Tuesday 10 August 2010

Upcoming Steampunk Mystery at Carina Press!

Seriously great news here! Carina Press, the mighty new digital publisher backed by Harlequin and fronted by epub queen Angela James, has signed my latest novella.

It's tally-ho with a clink and a clank and several uproarious bursts of steam, as The Miraculous Lady Law, my first ever stab at steampunk, is now undergoing the first round of edits. The setting is Victorian London; the genre is steampunk mystery with a dash of romance, as four disparate characters are thrust together in the wake of a puzzling murder.

Lonely airship waitress and part-time chorus girl Julia Bairstow arrives home one night to find her sister brutally murdered. Staying alive herself long enough to find justice is going to take more than fancy footwork.

Over-protective Constable Aloysius Grant has a vested interested in keeping Julia safe, but what deep scars from his past is he hiding?

Legendary explorer/scientist Horace Holly feels rather obsolete these days, but the disappearance of his young protege has a profound effect upon the old professor.

Beautiful Harriet Law is the most famous private investigator alive. Her record stands at one hundred percent. Never a crime unsolved in over six hundred cases, including Jack the Ripper. But this isn't any old case, as she and all London are about to find out.

In a time of grand airships, giant burrowing machines and pioneering astronomy, the biggest mystery may lie in the smallest of details.


We don't have a release date yet, but I'll keep you updated on Lady Law's progress. My editor at Carina is the lovely Alissa Davis, and she's already given some invaluable suggestions for improvements. Can't wait to share the finished book with you.

In the meantime, check out the terrific Carina Press website:

http://www.carinapress.com/


Cheerio for now,

Robert

7 comments:

Darcy Drake said...

It sounds awesome! I can't wait to read it.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations Robert! Just came over from the interview at Galaxy Express. Great interview.

Robert Appleton said...

Thanks, Darcy. I can't wait to share it with you.

It's odd that I've never taken the plunge into steampunk before now--Victorian mystery and science fiction have always been my two favourite genres.

Robert Appleton said...

Thanks, Kaz! Following Galaxy Express has really helped me to persevere in SFR. It's a great little community.

Glad you enjoyed the interview.

Unknown said...

Congratulations!!! I love steampunk and can't wait to read this.

Robert Appleton said...

Hi Melissa! Isn't it a great genre? I just finished FULL STEAM AHEAD by Nathalie Gray and really enjoyed it. Lots of publishers are asking for steampunk at the moment. Have you written any?

Unknown said...

Hi Robert! I have not written anything in steampunk, yet, but I am dying to try. As soon as my writing schedule permits, I'll be working on an idea that's been percolating in my brain for a while. In the meantime, I'll have to check out Natalie's story. I just finished Cherie Priest's Boneshaker and loved it.