by Cynthia Sax
Note: The rather
unusual views expressed in this post are solely those of me, one SciFi Romance
writer, and not of the SFR Brigade. If my suggestions work for you, great. Use
them. If they don’t work for you, consider talking with other writers. There
are a gazillion ways to keep a series fresh and exciting. Find one that matches
your unique writing style.
Hers To Command, my most recent release, is story 8 in my
cyborg series. I plan to write at the very least 4 more stories in this series.
Being a cyborg hero fangirl (Half Man. Half Machine. All
Sexy. – YUM!), I care deeply about this wonderful niche. It is important to me
that all of the stories in my series are fresh, exciting, different, worthy
of
being a cyborg romance.
The number one way I keep my stories interesting is to set
them in an evolving world.
An Evolving World
Today, you know something you didn’t know yesterday. Something
also happened in our world today that will change it forever. It might not be a
huge something but it IS something.
This is the thinking I apply to my series. Although every
story in my series can be read on its own (unless noted otherwise), the stories
build on each other.
At the beginning of story 1 (Releasing Rage – which is
currently FREE at all booksellers), for example, cyborgs believe they aren’t
genetically compatible with any females – human, humanoid or cyborg. They don’t
believe they can reproduce. They don’t think any female will ever love them. There’s
not much hope or happiness in their lifespans.
When Rage, the first cyborg hero, falls in love, however, their
view of their future shifts… for ALL of them (as they share information).
Suddenly they have a reason to be optimistic, to plan for the future, to dream.
They aren’t the same beings they were at the beginning of the story. They have
changed emotionally.
The war against the Humanoid Alliance, their manufacturers,
is another example of a ripple in the storyline. In every key story, an event
happens that significantly influences the war. This means the setting for the
next story is slightly different. In one story, a group might be seen as the
enemy. In the next story, they could be viewed as an ally.
I don’t usually talk about these past changes or these gains
in knowledge in the next story. There’s no need to do this. Readers of the
series know why there are changes. Standalone readers merely see the characters
or the world as they/it are/is in that specific story.
I find setting a series in an evolving world guarantees
every story is slightly different.
Readers, what keeps a series fresh and exciting for you?
Writers, what tactics do you employ to ensure every story in a series is
different?
***
Blurb
Hers To Command
Three Battered Hearts. One Perfect Love
Ace and Thrasher share a special bond. They’ve never
acknowledged that connection and have never fully acted on it. The Humanoid Alliance
kill cyborg males like them, deeming the warriors to be defective. Now that Ace
and Thrasher have escaped, they don’t trust the cyborg council and their
brethren to react any differently. Physical love is too risky for them to
consider.
Until they meet her.
Carys is the Commander of a Rebel Battle Station. She has
dedicated her lifespan to seeking vengeance against the Humanoid Alliance and
the cyborgs who killed her daughter. On her battle station, she makes the
rules, and if she wants to kiss, touch, and pleasure two mysterious warriors,
she will. Nothing, not even enemy warships and a mass cyborg rebellion, can
stop her.
In the midst of a war, enemies can become lovers and
loyalties can change in a moment. Can a forbidden relationship between two
cautious cyborgs and one unbending human Commander survive?
Hers To Command is Book 8 in the Cyborg Sizzle series.
Due to the number of returning characters in this story,
you’ll enjoy Hers To Command more if you’ve read the other stories first.
This is a MMF BBW Cyborg SciFi Romance.
Buy Now:
Apple/iBooks/iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/hers-to-command/id1179869260
***
Bio
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
A great idea for series with stand-alone titles in it.
ReplyDeleteA series-spanning story arc also keeps things fresh and interesting from book to book, too, but commits readers to reading the whole series from the beginning to follow the arc, so there are trade-offs for both.
I love what's about to be added with Ghost already. Those little shifts as we learn how the cyborgs tick, what makes them go, are definitely part of the thing that brings me back. I want to know. It's a pretty solid writing trick.
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