Wednesday Briefs - In the Arms of an Angel - Oh God; We're God

And we get to Wednesday again, Another week survived. This week has been a holiday week. I've had the whole week off as it's school holidays. The week didn't go exactly to plan - well not at all to plan but I'm celebrating the fact I survived it.

The prompt I chose this week is 

“I get the feeling you’re talking about more than just a three way bond,” Gabri’el said, his eyes glowing with suspicion.

“Yes. We always ensure we leave a three way bond in charge when we leave a seeded planet.  A Trinity is more than that; much more. It actually exists within each of you. Human genes, our genes and something that represents the union of the two that creates something more. Usually, the three way bond is nothing more than the union of three angels creating a special energy that is more powerful than that created by a two way bond. With a Trinity, you’re transcended beyond that, to a state which has less to do with being human that I am. It happens very occasionally when the balance of DNA is equal. In effect, that requires an overdose of our genes. That’s why it’s so rare. It requires a pretty drastic mistake.”

“Why does it not surprise me that you made a drastic mistake?” Uzzy said with some fondness in his voice.

“What does that mean for us?” Gabri’el snapped.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Ariel said with a sigh. “Trinities are so rare we haven’t really been able to study them, especially as they’re only ever created immediately before we leave. Occasionally, one of the senior scientists are sent back to study them but not much information has been gathered so far.”

“What information do you actually have? What have you done to us?”

“I don’t know.” Ari said, a touch of irritation in his voice. “Haven’s I just told you that?”

“Is it going to harm us?”

“Oh no, it won’t do that. All the Trinities so far have been stable, some for centuries. We’ve had no reports of it affecting the participants negatively. Quite the opposite. As you’ve been given far more of our DNA than the ordinary angels you’re far more powerful.”

“In what way?”

Ari sighed. “Have you not listened to what I’ve been saying?  I don’t see there’s much point repeating a question to which you know there is no answer. It’s something you’re going to have to work out for yourselves as you go along.”

“You’re going to help us though,” Pasha asked, rather alarmed by the way the conversation was heading.

Ari looked uncomfortable. “That’s another thing I’ve already told you,” he said. “We only create the three way bond immediately before we leave. Therefore, it’s a reasonable assumption I expected you to make, that I am about to leave.”

“Not until you’ve taught us what we need to know,” Gabri’el snapped. ”You can’t just drop all this in our laps and walk away.”

Gabri’el seemed on the verge of going for Ari’s throat. Ari shrugged. “It’s the way it happens. You have to find your own way and if I stay I’ll affect that, pollute it. I’m not of this world; you are. Uzzy has already shown he’s more than able to use the equipment.” He tossed his hair. “Better than me, in fact. He was always meant to be the leader and he can guide you better than I can. Uzzy is the leader, Gabri’el is the protector and Pasha is the mediator. It’s the way it always is. At least I got that bit right.” Suddenly, Ari’s face lit up. “I did get that bit right, didn’t I? And I created a Trinity. I might just pass this after all.”

“That’s all you care about? Passing your bloody exam? You sit there and tell us we’re some kind of super beings and that you’re imminently going to leave us in charge of the whole planet, and all you care about is passing your exam?”

Ari looked somewhat embarrassed, but simply shrugged.

“You can’t do that.”

“I have done that. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry isn’t good enough.”

“It’s all I can give you.”

“At least show us how everything works,” Pasha said, suddenly feeling alarmed.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have time.”

“What do you mean? When are you leaving?”

“Um Nowish.”

“Nowish? What does that mean?”

“Nowish. Now. I have time to show you The Core and after that I have to go.”

“What’s The Core?”

“It’s what powers all this and gives you the ability to be anywhere and everywhere at once.”

“I wondered how that was done.”

“I may be God but I’m can’t split myself into that many pieces. The Core…. Well, come see it.”

Numbly, the three angels followed Ari through corridors and the weird sliding doors.

Pasha realised something as Ari laid his hand against a wall panel and the green glow spread between his 

fingers. “How are we going to get through the doors?”

“Once The Core recognizes you, you’ll be able to work all the panels and equipment.”

“Uzzy was already able to use the equipment.”

Ari stopped. “He was, wasn’t he? I wonder if that’s one of the things The Trinity can do. Try.” He stepped aside and indicated a door panel. Startled, Uzzy stared at it. “Go on. Try.”

Hesitantly, Uzzy laid his hand against the panel. Instead of a green light the rainbow light they’d already experienced between themselves, sparkled and shimmered. The door opened. Uzzy turned to them, delighted. “You try.”

Both Gabri’el and Pasha were successful in opening the doors and Ari acknowledged it sulkily with a huff. He then continued to lead them through the corridors, deeper into the complex. “You can explore later. Most of the rooms are empty.”

Finally, he paused in front of a door that looked the same as all the other doors. With a flourish he opened it and they stepped into The Core.

