Welcome Cynthia Sax!

I want to welcome Cynthia Sax! First I’d love you to introduce yourself, Cynthia.

  

Hi! (waves) I’m Cynthia Sax. I write contemporary, SciFi and paranormal erotic romances for Avon, Ellora’s Cave, Loose Id and Changeling. I write shorter works ranging from 40 page short stories to 200 page novellas. They often contain humor because life and sex is hilarious. I’m happily married to a wonderful man. My muse runs on Nutella and I’m a collector of VERY bad puns (which my editors delete from my stories)

Author Website: http://cynthiasax.com/

Blog: http://tasteofcyn.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cynthia.sax

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/CynthiaSax

Tell us about your latest release

Flashes of Me is a modern sexy twist on Beauty and the Beast. Henley, the hero, is the huge, scarred head of cybersecurity at Blaine Technologies. Employees are scared of him, avoiding him in the hallways, leaving the elevator when he enters. Kat, a new intern, is more frightened of Henley learning her deepest, darkest secret, than she is frightened of the man himself.

Now I have a few questions for you – I have found readers do like to know fun things about us writers.

1.) Who is your favorite villain – it can be from a book (even one of yours), movie or TV show. And why?

Cynthia Sax: Many of my villains become heroes of their own stories. Tolui, the hero of Warlord’s Mercy, is the villain of the first three stories in the series (Warlord’s Bounty, Warlord Unarmed, Warlord Reunited). I tried to kill him off but he simply wouldn’t die and I’m glad that he didn’t. I ended up loving him. The reasons why he did what he did broke my heart.

2.) Who is your favorite character out of your books? Why?

Cynthia Sax: I love Camille, the heroine of Breaking All The Rules (releasing in April from Avon). This green-haired Goth girl causes trouble in The Seen Trilogy (He Watches Me, He Touches Me, He Claims Me) and Flashes Of Me. Many readers have requested her story and early reviewers tell me they won’t be disappointed. She’s absolutely nuts, the best friend any girl could have, and she’s perfect for Nate, the hero.

3.) What do genre do you write? What made you pick that one?

Cynthia Sax:  I write contemporary, SciFi and paranormal erotic romance. I started writing non-erotic and was frustrated because it felt as though I was only telling half of the story. So much of an adult romantic relationship happens in bed. When I switched to erotic romance, it felt right. I love the purism of contemporary, the ability to focus on the relationship. I love the world building of SciFi and paranormal. Alternating the genres gives me a great balance.

4.)What are you working on now?

Cynthia Sax:  I’m currently writing Sinful Rewards, a 12 novella contemporary erotic romance serial for Avon. The premise for this story is crazy exciting (and could only be told in serial or installments). I’ve completed the first 4 stories and I can’t wait to write the rest. I love the heroine and the love interests.

5.) What got you to start writing?

Cynthia Sax:  I’ve always written. I wrote daily in a diary as a child. I progressed to writing for newspapers (a daily and a weekly) and blogs. Writing keeps me sane. I am now fortunate to write full time (thanks to my wonderful hubby – he pays the bills, allowing me to pursue my dreams).

6.) Where do you get your ideas from?

Cynthia Sax:  I have a list of my top 100 ideas. Every time I add an idea, I have to bump an idea off the list. This happens daily. Even if I live to be 200 years old, I’ll never write all of the stories I want.

The idea for Flashes Of Me originated from my personal reaction to bad news. I try my darnedest to pretend the unhappy events have never happened. Kat, the heroine, moves across the country to maintain this illusion. No one knows her in LA. They don’t know whether or not she’s telling the truth. And as the story is told from Kat’s point of view, readers don’t know the truth either.

7.) What would people who read your work be surprised to find out about you?

Cynthia Sax:  They’d probably be surprised that often the love interest in the story isn’t the first person I’ve paired the character with. Just like in real life, it can take a few tries before I find the right person. Henley, the hero of Flashes Of Me, went on a couple of dates before he met Kat. I didn’t show these ‘dates’ because they didn’t work out.

8.) Do you have any special talents?

Cynthia Sax: I like to think I can write a little. (grins) I have a terrible memory which doesn’t seem like a talent yet it is. I don’t hold grudges. I’m never sad for long. I can’t remember what I’m supposed to be sad about.

9.) What was the one piece of advice you received when you were an aspiring author that has stuck with you? Why?

Cynthia Sax: A best selling writer once told me that if I could do anything other than write, I should. It forced me to really think about whether or not I wanted to become a published writer. I realized I had no choice. I HAD to be a writer. Quitting was then no longer an option. When the going got tough (and it DOES get very tough), I had no choice but to work through the challenges. 

10.) If you could talk to any famous figure (present, past or fictional) who would it be and what would you talk about?

Cynthia Sax: I’ve heard that Nora Roberts is an absolute blast to talk with. I’d love to sit down and shoot the shaving cream, chatting about writing and working hard and characters. There are quite a few writers I’d love to talk with—Loretta Chase, Jayne Ann Krentz, Lisa Kleypas, etc. (grins sheepishly) Yeah, I have to get out of the writing cave once in a while and attend some conferences.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I loved your answers!

