Wednesday 29 April 2015

Wednesday Briefs - Demon. Chapter Three


I've been out of the saddle for a while but I'm back with the latest installment of Demon, a story with more surprises than I know about. I get the feeling that this one, like In The Arms Of An Angel, is going to take me on quite a journey. You're welcome to come along for the ride.

This is the prompt I chose, although my demon is much better looking than this



I open my eyes and gaze at an angel. Eyes more silver than blue hover inches from mine, and long white hair tickles my cheek, dyed pale gold in places by the blazing sun. I blink and a lightbulb flashes in my head. By the light of the bulb, I see something. I see a forest glade and a man; a beautiful man, bathed in sunlight, his golden hair ablaze. Bare to the waist, showing off an impressive torso, he carries two long knives and a quiver of arrows. I am frozen, breathless from his beauty and the lovely menace he presents.

Someone is speaking but I can’t make out the words. I don’t care about the words because the two images consume me, and fill me up. I have no doubt the man in front of me is the same one I’m seeing inside my head. Who is he?

“W–who are you?”

“I am Tian, your bonded.”

“My what?”

Tian smiles at me and I can’t help but mirror. I raise my hand to touch his face and he closes his eyes turning into my touch.

“Filthy demon. Get away from my brother.”

My angel disappears, and I sit up, my head spinning to find him curled on the ground with Jandra’s boot heel on his throat.

“Jandra, don’t. Don’t hurt him.”

“Don’t hurt him? He’s a demon, Castien. Soon his innards will feed the ravens, but not before I knot them around neck.”

“No. You can’t. You mustn’t.” Before I’m entirely aware what I’m doing, I’m on my feet and staring down my sister. Jandra draws back slightly, unused to my uncharacteristic forcefulness.

“What do you care?” she snarls.

“He is…. He is not…not a demon.” I don’t take my eyes off my sister, but I don’t need to see him. I can feel him; feel his spirit, uncrushed, undiminished.

“Don’t be fooled, tippa. He is pretty, but he is a demon. Make no mistake about that.”

“Perhaps, but he is more than that. To me, he is more.”

Jandra narrows her eyes at me. She has no idea what I’m talking about, and that isn’t surprising because neither have I.

“What has he done to you?”

I open my mouth to speak, to swear he has done nothing to me, but I stop. He has done something to me. I feel strange, different. I have always been weak and timid. The ill health that plagues me, leaves me constantly tired and eats away at my will. But not today. Not right now; right now I am strong; stronger than I have ever been and I have the crazy feeling that I could take on even Jandra, if I had to. I hope I don’t have to.

“I don’t know,” I say, thinking honesty is probably the best option. I don’t know what it’s done, but it’s good. I swear it. I’m completely well for the first time I remember. I’m strong and I can do anything; anything I have to, to keep him safe.”

“Keep him safe? Are you mad? The demon must die.” Jandra takes her heel from his throat and drive it into his side. I hear his ribs snap, and blood wells. The demon simply moans softly.

Anger flows through me like a molten tide. She dares to hurt him? My bonded; my precious one. A red mist falls, and before I know it Jandra is on the ground with my hands around her throat. 
Although her hands claw at me, and she frantically tries to throw me from her body, I am solid.

“Castien, are you mad? What are you doing?”

“Swear to me you will not harm him, nor let anyone else do so, or I will choke the life out of you, sister or not.”

“Dear God, what has he done to you? You are insane. In what world do you think I would swear the life of a demon? Do you not know what he is? He would tear out your throat given the chance. We cannot give him that chance. We cannot take a demon within out walls.”

“One way or another, I will––either with you at my side or growing cold where you lie.”

“Castien, I beg you. You’ve lost your mind.”

I laugh, and the sound is so wild and free I wonder for a moment if she’s right. “No; I’ve found it. For the first time in my life, I know who I am, and I like it. Will you swear?”

“Castien…please.”

“Swear.”

“Oh, alright. Alright. I swear. I swear I will not hurt him and, as far as it is in my power to prevent it, I will not let any other do so. But he has to leave. He has to be taken far away from here.”

“No. I will present him to Father, and demand recognition.”

Jandra is so shocked, for a moment she can’t speak. “Recognition? For what?”

“That he is mine.”

“Yours? What…? Oh no. No. No way.”

I get lightly to my feet and offer Jandra my hand. She ignores me and rolls away. I don’t see her get up because my attention has already moved from her. My demon is in distress. Although he is silent, I ‘hear’ his cries, somewhere deep inside.

