Blood and Clockwork by Katey Hawthorne
Less Than Three Press
Published March 16th 2016
Art Work by Natasha Snow
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Katey Hawthorne, author of Blood and Clockwork, here to talk about the novel and the inspiration behind it. Welcome, Katey!
Clockwork Magic
Hi, and thanks for letting me drop by at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue words. You know I love you all! Today I’m going to talk about my newest release, Blood and Clockwork, which is part of Less Than Three Press’s Solitary Travelers collection—all containing asexual protagonists! They cover the ace spectrum pretty well, from what I understand, and the hero of my book, Alistair Click, is asexual panromantic. He’s also a huge nerd and itinerant horologist.
I’ve had a huge thing for clockwork my whole life. I’m not sure what it is about the cogs and wheels clicking away, but they’re mesmerizing. I think back to a time when clockwork was far more pervasive than it is now and how wonders like the Silver Swan used to draw huge crowds—and wonder if it does even now. I don’t think it’d seem any less magical to people today… well, depending on their level of cynicism.
Anyhow, this is just a long way of saying that this is why I love to write about clockwork, and even clockwork as or intertwined with magic. There’s a small problem with that in Alistair Click’s world, sadly…
A faint glimmering came from a round object within, like a glass ball, but with some sort of gas or liquid trapped inside, roiling. It tied my stomach in knots. “It may be magic,” I said gravely.
“Magic, of course there’s magic.” [Marco’s] deadpan was impressive. “Okay, so. Clockwork-activated magic?”
“No wonder the Prince went mad.” I handed off the lantern and jumped down from the stool. “This makes it even riskier to meddle with. Magic is outlawed for a reason. That reason is madness. It follows inevitably.”
So there’s that to deal with, on top of a tower full of clockwork puzzles. Fun times, amiright?
BLURB:
Blood and Clockwork: Alistair Click set out to lay to rest the superstitious fears about the Mad Prince’s clockwork tower. If that
meant he might bring the ghost city of Avalonia back to economic life, connecting the western kingdoms once again, so much the better. So what if no adventurer who’d entered the tower in the last century of desolation had ever re-emerged? They didn’t have his skill and wit. He could do better.
The tower turns out to be far more than Alistair expected, however. Not only are there clockwork puzzles to open every door, but one of them drops a boy from a strange world into his lap—figuratively speaking, if only just. Marco Murphy was just gaming in his New Jersey apartment, and now he’s stuck in what feels like a never ending LARP nightmare.
The deeper they delve into the Mad Prince’s tower, the darker the secrets they uncover. They’re not entirely sure they’ll ever be able to get out again, either. It’ll take all Marco’s charm and Alistair’s cleverness, plus the strange bond growing between them, to get them out together… and alive.
LINKS:Author’s site: http://www.kateyhawthorne.com/p/one-shots.html
Sales Links
Less Than Three Press | Amazon | All Romance eBooks
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katey Hawthorne is an avid reader and writer of superpowered romance, even though the only degree she holds is in the history of art. (Or, possibly, because the only degree she holds is in the history of art.) Originally from the Appalachian foothills of West Virginia, she currently lives in Ohio. In her spare time she enjoys comic books, B-movies, loud music, Epiphones, and Bushmills. Find her at http://www.kateyhawthorne.com/
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