The novels published here are copyright M. A. McRae, AKA Marj123.

Novel: Not a Man, Author, M. A. McRae.

This is the story of Shuki Bolkiah, a modern day eunuch. It is set in an unnamed country of Arabia. Shuki is aged 10, and a 'bed-boy.' His master wants his beautiful boy to 'stay beautiful,' and for that reason, has him castrated. The trauma is described, as it is what changed forever the life of a clever, determined boy.

Shuki learns to manipulate his master. He learns to read and write, he gets his master into the habit of giving him large sums of money, and he becomes friendly with the master's sons. He becomes more beautiful with every passing year. His master becomes more possessive, more jealous, and he is guarded. When his master takes him to England, he escapes, and starts a new life with the money he's saved. He is fifteen.

The rest of the story deals with Shuki's battle to become a person who can respect himself, and whom others can respect. There are setbacks, a major trauma, but Shuki survives.

This story is not about homosexuality, or the sexual abuse of children, and neither is it an erotic novel.

The story of Shuki continues in 'The King's Favourite.' He is taken as a slave, in order to keep a young king amused, and to deter him from interfering with those who run his country.

The third novel in the series is called, 'To Love and to Protect.' This sweeping story is told from the point of view of 4 children of the Master Hasquitri Daoud. Hasquitri is the eldest son of Hassanal Daoud, the one who decided that his bed-boy was to become a eunuch. He repented in later years, and told the Young Master Hasquitri that the Daouds' duty was to 'to love and to protect' the eunuch for as long as he lived. 'Because he was not a man, and could not be expected to act as a man.' The story is around 190,000 words, 29 chapters.

Below is a list of characters, but there's not the slightest need to read or remember them. For the reader's convenience, short notes head each chapter when it gets complicated.

The Shuki series: Characters:

The Daoud Family: An Arab family, lived for many generations among the middle Atlas Mountains of Northern Africa. The large property is called Naelahin. Their employees are termed ‘servants,’ and most are descendants of servants. Most of the servant class are more Berber than Arab. The religion of the country is Islam. The Daouds claimed the area centuries before, and generations of Daouds lived and died there. The last of the blood-line was Rahman Daoud. Rahman Daoud had several wives, many children, but all the wives died, and babies were stillborn, or weakly. By the time that Rahman died, he had no natural children. His stepson inherited, Hassanal Daoud, the son of his last wife, an English widow.

Hassanal Daoud: Master during his life-time. (genetically English.)

Wives 1 & 2: Sisters Sarah and Nalan, of a French mother, and an Arab father.

Wife 3: Iktimal Loohi, from neighbouring property, daughter of Bilal Loohi. When Hassanal died, Iktimal married his son. He was 16, she was a couple of years older.

Hasquitri Daoud, Master during his life-time. Son of Sarah. Wives: Iktimal, Teleni, (Later, Anna and Nehmet.)

Elei: son of Nalan. 1 yr younger than Hasquitri.

Christoph: son of Sarah. 2 yrs younger than Hasquitri.

Other children of Hassanal:

Sons: Matuel and Grafir, sons of Iktimal, Ghafoor: son of Nalan, Mahgreb: son of Sarah

Daughters: Azrinaz, Sarah-lei, Naela, Hanan. Married and moved away.

Next generation:

First son and Young Master: Samir Daoud: son of Iktimal.

Other children: Zahu: son of Iktimal. Manesseh: son of Teleni. Ghafoor, much younger, son of Teleni.

Shaiima: daughter of Iktimal. Honiara: daughter of Teleni.

Samir died young, leaving two widows and three sons, one posthumous. Hasquitri married his widows, Anna and Nehmet.

New Young Master, Laurens Daoud, son of Samir and Anna.

Shuki Bolkiah:

Shuki was a child of the slums, rejected by his family after he became bed-boy to Hassanal Daoud. At the age of 19, Shuki married four women he found starving. One was pregnant, and another had a baby. They had formerly belonged to an outlaw gang, who were defeated in a battle with men led by the Daouds and the Loohis, who were neighbours. The outlaw men were killed, a few escaped, and the women were raped. A woman without a protector is a ‘whore,’ whether or not she accepts money for sex. Once married, however, they can be treated as respectable.

Wives: 1. Hirsiri Reha, leader of the women.

2. Tirsa Dati: Daughters: Karen and Nadia, from a short-lived marriage to an Englishman.

3 Sanyar Razzak: Son: Tarik. Tarik marries Penelope Linton, and moves to England.

4. Lariah Hariri. Daughter: Veiha. Veiha marries Angus McRae, two daughters.

Mum's poems.

These are my mother's poems. The poems in Group 1 speak about growing old and tired. Most are written when my father was spending his last years in a nursing home. Some are very sad.

The poems in Group 2 are about life in general. They have a certain wry humour, often funny, sometimes with a touch of sadness as well.