It was beautiful, amazing, breath-taking. It was…a room full of nothing, but a nothing that contained everything. The air was full of it.

“Damn,” Ari said. They knew what he meant. They were surrounded by a familiar rainbow energy. “It’s never done that before.”

“Oh God,” Pasha said, breathless. “We’re God.”

“Absolutely. And I’m retired.” Ari grinned at them.

I think our story is drawing to an end. another couple of chapters and our boys are on their own. I'm considering a hot threeway to end. What are your views? Do you think it would be gratuitous or just the thing to round things off and bring it to its climax with a bang?

Now go see the other flashers this week

Andrew Gordon

A R Von

Lily Sawyer

Shelly Shultz

M A Church

Cia Nordwell

Tali Spencer

Victoria Adams

Elyzabeth VaLey

Julie Lynn Hayes

Review of Vassily the Beautiful by Angel Martinez

Many of my friends do reviews on their blogs and I thought, why not. I've read lots of really great books and why shouldn't I shout out to the world how much I've enjoyed them.

I'm going to start with my favourite. I read Vassily the Beautiful by Angel Martinez some time ago and the 'feel' of it has haunted me every since. Every time I look at the beautiful book cover it sends a shiver through me.




Background

Vassily is a sweet, gentle boy. Seriously injured in the lab accident that killed his father, he remains delicate and introvert, living for his music.

When his mother brings home a new husband complete with two sons, Vassily struggles to come to terms with the family who turn his life on its head.

Shortly afterwards his mother is taken prisoner by space pirates and he is plunged into hell when he discovers his step father is the manufacturer of a particular nasty drug. Vassily is forced to take the drug and become his step father's lab rat.

He lives in misery counting his days and praying for release until the day his step father sends him to collect a rare piece of equipment from the mysterious and reclusive Baba Yaga. Littel does he know that this simple task would revolutionize his life and change it forever.

Baba Yaga refuses to deal with a drug addict and hands Vassily over to her three sons to 'cure'. After suffering hell on wheels, Vassily comes to trust the three very different boys. Poldien is sweet, gentle and somewhat effeminate. He's a healer and takes care of Vassily while he recovers from his addiction. Rassvet is the muscle man. Straightforward and uncomplicated he is somewhat difficult to get along with at the start but is a really good friend. Sumerki is the hardest to get along with. He is disgusted by Vassily's drug addiction and interacts only when he has to. Nevertheless he is the one Vassily is most drawn to.

Gradually Vassily's relationship with Sumi deepens and love appears on the horizon. However, before anything can come of it, Baba Yaga gives Vassily the part he came from and he is forced to return to his father and brothers. Threatened again with addiction Vassily escapes and returns to Sumi, to find them all on the brink of war and literally has to fight for his love.

Review

This is a totally enchanting story, based on a Russian Fairytale. Vassily is the sweetest, most gently person you could want to meet but with almost inexhaustible inner strength. In the first half of the book I was constantly on the edge of my seat with my heart in my mouth wondering what delightful torture lay around the next corner, as Vassily's life descends into hell.

I fell in love with Vassily straight away and really cared when he was being treated badly. The trip from home to Baba Yaga was terrifying for Vassily and quite stressful for me, too and the torment he went through coming off the drug was heart breaking.

The supporting cast are all strongly drawn and very distinct from each other. There is some stereotyping although that must be inevitable when the story is based on a fairytale but frankly I only realised that when I really thought about it. The story flows so naturally and the characters are introduced in such a way that I tool to them or hated them immediately and was invested in their lives from the start.

The characters are diverse but they all have their own charm. Even Vassily's evil step brothers have redeeming features at the end.

I'm sure you will have noticed that I am a very character driven reader, as I am a character driven writer and if a book doesn't have strong characters, good interaction and great dialogue you can forget it as far as I'm concerned. This book has all three in generous measure as well as delicate story telling, almost unconscious world building and enough action to satisfy the sci fi fans too.

There is heat but it's definitely not the first thing that springs to mind when thinking of this story.

The magic of this story captured me in the first few pages and carried me to the end and beyond. It still clings to me now when I recall it. The cover itself is enough to case a spell over the reader and make them want more.

On a scale of one to ten this one is a nine and a half.

This wonderful author can be found here where you can find information on her other books


Sales Link

Amazon

All Romance

It's on Smashwords as well but I couldn't find the link. Well, what are you waiting for? Go read it now!

Wednesday Briefs - In The Arms Of An Angel - Trinity

Another Wednesday has rolled around. I can't say it's been a good week but it's been a horrible weekend, but here I am surviving it all. I intend to sleep until dinner time tomorrow so this is going up just a tiny bit early. 

I have, again, taken liberties with the prompts this week. I've put the pic in a) because I like it and b) technically it refers to God - kind of. I reckon Ari would look good in that outfit.

I also have a VERY obscure Queen reference. Kudos to anyone who finds it.