“Tian? Are you…? Are you alright?” Of course he isn’t alright. He’s bleeding from a puncture wound between broken ribs. He must be in agony, and he may be dying. He saved me, and I’m powerless to save him. “What can I do? What can I do for you?”


And then it comes to me. Just as anger had turned my blood to red fire, this new sensation that flows through me, turn it to gold. Jandra is speaking but I don’t know what she says. Acting on instinct alone I reach out my hands and lay them over the wound, pouring the gold into the quivering body of my demon.

And now, lets hurry over to check out the rest of the talented writers who are flashing this week

Thursday 23 April 2015

Craving Staines by Alina Popescu



Title: Craving Stains
Author:  Alina Popescu
Length: novella
Genre: gay, gay fiction, science fiction, paranormal, gay romance
Publisher: Wayward Ink Publishing

Today I have the absolute pleasure to host Alina Popescu and her amazing novella Craving Staines. The story originally featured in the WIP Anthology Stranded which also contains other amazing shorts by excellent writers (and me).

Without further ado I introduce you to Wynn and Staines. Read on for an insight into the author's love for sci fi

Synopsis

Wynn Brenwood has been trapped by his mother since birth, shut away in a sterile, hospital-like apartment.
Is it her desire to keep him safe that sees him locked up in his pristine cage? Or are her motives less innocent and well-intentioned?
Craving Stains by Alina Popescu Cover
Wynn longs to break free to experience the world he sees beyond his window.
Desperate to escape, he meets Doyle, a handsome, leather-clad, and enigmatic stranger.
But is Doyle real, or is he just a figment of Wynn’s imagination?

Book Trailer


Buy Links

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UUE58SU/
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00UUE58SU/
Amazon AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00UUE58SU/
Amazon DE: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00UUE58SU/
WIP: http://www.waywardinkpublishing.com/product/craving-stains-by-alina-popescu/
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-cravingstains-1766728-145.html

Giveaway

Prizes: 1 x $20 WIP Gift card and 3 x ebook copy of Craving Stains by Alina Popescu

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d3e3d66a21/

About the author

Alina PopescuWriter, traveler, and coffee addict, Alina Popescu has been in love with books all her life. She started writing when she was ten and she has always been drawn to sci-fi, fantasy, and the supernatural realm. Born and raised in Romania, she finds her inspiration in books of all genres, in movies, and the occasional manga comic book. She is a proud geek who needs her fast Internet and gadgets more than she needs air.
Social Links
Site & Blog: http://alina-popescu.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/authoralinapopescu
Twitter: http://twitter.com/alina_popescu
Instagram: http://instagram.com/alinapopescuwriter
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/alina-popescu
Google+:  https://www.google.com/+AlinaPopescu
Amazon:  http://amazon.com/author/alinapopescu

How I Fell in Love with Science Fiction

I was about ten when I read my first science fiction book. It was Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot and just like that, I was hooked. Honestly, some of the philosophical problems this book presented me with were a bit above my pay grade. I know for sure they stayed with me and I still think about them once in a while. It was not my last scifi book, actually, I went straight to the village library and got more in the same genre.

See, I was spending my summer at my grandma’s, in the country side. The village had a small library that was filled with books and finding my next read always seemed like a bit of a treasure hunt. They were poorly labeled and stuffed on too few shelves, but I always came out of that tiny, one-room library with a huge grin. Of course, having my older, cute crush going with me to hunt for his own book made it all the more special.

I will forever remember one particularly rainy day when I was reading the interstellar adventures of a school girl. I can’t remember the author or title, it clearly did not mark me as much as I, Robot. But I can remember reading on the porch while listening to the rain. The spaceships and gadgets made the fact I had to stay inside bearable. See, we used to climb one tree or another, find a comfy spot, and read up there. It meant my crush and I spent the whole day reading together. Rains sort of made that all impossible.  

Later on, movies, series, and animations joined the repertoire of science fiction passions. Yes, I was a Star Trek geek, with Next Gen being my favorite. Yes, I saw Event Horizon because back then you went to see the movie that was currently screened. I thought it was scifi, turned out to be horror. Scared the crap out of me. Yes, I remember those cat pilots in some weird Cat City fighting some dark cat on Cartoon Network. And Saber Rider!

And then there was Dune. I devoured the whole series. I loved the blend of science fiction, politics, philosophy, mysticism, and supernatural. That’s when I fell in love with science fiction again and with something else—a nice mix of genres.


To this day, I adore science fiction anything. Books, movies, TV series, anime, manga, graphic novels of all sorts. I love the idea of thinking about what the future might look like in one hundred years, or ten thousand, or on another planet far, far away. I think it helps us analyze our possibilities and clearly see where we’re heading. It’s not always in the best of directions. Maybe, just maybe, if we use art and creativity to explore our consequences, we readjust our course in time. 

