Saturday, August 18, 2012

Steampunk Saturdays with Jillian Stone (Guest Post/Giveaway)

Welcome back to Steampunk Saturdays! Joining us now is the author who gave us The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard, Jillian Stone!



Love on the Run with Detective Lewis. A Steampunk Road Trip.

I write historical romantic suspense, set in the late Victorian period (1887-1889), when steam travel was in full bloom. Giant steam engines powered trains and ships, people powered bicycles––experimental submarines, and great landships were being designed, built and displayed at Industrial Expositions. These futuristic machine demonstrations were wildly popular in London, making inventors the rock stars of the day!

In the second book of The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard series, A DANGEROUS LIASION WITH DETECTIVE BRUCE (releases September 28) a number of odd and eccentric inventions have a role to play in this road trip adventure, along with a plot that keeps the hero and heroine on the run...

Here’s the blurb:


Title: A Dangerous Liaison with Detective Lewis
Release date: August 28, 2012
Publisher: Pocket Books
Author: Jillian Stone 
When Fanny Greyville-Nugent's father suffers a gruesome death in the clutches of his own machine, mourning his loss is not the beautiful heiress's only heartbreak. Scotland Yard is convinced he was targeted in a plot to halt the rise of industry, and Fanny's former fiancé, dashing and dubious detective Raphael "Rafe" Lewis, has been assigned to the case.
For the estranged ex-lovers, bringing the notorious assassins to justice proves as tumultuous as quelling pent-up desires. Fighting peril and passion at every turn of a dangerous journey from Edinburgh to London, they are pursued by an anarchist group hell-bent on destroying her father's mysterious entry into the London Industrial Exposition.

When an astonishing discovery about the couple's failed engagement surfaces, the sleuthing duo realize they can trust no one. Rafe confesses new details about his infidelity and Fanny risks all to avenge her father's murder. But will Rafe and Fanny triumph over the pain of their past?

Purchase links: Amazon - Barnes & Noble - The Book Depository  (Special pre-order price $5.99 + free shipping!)

Part of the fun of this story is that Fanny and Rafe travel in an assortment of Steampunk vehicles as they are pursued by her would-be abductors from Edinburgh to London, these include trains, velocipedes, a landship and a submersible. Without being a spoiler, I’d love to share a few factoids about these turn of the century conveyances:

Train.                                                    
By 1887, the network of trains and train tracks crisscrossing Britain was comprehensive, but disjointed. Because the railroads were built and owned by private investment syndicates, there wasn’t much standardization. The train track gauges were different, requiring locomotives and cars to be custom built for each section of privately owned railway. And since one railroad company couldn’t use another’s tracks, this also might require passengers to change trains along the route to their destination. Railroad investment syndicates often went bankrupt, sometimes before the new route was even finished. On the upside? Rail speed. In A DANGEROUS LIAISON WITH DETECTIVE LEWIS, Rafe boards the early train in London and arrives in Edinburgh in time for a funeral in the afternoon.

Velocipede.       
According to Wikipedia, velocipede is an umbrella term for any human-powered land vehicle with one or more wheels. The most common type of velocipede is the bicycle. At one point in their escape, Fanny and Rafe use bicycles to put a bit of distance between themselves and their pursuers.

Landship.       
This highly experimental, prototype of a pedrail landship plays an interesting part in the novel, helping to get Fanny and Rafe from Edinburgh to Glasgow. Sorry I can’t be any more specific about this giant war engine’s role in the novel, but I can tell you that these landships were the precursors to the tank and were first put to use in World War I.

Submersible.      
One of the more colorful supporting characters in A DANGEROUS LIAISON WITH DETECTIVE LEWIS, in an inventor who joins Fanny and Rafe in their increasingly perilous journey to London. One of his inventions is a three man submersible that he plans on entering in the London Industrial Exposition. The sub plays a key role in the story, but alas, that is all I can say. My lips are sealed.

I wrote A DANGEROUS LIAISION WITH DETECTIVE LEWIS to be a suspenseful page turner with a hero who has a lot to prove as well as make up for and a heroine who is up for both the romance and adventure. As a film student, I studied all of Alfred Hitchcock’s work and I particularly admire the romantic suspense films: Rear Window, North by Northwest, and To Catch a Thief. Thrills, chills, adventure––perhaps there’s a mystery to uncover, or a villain to capture, but at the story’s core, there is always a love story.