Arm  in arm, Pasha, Uzzy and Gabri’el  followed Ari through corridors that first reminded them of a hospital and then, rather uncomfortably, of some kind of spaceship.

Ari stopped in front of a metal door and pressed his hand to a panel in the wall. A familiar green glow appeared between his fingers, and the door swung silently open.

Immediately, the hall was filled with sound – whirring, clicking, humming, buzzing, and a high pitched alarm. Ari swore and ran inside.

“It’s the climate alarm,” Uzzy whispered. “It means there’s a disaster somewhere. There are supposed to be indications and warnings in advance to give Ari the chance to control or divert it, but Ari’s useless at it.”

“I can hear you, you know,” Ari said, staring intently at a huge screen where a cluster of red dots was flashing frantically. Ari’s fingers flew over a massive touchpad and the dots grew rapidly bigger then resolved into a map which zoomed in to scene of carnage, with houses mere mounds of rubble, severed power lines twisting like snakes with fireworks tied to their tails, fires springing up and people crawling, hobbling or carrying each other away from cracks in the earth as wide as car. In some places cars were half inside the giant maws as if about to be crunched and swallowed.

“Earthquake,” Ari said. “It doesn’t count as climate.”

“You’re still supposed to keep them under control, though.”

“I know,” Ari ground out through gritted teeth. “God here, remember?  I know everything.”

“Except how to control climate and avoid earthquakes.”

“The science is very similar.”

“Which explains why you’re as useless with earthquakes as climate.”

“If you think you can do better, by all means give it a try.”

Uzzy looked a little startled, then walked forward and frowned at the touchpad. “Why don’t you reduce the pressure over there,” he said pointing at the upper left corner. “And that graph line is unstable. If you increase the pressure here and here when you reduce it over there, it will bring the baseline up and make it more stable.”

Ari stopped work and glared at him. “Oh well, if you know better than God, then feel free to take over.”

Gently edging Ari out of the way, Uzzy gazed at the map with a dreamy expression on his face as his hands began to move slowly over the touchpad.

“Pasha, can you help me? Gabri’el, come over here.” Pasha hesitantly took his place next to Uzzy.  “Look,” Uzzy said, “see there? I think if we move this and slide that the pressure will even out. Gabri’el, if you move over to that pad you can handle the hurricane headed for the coast of Brazil. Can you see what to do?”

“Yeah,” Gabri’el said, shock in his voice. “I can. I really can.”

While Gabri’el set to work Pasha examined the touchpad and blinked as the random symbols and flashing lights began to resolve themselves into a pattern. Looking up at the screen and watching the way Uzzy’s fingers flew over his own patch of symbols, Pasha soon saw a pattern which he started to repeat and gradually transform into a whole new set of patterns.

As they watched the heaving earth stilled and settled, the fissures groaned and closed, taking the cars with them, and the dust began to settle. In Brazil, the hurricane dispersed leaving nothing more than high waves and a rather severe rainstorm.

When everything had settled the three angels moved back in unison and grinned at each other. “That was fun,” Uzzy said.

“Stressful fun.”

“The best fun always is.”

Ari cleared his throat and they all turned to him. He looked sulky. “How did you know what to do? How did you fix things to easily?”

Uzzy shrugged and spoke for the trio. “It was obvious once you saw the pattern.”

“But how did you know how to work the controls?”

“I don’t know, I just did.”

“But… Hmm…” Ari wandered off and started examining a different set of equipment and when he hadn’t come back for five minutes the others wandered around for a while examining the strange machines and delicate equipment, then Uzzy led them back to the comfortable room, where they sat together on the sofa and held each other while staring into the fire.

When Ari came back, Uzzy and Pasha were asleep and Gabri’el dozing, although he came instantly awake as soon as the door opened.

Gabri’el woke the other two and they sat up, rubbing their eyes and staring expectantly at Ari.

“It was the DNA,” he said. “I knew you three were special I just wasn’t quite sure how. It seems as if you’ve somehow acquired concentrated amounts of DNA from my people. At least Uzzy does. I took some samples when he came – with his permission,” he added quickly as Gabri’el leaned forward.

“Your DNA?”

“No.”

“But you said that you created angels my mixing your DNA with humans, and that when you mixed it with Atlanteans you created super angels.”

Ari laughed. “Not exactly ‘super angels’, but that’s it…kind of.”

“What do you mean?”

“It was an accident.”

“Now why am I not surprised?”

Ari glared at Gabri’el. “I carry DNA samples from some of my own kind, in case of emergencies.”

“What kind of emergencies?”

“Destruction of my species.”

“Is that a possibility?” Uzzi’el asked , alarmed.

“It’s always a possibility. There are dangerous beings out there. Everyone who travels off planet takes a set of DNA of all the most important members of our society with them – just in case.”

“And?”

“I got some of the samples mixed up. I thought it hadn’t really made any difference but it now seems that it did.”

