Book Blitz: Steamsworn by Eric R. Asher

Today we're featuring STEAMSWORN by Eric. R. Asher. Take a look at this young adult steampunk and read an excerpt from the book. Don't forget to enter the rafflecopter at the end of the post.

Steamsworn
Eric R. Asher
(The Steamborn Series #3)

Publication date: April 5th 2016
Genres: Steampunk, Young Adult

The world dies in war only to be reborn. It is the way of things, and always will be.

Forged in the Deadlands crucible, and armed with the knowledge of their true enemy, Jacob, Alice, and their allies bring the fight back to Ancora. They’ll liberate their homeland, or die trying.

The wounds cut deep in their darkest hour, but in the end, vengeance will light their path.

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Previous books in the series:

EXCERPT:

“Whoa,” she said, jumping away from the burst of heat and flame. “That went up a little faster than I expected.” She reached the edge of the rack with her toe and forced it beneath the boiler.

Another rumble and crack echoed from the corridor behind them. Jacob turned around in time to see Drakkar come running back into the station, his cloak rising in the breeze behind him.
“Scythe Beetles!”
Jacob swung the air cannon off his back and racked the slide.
“Jacob, Alice!” Samuel’s voice rang with authority. “Fall back with Smith. If you need to use the cannon, use it at the last second. You don’t want to injure a Scythe Beetle. You want to kill it.”
Drakkar’s arm snapped out to the side, and his sword unfolded with a rapid series of clicks.
There was a calamity behind the Cave Guardian, and it grew louder with every second. Jacob and Alice scrambled off the railcar. Jacob paused and then ran to the pump to turn it off. The last thing they needed was wet fuel bars.
Alice made it to Smith ten steps before Jacob did. Samuel and Drakkar set up a loose line between the railcar and a steeper section of the shattered wall.
Smith spoke into his transmitter. “Mary! Get the chaingun down here now!”
Her static-laced reply came back in an incoherent burst.
“Chaingun! Now!”
Mary cursed and began shouting orders before she stopped transmitting.
Drakkar had the best view of the corridor, and everyone tensed when he said, “Here they come.”
The iron gate in the stone hall collapsed at the first impact. The metal rattled and screeched as it was twisted and trampled. The creatures were not very fast, but once they were moving, nothing seemed to stop them.
They ran on three-toed claws, the spikes on their legs tearing through stone and rending metal as they crashed onto the platform. Jacob watched in awe and horror as the front most beetle paused, and its back split open. A pair of leathery wings extended from beneath the carapace and gleamed in the rising moonlight.

Author Bio:
Eric is a former bookseller, guitarist, and comic seller currently living in Saint Louis, Missouri. A lifelong enthusiast of books, music, toys, and games, he discovered a love for the written word after being dragged to the library by his parents at a young age. When he is not writing, you can usually find him reading, gaming, or buried beneath a small avalanche of Transformers.

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Book Blitz: Steamborn by Eric Asher PLUS Excerpt and Giveaway

In the mood for some young adult steampunk? Well, you've come to the right place. Today we're featuring Eric R. Asher's STEAMBORN. Take a look at this cover and read the excerpt below.

Steamborn
Eric Asher
(Steamborn, #1)
Publication date: December 1st 2015
Genres: Steampunk, Young Adult

Jacob, a tinker’s apprentice and sometime thief, has lived his entire life in the mountain city of Ancora, protected by the city walls. These towering barriers keep the Deadlands creatures at bay, but the monsters move higher into the peaks every year. More and more, they breach the defenses of the Lowlands while the Highlands rest easy.

A swarm overruns the walls and wreaks utter devastation on the Lowlands. Charles, the old tinker, suspects the attack may not be natural. With help from Jacob’s closest friend, Alice, and Samuel, one of the city’s elite spider knights, Jacob and Charles will uncover a terrible darkness at the heart of their city.

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—

EXCERPT:

Jacob ran. He heard the shouts of the market guards as they chased him through the muddy cobblestone streets of Ancora. Their armor gave away their position as the metal plates clanged together and their boots fell heavy on the stones.

“There!” a guard said.

Jacob dove under a peddler’s table, scattering rugs and crates as the woman hissed at him to run faster. Jacob grinned when he realized the peddler was rooting for him and not the guards. The armored guards would never be able to dip under the thick stone tables that rested across the ancient troughs. They’d have to go around, or over, and Jacob knew their armor was too heavy for that.

“Get back here, you Lowland maggot!”

Jacob glanced back. The enraged armored forms were momentarily frozen in front of the brightly colored tents and tables before Jacob vanished down an alley. They could still catch him on the next street if he wasn’t careful, or if he wasn’t fast enough.

