warrior. She claims their assignment isdangerous, warns him he might not survive the task.

That is exactly the type of fun he has been seeking.

Princess Nanette of the planet Royaume must rescue herestranged brother from an enemy prison ship. That is her duty, and she has beentrained to always place the needs of her planet and her subjects before herown. Nancy doesn’t have the freedom to indulge her passions for a certaindark-haired, gray-skinned cyborg. Not permanently and not publicly.

But she is unable to resist the warrior. Truth, with hislaughing eyes, smiling lips, and rough hands, tempts her as no one else everhas. He could be her one fleeting act of rebellion before she’s matched withthe powerful ruler her planet requires.

If they survive their current mission.

Their love is doomed. Their lifespans are at risk. Thiscyborg and his princess will need the help of every ally they have if they wishto see another sunrise.

Buy Now:

Amazon US:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BTYN7TT

Amazon UK:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08BTYN7TT

Amazon AUS:

https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B08BTYN7TT

Apple Books:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/testing-truth/id1520415369

Kobo:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/testing-truth

Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1029497

Every Plant Is Different

Last year, I harvested seeds from the sole zinnia plant that survived to seed stage.

(There was NO cross-pollination.)

I started some of those seeds indoors in the same soil putting them under the same growlight. When they were large enough, I moved them to the same bed, caring for them the same way.

They received the same amount of sunlight and water and nutrients.

One plant didn’t survive. One has SIX flowers. One hasn’t flowered at all. Others have one to four flowers per plant.

The largest plant is as tall as my hips. The shortest surviving one barely reaches my ankles.

And their flowers are a variety of colors (each plant only has one color of blooms, however)!

Plants, like humans and other species, are all different. They grow in their own unique ways at their own unique times.

Yes, we can influence that growth. But we can only help so much.

We care for them and let them do their thing.

And we embrace their differences.

(smiles)

Straddling Two Tectonic Plates In Thingvellir National Park, Iceland

While we were visiting Iceland, the Dear Wonderful Hubby and I participated in a Golden Circle Tour. One of the stops was Thingvellir National Park.

Thingvellir National Park has some gorgeous scenery, some amazing history, and awesome hikes.

But the highlight for me were the rock formations. And the fact that it is where the two tectonic plates – the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates – meet…sort of.

I say sort of because there’s a gap between the two tectonic plates. The locals call that gap no man’s land. That land isn’t technically on either plate.

The Dear Wonderful Hubby also loved the Silfra fissure. We didn’t have enough time to snorkel in it but the visibility from the bridge was amazing.

And there was a nice walk to a large lake (not shown).

It was a great stop and I could have happily spent days exploring the park.

Muse Food – Touching Tree Bark

Can you ‘feel’ the roughness of this tree’s bark, its indents and lifted pieces? How some of it crumbles against your fingertips?

Describing some of the objects our characters touch is a great way to draw readers deeper into our stories.

That could be the softness of a kitten’s fur, the wear and tear on the hero’s well-worn brown leather jacket, the heat of a sun-warmed boulder the heroine is hiding behind.

Use touch to bring the scene to life.