One month from today I’ll be releasing Clockwork, Curses and Coal out into the world. I’m super excited about it, too 🙂
Not only will this be the first book I put out this year, it’s one I’m rather proud of. Clockwork, Curses and Coal is the second in my ‘Punked Up Fairy Tales’ collection and is filled with steampunk and gaslamp fairy tales.
Here are some of the details:
Fairies threaten the world of artifice and technology, forcing the royal family to solve a riddle to stop their world from irrevocable change; a dishonest merchant uses automatons as vessels for his secrets and lies; a woman discovers the secret of three princesses whose shoes get scuffed while they sleep. These and so many other steampunk and gaslamp fairy tales await within the pages of Clockwork, Curses and Coal.
Retellings of Hansel and Gretel, The Princess and the Pea, Pinocchio, The Twelve Dancing Princesses and more are all showcased alongside some original fairy tale-like stories. Featuring stories by Melissa Bobe, Adam Brekenridge, Beth Cato, MLD Curelas, Joseph Halden, Reese Hogan, Diana Hurlburt, Christina Johnson, Alethea Kontis, Lex T. Lindsay, Wendy Nikel, Brian Trent, Laura VanArendonk Baugh and Sarah Van Goethem.
Pre-order it now!
Even though the book doesn’t come out until next month you can pre-order it today. If you pre-order it that the book will download to your e-reader or show up in your mailbox on its release day. That guarantees you get your copy as soon as possible and it will make my publisher happy. And happy publishers make me happy.
It’s win/win, really 🙂
If that’s not an option for you, or if you’re feeling lucky, you could also enter to win an ARC copy:
There aren’t many early reviews just yet but Publisher’s Weekly did have this to say about it:
“The technological flights of fancy are always intriguing, and fairy tale lovers will enjoy deducing the inspiration for each tale. Readers will not be disappointed.”
So yay!
Also, as I mentioned, this is the second book in this series. If you missed the first, Grimm, Grit and Gasoline when it came out here are a few details about it.
It probably goes without saying that both of these anthologies stand alone… but in case it doesn’t — both of these anthologies stand alone. But there’s nothing wrong with having the whole set, either 😉
Dieselpunk and decopunk are alternative history re-imaginings of (roughly) the WWI and WWII eras: tales with the grit of roaring bombers and rumbling tanks, of ‘We Can Do It’ and old time gangsters, or with the glamour of flappers and Hollywood starlets, smoky jazz and speakeasies. The stories in this volume add fairy tales to the mix, transporting classic tales to this rich historical setting.
Two young women defy the devil with the power of friendship. The pilot of a talking plane discovers a woman who transforms into a swan every night and is pulled into a much more personal conflict than the war he’s already fighting. A pair of twins with special powers find themselves in Eva Braun’s custody and wrapped up in a nefarious plan. A team of female special agents must destroy a secret weapon–the spindle–before it can be deployed. Retellings of The Little Mermaid, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, Cinderella, The Monkey King, Swan Lake, Pinocchio and more are all showcased alongside some original fairy tale-like stories.
“These unfailingly clever tales are impressive and page-turning, helping to correct the dearth of speculative fiction set in the interwar era. There is also a frequent and welcome spotlight on heroic women. Any reader who enjoys early-20th-century history or retold fairy tales will find these familiar but new, with well-played wonder in every story.”
“Magic mixes with grease and jazz in this fantastic new anthology that brims with strong heroines, diverse settings, and a heaping helping of Nazi-punching.”
“Consisting of nineteen stories by different authors, I got a wide variety of styles, plots and characters which thrilled me with each new tale. While I did have my favorites, none of them were duds and I was sad to come to the end of the last one and know I was done. But now I have some new authors to seek out. Overall, an excellent read and well worth your time.
Highly recommended.”