“What kind of difference?”

“I don’t really know. I’ve never done it before but I have a theory.”

“Don’t keep us in suspense.”

“I think I accidentally created the Trinity.”

So, what exactly is the Trinity? No idea. We'll have to see what happens next week. It absolutely, definitely doesn't have anything to do with The Matrix.

Now go chase down the rest of our motley but very talented crew

M A Church

Lily Sawyer

Cia Nordwell

J A Harmon

Andrew Gordon

Victoria Adams

Tali Spencer

Michael Mandrake

Julie Lynn Hayes

Disturbed Connection - Kia Zi Shiru

Blurb:

A werewolf and a vampire, forbidden love. What could go wrong?

CHRIS, a werewolf on the run from his abusive clan, hides in a vampire house. ALEC, a vampire who has comfortably lived in the house for years, has no intentions to ever leave it.

Their connection is obvious from the first time they meet. But the house rules are strict, werewolves and vampires can not date. Unable to fight their attraction and unwilling to leave, they instead choose to hide their love.

Then Chris’ old clan finds him and takes him back. Will Alec ever see Chris again?

When Kia told me the new book was out and ready for a blog spot, we talked about what to put in the post. As you know, I like things a bit different and we hit upon the idea of a parade of sexy vampires and weres, so here they are. I hope you like them

Most sexy vampires and werewolves

Hi people, for my newest book, Disturbed Connections, which is a romance story with a vampire and a werewolf Nephy asked me to list some of my favourite vampires and werewolves. Soooo... Here they are!

Vampires #1

This is not just one vampire, they are 2 vampires. The movie is called Moonchild and is a Japanese movie. The two main actors are Gackt and HYDE, yep, the vocalists. The story is sweet and sad and they just make it work. If you love sweet scenes, smoldering looks and guns, this is totally something you should watch!

Also, check out the main song of the movie:

I’m slightly cheating since Gackt doesn’t technically become a vampire until the end of the story, but we’ll just ignore that ;)

Vampire #2

A girl this time, this woman makes me wish I could wear clothes like hers. She is soooo sexy! Of course I’m talking about Selene from underworld.

The jump at the start of the first movie is probably one of the sexiest things I’ve seen. I LOVE that part! And I’m a sucker for light eyes and dark hair.

Vampire #3

Musical and sexy. Lestat from Queen of the Damned. I’m not that much of a fan of the Interview with a Vampire version but give me this guy any time!

It doesn’t hurt that the songs he “sings” during the movie are done by some of my fav vocalists, Johnathan Davis (Korn) and Chester Bennington (Linkin Park).

Now for the other half, werewolves, which wasn’t half as easy as the vampires.

Werewolf #1

The first one doesn’t have many pictures as it’s from a book, but it’s Anton from Bite/Bitten written by Sean Michael. His werewolves are perfextly sexy and growly and totally domineering. Hot, sexy and a temper. This guys always gets my blood going.

Werewolf #2

A slight cheat as this is actually pre-werewolf but I can’t keep him from this list. I don’t think this guy needs much introduction:

Yep, it’s the long hair that put him in this spot ;)

Werewolf #3

I keep cheating this, don’t I? Well, this time it’s for another good reason. The third one is a split tie between two Vampire Diaries werewolves, Tyler and Hayley. Both are strong-minded characters and I really like them.

But even with all these people around, I think I still love Chris and Alec best, long haired beauties with so much attraction they really can’t obey the rules any more.

Thank you for this spot Nephy, I hope you all enjoyed the collection!

Now you should go check out Disturbed Connections and meet Alec and Chris for yourselves. You can get it from 

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon CA

All Romance Ebooks

Smashwords

Kobo

Kia Zi Shiru is a Dutch girl who did her bachelor studying English and Creative Writing in the UK but has now returned to the Netherlands to do her masters. Amongst her interests she finds writing, reading, doing research and learning different languages (including but not limited to: English, Dutch, French, German, HTML, Java, PHP and Assembly). Her writing and reading habits include books with Young Adults, gay themes, strong female or minority characters and fantasy elements (more often than not all at the same time).

You can find me:

Website

Twitter

Facebook

And if you want to keep up to date you can sign up for my newsletter here

Wednesday Briefs - In The Arms Of An Angel - God, You're Hopeless

Another Wednesday and another Wednesday Brief. This week I've strained the prompts a bit. Just imagine the coloured rose as a mistake for a white one and the playing card as messed up fate.

“Okay,” Gabri’el said. “Let’s assume for a moment you are what you say you are. What does that have to do with us?”

“Well.” Ari sat down and picked up his drink again. “It started with the dinosaurs and went downhill from there. I accidentally caused an ice age and changed the whole direction of evolution, not to mention the landscape and climate of Earth.” He sighed. “Climate is hard.”

“I’ll take your word for that,” Pasha said, dryly. “Get to the point.”

