To The 5th Power
Shirin DubbinThree years ago, Zola Noite's nemesis killed her sidekick and forced her to watch. The guilt drove her to hang up her cape. Zola knows one thing for certain. She will never be a superhero again.
Psychologist Dr. Arturo "Fort" Forte specializes in super-powered mental health. He’s the only reason Zola can once again call herself sane—although, truth be told, the heat between them is slowly driving her back to mad.
When three mega-villains escape the prison Fort oversees, all Zola's best laid plans go up in flames. Fort asks her for help, and she can't turn down the man she's secretly come to love. As battles ensue and clues add up, the one thing Zola trusts is called into question: Fort's true agenda and which side he’s on.
Guest Post "Confessions"There’s something about a confession that really gets us going. If someone tells us they have a secret we automatically lean in, and our hearts start to pound. What will they say? Will it be sexy? Scary? Scandalous? We have to know. And we love confessions most when nobody knows the truth but us.
With that in mind I thought it’d be fun to see what secrets Zola and Fort, the heroine and hero of TO THE FIFTH POWER, might reveal before the story begins. There are four secret sessions in total. Without question all four are sexy, scary, and juicy—like Fort and Zola themselves. You’ll find the release schedule here.And now, these are their confessions:Audio ConfessionTherapy Session #: 52Patient: Zola NoiteDesignation: superhero“This is a recording.The doctors here at the Archesis Institute require these little audio confessions as a part of the ‘healing process.’But my mind will never heal. It’s too full of the big empty.A broken superhero isn’t pretty. She’s not the stuff Hollywood producers bet blockbusters on. There’s no iron suit to fix while swilling bourbon, or a sexy cat-like love interest to save her heart. There are just pieces, shattered on the floor.Only one person will ever hear this confession. He’s the last one I want to share my darkness with, and the only person I trust enough to allow to see it. He knows the infinite ways being forced to watch my sidekick die shattered my mind. And he makes me feel whole.Don’t think I don’t know it’s a lie. I recognize the deceit on both our parts. He can’t fix me. Only I can do that. But I like the way he makes me feel. It’s…amazing.Sitting across from him, telling him everything except what his presence does to me, watching the way he moves—muscles rippling beneath the lines of his suit, eyes the most intense shade of olive green I’ve ever seen behind sexy black glasses. He has a hold on me. I cannot escape him anymore than I can run from being broken.And I don’t want to.Being damaged is my penance. Adoring him is my craving. Dr. Arturo Forte. I call him Fort. My fortress. My sanctuary.My weakness.Therefore, when I erase this confession (the doctors should’ve known I have the technology) and re-record it, I will say whatever I must to make him believe I’m cured. And Dr. Arturo Forte will clear me to go home.Afterward, I will continue to love him in secret. Even as I walk away for good.”
About the Author
Shirin Dubbin is often called a “chic geek,” and she likes the sound of it. Especially since she’s a closet wallflower (albeit one with a fabulous alter ego).When not working in graphic design or hosting The Fantastic Forum—a celebration of comics & speculative fiction—she writes stories inspired by the art, literature, international cinema, and anime she grew up with. In her own storytelling, Shirin spins tales of sci-fi and urban fantasy with romantic edge. The battle between good and evil, humor, and break neck action are ink to her imagination. Culturally, she’s half American, half British and very southern; right down to the accent and love of grits. Government reports show a residence in DC, but Shirin lives largely on the astral plane and hopes to meet you there.
