Guest Author and Giveaway of Wind Warrior by Cynthia Roberts

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED!
Today I have a real treat for you. Author Cynthia Roberts is answering the question:

What Makes A Romance Series Great?

When Pam asked me to write this article I had to give her major kudos because it’s truly a really awesome topic.


Personally one of the key elements I think is finding a genre that fits with your comfort level. There are so many genre and sub-genre to choose from that include erotica, paranormal, historical, contemporary, thriller, sci-fi, futuristic, regency, horror, mystery … it’s crazy yet, awesome! And as a writer, you have to decide from the start what the level of intimacy will be between your main characters. I prefer not to be vulgar but create enough sexual tension on my pages, my reader will need to search out their partner post haste or take a really quick cold shower to kill the ache.

It’s also important to remember that writing isn’t all about the physical aspect either. You know, the bodice ripping and “driving home” superlatives wink … wink. Women want to know there is some substance and mental connection. They want to know what is going on in the psyche of the males in question. Developing strong characters that come alive on the page, to me, is the foundation of a great story. Loving them because their virile, comical and endearing OR hating them because their maniacal, devious and calculating causes a reaction … and that’s called page turning. If you can’t create a vision of them, their surroundings and actions in the reader’s mind, you’ve failed them miserably.


There lies also the story. Does it entail some kind of emotional or spiritual awakening, is the hero or heroine trying to overcome great odds, is the author trying to inspire the reader and leave them walking away feeling contented or moved by the outcome? If you can make your reader feel as though they are shadowing the actual characters themselves and a part of their lives then you’ve got the makings of a great series. Nothing is more enticing than wanting more seeing the characters you have fallen in love with live on.

Wind Warrior by Cynthia Roberts

Book One - Iroquois Series

Book Description:

Leslie Michaels is a visionary, and only those close to her know of her special gift and the visions that come when her mind and body surrender to sleep. Fate has a way of righting many wrongs, and for Leslie it is a destiny that changes her life dramatically. But not before she is forced to flee into the wilderness to escape a murderous trapper bent on claiming her for his very own. Faith and a strong will to survive are her only companions, until she encounters Winnokin, the handsome Seneca war chief who first came to her in her dreams. Not only does he prove to be her rescuer and protector, he teaches her that tragedy can breed happiness and the passion to live and love deeply once again.

Wind Warrior plunges readers into the intimate depths of a relationship that unfolds like a live drama before their eyes while painting an insightful and intriguing portrait of Native Indian life in the 1800s. It is a story of longing, of a wanton need to survive all odds, and a love so strong it conquers human evil. Wind Warrior expresses with cunning words the simple, raw human emotions that hold readers spellbound and captivates their hearts.

Here is a tasty Excerpt:
Leslie Michaels detected the immediate transformation in the stranger’s eyes after she reached out and stroked the tips of her fingers slowly along the strong, angular curves of his chin and jaw. She looked for a change, some kind of reaction that told her he found her to be too bold or forward. However, his calm reserve gave away no emotion at all.

She was pleased that he did not draw away from her touch or display any signs of displeasure. More than anything, she wanted to know what was going on in his mind.



Did he find her attractive? Would he want to know her more intimately?

She could not believe that those thoughts were even running through her mind. By

God, she thought, I’m thinking just like one of those dance hall girls always standing outside the saloon at the settlement.


She certainly was not the kind of woman to just throw herself at a man.

She was generally shy and reserved, and it normally took a while before she warmed up to someone, especially a man like the one right there in front of her.


And to think, she sighed, that his lips may just taste sweeter than sugar.

She could feel her cheeks flush and patted them with her palms. This man certainly made her feel brazen. She wondered if he found her touch as pleasing as it was for her. When the moments passed with words unspoken between them,
Leslie was afraid she truly overstepped her bounds.

There must be someone else in his life, a wife or betrothed, she thought.

She searched his eyes to see if disinterest reflected in their depths, but he was too difficult to read. Leslie leaned back slightly and pondered if his lack of response was more out of duty or respect and not wanting to offend her.


I am such a––a fool––a stupid, crazy ninny, she chastised silently and lowered her head to hide her embarrassment. Just because I am drawn to him like a bee to honey does not mean he feels the same about me, she argued with herself. After all, we are from different cultures. Those in my world would never approve of such a union.


Leslie’s heart began to pound rapidly in her chest when he moved slightly and reached out for her. She gasped faintly when he tenderly clasped her chin to raise it and gazed into her eyes. A lump caught in her throat, and she knew she could not swallow even if she tried. Joy filled her heart when she watched as his beautiful, full lips began to slowly curve into a smile.


The pleasure she felt overwhelmed her and she pressed her fingers to her lips and sighed softly. She did not know his name, where he came from, or what kind of person he was. What she did know was that she felt no fear, no apprehension, in his presence. She did not hold back and drew herself up from her squatting position to kneel before him.


His beautiful, amber eyes were captivating, and Leslie knew at that very moment that she could get lost in their depths for an eternity. She wanted nothing else. He clasped a hold of her tiny wrists and placed her right hand upon his shoulder.


She reacted instantly and did not hold back. She needed, wanted, to touch more of him and slowly ran the flat of her palm down the length of his naked chest, feeling the strength of hard muscle beneath his light copper skin. It amazed her how such a masculine man could feel as soft as a rabbit’s pelt. Her eyes drifted again to the fullness of his lips, and she craved to have her own held captive by them.