Ari glared at him. “All in good time. It needs a bit of explanation or you won’t really get it. Trust me, I really don’t want to have to go over all of this. Most of it I’d be more than happy to forget.” He swirled his glass and seemed to find something very interesting in there, because it commanded his eyes for a while. The others grew restless but felt unable to break the silence.

“Things settled down for a bit after that. Then I messed with climate again and things went to hell.”

“What do you mean?”

“I caused some extreme weather conditions that changed the Earth again. It led to some dramatic consequences and an entire civilization was wiped out.”

“What do you mean? What civilization?”

“The Atlanteans.”

“Atlantis was a real place?”

“Of course it was.”

“I don’t remember it.” Gabri’el  frowned. “I’ve been here from the beginning and I don’t remember Atlantis.”

“You…. You weren’t here at the beginning.” Ari held up his hand to prevent Gabri’el’s retort. “Let me explain about Atlantis and you’ll understand.” Ari stared into the fire and sighed. “I’ve never been good at climate,” he mused. “Atlantis was a beautiful place, its people the most civilized for their time. They were beautiful and proud. They were so beautiful many angels fell in love with them, especially the women.

“The angels spent a lot of time in Atlantis and told the Atlanteans secrets they weren’t ready to hear. They advanced the civilisation too fast and they wouldn’t listen to me. I never wanted them to come to any harm. They were jeopardizing the project and I just wanted them to stop teaching humans arcane knowledge.

“I hit on the idea of sending a storm to wipe out the fields they’d planted with herbs and plants that weren’t meant to be grown on earth. The fruits gave too much knowledge and the herbs lengthened their lives too much.

“I’ve never been good at climate and once I started the storm I couldn’t stop it.”

“The great flood.”

Ari nodded. “I drown everyone and created a new sea that swallowed countries, split continents and completely destroyed Atlantis. Most of the angels, who tried to save their human lovers and friends, were killed too.

“Fortunately, there were enough Atlanteans left to re stock Eden. I created a new kind of angel, stronger, more stable and more intelligent…well you were supposed to be more stable and intelligent. I’m not sure about Micha’el.”

“I didn’t know about any of this,” Gabri’el said, his voice shocked. “It’s not written down anywhere.”

“No. I managed to keep it out of the history books, angelic and human. It wasn’t easy but if my professors had seen….”

“So this is all an experiment? The whole of history is a science project for a newly qualified scientist who…. What?”

He stopped at the look on Ari’s face. Ari turned away and took a deep drink. “I’m not quite a newly qualified scientist. This…this was kind of a…. It was an examination.”

“An exam? You did all of this as an exam project.”

Ari nodded again looking sheepish. “I don’t think I’ll pass climate.”

“You think?”

Silence fell as Pasha and Gabri’el digested what had been said.

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

“You don’t. What’s past is past and none of this was preserved in record. You’ll just have to trust me.”

“Why should we trust you?”

“Because I made you.”

“You made me?”

“I made all of you; all the angels. I was given the DNA of humanity to seed the earth and I used my own DNA to create another race. I couldn’t be everywhere at the same time and I needed help. The rules of the examination say that I can’t interfere with humanity’s evolution by changing them , but I can – “

“What about the ‘missing link’?”

“I’m allowed some mistakes  and, anyway, I was compensating for the dinosaurs. No one foresaw that.”

“That’s okay then.”

“Wait. You genetically engineered angels from humans and…whatever you are? You made us?”

“Yes.”

“All of us? All angels?”

“Yes.”

Gabri’el shook his head and got out of his seat. He started to pace while Uzzi’el watched him anxiously.

“Give me one good reason why I should believe you.”

“I’ve already given you one. “

“Not good enough. The fact that you say you created us doesn’t prove anything. It doesn’t add anything to your credibility.”

Ari smiled. “I honestly can’t blame you. I had a hard time convincing Uzzi’el too. I’m going to have to prove it to you the same way I proved it to him. Come with me.”

“Where are you taking us?”

“It’s okay, Gabri’el. He’s only going to take us to the control center.”

Gabri’el rolled his eyes.  “Of course he is.”

Uzzy linked arms with Gabri’el and Pasha as they followed Ari. “You’re very quiet.”

“I have a lot to think about.”

“What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking that I don’t care what he has to say, whether he’s right or wrong. All I care about is that you’re back with me.”

Uzzy gave him a glorious smile and laid his head on his shoulder. Pasha put his arm around Uzzy’s waist. 

Gabri’el stopped and they all stopped with him.  “You’re right,” he said as if it surprised him. “it doesn’t really matter. You’re here and you’re happy with him and we’re all truly together. That’s all that really matters.”

Now, I think you have a smorgasbord of other flashes to give your attention to

Andrew Gordon

A R Von

Victoria Adams

Lily Sawyer

Cia Nordwell

Renee Stevens

Tali Spencer

Michael Mandrake

Julie Lynn Hayes

A Little Bit of Silver

Silver by Maria

No character I have ever written has caught the imagination of myself and my readers the way Silver has.