Tuesday 21 April 2015

A Second Past Midnight by Rae Gee

Author Name: Rae Gee

Book Name: A Second Past Midnight

Release Date: April 22, 2015
Pages or Words: 87,900 words

Categories: Erotica, Fiction, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Thriller, Dystopian

Publisher: Torquere Press
Cover Artist: BS Clay











Blurb:

It had come like a thief in the night, an invisible force that had wiped out life as they had known it, sending them from 1981 back to 1881. The cause of The Pulse had remained a mystery and become the cause of speculation of fear. In a heartbeat, stock markets had crashed, power plants had shut down, and the land became poisoned by sewage, chemicals and, in some areas, radiation. If it had microchips in it, it was dead, finished beyond all repair. The anomaly which had wiped out their life had become known as The Pulse and the events following it had become known as The Crash.




Excerpt:

1985

With the rifle slung over one shoulder, James made his way through the drifts of fall leaves. Miles from home, and in the depths of the Minnesota forests, he knew he was far from alone. Spread across one of the state's many forested areas were others like himself, getting ready for open season to begin. Dressed in army surplus fatigues, and with his long brunette hair pulled through a baseball cap, he was ready. Rules drawn up by the county required hunters to wear fatigues rather than their usual orange so as not to clash with the inmate's uniforms.

James looked at his watch. 2.40pm. Twenty minutes left. Finding a thicket of bushes, he crouched within the prickly branches and quietly prepped the gun. Peering down the scope, the brunette man aimed at a nearby tree. Perfect. Clipped to one side of the scope was a small flashlight, perfect for when the sun began to set.

All around him, the smell of fall hung in the air. Musty, and a little damp, it spoke of a long, hard winter, and evenings sat before the fire. In January of 1981, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists had moved the symbolic Doomsday Clock to 11:56pm, four minutes to the "midnight" of global catastrophe the clock represented. On October 31st, 1981, at 1:13am, the Doomsday Clock had struck midnight.

It had come like a thief in the night, an invisible force that had wiped out life as they had known it, sending them from 1981 back to 1881. The cause of The Pulse had remained a mystery and become the cause of speculation of fear.  In a heartbeat stock markets had crashed, power plants had shut down, and the land became poisoned by sewage, chemicals and, in some areas, radiation. If it had microchips in it, it was dead, finished beyond all repair.  The  anomaly which had wiped out their life had become known as The Pulse and the events following it had become known as The Crash,.

Within days, anarchy broke out and the cities became no-go areas. The small communities furthest from the carnage were the best places to be. Diseases long thought dead flared back to life. Money was still being used but prices were sky high. No one could afford the meager crops that were produced and for those who owned farms, like James' family, keeping animals was dangerous. While the tiny communities protected one another, there was nothing, bar the gun in his lap, to stop a stranger from stealing their animals. They still kept a few; a couple of cows and a few chickens, but that was it. Everything else, including any wild animals, were long gone, were so badly affected that they were in danger of extinction.

It had been several months before they'd truly found out what had happened on the night of The Crash. An airdrop of flyers, created between the British and Canadians, had scattered over the state. They told of the electromagnetic pulse that had wiped out their lives, retaliation from the Russians for the boycotts imposed by the United States. The Pulse, having traveled along anything metal, had destroyed the American military, leaving them helpless and unable to return fire.

The government had recognized the lack of supplies and, in '83, had signed the "Shoot to Kill" executive order. Twice a year, a number of convicts from prisons across the country were released into wooded areas to be hunted, with a promise of freedom if they survived the seven day open season. All were felons; with DUIs, drug dealers, and thieves.




About the author:

Born and raised in the heart of England, Rae spent her formative years bouncing around the globe with her missionary family. When she wasn't on a plane, she was often found with her head in a book. These days she racks up air miles by learning to fly.

When she's not writing, she enjoys making documentaries, roaming the South Downs, teasing the cat and her dad (normally at the same time!), taking photos and naming her electronics. She believes that she's trapped in the wrong era and should be roaming the streets of 19th Century London.

She also has a tattoo of a Boeing 747 and is only too happy to tell the tale behind it. Feel free to ask; she promises not to bite too hard!

Rae made her vocal début on Spawn of Psychosis's 2013 EP Mind Over Mania. All profits from the EP go to mental health charity Mind.

She currently lives just outside of Leicester and is partly owned by Bertie the cat.



Where to find the author:

Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/thequeenofsteam
 Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/raegee


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