Something sizzled in a large metal pot near the last stall he sprinted past, and for a moment, Jacob wished it were food in his pocket instead of the loot he’d been lucky to take. He slid around the corner of an old brick house with a tiled roof and slipped into a narrow alley most people never would have noticed. The Highborn guards, used to the wide streets behind the city wall, didn’t have a chance of tracking Jacob through the maze of dim back alleys.

He eased farther into the shadowed space as the shouts and curses of the guards grew louder and then faded as they passed him by. He caught a glimpse of the polished silver armor as two of the men rushed onward. None of them glanced at the small alley. Jacob smiled and felt his pockets. Still there, his fingers met the reassuring bumps of his prize. He forgot the smell of food as he imagined finishing the pistons he’d built with Charles for the new boiler. With a good cushion, they could run for hours, or more. They’d just have to—

“Jacob Arthur Anders,” a voice said from behind him, deeper in the alley.

Jacob spun, knocking his elbow on an uneven brick in the wall and cursing as he stumbled back a step. “Alice! What are you doing here?”

Alice leaned forward, her gray wool dress barely clearing the wet ground. Her red hair hung in curls, brushing her shoulder as she looked down at Jacob’s hand and frowned. She raised her eyes to meet his, and he could still tell they were blue, even in the dim light of the alley. “What did you steal now?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You have your hand over your pocket.” The amount of accusation in her voice startled him. Alice pointed at his hand and said, “You only do that when you’re hiding something.”

“None of your business,” he said, squaring his shoulders and standing up as straight as he could. It left him a fraction of an inch taller than Alice.
“Oh, I think it is my business,” she said.

Author Bio:

Eric is a former bookseller, guitarist, and comic seller currently living in Saint Louis, Missouri. A lifelong enthusiast of books, music, toys, and games, he discovered a love for the written word after being dragged to the library by his parents at a young age. When he is not writing, you can usually find him reading, gaming, or buried beneath a small avalanche of Transformers.

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Cover Reveal and Giveaway: The Perilous Journey of the Not-So-Innocuous Girl by Leigh Statham

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

The Perilous Journey of the Not-So-Innocuous
Girl by Leigh Statham

presented by Month9Books!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

Lady Marguerite lives a life most 17th century French girls can only dream of: Money, designer dresses, suitors and a secure future. Except, she suspects her heart may be falling for her best friend Claude, a common smithie in the family's steam forge. When Claude leaves for New France in search of a better life, Marguerite decides to follow him and test her suspicions of love. Only the trip proves to be more harrowing than she anticipated. Love, adventure and restitution await her, if she can survive the voyage.

Title: THE PERILOUS JOURNEY OF
THE NOT-SO-INNOCUOUS GIRL
Publication date: 2015
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Leigh Statham

Leigh Statham was raised in the wilds of rural Idaho, but found her heart in New York City. She worked as a waitress, maid, artist, math teacher, nurse, web designer, art director, thirty-foot inflatable pig and mule wrangler before she settled down in the semi-quiet role of wife, mother and writer. She resides in North Carolina with her husband, four children, five chickens and two suspected serial killer cats. If the air is cool and the sun is just coming up over the horizon, you can find her running the streets of her small town, plotting her next novel with the sort of intensity that will one day get her hit by a car.

Connect with the Author: Website |Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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(Winners will receive their book on release day)

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Book Blast: The Boxcar Baby by @JLMulvihill

Welcome to a special Saturday post on We Do Write. Today we're featuring a cool YA steampunk, THE BOXCAR BABY by J.L. Mulvihill. Keep reading to check out an excerpt from the book, and don't forget to enter the rafflecopter at the end of the post!

The Boxcar Baby by J.L. Mulvihill

Born in a boxcar on a train bound for Georgia. At least that is what Papa Steel always told AB'Gale. But now, fifteen years later, the man who adopted and raised her as his own is missing and it's up to AB'Gale to find him. Aided only by a motley gang of friends, AB'Gale train hops her way across the United States in a desperate attempt to find her papa and put her life and family back the way it was. Her only guide is a map given to her by a mysterious hobo, with hand written clues she found hidden in her papa's spyglass. Here is the Great American Adventure in an alternate steampunk dystopian world, where fifteen-year-old AB'Gale Steel learns that nothing is as it seems, but instead is shrouded in secrets and mysteries ... and that monsters come in all shapes and forms.
The Boxcar Baby is the first book of the Steel Roots series.



