Today, I saw four, FOUR messages from Facebook buddies wondering if anyone cared about them. This stuns me because I can guarantee you, if you’re my reader, I care about you. And I believe many writers feel this way.

One of the many wonderful things about Romanceland, about the reading community, is writers and readers have a relationship. Writing is communication. Communication requires more than one person. Both people are important, are valued.

If you’re a reader, you have a connection with your favorite writers. A specific writer’s story speaks to you because you share some of the same soul. You understand the writer, perhaps better than anyone else, and she/he understands you.

If you’re a writer, you have a similar connection with your readers. You might not know everything about that reader. You might not know her or his name. But she/he ‘gets’ you. She/he realizes where you’re coming from. Since many of us are rather unusual (I’m certainly not normal – grins), that’s a very special thing.

Yes, I write for myself. But I only publish stories I think readers might like. Often I’m thinking of specific readers, readers who have contacted me in some way. I think to myself, ‘Jill or Elizabeth or Janet might like this story. I’ll publish this one.’ I usually don’t tell them I’m publishing the story for them because that puts quite a bit of pressure on these readers to like it but I AM thinking this.

I know, from the conversations I’ve been having with many of my writing buddies, that I’m not alone in this. They’re thinking of their readers also. This time of year, especially, we, writers, brainstorm, thinking of ideas to show our readers how important they are to us, to thank them.

Some writers host contests (this is why so many writers have contests in December). Some writers share bonus scenes in their newsletters. Some writers send holiday cards. I write and publish a short story set in my most popular series of that year.

This year, the story is Jumping Barrel, a FREE cyborg short story (if this story isn’t free at your favorite bookseller, please contact me). It is sweeter and shorter than the regular stories in the series because December is often busy for readers. This story isn’t a marketing ploy. I already have the first story in the series (Releasing Rage) available for free. It is a thank you, pure and simple, because I love and appreciate my readers.

You’re part of the reading community. You’re not alone. And yes, people care about you. Never doubt that.

Jumping Barrel

He requires an Expert. She needs a hero.

Barrel requires an Expert for the Tau Cetian orphans. He’s looking for a female who is willing to commit to a lifespan-long role, who is comfortable with moving off planet, and who, preferably, has the ability to speak the offsprings’ first language.

Nola wants the role Barrel is offering so badly she bends a few truths. Yes, she was born off planet but she has lived almost all of her lifespan in sheltered Academies. Yes, she has learned Tau Cetian but she has never spoken with a local. Yes, she plans to follow the rules but his deep, sexy voice tempts her to rebel.

When a fact-morphing human academic meets her battle-worn cyborg warrior, deceptions are revealed, passions flare, and circuits sizzle. Wrong seems right. Lies turn into truth. The candidate least qualified for the role becomes the one candidate Barrel can’t let go.

Jumping Barrel is a short companion story in the Cyborg Sizzle series and is meant to be read after Releasing Rage, Breathing Vapor and Crash And Burn.

It is also a BBW Cyborg SciFi Romance.
Read it now for FREE

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NBB6XQ3
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01NBB6XQ3
Apple/iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/jumping-barrel/id1178813929
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-jumpingbarrel-2177045-168.html
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/jumping-barrel-cynthia-sax/1125190786
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/jumping-barrel

About Cynthia Sax

USA Today bestselling author Cynthia Sax writes SciFi, contemporary and paranormal erotic romances. Her stories have been featured in Star Magazine, Real Time With Bill Maher, and numerous best of erotic romance top ten lists.

Sign up for her dirty-joke-filled release day newsletter and visit her on the web at www.CynthiaSax.com

Website:  CynthiaSax.com
Newsletter:   http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Facebook:  facebook.com/cynthia.sax
Twitter:  @CynthiaSax
Blog:  TasteOfCyn.com

Y’all may not know it, but my sister is a cover artist. She creates most of mine! We’ve been debating about the cover for the next Boys Behaving Badly anthology we’re working on and we could use a little help. Here are the three options she’s been working on. Which do you prefer? Feel free to leave comments, if you like, describing what you like or whether you think we should start all over again.

Thanks for your help!! And be looking for this book in early 2017!

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Did you know that my sister and I co-authored 5 books before we branched out on our own? We love romantic comedy and hope you will love it too. In January, SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT will release for the first time! It’s the second book in the TEXAS BILLIONAIRES CLUB. If you liked THE UGLY TRUTH with Gerard Butler and Kathrine Heigl, you’ll like this story. It’s up for preorder on Amazon, so don’t wait. Get it now. It’ll be fun! And we have 3 more books in the series!

http://bit.ly/STTAAMZ

What happens when Martha Stewart teams up with the Oscar Madison of radio talk shows?  Sparks fly, romance blooms and their audience goes wild!

