Q&A with Lucy Saxon

 

Check out my Q&A with Lucy Saxon...

 

 

1. Hi and welcome to my blog, Lucy! So, your pen name is Lucy Saxon. Is it a coincidence that you share the same name as the woman married to the Master, or is it a conscious choice?

 

That was definitely a conscious choice! Back when I started going to conventions, I met my friend Harry IRL for the first time when he was cosplaying the Master. Obviously his name being Harry, my name being Lucy, he started calling me his wife, and thus I became Lucy Saxon! I used the name online for years, to the point where half my friends forget it’s not actually my name, so when it came to publishing it seemed only natural to go with it. Especially as my real surname gets misspelled so often!

 

2. I've seen some of your Cosplay costumes online--they're awesome, btw--and was wondering when/how you got started? Oh, and do you have a Cat outfit already made?

Thank you! I got started after that first convention, spending time with Harry and some other online friends. They were all in cosplay and it looked like loads of fun, so the next con I went to, I got a cosplay together for it! Everything just escalated from there, and now cosplay takes up at least 75% of my waking thought, and a decent portion of my wallet, too!

 

I don’t have a Cat cosplay ready, no; I’m actually going to be cosplaying Fox, which I’m really excited for! My friend Lisa is cosplaying Cat, and some of our other friends are looking to cosplay the rest of the crew. It’s going to be amazing.

 

 

3. I read that you wrote TAKE BACK THE SKIES during NaNoWriMo.  So I'm wondering, is that the only time you've taken part, or have you written other books during the fun and frenzied month of November?

I’ve done NaNoWriMo every year since 2008, and am aiming to continue to do so, though I have no idea if I’ll have time this year what with actual publishing stuff going on. The first couple of novels will probably never see the light of day, but there are a few I’m hoping to revisit in the future! NaNo makes it easy for me to set aside a long period of time to get some serious writing done, so I really hope I can keep it up.

 

 

4. I read TAKE BACK THE SKIES over the weekend and loved it. I thought I spotted some influences--1984, Doctor Who in particular. Are you inspired by particular books, movies or shows?

I’m inspired by all sorts of things when I write, and a lot of the time I don’t realise I’ve been inspired until someone reads some of my work and tells me it reminds them of something. I think with Skies I was inspired by a lot of the dystopian fiction going around at the moment, and also the steampunk elements of Cassandra Clare’s Infernal Devices. It’s hard not to be inspired, when there’s so much available in the form of books and film; creativity inspires more creativity!

 

 

5. Without giving away any spoilers, what can we look forward to in future books of this very interesting series?

 

Lots of travelling! The series is unusual in that it will have a different set of characters in each book, with each being set in one of the countries of Tellus, moving across the map. So the timeline will shift around, and you’ll get to meet all sorts of people and their different cultures within the world of Tellus. I’ve got some interesting plotlines planned for this series, and I really hope people will enjoy them!

Lucy, thanks so much for answering my questions.

If you'd like to know more about Lucy, check out her website.

Also, you can read my review of her debut book below...

TAKE BACK THE SKIES by Lucy Saxon

Catherine Hunter is the daughter of a senior government official on the island of Anglya. She’s one of the privileged – she has luxurious clothes, plenty to eat, and is protected from the Collections which have ravaged families throughout the land. But Catherine longs to escape the confines of her life, before her dad can marry her off to a government brat and trap her forever.

So Catherine becomes Cat, pretends to be a kid escaping the Collections, and stows away on the skyship Stormdancer. As they leave Anglya behind and brave the storms that fill the skies around the islands of Tellus, Cat’s world becomes more turbulent than she could ever have imagined, and dangerous secrets unravel her old life once and for all...

 

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book from Bloomsbury, and was intrigued by the concept. So I decided to give it a go. I'm really glad that I did.

Catherine Hunter lives in Anglya. She's the daughter of a government official so she's living a privileged life while the common people suffer hard lives. This also means she's never considered for Collections, which other kids thirteen and over are forced to face. Except, her life isn't as peachy as most think. She might have pretty, clean clothes, food to eat and a lavish home but her father is a strict, mean and violent man. He barely tolerates her, and is anticipating marrying her off to the son of a fellow government man.