Excerpt (PG)
            No one in this coffee shop knows who I am. I stand in the line, waiting to place my order. They don’t know about my past. They don’t know my last name. I tap my lavender heels against the floor, drumming an up-tempo tune into the tan-colored tile. They won’t remind me why I shouldn’t be happy.

I need to be happy. I need to laugh, to have fun, to focus on this fresh start. If I don’t, I’ll cry, and I promised my father I wouldn’t cry. I plaster a silly smile across my face and I tap my heels harder against the floor. These two actions lighten my mood, allowing me to cope with my emotions.

The bleary-eyed woman swaying in front of me yawns, adding vocals to my beat. For LA locals, it’s six in the morning. For a recently displaced New York native such as myself, it feels like nine o’clock. I’m eager to start my new job and my new life on the West Coast.

I’m two hours early. The internship orientation session at Blaine Technologies is scheduled for eight o’clock sharp, not one minute before and not one minute after. Although caffeine is the last thing I need, standing in line at this coffee shop gives me something to do and someone to watch.

I slide my gaze to the fascinating someone waiting at the front counter. The biggest man I’ve ever seen in my entire life looms over the cash register, his feet braced apart as though he’s preparing for battle. His ebony hair is cropped close to his head, hiding nothing, and he’s dressed completely in black like a villain from a 1970s spy movie.

I survey my behemoth’s broad shoulders. It’s all him under his jacket, not a hint of padding disturbing the cut. His suit is bespoke, custom made especially for his big body, and I suspect the designer was English. My mystery man is wearing Barker Blacks, his leather shoes as large as the rest of him. Even his matching dress shirt is well made, the collar and cuffs stiff and crisp.

He glances over his right shoulder, meets my gaze, and I inhale sharply. His eyes are as dark as his ensemble, his nose flattened and his chin square. Everything about him screams power, strength, vitality, and the woman in me responds, my nipples tightening, my breasts pressing against the blazer of my favorite lavender suit.

My behemoth returns his gaze to the frazzled barista and I exhale, my head spinning. It has been years since I’ve allowed myself to notice a man, to think about what I want, what I need. My fingers tremble as I smooth my flared skirt. I want this stranger desperately, more than I’ve ever wanted anyone in my life.

This is a problem, as I have no idea how to snag his attention. My last date took place when I was seventeen, and I suspect flashing my breasts at a pep rally won’t land me this sophisticated man. I chew on the inside of my cheek, having no other clever ideas.

I ponder my next steps, and my stranger moves away from the front counter, clasping a cup of coffee with his thick fingers. He ordered plain black coffee, no cream, no sugar, no whipped cream, and hell no to the chocolate sprinkles. My father likes his coffee the same way.

My mystery man stops at the lid and stir stick island and a stout man wearing mismatched jacket and pants rushes to the counter, barking his order at the disheveled barista. The rest of us shuffle forward in line. The tall skinny brunette behind me pleads into her sparkly pink phone, begging her boyfriend to give her one more chance. She’ll be the girl he needs, she promises. She’ll lose those last five pounds.

I don’t know where she’ll lose those five pounds. She’s already as thin as a yard of fine silk ribbon. I look down at my more ample bosom, my breasts wrapped snugly in the blazer.

“No, please.” The brunette sobs. “Derek! Derek!” She glances at her phone’s small screen and her face crumples. My heart aches for her. She doesn’t know how to hide her sorrow, not like I do. I can help her with this.

I touch the girl’s bare arm, diverting her attention away from her phone. “Who did your pedicure?” I feign an interest in her perfect pink toes. Although her beige sandals are adorably strappy, my goal is to distract her from her grief. “I have to know,” I insist.

The brunette wipes away her tears with the back of her hand. “I—I—I—”

I glance around us fervently as though I’m afraid someone will overhear us. The behemoth is watching me, his dark eyes glinting with intelligence. Some people think big men are dumb. Some people also think blond women are stupid and no one should wear pink at a funeral. I learned long ago to ignore some people.

“Look at what happened to me on the flight here.” I slip my right foot out of my lavender pumps and wiggle my big toe. A huge chip of coral polish has flaked off, revealing raw nail. “I rushed for a flight, banged into a baggage cart, and that was it. My pedicure was ruined.”

The brunette’s red-rimmed eyes widen. “That’s terrible.”

“It’s a disaster.” I ignore the behemoth’s shaking shoulders. He doesn’t understand. My mystery man has the strength to deal with loss directly. He doesn’t need to pretend, to use trivial distractions as a means to cope. He would never travel across an entire country seeking to escape his sadness.

“I’m in a strange city,” I explain. “I have so many cute sandals and I can’t wear them.” I shove my foot back into my shoe, hiding the offending toe.

As we exchange information and bad salon stories, the behemoth leaves. I watch his broad shoulders disappear into the LA sunshine and feel as though I’ve lost a piece of my soul, a part of my future.

***

Blurb

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