The Road to Enlightenment
BOOKS
THE UNNATURALISTS - a YA steampunk fantasy coming in Summer 2012 from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
The City of New London is all Tesla’s fault. If his experiment had not broken the walls between London and Fairyland, New London would not be here at all, and Fairyland would not be in jeopardy. The tear in the fabric of space and time brought things from every era of London—Vauxhall Gardens, the Tower, Nonesuch House. With it also came the belief that Science would cure all ills. Soon, the descendants of Tesla learned how to turn magical energy into power, using a substance called myth. Just as Old London
relied on coal and gas, New London relies on myth. It’s in everything from
lanterns to sealing wax. It powers machines. It provides heat and light.But all of this comes at great price.
In the Museum of Unnatural History, fifteen-year-old Vespa Nyx has spent the last two years since her expulsion from Seminary learning to identify, catalog, and
mount rare sylphs. Even as the black desert of the Creeping Waste threatens New London, young Syrus Reed seeks Vespa at the behest of the mysterious Manticore. Whether they can learn to trust each other and work together in a race against time and greed is at the heart of this steampunk adventure.The HALLOWMERE series - YA historical dark fantasy set in Reconstruction-era Virginia and Victorian Scotland and London. The series is currently out-of-print, but is available in libraries and second-hand stores. Books in the series include:
IN THE SERPENT'S COILS - a BookSense (IndieBound) Autumn 2007 Children's Pick and a New York Public Library Book of the Teen Age 2008
BY VENOM'S SWEET STING
BETWEEN GOLDEN JAWS
MAIDEN OF THE WOLF (with Angelika Ranger)
QUEEN OF THE MASQUERADE (with Amanda Jenkins)
ORACLE OF THE MORRIGAN (with Paul Crilley)
SHORT STORIES
"The Emperor's Man." CORSETS & CLOCKWORK: 13 STEAMPUNK ROMANCES. Trisha Telep, ed. An Imperial Guard and the princess he serves find danger, romance, and (as it happens) a Manticore, in the dungeons of New London. This is a prequel to THE UNNATURALISTS. Purchase from IndieBound, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or your favorite bookseller. Suitable for teens.
"Death by Chocolate". The December Lights Project. A baker discovers the magic of cupcakes and the dangers of love. Suitable for teens.
"Black Gold." BREAKING WAVES: AN ANTHOLOGY FOR GULF COAST RELIEF. Tiffany Trent and Phyllis Irene Radford, eds. A prequel to the HALLOWMERE books, this story tells of first encounters during the Battle of New Orleans from the Fey Prince's point of view and reveals the identity of the mysterious bloody-handed Captain. All proceeds from the sale of this anthology at Book View Cafe go to the Greater New Orleans Foundation's Gulf Coast Relief Fund. Please note this anthology does contain some adult tales.
"Blackwater Baby." MAGIC IN THE MIRRORSTONE. Steve Berman, ed. The origins of Mara, daughter of the Marsh King, are revealed in Civil War-era Charleston, South Carolina. Was given Honorable Mention in Year's Best Horror 2008. Suitable for teens.
"The Vampire, the Witch, and the Yenko." THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF VAMPIRE ROMANCE 2. (aka LOVE BITES in the UK). Trisha Telep, ed. A witch must save a vampire from his own kind in this adult tale of muscle cars and magic mobsters. Not for teens or children.