4 Comments
Dec 8, 2022Liked by C.J. Stone

I knew Sapphire was going to talk to Gavin! It didn’t go nearly as bad as I had envisioned it, either; for now, he just seems like a really huge fan, if anything. Then again, you kind of made me have that false sense of security with Roy Valik as well, so I’ll be sure to not rest too easy on him.

And......whoops. Looks like Conner really isn’t taking Beth’s secret as well as I initially thought. Like he said, it’s not so much that she’d been lying to him for a long time as it is the sheer amount of danger she’s basically placed herself into. I love the amount of critical thinking and questioning you’ve invited (kind of like with my novel “Nightclaw”): it’s always been said that a heroic person places the needs and safety of others before their own, but at what point does that become too much? In other words, where is the line between valor and recklessness? As Peter Parker/Spider-Man (MCU Version) said once:

“When you can do the things that I can, but you don’t, and then the bad things happen, they happen because of you.” -Peter Parker/Spider-Man (MCU Version, “Captain America Civil War”, 2016)

Personally, I don’t have a lot of concern for Beth/Sapphire’s well-being; not in a negative way, of course. It’s not because I don’t think she can handle herself (she DEFINITELY can), but the fact that she has all these superpowers (technically being immune to bullets, for one) and has rarely ever lost (with a few exceptions) puts me at ease....or at least, more than it would if she had been a completely regular person with no special abilities. If she can help people, I definitely think she should do it whenever possible; especially since she has gifts that no other person has which can make it easier FOR her to do so.

If I were in Conner’s shoes, I’d be completely accepting of her activities, and only start actually worrying if her foe in question was ALSO an enhanced individual (i.e., someone with improved powers who’s actually on par with her). Speaking of which.....I don’t think we’ve met anyone like that yet.....? Demarco Dominick, Majid Azari, Xavier Wheldon, Jake Rockford, Raven Tristan, Mark Bishop......they were all “regular” people; although I’ll admit that Jake Rockford was unusually strong, and Raven Tristan had a lot of knowledge about anesthetic and sedative compounds, they had no innate superpowers and were just regular humans, albeit very corrupt ones in some cases. (I still think it would’ve been cool if Raven had gotten Sapphire’s powers during that scene with the two of them in the garage. Would’ve made a great “Spider-Man/Venom”-type situation.) Part of me thinks the silver-eyed man---the one who has allied with Azari---is a super as well, but I guess we’ll find that out further down the road. Maybe he’s a psychic/telekinetic.....?

Looks like it’s time to save Gavin from what I assume are some of WarTech’s lackeys. Let’s spring into action!

Expand full comment
author

I think it probably takes a certain kind of person to be close to a hero, and "in the know." I think in real life, if I were with someone who was out doing what Sapphire Angel did, I'd be a nervous wreck. So on one hand, I can't blame Conner. On the other hand, he can't expect her to give up everything for him. Or can he? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It's funny you mention she hasn't faced an enhanced individual on her level yet. That is what I explore in book 5 (the current story here is book 3).

Expand full comment

Alright! Looking forward to that one! I don’t see myself putting down this series anytime soon, to be honest......it’s way too engaging. xD

My series is a lot more complicated in comparison. Several different characters and story arcs, spanning multiple novels.....but yours mostly just focuses on Beth.

Keep it up! How many novels are currently in your series again? I’m currently in the process of writing #6.

Expand full comment
author
Dec 10, 2022·edited Dec 10, 2022Author

Yea, I’ve always liked the idea of the lone hero, who is unique in the world. I just remember the Supergirl TV series and feeling she wasn’t so super from the very beginning, because she was one of seemingly dozens of super-powered characters, both good and bad (the Fort Rozz prisoners got lose at the very beginning, if I recall, and things grew and grew from there until it seemed there were more superhuman characters than regular ones). Just a personal preference, and there’s no right or wrong there.

The series will have at least five stories, as I’m running book 5 past the beta readers right now.

Expand full comment