Cynthia Sax's Blog

Warlord’s Return – Cover Reveal Where To Find Cynthia Sax

Short Stories – How I Stay Focused On One Series

Stock Art Crafted By And Indirectly Purchased From: grandfailure

I started this wonderful career as a Romance Writer by
writing short stories, stories that were approximately 11,000 words or 44 pages
long.

There were a number of reasons why I started with shorter
works.

I LOVE short stories. I think they are an underappreciated
art form. My favorite Stephen King stories, for example, are his short stories.
Some of my most treasured books when I was a pre-teen and teenager were compilations
of short stories. I admire songwriters, folks who can tell a story in 3 or 4
minutes.

There’s something extremely satisfying about relaying a
story with the minimal amount of words. It is a skill not everyone has.

My first professional (i.e. paid) writing also was as a newspaper
reporter. I had a small column in a daily paper and articles in a weekly paper.
My allowable word count for those articles was small. I had to make every word
count and I learned how to write lean.

That habit was difficult to break. I still write lean today
with my first drafts. It takes me two more drafts to fill the story out.

Another key factor was I had an extremely high-pressure full-time job (as a business babe) at the time and that required many hours of overtime. I didn’t have the mental bandwidth or the time to write 400 page novels but I DID have the time and the brain power to write a short story every month.

Short stories can be a burst of muse food. I can try
different things, experiment with different styles and techniques, explore
different subgenres of romance. I can work through an idea or premise fairly
quickly.

Which is why I currently use short stories to keep myself
focused while writing series.

One of the common things I hear from newer writers is they
can’t be restrained to one niche, one style, one tone. Their muse has to be
FREE.

That feeling doesn’t go away merely because a story/series
does well and a writer finds a readership. My cyborg romance reading buddies
look to me to write cyborg romances. I love cyborg romance and am happy to give
these reading buddies what they want.

But, once in a while, I have the urge to write tentacle
romance. Or an idea for an extremely bloody horror romance crowds into my brain.
Or a gargoyle romance premise grabs me and won’t let me go. I MUST write it.

I have a set schedule for my cyborg romances. I can’t spend too much time on these other projects, projects only I want written. I CAN, however, spend a week on one of them and write a 60 page short story. As I’m writing this story for my eyes only, I don’t have to allocate 3 more weeks to polishing it, revising it, having it edited. I can write it and set it aside and focus on the cyborg romance.

My muse is happy. I’ve stretched myself writing-wise. I’m fulfilled as a writer, excited about this awesome career, and I can bring that joy to my longer projects.

***

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Other Chameles view him as the
enemy.

She sees the warrior hero he never
believed he could be.

* * *

Tolui is a Warlord in search of a planet
to rule. He has been leading his fellow clones in a stealth battle, fighting
for both control of the Chamele sector and the right to exist. The brave warriors
he commands warrant respect, and they deserve the best.

That best isn’t the barren,
dangerous terrain on Chamele 4. When Tolui crashes on that planet’s surface, he’s
determined to leave it as soon as possible. The tiny human female rescuing him
might be as beautiful and as wild as the land she inhabits, but her flowing
words, trusting gaze, and enthralling submission won’t stop him from rejoining
the war.

After many solar cycles of living
alone, Lea is overjoyed when a tall, scarred, muscular warrior falls from the sky.
Her savage stranger is strong and severe, and he makes her feel safe, an
emotion she hasn’t experienced in a long, long time.

He also insists they must part.
Before they do, she’ll show him the splendor of her home, and she’ll enjoy his
big form, collecting passionate moments she can revisit when she’s solitary once
more.

Every additional moment Lea and
Tolui spend together increases the chance they’ll both die. Lea is being chased
by female-hating fiends. Tolui is being hunted by the best bounty hunters in
the universe. War will soon arrive on their threshold, and the blood spilled
might be their own.

* * *

Warlord’s Mercy is based on a much
shorter story sharing the same title.

It is a STANDALONE Alien Barbarian
SciFi Romance featuring a villain turned hero and a brave, chatty heroine set
in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.

Warlord’s Mercy is the fifth of six
core stories in the Chamele Barbarian Warlord series.

Book 1: Warlord Sky

Book 2: Warlord’s Bounty

Book 3: Warlord Unarmed

Book 4: Warlord Reunited

Book 5: Warlord’s Mercy

Book 6: Warlord’s Return

Buy Now:

Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0886K65F9

Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0886K65F9

Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0886K65F9

Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/warlords-mercy/id1511995733