Her mother has been sick for years, bedridden and always sleeping. So the only real companionship she has is with the family servant and mecha, Sam. She maintains him and has conversations with him, but doesn't have much interaction with anyone else. That's why she spends most of her days sneaking out of the house and looking for adventure in the streets of Anglya.

The day her father is going to make her arranged marriage official, she decides to run away. She chops her hair off, takes a few belongings and stows away on a skyship called the Stormdancer. When she gets discovered, she pretends she's a boy and the crew actually welcome her onboard. As long as she's willing to help out, there's a place for her with the small crew. As the days go by, she starts to really like and even care about the crew members--especially the handsome scoundrel, Fox. But what will happen when they find out she's really a girl?

On her travels with this smuggling crew, she visits another country. One that is supposed to be at war, and that's when she figures out that the propaganda being broadcast back home is all a lie. The government is manipulating the news and by telling the people there are ongoing wars in other parts of the world, they keep the common people poor and take their children for Collection to serve in this fabricated war. But if there isn't a real war and they're still taking kids, what are they really doing with these children?

That's when Cat's adventure leads back to Anglya. In a desperate attempt to find out exactly what the government is hiding, they sneak into the building and discover not only the horrifying truth about the kids, but that her father has a deeper role in all of this than she could have ever imagined...

I got into this book right away. Cat might have been born into privilege and wealth, but her struggle is one anyone can relate to. She just wants to belong, to help people and feel like she's a part of something bigger, something that really matters. And when she meets the crew of the Stormdancer, it's almost like everything she's ever wanted to achieve clicks into place. Not only does she find a new family, adventure and danger, but also discovers love.

A bunch of strangers willing to give her an opportunity to prove her worth teach her more about life, love and truth than her father ever did.

It's just a shame that in the end, she's forced to once again face the one thing she was trying to escape. I'm not going to say any more than that, but I will say that Lucy Saxon does something in the conclusion of this book that is very brave, because some authors would have shied away from the heartbreaking events. But it's written very well, and winds up affecting the reader as deeply as the characters.

Take Back the Skies is a fun and wild adventure into a fantasy world that becomes more vivid with every new word. It's a fast-paced story filled with tension and danger, one that kept me turning the pages as fast as I could because I wanted to see what was going to happen next. The cast of characters is great and the worldbuilding strong. Cat is such a likeable character that I felt her heartache when her adventure comes to an end and she comes full circle.

This is a great book!

 

 

Take Back the Skies, June 2014, ISBN  9781408847657, Bloomsbury Childrens

TAKE BACK THE SKIES by Lucy Saxon

Catherine Hunter is the daughter of a senior government official on the island of Anglya. She’s one of the privileged – she has luxurious clothes, plenty to eat, and is protected from the Collections which have ravaged families throughout the land. But Catherine longs to escape the confines of her life, before her dad can marry her off to a government brat and trap her forever.

So Catherine becomes Cat, pretends to be a kid escaping the Collections, and stows away on the skyship Stormdancer. As they leave Anglya behind and brave the storms that fill the skies around the islands of Tellus, Cat’s world becomes more turbulent than she could ever have imagined, and dangerous secrets unravel her old life once and for all...

 

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book from Bloomsbury, and was intrigued by the concept. So I decided to give it a go. I'm really glad that I did.

Catherine Hunter lives in Anglya. She's the daughter of a government official so she's living a privileged life while the common people suffer hard lives. This also means she's never considered for Collections, which other kids thirteen and over are forced to face. Except, her life isn't as peachy as most think. She might have pretty, clean clothes, food to eat and a lavish home but her father is a strict, mean and violent man. He barely tolerates her, and is anticipating marrying her off to the son of a fellow government man.

Her mother has been sick for years, bedridden and always sleeping. So the only real companionship she has is with the family servant and mecha, Sam. She maintains him and has conversations with him, but doesn't have much interaction with anyone else. That's why she spends most of her days sneaking out of the house and looking for adventure in the streets of Anglya.

