DIAMONDS ARE FORGIVING

During the era of slavery in Brazil, the libertine son of a plantation owner is coerced by his father into marrying his half-sister. Some years later he dies and discovers that life continues after death. “Wow, that’s a tough story to buy – you’re not pulling my leg, are you? Could this all be a dream?” “I assure you it’s not,” the doctor declared firmly.The rake became introspective. He felt his body with his hands, touched the tree’s roots, stomped his feet on the ground to check for firmness but everything felt absolutely normal. “Impossible; damned impossible,” he murmured to himself. His companion smiled indulgently and gave him a brotherly pat on the shoulder. “You’ll get used to it, friend, you’ll see. From what I’ve learned, you, I and everybody else have been through this many times already, but in the beginning we can’t remember the former experiences. You’ll become adjusted, don’t you worry...”Meanwhile, disowned by the family and raised by slaves, the offspring of the incestuous marriage runs away from home and ventures into the Land of Diamonds. Three months later he comes upon his first stone. It was only a mosquito of a diamond, next to nothing but for him, it held the magic spell of his first finding, his first diamond! “A diamond is always a diamond,” the gem trader explained. “But these are almost worthless. Look here, look. See? This one is full of flaws. This one too. Almost all of them. They’re only useful for industrial purposes. These little gems are no big deal. They’re almost worthless.” He selected a pair of stones with his forefinger: “These two here are ‘fine water’, but they’re under a quarter of a carat. Too small. Less than a grain. Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” the trader said. “Prospecting is no joke, my boy. It's tough as hell! If you want to give up...”In the hereafter, the libertine eventually becomes aware of his own death. After being advanced to a spiritual colony and evolving a little, he aims to discover the reason for his irresponsible acts. “Have no fear. This device has the sole purpose of helping you clear your mind. The process of incarnating and disincarnating can be very traumatic, causing our conscious registers to temporarily erase, which is understandable. What this device does is to stimulate the region where this information is stored, making it surface. That’s all. See, there’s nothing to fear. Don’t you wish to learn the reason for your being born? Wouldn’t you like to know why you never really bonded with your son? So, you will get your answers". The bubbling sound suddenly ceased and the macabre scene disappeared. A shiver went up and down his spine as he sat there. Nobody had the same appearance yet he was sure the child and the boy he had seen a few hours before in the Land of Diamonds were one and the same person. The raped woman was his half-sister on his father’s side and later his wife in his last incarnation. And the soldier was none other than himself. His body started being wracked with violent sobs.After experiencing some amusing adventures in the after-world, the hare-brained father decides to lend his son a hand, paving his way for a fulfilled and accomplished life.This is a rough outline of the plot in “Diamonds Are Forgiving”. An endlessly entertaining novel, fast-paced reading, a real page-turner. Fluent writing, sometimes funny, sometimes romantic, steamy or touching – all the ingredients to make the reader rejoice.About the AuthorAydano Roriz was born in Brazil in 1949. As a journalist, he has been writing for magazines since 1972. In 2005, he moved to the paradise island of Madeira in the North Atlantic, 1,000 km from Lisbon. This is where he writes his books. He has published seven novels and will launch his eighth in 2013.

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A Baron up the Creek Brazil countryside, November 1889 There was a time when that household had exuded happiness. That was when, he, a full-fledged baron, had come home from the war in Paraguay, his chest adorned with shiny medals. What a glorious day that had been! All the local people had been present at the pier on that balmy evening awaiting his arrival. There had been all sorts of fireworks to simulate the battles fought at La Plata and all of this had been staged in his honor! Money flowed in steadily, enabling him to send the boys to school in Europe a few months later. The latters' departure brought no emptiness to the household as one might expect. In fact, with Alice seated on the bench of her Bechstein piano playing Chopin's sonatas, each bar seemed to set the tune to a happy, carefree life. Oh how he missed those days of old, twenty to twenty-five years before when the house reeked of fresh coats of paint, when everything was brand new and joy reigned supreme. On that fateful late morning in 1889, the grand old man was lying on a hammock talking his after-lunch nap. Shortly before, the grandfather clock in the drawing room had struck eleven o'clock in the morning, and the heat was already stifling. The meal had been lavish, which along with the high temperature, contributed to the Baron's drowsiness. Time seemed to have stopped and nothing seemed to alter the household's normal pace. It was then that horse hoofs sounded outside in the courtyard. The cutting of the silence made the Baron sit up startled. Suddenly, he had that gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach announcing that a storm was about to strike and shatter his perfect world. It had been just as foreboding a year and a half before. On that dreadful Monday, May 14th, a messenger had delivered to his hands the transcript of Decree 3353 whose signature was still damp from the previous day's signing by Her Imperial Highness Princess Isabel. It had been the shortest decree the Baron had ever laid eyes upon; however, so life-shattering and woeful had been its short contents that he had managed to commit every single word to memory. It said the following: Section 1 - It is hereby declared that as of the present date, slavery is abolished inBrazil. Section 2 - All of the contrary heretofore provisions become irrevocably revoked. That was it! Little more than a score of words but they had been more than enough to turn his world upside down, inside out! His peace of mind was forever gone. However, compared to the missive he now held in his hands, last year's decree seemed harmless and petty. He, in his early seventies, hero of the Paraguay War, deputy during seven legislatures, former president of two provinces, could not remember ever having experienced uneasiness such as this one offset by this current news. A shiver crept down his spine and suddenly the old man felt queasy.

About the Author

"A blue-collar man of the written word" - this is how Aydano Roriz defines himself whenever he is asked whether he is a journalist. This is a frequent question because although the author has been responsible for some of the leading magazines in Brazil, a degree in Journalism is something he has never had. Born in 1949 in Juazeiro, Bahia, Aydano Roriz was raised in the capital city of Salvador, Bahia. There he got his degree in Business Administration as well as one in Economics. Moving to Sao Paulo, he started working for Abril Publishing Company where he contributed to almost all of its magazines. After 15 years working there, the author started feeling "fenced in" and decided to give free enterprise a shot. Things worked out very well for him as a businessman in the Communications field. Nevertheless, his prime passion lay in creative writing, mainly fiction. That is why on a cold winter afternoon in 1986, he started drafting the first lines to Diamonds Are Forgiving which took him twelve years to complete. According to the author, this lengthy period of time was due to the need for maturity plus the power to believe that his attempt would not turn out to be just another book.

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