Praise for The Boxcar Baby

“Miss AB’Gale Steel, is a pure spitfire girl, full of strong-minded grit, who draws strength out of adversity, and endures hardship by bracing herself against self-pity.” – Jorie Loves a Story
“One thing I really loved about this one was it was fast paced and moved quickly. Mulvihill did an amazing job making realistic characters.” – Bee’s Knees Reviews
“J.L. Mulvihill is quite a talented writer and I think she has such a creative mind to come up with this Steampunk Southern American Adventure.” – Book and Movie Dimension

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo

The Boxcar Baby Excerpt

I have always loved the sound of the train whistle, especially when I hear it from far away; the moaning echo across the valley gives it a sorrowful sound like a Piper bird calling for its mate. Sometimes I can imagine the sound is a mournful spirit seeking its long lost love. Sad as it may sound, it calms me when I hear it at night and lulls me to sleep, or wakes me peacefully in the early morning. Every two weeks when I hear the train, I know it’s time for Papa to come home. But one morning about five weeks ago, Papa didn’t come home.

I’m pretty sure my Granny is going to ask me to go to New Joplan to look for Papa. I don’t really mind going to New Joplan, the city is way jigin’, but I’ve never gone to the city alone before, and I’m sure there’s creepers there. Of course Granny will have it all worked out for me to stay with a friend of hers, but I will still have to go it alone. I need to go, though, because I have to find out what happened to my Papa. We ain’t heard from him or the railroad since Papa left for work last; he usually works a few weeks on and a couple weeks off, but this time he’s been gone longer than ever.

If Papa doesn’t come back, I can’t say what will happen to Granny and me. Granny and I waited four weeks for Papa but when he still hadn’t come home we got worried. Granny decided maybe we should go on into Jasper and sell the eggs and milk like we usually do when Papa comes home. So we hitched up the ponies and loaded the cart up and head into town.





Author J.L. Mulvihill: Born in Hollywood and raised in San Diego, CA, J.L. Mulvihill has made Mississippi her home for the past fifteen years. Her debut novel was the young adult title The Lost Daughter of Easa, an engaing fantasy novel bordering on science-fiction with a dash of steampunk, published through Kerlak Publishing. The Boxcar Baby, the first novel of her Steel Roots Series, was released by Seventh Star Press in the summer of 2013.

J.L. also has several short fiction pieces in publication, among them "Chilled Meat", a steampunk thriller found in the Dreams of Steam II-Of Bolts and Brass, anthology (Kerlak Publishing) and "The Leprechaun’s Story", a steampunk urban Fantasy found in the anthology, Clockwork, Spells, & Magical Bells (Kerlak Publishing)

J.L. is very active with the writing community, and is the events coordinator for the Mississippi Chapter of Imagicopter known as the Magnolia-Tower. She is also a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), Gulf Coast Writers Association (GCWA), The Mississippi Writers Guild (MWG), as well as the Arts Council of Clinton, and the Clinton Ink-Slingers Writing Group.

Website * Blog * Facebook * Twitter

BookBlast Giveaway

$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 3/31/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.



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Interview with February Grace + GIVEAWAY!

It's a beautiful fall day, here in my neck of the woods, and a perfect day for an interview with author February Grace. 

February Grace is a writer, artist, and poet who lives in Southeastern Michigan. She sings in key, plays by ear, and is more than mildly obsessed with colours, clocks, and meteor showers. GODSPEED is her debut novel.

Twitter: @FebruaryGrace
Facebook: www.facebook.com/FebruaryGrace
Blog: http://www.februarywriter.blogspot.co.uk/



Welcome to We Do Write, February! How long have you been writing?

I was a very early reader, and I’ve been making up stories since before I could write them down. I started really writing in the fourth grade, after a teacher gave me an extra credit assignment to rewrite the endings of fairy tales. I’ve been writing in one form or another ever since.

Tell us about GODSPEED. What’s the story about?

Eighteen year old Abigail Courage is cast into a world of secrets and intrigue when she is sent away

from the only home she has ever known, for reasons beyond her control.

Saved from certain death by a stranger's kind act, she is put into the care of brilliant, elusive Doctor Quinn Godspeed; and it doesn't take her long to figure out why he dwells in secrecy. The mechanical inventions he uses to keep her alive are all against the law: deemed unnatural by the moral code of society.

Through the doctor she is introduced to an unusual group of youths--also his patients-- who call themselves "The Freak's Chorus"; taking the unkind word as their own so 'no one can hurt them with it.'

As Abigail struggles to accept the truth of what Godspeed has done to save her, deepening feelings for him threaten to break her reconstructed, clockwork heart. Every day spent with him her curiosity grows...and she faces an uncertain future, even as she tries to unravel the mystery surrounding his past.