Silver by Nephylim

An escaped sex slave, he views the world in which he lives, with such sweet innocence it lightens the world around us. To walk in Silver's shoes, is to walk in wonder. Unfortunately, it is also a walk in fear as, particularly at the beginning, he is afraid of the world and everyone in it. Hardly surprising when he was snatched off the streets at twelve years old, tortured, brainwashed and conditioned into being a slave and living in captivity until falling in love with another slave very nearly became a death sentence.

River and Silver by Nephylim

Through the love and tender care of his boyfriend, River, and his new friends, a rag tag bunch of whores and exotic dancers, he gradually learns that the world isn't such a bad place and find his own particular joy in living in it

.

Silver by Maria

A good friend of mine, Maria, got caught up in Silver-mania and has produced awesomely beautiful art of Silver and River that I have to share. This peep into the world of my darling Silver just wouldn't be complete without it.

River and Silver by Maria

The mainstay in Silver's life is River. Originally his carer, then his saviour and later his boyfriend, River is the center of Silver's world and their love survives everything the cruel world has to throw at it. Gradually, with River's help and support, Silver emerges from a chrysalis of fear and confusion, to become a strong and inspirational person.

Silver by Nephylim

Being an artist himself, Silver would definitely approve of the artwork, although he would probably be highly embarrassed about being in the spotlight like this. Silver's beauty and natural grace draw a lot of attention to him wherever he goes but, while he has learned not to be terrified of the scrutiny, he has never become comfortable with it. However, with River at his side he can now walk proudly with his head high. That the thing he is proud of is walking beside him and not himself provides more insight into this remarkable character.

Silver by Maria

Silver by Maria

As well as being a talented artist,  Silver is an amazingly talented dancer. As River says, 'he walks lightly on the earth' and captivates anyone who watches him. Given his background it is hardly surprising that his dancing is erotic. Not for Silver something as crass as pole dancing his performance is an astonishing mix of ballet, contemporary and interpretive dance guaranteed to get the pulses racing and leaving you panting. Years of training allow him to twist his supple body into impossible positions, all of them designed only to please as is his 'other' training.

Silver dancing by Maria

Before I share more art, and information how you can get your hands on the books in which Silver and River live, here is an interview I did with Silver some time ago.

What colour do you like best to paint with?
 

This is a difficult one. Apart from River, my art is the most important thing in my life and I get so lost in it that I’m not really thinking about what colours I’m using. I get an idea for a painting and then I just paint it. I don’t plan paintings in advance so I don’t plan colours.

Blue and purple are my favourite colours… well and that really nice shade of green that’s almost blue, and rose pink, and the really deep red that I use to shade red roses, and the green that accents trees in spring, and the yellow that I use for highlighting hair and sometimes on the sun and lots of things that the sun touches in bright paintings.

My paintings are lighter than they used to me, not so dark anyway. River has a lot to do with that, because he makes me feel lighter. But, I think purple and blue are my favourites… kind of… sometimes. I really like painting skies with purple and pink. I like the way that light reflects on the underside of clouds and then kind of bleeds into sky and any water that’s around. It’s nice to use oils and acrylics to paint those pictures because the paints blend really nicely and… Oh. River tells me I’m getting off the point. I do that a lot when I’m talking about my art.

I think the point I’m making is that I can’t choose what colour is my favourite.

What is your favorite scent? 

River. He smells so nice all the time. I like it best when he uses the shampoo that smells like apples and it’s all sharp and sweet. It’s nice when all the artificial smells wear off, though, like when he’s sweaty or he hasn’t used products in the shower and I can actually smell the smell of River. My favourite part of him is when I put my nose in… What? Why can’t I talk about that? It is my favourite scent after all.  It isn’t as if I’m going to go into details about what I do down there… like when I use my tongue to… Alright, Alright… I’ll leave it there. River, River is my favourite scent.

Apart from that… rain. I really like the fresh smell when it’s raining loads. I like to dance in the rain, but River won’t come out with me most of the time. He says I’m weird but I don’t care. I like being weird if it means I can dance in the rain. So what if it’s cold because then, when I come back in, I have a warm shower and mostly River gets in the shower with me and… Alright… Okay… I don’t know what you’re so worried about anyway. You told me to be honest didn’t you? I am NOT sulking.

How far backward can you bend? (LOL)

All the way. I can put my feet on my head. I used to be able to go back further and put my feet on my shoulders but I haven’t been so flexible since I got hurt. River says that I’m a freak for being able to do what I can with my body, but he should have seen me before. It’s been quite hard getting this much flexibility back and I’m determined to go as far as I can, although River doesn’t like it when I use all my skills because he says it’s too much for him. I tease him all the time for not being adventurous enough. He’ll play sometimes and then I can… Oh, not again! Can I say ANYTHING? And don’t forget who’s supposed to be giving this interview anyway. I don’t see your name on the top of the page.