Diane Denton is a cool, sophisticated home and garden talk show host on K-YAK 102.5 radio station.  All she thinks she wants is to talk about is fertilizer and place settings, while fending off her well-meaning country club parents’ attempts to push her into marriage with the “right man.”

To Diane, fellow talk show host, Rip O’Rourke, is nothing more than a rebellious, overgrown teenager, flaunting his baseball-capped, Hawaiian-shirted, ex-football player physique to “score” with anything with breasts.  Proof of his perversity is the crude, but popular, hour of programming he hosts that discusses such manly topics as wet T-shirt contests and sports statistics.  Diane wouldn’t spit on Rip if he were on fire, while Rip, on the other hand, wants to do more than spend time with Diane.  She is a challenge to mankind as a whole, and his goal in life is to see Diane’s crisp shirts and tailored slacks properly rumpled, just once.

Rip gets his opportunity when the radio station is sold to a large corporation, and the station manager is challenged to come up with a prime-time show that will set the city on its ear.  From one of Rip and Diane’s public arguments springs the idea of a show about the differences between men and women, giving their audience, “Something to Talk About.”

ELLE JAMES aka Myla Jackson
New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author
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MONTANA D-FORCE | SEAL’S DECEPTION | SEAL’S DELIVERANCE
DEADLY OBSESSION | NAVY SEAL TO DIE FOR | NAVY SEAL SIX PACK
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Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Newsletter | Amazon Author Page

A few years ago, when I was trying to sell my novel Confessions of the World’s Oldest Shotgun Bride to a publisher, I had the honor of working with a knowledgable industry professional. Recognizing that she knew a lot more than I did about the publishing biz, I parked my ego at the door and accepted her advice without a fight.

Except when it came to one issue — the heroine’s age.

Confessions is an older woman/younger man story. I originally wrote the heroine, Kathryn, as 41 and the hero as 29. My advisor, however, said a romance heroine in her forties wouldn’t sell. That didn’t feel right to me, since I’m older than that, and I know a lot of women my age — late Baby Boom to early Gen X range — who read romance. Surely it wasn’t too late for people like us to find love? But I wanted to sell the book. So I changed the heroine to 39, which I described as “just the right side of 40.” Still not good enough, I was told. So I reluctantly settled for “in her mid-thirties” — which I thought of as 38, but figured other people could think of as 33.

Eventually I got an offer from a small press, but chose instead to go the indie publishing route. I don’t bother changing the heroine’s age back, though, and I smiled when one reviewer said she wasn’t sure how old Kathryn was supposed to be. My fudging hadn’t gone unnoticed.

Then about a year ago I discovered the Facebook group Seasoned Romance (https://www.facebook.com/groups/958318970951705/), “a place for place for readers and writers of love stories with heroes and heroines in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond.” And I smiled again. I had found my tribe — people who appreciated cougars and silver foxes. People who know it’s never too late to fall in love.

Today is the last day of the Seasoned Romances 99 cents sale (http://seasonedromances.com), featuring books by 24 authors from the Seasoned Romance group. Drop by if you enjoy a bargain and understand that love knows no age.

About the Author

Before becoming a writer, Gail Hart spent a few years as an Air Force JAG, then settled in as a lawyer and manager for the U.S. government. Despite what opposing counsel sometimes said about her briefs, she didn’t write any fiction until later in her career. She must have been destined to be a romance writer, though, because even the law review article she wrote had “sex” in the title. She spent most of her life on the east coast but now lives in San Antonio, where she doesn’t miss the cold.

www.facebook.com/authorgailhart
www.authorgailhart.com

Here are five things I believe every reader wants to find between the pages of a historical romance:

• A sense of time

It’s important that the reader feels grounded in history as soon as they begin to read – or at least by the end of the first page…ideally, the first paragraph. How do authors do this? For me, it’s all about the language used in dialogue or the objects present in the scene. Using old English or adding an object rarely, or better still, never used today will go a long way to ‘showing’ the reader, the story is set in yesteryear.

• A sense of place

Setting is vital in historical romance – it is the author’s job to create as rich a setting as they possibly can. Buildings, horses, carriages, balls, lighting and even a cobbled street can bring the setting alive. The more the reader pictures in their mind, the quicker they will read. After all, it will be like watching a movie!

• Costume

Another vital ingredient in historical romance – there is a reason why we call historical movies and TV shows, “costume dramas.” Clothes are vitally important to bring color and romance to a historical novel. The dresses, bustle and hoops, cravats, boots and jewellery are a simple way to transport a reader back in time.

• Old-fashioned Romance

Historical romance gives the author and reader a chance to indulge in that old-fashioned gallantry that, if I’m honest, I still love to experience in today’s world. In my historical romances, I take full advantage of my male cast opening doors, pulling out chairs, kissing gloved hands and generally treating the females as genteelly as possible…without being sickly sweet, of course!

