Been a Long Time!

 Yes, I've been busy! Mostly being in and out of the hospital, defying death with a couple of DVT's, one of which broke off into my lung, hobbling with a wrecked knee, and getting not one but two trigger-finger surgeries. I couldn't sit at the computer, and my laptop is too slow to get anything done, so I've mostly been online via my phone! N.B.: Don't do it. 

In the meantime, I missed the tell-Tale Steampunk Festival, where The Order of Duval debuted. Yes! Book 3 of the Twins of Bellesfées series is now out in the world! I'm excited about this novel ~ Jack tells me it's the best so far.

You might recall the girls and young women that the vampire Mircalla ensnared in Book 2, Aéros & Héroes. Five of them were quite feisty, strong enough to defy Mircalla's orders to kill Jacqueline and Baron Vordenburg. Three of these ask to remain with Jacqueline as apprentices, and they are joined by a younger girl who had been flayed by one of Mircalla's minions. These four call themselves "The Order of Duval," as suggested by Têtue, the lycanthrope.

Book 3 begins with a missive to Jacqueline requesting her help with a haunted locomotive at the Paris-Orléans manufacturing plant. The apprentices insist on accompanying her, along with Angélique, her husband Gryffin, Jacqueline's lover Alain de Guise, and (of course!) Monsieur Claque. As they approach the city, they notice a heavy smog, more than the usual industrial coal smoke, stinking of burnt flesh. It hangs on them all like a shroud of dread, which doesn't bode well for the doughty crew.

I was blessed to receive accolades from Beth Cato, K.C. Grifant, A.C. Wise, Caitlyn Rozakis, and Randee Dawn. The bottom line is, it's a wonderful book about found family and finding one's place in a world where women and children are bartered, abused, and crushed by the forces of the Industrial Age.

I've also opened a shop on my website! You can find all my eSpec Books publications, and links to other anthologies with my stories. 

I've also begun printing up single-story booklets you can purchase. I'm getting set to make digital versions available as well. Who needs Amazon!

And finally, I've started a newsletter, and you can send me an email asking to receive it while I figure out how to get sign-ups on my website (Yes, I'm slow).

What a year it's been so far! And next week, I'll be reading my villanelle for the NJ Bards Anthology in Mt. Laurel, then heading off to Stokercon in Stamford, CT. Meanwhile, I'm writing book 5, since book 4 is now with my publisher and I have to hurry!