Hi, fellow book lovers. I’m very excited today to be sharing with you an excerpt from The Lady Machinist. This romantic steampunk tale is filled with intrigue, clockwork soldiers, and did I mention pirates? It’s the first in my Curiosity Chronicles series.

The Lady Machinst

Ava Morgan

Isle of Aspasia, 1837: Lydia Dimosthenis detests pirates, especially those of British ilk. The lady machinist will do anything to protect her island home of Aspasia from the scurvy knaves, even if it means crafting seven-foot clockwork soldiers to drive intruders away. When her automatons catch the eye of a charming yet stubborn ambassador from New Britannia, she is given an offer that she truly cannot refuse. But that doesn’t stop her from trying.

Rhys Cartret, ambassador and agent for the Cabinet of Intellectual Curiosities, didn’t count on having a strong-willed, attractive inventor thwarting his every diplomatic move. It’s hard enough keeping his pirate past a secret from Lydia. Matching wits with her is the last thing he needs, especially since New Britannia’s rival France is racing to get the automatons before he does.

EXCERPT

This scene takes place shortly after Lydia gives Rhys a demonstration of the automatons’ capabilities. But, as we all know, even the most well-crafted of inventions can sometimes go awry…

“Stop,” Lydia cried.

She ran around the automaton and rushed to Rhys’ side, shoving his arm down. “If you shoot it, you’ll risk the engine combusting.”

The automaton, registering her shout, increased its advance.

“Are you mad, woman? Your machine is on the attack.” Rhys pushed her away and squeezed the trigger on the revolver before it could take another step.

The shot rang within the confined space, amplified as the bullet struck metal. The automaton came at Rhys again, unencumbered by the saucer-sized dent in its chest plate. Lydia saw the hydraulic fluid trickle down its torso.

“You’re going to get us killed.”

“And this monstrosity isn’t?” Rhys fired a second shot, and a third.

The sharp tang of gunpowder mixed with smoke from the automaton’s damaged parts. A high whirring issued from its engine as oil spewed from the wiring connecting the head to the torso.

A fourth bullet cracked the air.

“For goodness sakes, Rhys, stand down.” Lydia reached for one of the leather engineer’s aprons hanging on the wall and flung it over her head. She drew in close to the automaton.

Its movements slowed. Oil pooled at its feet. Hydraulic fluid pelted Lydia’s apron, sizzling atop the thick grain of cowhide. She got behind the automaton and found the panel door dangling where the impact of Rhys’ gunfire shook it open. Copper wires spilled out of the voice receptor box.

“Cease.”

The order did no good with the box damaged. The automaton was locked onto her first command, still on its guard. Lydia extended a hand out from beneath the protective covering of the apron. Drops of hydraulic fluid hit her skin.

Burning pain crept seized upon every nerve in her hand. Lydia grabbed the wires and pulled them loose. The whirring inside the automaton stalled. The machine gave one final groan before it ceased altogether.

The room returned to its former quiet, save for the hiss of steam that poured out of the fissures of the assistant’s broken engine. Lydia heaved a sigh just before Rhys appeared beside her.

“What did you do?” He kept the revolver aimed at the downed machine.

“Helped you nearly destroy four years of hard work, that’s what.” She whipped the apron from her head. The action sent her hand into flares of agony. “If you had listened to me instead of brandishing that firearm, none of this would have happened.”

“You set that soldier on me. You told it to be on guard.” His stare took on an accusing, hard gleam. Smoke trailed from the gun barrel in his hand.  He did not move to lower it in front of her.

Lydia involuntarily trembled. “I say “On your guard’ to all of the automatons after their engines are powered. It’s my order for them to await my next command.”

“Why did it come towards me?” Rhys ground his words out through his teeth. His voice was deep and devoid of any consideration of what she just said.

“The wires in its voice receptor box are fine tuned to respond to changes in pitch and tone. When you took out your gun, it heard me shout and thought I was in distress.”

“Machines can’t think.” He finally put the revolver away.

“You know what I mean.” Lydia gazed in dismay at the jumble of wires sticking out from the automaton’s back. Why were they moving?

“Look out.” Rhys knocked her off her feet.

Lydia heard a crash just before the two of them landed on the floor. He sheltered her from the impact, holding her against his chest. The room came alive again with the sound of clanging metal.

Once the din settled, Lydia peered over her shoulder. The assistant was on its back, having brought two rows of automatons with it. Oil and hydraulic fluid mingled on the floor in an orange-brown pool of sludge.

“It was going to fall on you.” Rhys spoke into her ear. His breath tickled the sensitive area.

Unnerved by such close contact, Lydia looked into his face. The brash, teasing manner that lightened his features before gave way to a darker, focused countenance. He hid much beneath the cloak of civility he chose to don. She wondered just whom New Britannia sent to deal with her, and for the first time, became uneasy with the thought of what he might do if he didn’t get his way.

“You’re a dangerous man, ambassador,” she whispered.

——–

The Lady Machinist is on sale and available for download now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords. Check out other Curiosity Chronicles books at these sites as well.

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Author Bio

Ava Morgan loves reading and writing steampunk and fantasy. Her Curiosity Chronicles series and her YA fantasy series The Grafters are the result of such pleasant diversions. When Ava isn’t planted in her writing chair, she can be found bicycling, costuming, and traveling.

For the latest news visit her website or connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.