I’m excited to share the news that THE BLACKSMITH’S LOVER, the second novella in my erotic clockpunk trilogy, will release in July 2012 from Red Sage Publishing!
Here’s the story blurb:
The year is 1840. On the run after being caught in a scandalous incident, scullery maid Sarah Bailey must find refuge before her vengeful former mistress has her killed. When she stumbles upon a blacksmith’s shop in need of an apprentice in West Boylston, Massachusetts, she applies for the position.
Viktor is a brawny, reclusive blacksmith who creates strange clockwork and steam-powered devices. The gruff man makes it clear that Sarah’s plight is no concern of his, but ghosts from his past dictate otherwise. Viktor agrees to protect the spunky maid, but only until her trail of henchmen runs cold.
Sarah quickly discovers that the fire of this blacksmith’s forge runs volcanic hot. Unable to resist one another, she and Viktor begin a lust-filled affair. But how long will their idyllic arrangement last before Sarah’s former mistress destroys it?
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I really look forward to entertaining you with Viktor and Sarah because they were such a fun couple to write. Science fiction romance (not to mention my awesome editor at Red Sage) gave me the creative freedom to exploring the nature and agency of artisan heroes in a historical clockpunk setting.
I didn’t realize that blacksmith heroes in historical romance were so rare until I went searching for others after I finished THE BLACKSMITH’S LOVER. For me, however, it was a no-brainer: the diversity factor in sci-fi romance made a blacksmith hero a natural fit for the story I wanted to tell.
Other readers can have their dukes and marquises and power to them. But I also know that there are readers who seek alternate types of heroes in a historical setting. A steampunk or clockpunk world is one way to deliver them.
In fact, the topic fascinated me to such a degree that I decided to blog about it. At Heroes and Heartbreakers, I put out a call for artisan heroes in Missing In Action: Sexy Heroes Who Work with Their Hands.
Oh, the places we can go in science fiction romance…
Thanks for reading!
Joyfully yours,
Heather