About Jillian Stone

In 2010, An Affair with Mr. Kennedy won the RWA Golden Heart and Jillian went from no agent or publisher to signing with Richard Curtis and being offered a three book contract by Pocket Books. That same summer another manuscript, The Seduction of Phaeton Black, won the erotica category of the 2010 Romance Through the Ages contest and was offered a three book contract by Kensington Brava. Needless to say, she has been busy writing books this past year and a half! Jillian lives in Southern California and is currently working on synopses for three more adventures in The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard series.

Website - Facebook - Twitter: @gJillianStone

Question for commenters: What is your favorite Steampunk vehicle––land, sea or air? Jillian has a signed advance copy of A DANGEROUS LIAISON WITH DETECTIVE LEWIS for one lucky commenter chosen at random.



~*GIVEAWAY*~
To enter to win a copy of A Dangerous Liaison With Detective Lewis just leave a comment on this post answering Jillian's question and then fill out the rafflecopter below. Additional entries are available but not required. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

24 comments:

  1. I like them all!! But the air ships have to be my favorite in steampunk novels ;)

    Kassandra
    sionedkla@gmail.com

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  2. they are all delightful, but if I could only chose one i would go with air. I love steampunk gadgetry!

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  3. Congrats on the new release, Jillian. I'll choose sea. The submersible looks interesting.

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  4. Even knowing the fate of the Hindenburg, I'm still partial to airships.

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  5. Congrats on the new release!!! In a purely selfish vein, I'm so glad that there are more books in this series! I just discovered you and I can't wait to read your books :)

    I love steampunk. I love how inventive each author gets. The land, air and sea vehicles seem so cool and it would be awesome to try any of them. I think that I would love the "airships" most of all.

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  6. All the steampunk vehicles are pretty cool, but I love the airships the most.

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  7. I loved the info on the steampunk vehicles! I love the Velocipede!

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  8. Hi Everyone!

    I just got back from a fun Saturday spent with the Romance Writer's of America's San Diego chapter. It looks like the airship is far and away the Steampunk vehicle of choice!

    Sooo, after the wild you take with Detective Lewis, you might try the next book in the series, A PRIVATE DUEL WITH AGENT GUNN (for a ride in an airship) which releases the end of November!

    Thanks everyone for your comments and interest. Good luck!


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  9. air. :) definately. although i am afraid of heights...... but wouldn't it be cool to fly a personal plane?

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  10. gotta be the boring one but I love trains, always have. I love to go on the trains just for fun. Carin
    mawmom at gmail dot com

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  11. It's a toss up between land and air.
    On land there can be so many possibilities. In the air it can so much fun and unusual. I'm just getting into the steampunk genre and I think it's exciting.
    luvfuzzzeeefaces at yahoo dot com

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  12. I think a zeppelin or blimp/airship is a cool steampunk vehicle!

    Thanks,
    Leanne

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  13. I love historical romance, but I haven't read many historical romantic suspense stories, so I am really excited to read this one!

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  14. Air - love the thought of flying!

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  15. I have to say air would be my favorite. It heralds back to a time gone by.

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  16. Steampunk Land I have a soft spot for those types of vehicles

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  17. Great comments!

    I forgot to mention the early automobiles. Most of these horseless carriages were one of a kind vehicles built in private workshops, and funded by the inventors.

    For those of you who have read AN AFFAIR WITH MR. KENNEDY, you know the important role Robert's Roadster played in the first novel of the series.

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  18. I´d have to say land, i´m to much of a chicken sh*t to try sea or air =)
    Land feels safer, some how.

    best wishes, Linda xo

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  19. Air, that way you can fly and go everywhere you want! :) (Ileana-rafflecopter)

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  20. I like the airships in these stories.

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  21. Air, it was cool and awesome. Though I like all them all.

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  22. Linda, Gisele, Di, Adisty Sri Mulianty, and Texas Book Lover:

    Air ships for everyone...Linda can ride in a pedrail landship, slow and steady as she goes...;)

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