• And finally…social conventions and restrictions

For me, this is what historical romance is all about – showing those conventions and restrictions that are no longer in society. I often use one or two as the premise for my novels and watch how my hero and heroine fight against them, or overcome them, in order to achieve their goals. I love writing about strong women who wish to expand their lives and change things for women…with the hero’s full approval and support. It’s often that support and encouragement that makes me fall head over heels in love with my hero. 🙂

Rachel writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense for Harlequin Superromance (Templeton Cove Stories) and Victorian romance for eKensington/Lyrical Press. Her latest historical romance is Her One True Love – here is the blurb and buy links…

She Can’t Forget Him… 

Jane Charlotte Danes has loved the squire of her idyllic country town for as long as she can remember. He is good, kind, and alluring beyond words… and he chose to marry another. Tired of dwelling on her futile longings, Jane plans a move to Bath, where she dreams of a new beginning. But the man who has so imprisoned her heart is only a few steps behind…

He Can’t Let Her Go…

Until now, Matthew Cleaves has endeavored to meet the responsibilities of his position with dignity and good spirits–including his dutiful marriage. But when his wife leaves him for another man, Matthew is at last free to pursue his one true love. Only one vital question remains: will the captivating, stubborn, beautiful Jane allow him the challenge, and the pleasure, of winning her back?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B010JYVX66
http://amzn.com/B010JYVX66
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/her-one-true-love-rachel-brimble/1122226549?ean=9781601832771
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/her-one-true-love

About the Author

Rachel lives with her husband and two teenage daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. After having several novels published by small US presses, she secured agent representation in 2011. Since 2013, she has had six books published by Harlequin Superromance (Templeton Cove Stories) and recently signed a contract for two more. She also has four Victorian romances with eKensington/Lyrical Press.

Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America, and was selected to mentor the Superromance finalist of So You Think You Can Write 2014 contest. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England.

She likes nothing more than connecting and chatting with her readers and fellow romance writers. Rachel would love to hear from you!

Links:
Website
Blog
Twitter
Facebook
Facebook Street Team – Rachel’s Readers

UPDATE: The giveaway has ended! Thanks to all who participated!

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Well, I was supposed to have a guest today, but I guess I didn’t nag enough or she just got busy. So, instead of a titillating post about some awesome new story by some wonderful author, I’ll give away stories today. 🙂

If you’d like a free short story, one of the three shown here, in the comments, tell me which title you’d like and leave your email address. I’ll email them tomorrow morning!

Choose from among these three. I know the covers for 1 & 3 don’t inspire, but I promise, the stories are hot, hot, hot!

The Morning Ride — A New York commuter shares lustful daydreams with another subway passenger… (fantasy, BDSM)

Two Hot — Afraid to spoil their friendship, Emily had been reluctant to act on her attraction to the two sexy men next door. However, when she’s caught spying on them, the men decide a little punishment is in order… (m/f/m menage)

Nip ‘n’ Tuck — Follow a shy seamstress’s adventures with an online suitor that don’t go quite as planned… (voyeurism, BDSM)

And if these three make you curious about what other short stories I have ready for you to enjoy, check out my short story page!

I don’t know if you know this, I have said it before, but before I became a full-time author, I was a professional project planner (PMP certified), first in the Army then in the IT field. So, planning isn’t just something I think about now and then. I breathe it. Love it. Revel in all the bright possibilities of a shiny future. To those of you who aren’t planners/listers, I know you think the rest of us are just a bit touched. 🙂

If, however, you’re like me, I’d love to hear how you get ready for those New Year’s resolutions.

For me, the process begins with something airy-fairy—a mind map. I love putting them together so much that I lead an annual workshop where everyone who participates has a chance to get their next year’s writing goals drawn up. Here’s my 2017 writing map. It’s just a starting point–the big picture goals I want to consider for the new year. I do one of these for my writing life and one for my “real” life. This gets placed beneath a clear mat on my desk to remind me throughout the year of what I dreamed I would tackle during the year.

This week, I’m leading a FREE online workshop, entitled Write 50 Books a Year, for writers who want to develop a more concrete plan for their 2017 work schedule. I teach it because it invigorates my own planning efforts—and it forces me to knuckle down and actually get the work done. Before January even rolls around, I’ll know exactly what I intend to accomplish.

If you’re interested in learning more about mind maps, check out my Mind Maps & Vision Boards Pinterest page.

For 2017, I’m hoping to get ahead of the work, although I think I haven’t evolved much from my Army days. I still work best under pressure. Deadlines are a huge incentive for me, but self-imposed deadlines aren’t all that exciting. But I really, really want to learn to work more methodically. I think I might live longer. 🙂

So, tell me something about how you approach the new year…