Coffee, Cocoa or Tea?

What’s Cocoa? Oh, right. Well yeah, I like that, but coffee is my favourite. I like it black with no sugar. I don’t like tea very much, although Hester makes it cold with honey in the summer and that’s really nice so I suppose I like tea too, but I think coffee is my favourite.

Early riser or late to bed?

Both. I don’t sleep very much. I suppose it’s because I was always on call with my Masters and I could be woken at any time, so I guess I got used to staying awake just in case. I tend to nap a lot during the day.

What is your favorite place to be touched?

So, am I allowed to answer this one without interruptions. As long as I’m good? Honey, I’m ALWAYS good. Aw, that hurt.

Actually, the place I like to be touched more than anywhere, is on my hair. No one ever used to touch my hair before. They were too busy touching the rest of me. Sometimes, someone would brush my hair, before a show or something, and I have always loved to brush my hair myself but no one touched it just for the sake of it.

One of my first proper memories of River was him brushing and drying my hair. I like it when I cuddle up to him and he strokes my hair. Of course, it’s a lot shorter now, but that doesn’t matter, it’s the top part that feels nicest. Sometimes, he kind of wriggles his fingers in it and makes little circles on my scalp and it makes me shiver and it gets hard… Sigh, I’m going to ignore that… hard to concentrate and not go to sleep. River says I’m like a cat, but I haven’t really seen a cat so I don’t know what they do

Ideal evening; cuddling or sex?

 What do you think? I’m not going to say another word because, if I do, River will hit me again.

On the other hand, I do like cuddling. I like to have a shower and put on the big fluffy bathrobe and snuggle up to River on the sofa. We watch films and talk about all sorts of things. Although, thinking about it, we pretty much always end up having sex anyway so, I suppose – both.

Favorite fabric, silk or fleece?

Silk, it’s cool and soft and makes a really nice noise when it moves, kind of a swishing noise. I like to rub my cheek on it and wrap it around me. When I was with my Master I had a robe I used to wear when I was dancing sometimes. It was all swirly colours and made of silk. I loved the way it felt against my body.

On the other hand, fleece is lovely. When I lie on the big white sheep in front of the fire, it feels like I’m sinking right into it and it’s so warm and comfortable. I like to rub my cheek against that too, and to raise my arms over my head and wriggle so it tickles my body.

From the way he’s looking at me, I know River doesn’t want me to mention this but it’s one of my favourite places to have sex. Don’t look like that, I’m not going into details.

Who is David Willis and how did he affect you?

Apart from River, David is the only man I have ever loved. He was a slave, like me, when we were with my last master. We fell in love but it wasn’t allowed and he… he… well, we didn’t know it wasn’t allowed you see. We’d never been told.

How did he affect me? Well… it’s not easy to talk about but… He was my first love. He was the only thing I can ever remember having loved before River. He opened my heart and, for a long time I couldn’t bear to live in a world that had done something so bad to him. He taught me about true sacrifice, about loving someone so much you’d do anything for them, no matter what it cost.

I think that, without David I would never have left my Master and I would still be there now, not really living, not like this. David make me think, made me feel, made want to break free… to be free to love. In the end it was David who really freed me. 

Will you see Robert again? (David's brother)

Of course I will. He’s really nice. I’ve met his dad now, too. It was really hard, in the beginning, to talk about David. The first time we got together and they showed me photographs of him when he was young, I cried a lot and had nightmares about what happened to him. I still have them sometimes, but not so often these days.

He looked so happy in the photographs, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. He still had some of that sweetness when he was with me but he was different, of course, a different person. I wish I’d known him like he was before. I think I would have loved him even more. No… I don’t think it would have been possible to love him more. Sorry River. I know you don’t like it when I talk about being in love with David. No matter what you say, I can see it in your eyes. But I can’t help it. I was in love with him. No, it’s okay River, I’m fine. I can talk about it now, you know that, but it still hurts. It will always hurt.

How do you forgive others for their crimes against you?
 

I don’t understand what you mean? Oh. Well, I don’t really think about it. I don’t hate them, I never have. Why would I? They’re not part of my life anymore and… well… I don’t really remember the early times, the bad times when they were… you know… training me, and after… Well, sometimes it was hard but…

I don’t know how to explain really. It wasn’t a bad life, you see. I was warm and comfortable and well fed. People were nice to me, on the whole. When I danced I was in another world, a wonderful world where it was only me and the wind and the movement. I loved to use my body to express the way I was feeling and the sense of excitement was the best feeling. It still is when I’m able to dance, although it’s not often these days.

I didn’t know that what I was doing was wrong, not then. When we did shows, I had a really good time, especially when it was just me and David. Our voices went well together and when we… I’m sorry River, but I did… I did have sex with David as part of the show, and I did enjoy it. I’m not ashamed of it, not even now. It was part of my life and it’s a part that’s precious to me because I shared it with David.