He was the most handsome man she had ever seen, and even though he was Indian, it did not sway her from wanting to share something more with him. The comfort and safety she felt was far from odd, even knowing it would prove disturbing to others. Leslie dismissed all doubt and worry from her mind. She never was a person to be affected by what others thought. And she was not about to start now.


If he was an admirable man with a kind and compassionate heart, that was all she needed to know. She felt an immediate connection and shivered slightly when he reached forward to tenderly move a tendril of her hair away from her face. It seemed natural and right to rest her cheek against the palm of his hand.


His thumb glided softly against her skin, and she shivered slightly as she tilted her body to nuzzle the side of her face against the warmth of his touch. He reached his other hand to cup her face and draw her nearer.


Leslie could feel his breath caressing her skin, and she knew he was going to kiss her.

“Come. Let us ride the wind together,” he whispered softly in her ear.

Slowly his lips brushed across her cheek, barely touching skin, causing her body to tremble in response.


This was the moment she hoped for, and she leaned her body closer and raised her chin to meet the pressure of his lips. His powerful arms were tender as they softly folded about her until their bodies were pressed together in a heated embrace.

The loud, shrilling chatter of gray squirrels playing outside her bedroom loft window jolted Leslie from her sleep as though cold water had just been thrown upon her face, and she bolted upright, into a sitting position.


"No!” she cried softly.


She realized it was just a dream as she ran her palm softly across the spot where she could swear she still felt the warmth of the stranger’s touch. Her eyes scanned every corner of her room, and her heart sank from the disappointing realization that she did indeed dream of the beautiful stranger once again. She turned and watched the humorous antics that continued outside her window.

"Shoo––shoo, you two,” she scolded. “Did you have to choose this very moment to wake me?” she continued as she shook her head and stretched her limbs like a contented feline.


For a moment she played back the memory of the dream that had haunted her over and over again for the past two months. When is this going to end? She wondered. What does it all mean?

It was not just this particular incident that bewildered her. For as long as she could remember, Leslie had always been taunted by such riddles.

Early in her childhood, she had learned not to question her special ability to see what would happen in the very near future through her dreams.


She never feared them, because they were so very much a part of her life, and she naturally assumed every one had the same experiences in their life. That is, until she was old enough to speak and express what she saw with her parents.


Leslie was nearly seven when she finally began to understand what was happening to her, what she was born with. Her mother, Olivia, had sat her down and carefully told her of the special gift they both shared. It was a guarded secret that had been passed down for five generations by the feminine line on her mother’s side.


Still, the dream she had just experienced was so different and more personal than any she had before. This dream involved her emotions.

She knew this particular stranger would play a major role in her future.

She just did not know what, or when, or where. Each time he entered her sleep, it became more real, and her attraction for him grew stronger.

She was becoming drawn to his long, dark hair and a physique, which looked as though it had been chiseled from stone. He was a mystery for now, and she was certain it was one that would be solved sooner rather than later.

About the Author:
Hello everyone. Like all of you, I lived and breathed reading romances … it filled many long, lonely evenings when my husband worked nights in law enforcement and I was raising our children Jason and Alyssa (now 31 and 29). It proved my constant companion later when my “Cinderella” marriage of twenty-five years came to an unexpected end. There is a quote I heard once I can’t remember verbatim but goes somewhat like … “There is no greater loss than a love once known.”

I’m a true believer that when tragedy strikes and you’re standing at the edge of a fathomless abyss and all you see is darkness looking back at you, faith lies in knowing one of two things will happen. You can either let fear consume you, roll up into a ball and waste away or, you can take a leap of faith and learn how to soar like an eagle.
I’ve always had a passion for writing from that very moment a Crayola was placed in my hand and throughout my career in marketing, public relations and sales writing creatively came easy. When my marriage ended at the age of 45, life as I knew it was never the same. It was a time of unrest, uncertainty, losing friends and family and financial ruin because I also found myself jobless which continued nearly two years.
Wind Warrior became my salvation. One evening I sat in front of the computer and decided to write instead of read. I loved Cassie Edwards Savage Series and read every one of her books and figured all I could do was fail. It proved my therapy back then but not quite up to par to win the favor of publishers. I received so many rejections I could have wallpapered a small room in my house and almost gave up on my dream. That is, until I realized it just wasn’t my time. I needed to live through and get beyond the pain in my own life before I could transform that experience into the kind of passion and emotion I wanted my readers to feel personally through my writing.
Wind Warrior is book one of five of my Iroquois Series and will officially be released by Tate Publishing June 15th. It is, however, available now for purchase through Tate’s website and it is my heartfelt hope readers will find it as enthralling to read as it was for me to research and bring to life. Book #2 Captive Heart is finished and expected to be released the end of this year.
Now that the writer in me has been unleashed … look out world! If I can leave my beautiful five grandchildren any legacy, it will be the strength, conviction and passion put into every story I bring to life. Please stay tuned for future projects which will include a series introducing contemporary shape shifters and two mainstream romance thrillers entitled Pawn For Malice and The Keeper’s Watch.
Wind Warrior
Tate Publishing
ISBN 978-1-61663-162-8
Link to purchase from Tate before June 15 http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-61663-162-8
Available at Amazon and all other venues June 15th
http://www.romanceauthorcynthiaroberts.com  





WIN IT! And to make things even more fun, Cynthia is giving away an Autographed Copy of her Novel - Wind Warrior!



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Disclaimer: I was in no other way compensated to post this review.

If you are an author or publisher and you would like for me to review your book, please contact me directly: polsen11[at]comcast[dot]net