Thursday 19 August 2010

Amber Quill Signs SF Mystery Claire de Lune!

Friday 13th, all is forgiven! On that date last week, Amber Quill Press accepted my new novel, erotic SF mystery Claire de Lune, for both digital and paperback release. Look up. You see that slightly bemused-looking fellow in the moon? That's me figuring out how to get back down to Earth, post-celebration!

Here's the story blurb...

You are invited to the galaxy’s most prestigious beauty pageant. Swimwear optional. Romance and danger…fully provided.

Cocky young Detectives Gerry Rappeneau and Sebastian Thorpe-Campbell arrive at the premier lunar resort expecting a week of eye candy and long massages. One contestant, Evelyn Lyons, has been attacked, and her assailant is now dead. Surely a simple case of a stalker gone mad, as nothing bad has ever happened at the Selene contest before. So the brochure says.

The assassin turns out to be a horrific hybrid of man and feral beast. No one seems to know where it came from or why, including the wily resort administrator who is desperate to keep the whole thing under wraps. The closer Gerry gets to Evelyn, the more certain he is she’s hiding something. His meticulous character sparks with her wild, sassy nature, and they soon embark on a torrid affair. Their forbidden romance isn’t the only thing set to ignite in Pont de Reves.

Sebastian’s infatuation with demure beauty Claire Villiers, another mysterious contestant who may or may not be connected to the case, threatens to put all four of them in harm’s way. With a half-billion-credit purse up for grabs, this year’s pageant is the focus of a hundred worlds. And beauty isn’t the only thing in the eye of the beholder.

A deadly trail of corporate conspiracy, monstrous assassins and hot bikini wax is more than anyone bargained for in this incendiary erotic mystery. Get ready for some serious heat on the dark side of the moon.


When I finished the initial draft last year, it wasn’t as spicy as I’d envisioned (ie. I’d chickened out of the steamy stuff!) so I invited my favourite erotic romance writer, Sloane Taylor, on board to sexify the proceedings and breathe extra life into one of the characters. It must have worked a treat, because Amber Quill is one of the market's top digital publishers.

Claire de Lune is due for release at the end of the year!

To find out more about the uber-talented Ms. Taylor and her books, click here.

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