That sounds fantastic! How did the idea of the story come to you?

The first ideas for the story actually came to me in the middle of the night, when I was very ill and recovering from surgery. The initial idea was for a much darker story, but the quick notes I jotted down and the line “What is a heart if not the ultimate clockwork?” stayed with me, even as the story took shape later. 

That is an awesome line. It sucks me right in. Do you have a critique group/partner or beta readers, or do you self-edit?

I have a small group of beta readers that I trust, but I self-edit as well. GODSPEED will always be special to me because the book was published by Booktrope with no additional content editing from anyone else— just a thorough proofreading from a professional. Working with an editor is a new experience for me but one that has worked out well on my next novel, OF STARDUST, which will be coming out before the end of the year.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Total pantster. If I try to plot too much it all falls apart. I admire people who can do it.

Oh, so do I. I'm a pantser through and through. What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

Having enough time where I am feeling decent enough physically and emotionally at the same time to actually do it. My health is bad and continues to be the biggest obstacle to my writing.

I'm sorry to hear about your health. What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

My iPad. I don’t know what I did before I had it. I can play music on it, make quick notes, send emails as things come up— I would be lost without it.

If you could have any super power, what would it be?


I would want the power to heal people. There is so much suffering in this world; it’s really difficult to take to see what people suffer through. Yeah, definitely, healing would be it.

I'm a nurse, so I hear you. What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

I think that I actually just Googled it ten minutes ago: I was looking up who it was that sang the male back-up part on Lee Ann Womack’s 2000 hit, “I Hope You Dance.” But I must confess, that was just because I was curious, not because I needed it for a writing project. 

Quick writing test! Use the following words in a sentence: speedy, rancid, and octopus.

The speedy squid and obstinate octopus fled the rancid reef. (Sorry, that’s all I’ve got. LOL)

Finish this sentence: If I'm not writing, I'm probably ... 

Thinking about writing.

Who would you like to thank for supporting you? Let's hear your shout outs.

Oh, there are so many, and I know that I risk leaving someone out *scared*. I want to thank my team at Booktrope, especially my book manager Wendy Logsdon who I would be lost without. I’m eternally grateful to my dear friend Matt for all his encouragement to keep writing when I didn’t think I could. I’m grateful to all the writers who have cheered me on, to everyone who has beta read for me and to all the readers who have invested time in my work. And of course, I’m grateful to my husband for making it possible for me to do whatever I can do on a given day, whatever that may be.

And finally, where can people find you and your books online?

My home online is at www.februarywriter.blogspot.com . I’m on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FebruaryGrace but I prefer Twitter: @FebruaryGrace. GODSPEED is available online from all the major retailers in print and digital formats. My new book, OF STARDUST, is going to be posted in segments on Wattpad.com before you can buy it, so be sure to look me up there too, my username is FebruaryGrace.

Thank you so much for hosting me today!

Thank you for joining us! And now for the giveaway... 

Enter to win 1 x $20/£10 Amazon Gift Card plus 3 ecopies of Godspeed!

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Winner of the Three Two One Pitch

We have a winner! Let's take a look at what judging agent Rebecca Podos had to say about this month's contest:

I've read through all of the entries several times, and it was harder than I expected to pick a winner! I’m not one to linger over pitches, but a few of them really caught my eye. I wish I could learn more about them.

In the end, the winning pitch really stopped me when I came to it the first time, and I kept returning to it:


Name: Tristina Wright
Email: tristina[at]tristinawright[dot]com
Title: CHILDREN OF THE GODS
Genre: YA Steampunk/Mythology (Mythpunk)
Word Count: 75,000

Pitch:
I met her at a masquerade.
I kissed her at a carnival.
I fell in love with her at an execution.

It was definitely a risky pitch, because it didn’t give much of the plot away at all. But I know the book involves intrigue, romance, and danger, and I’m curious to see how that combines with steampunk and mythology. I liked the author’s instincts – I read an awful lot of pitches, and anything out of the ordinary that catches my eye, I try to pay attention to.

Congratulations, Tristina! Please send your manuscript to rebecca@reesagency.com as an attachment and put "Pitch Winner" in the subject line. Make sure you mention in the email that you won from this site, just in case Rebecca has participated in other pitch contests.

And to all other participants, feel free to query Rebecca via normal routes. Who knows, she may request your manuscript as well!

In the meantime, I'm trying to set up the next pitch contest. I'll be sure to let you know when it is, so be sure you're following me here and on Twitter. :)