Snippety snippet

So, as mentioned on social media, I'm spinning off the London Steampunk series, with the first book due for publication mid-next year. There will be a new story arc to take place over the new series, which is tentatively titled, The Blueblood Conspiracy. Heh, heh. Make of that what you will.

Frequently asked questions about the new series:

Charlie? Yes. There will be some Charlie action, he just has a little bit of growing up to do, after the events of Of Silk And Steam.

What is this series about? Well, let's just say, there was a lot of aftermath following the events of OSAS. One doesn't just cast down the Prince Consort with no consequences. Is everybody happy about the Queen ruling her own country? Maybe. Maybe not. (Highlight for spoilers)

This is the Malloryn in my head. Yummy, huh?

Who else? The first book features Byrnes and Ingrid. That's no secret. But there are a few characters in my sights. Malloryn, for one. Poor Ava, with her clockwork heart. And let us not forget Adele, Lena's cunning friend, with her terrible future.

What to expect? Suspense. Sexy times (of course). Daring adventures. We're taking a little bit of a different road with this series. London Steampunk was all about politics, overthrowing the cruel aristocracy, making the world a better place. The Blueblood Conspiracy, has a slightly different tone. Spies, a secret enemy organisation with a dark agenda… It's all a little bit V for Vendetta, turned on its head. Oh, and of course, there was that diary that Leo found at the end of OSAS…

Cameos from old friends: Yes. Want to guess how many children Garrett has? Or see what's happening in Blade's little corner of the world? There are certainly ties between these characters, and the London Steampunk character, but don't expect them to pop up, and make an appearance unless it enhances the plot. Sorry. I just don't work that way (:

Here's a little excerpt from the first book, which has a working title of Byrnes:

          “Miss you?” Byrnes asked flatly, though the heat in his blue eyes wasn't cold. Not at all. He took a menacing step toward her before pausing, his lean form falling into absolute stillness.

            Ingrid smiled. She'd worked with Byrnes for two weeks – or worked against him, perhaps, when he'd declared the bet – but in that time she'd come to know him well enough to predict him.

            He hated emotional displays, especially in himself. His control was absolute. And she'd just caused him to break both of those self-governed rules.

            Call it the devil on her shoulder, but when it came to Byrnes, she absolutely could not help herself.

            A delicious, heated intensity filled the room. Her skin itched at the silence, at all the words that weren't being said in this moment. Silences had never made her uncomfortable – indeed, she often preferred them – but this one was filled with such promise that she actually gave a shiver.

            “Miss you?” he repeated slowly, carefully. “Why yes… I believe I did. I have a little debt to repay.”

            “A little debt?” Ingrid glanced at him from beneath her lashes in a most un-Ingrid-like way. “What a curious choice of words.”

            Instantly his gaze flattened, and she laughed.

            “I searched for you,” he said stiffly.

            “Did you?”

            “I spent months looking for you.”

            “You wouldn't have found me, no matter how much time you spent looking for me.” You wouldn't have found me, because I wasn't here. Not that her quest to Norway had been successful, even with all of the lovely bounty money she'd earned by bringing in the so-called Vampire of Drury Lane, all by herself. The humour drained out of her, but she managed to keep her smile on her face.

            Some mysteries took time. She certainly wasn't giving up on this one. And now she'd had this lovely offer, with more money on the table, should her work prove satisfactory to the Duke of Malloryn. More money meant more informants she could pay, more searchers she could employ. She'd find the family she'd been stolen from, all those years ago. One day.

            She just had to be patient.

            “Where did you go after the case? You weren't in London. You weren't in any of the towns nearby. You weren't even in bloody Scotland!”

            Ingrid shrugged. “That's not really any of your business.”

            “Oh, I think it is.” Byrnes was in her space. They were of a height – especially with her in her heeled boots – but she never felt unfeminine around him, the way she sometimes felt with other men. Byrnes had always challenged her to be an equal. And that look in his eye had always made her feel distinctly feminine.

            “You left me naked and bound to my bed. I've been thinking about what I'd do to you – to repay the debt – for the entire year.” His voice dropped. “Oh, and Ingrid, I've had time to get very creative about it.”