Okay, sometimes I didn’t like it when I had to have sex with strangers, because they weren’t always very nice to me, but I don’t hate them, because that’s what I was supposed to do and I guess that’s what they were supposed to do.

I’m not saying that I want to go back to that, but it wasn’t a bad life and so I don’t see there’s anyone

to be angry with, or anything to forgive really.

As for Faith, well… I suppose I might find it hard to forgive him, not because of what he did to me, but because of what he did to River. But he’s gone so there’s no point is there?

I suppose, to be able to say how I forgive I would have to understand it myself and I don’t really… I just do.

What does love mean to you?

River. He is everything to me. He is more important than anyone in the world, even me. I would do anything for him. When I think about him it makes me smile inside, it makes me warm. There is a huge part of me that all wrapped up in River and, if he wasn’t here anymore that part would be a huge hole. I had a hole like that after David died and it didn’t fill up again, until I finally let him go, and he took the emptiness with him.

Love is about sacrifice. It’s about being allowed to be yourself but being part of someone else at the same time. Love is being safe and warm and cared for. Love is about never wanting to have sex with anyone else ever again. No I do NOT keep coming back to sex. No… I don’t think love and sex are the same thing, or even connected at all. I didn’t love any of the men I had sex with when I was a slave and I didn’t love David because we had sex. I was having plenty of that at the time so it wasn’t anything special. Except that it was special because it was with David. I think that’s what love is… something that makes everything special, even things that have always been around, things you haven’t thought twice about before.

Well… let’s face it, I haven’t exactly had  a lot of practice with being in love, so it’s the best I can do.

 What exactly was your 'job' while you were held in bondage?

I was expected to spend a lot of time taking care of myself – practicing my skills, keeping my body fit, making sure my skin was soft and flawless, taking care of my hair and that kind of things.

I didn’t have any duties around the house at all, although sometimes I’d serve at Master’s dinner parties.

The most important thing I did was the performance. In the beginning it was mostly having sex with people my Masters told me to have sex with, but when they realised what I could really do with my body, they stared to concentrate on the performing.

I used to do a show mostly every night. Sometimes it was just dancing and sometimes singing too. With my last Master I used to go out to other places to perform and lots of people would come to watch. I liked that, it made me proud. I liked it best when my Master told me how much respect and honour I brought him. He’d take me to his private rooms and sometimes we wouldn’t even have sex; he’d just pet me and let me fall asleep on the cushions or even in his bed sometime. It was lovely to wake up in a proper bed with a warm body and someone’s arms around me. It’s lovelier now it’s River, of course.

What happens at the church that causes such a turnaround in your attitude?

I think that, until then, without realising it, I was feeling guilty about everything that happened. Then, in the church, especially when I was talking to Robert, I realised that, if I didn’t go on, if I didn’t get strong and make a good life, I would be throwing everything he did for me back in his face.

The guilt kind of… well it didn’t go away but it stopped being the most important thing, the thing that makes it hurt most when I think about David. After that, it was easier to think about him and it was easier to want to live. Of course, having River there with me was a huge thing too. He had gone to so much trouble to find Robert, and to arrange the meeting and the painting and everything, I realised that I was being really selfish and I needed to snap out of it and start living in the present and not the past.

It was just a shock that jolted me out of my self-pity I guess.

WOW, is it done? I feels like I’ve been talking about myself for ages. Not that it’s a problem but I figure everyone must be bored by now. Thanks for listening to me rambling. I’m tired now. I still get tired a lot. I’ll probably sleep in the car when River takes me home. Maybe I’ll take a nap on the fleece.

Now you're hooked on Silver, of course you are, admit it to yourself, where can you read about him. I have currently two books in the Enigma series published. There are three more in the pipeline, and there may be more. One of the unpublished books was supposed to be the last. It takes place ten years after Enigma I and brings the whole series to an end. Unfortunately (or fortunately) Silver wouldn't leave me alone, and I had to write another one in the middle, so, who knows there may be more.

Blurb

Enigma I

Can love ever be forbidden? Can the strongest of all human emotions be denied because someone tells you it cannot be?

When Silver made his decision he very nearly paid with his life. Now River is faced with his choice believing that it is only his career at stake. However, when Silver’s past catches up with him River finds that there is more at stake than he could ever have imagined.

Enigma II - Fighting the Man

River had always known that living with a freed slave, even one as sweet as Silver, was never going to be easy. It gets a lot harder when his parents are killed leaving him to care for his young brother. When Social Services get involved he has a choice to make. Unfortunately, he makes the wrong one.

Links

Enigma I 

Smashwords

Amazon

Enigma II

Smashwords

Amazon

Goodreads

If you would like to read some excerpts, I have pages for each book on this very blog which have all kinds of things on them. Why not take a look