The day her father is going to make her arranged marriage official, she decides to run away. She chops her hair off, takes a few belongings and stows away on a skyship called the Stormdancer. When she gets discovered, she pretends she's a boy and the crew actually welcome her onboard. As long as she's willing to help out, there's a place for her with the small crew. As the days go by, she starts to really like and even care about the crew members--especially the handsome scoundrel, Fox. But what will happen when they find out she's really a girl?

On her travels with this smuggling crew, she visits another country. One that is supposed to be at war, and that's when she figures out that the propaganda being broadcast back home is all a lie. The government is manipulating the news and by telling the people there are ongoing wars in other parts of the world, they keep the common people poor and take their children for Collection to serve in this fabricated war. But if there isn't a real war and they're still taking kids, what are they really doing with these children?

That's when Cat's adventure leads back to Anglya. In a desperate attempt to find out exactly what the government is hiding, they sneak into the building and discover not only the horrifying truth about the kids, but that her father has a deeper role in all of this than she could have ever imagined...

I got into this book right away. Cat might have been born into privilege and wealth, but her struggle is one anyone can relate to. She just wants to belong, to help people and feel like she's a part of something bigger, something that really matters. And when she meets the crew of the Stormdancer, it's almost like everything she's ever wanted to achieve clicks into place. Not only does she find a new family, adventure and danger, but also discovers love.

A bunch of strangers willing to give her an opportunity to prove her worth teach her more about life, love and truth than her father ever did.

It's just a shame that in the end, she's forced to once again face the one thing she was trying to escape. I'm not going to say any more than that, but I will say that Lucy Saxon does something in the conclusion of this book that is very brave, because some authors would have shied away from the heartbreaking events. But it's written very well, and winds up affecting the reader as deeply as the characters.

Take Back the Skies is a fun and wild adventure into a fantasy world that becomes more vivid with every new word. It's a fast-paced story filled with tension and danger, one that kept me turning the pages as fast as I could because I wanted to see what was going to happen next. The cast of characters is great and the worldbuilding strong. Cat is such a likeable character that I felt her heartache when her adventure comes to an end and she comes full circle.

This is a great book!

 

 

Take Back the Skies, June 2014, ISBN  9781408847657, Bloomsbury Childrens

WICKED AS THEY COME by Delilah S. Dawson

When Tish Everett forces open the ruby locket she finds at an estate sale, she has no idea that a deliciously rakish Bludman has cast a spell just for her. She wakes up in a surreal world, where Criminy Stain, the dashing proprietor of a magical traveling circus, curiously awaits. At Criminy’s electric touch, Tish glimpses a tantalizing future, but she also foresees her ultimate doom. Before she can decide whether to risk her fate with the charming daredevil, the locket disappears, and with it, her only chance to return home. Tish and Criminy battle roaring sea monsters and thundering bludmares, vengeful ghosts and crooked Coppers in a treacherous race to recover the necklace from the evil Blud-hating Magistrate. But if they succeed, will Tish forsake her fanged suitor and return to her normal life, or will she take a chance on an unpredictable but dangerous destiny with the Bludman she’s coming to love?

 

 

 

This is a book that I'd been meaning to get to sooner, but things just kept getting in the way. I picked it up last week and was hooked right away.

 

When Tish accidentally steals a ruby locket from an estate sale, her life gets turned upside down. All of a sudden, she's in a strange land called Sang, where vampire-like people called the Blud live in a steampunkish world full of wonder, and she can see people's futures by touching them. It's also where she meets the very mysterious and alluring Criminy. Without intending to, she gets involved in this wonderful and wicked world where not only is her life at stake, but so is her heart.

 

I absolutely LOVED this book! Everything about it was fantastical and amazing--the concept, the mishmash of genres that was very well done, the colourful characters, and the writing. I love the dark and dreary world of Sang. Oh, and I enjoyed going on this adventure with Tish, as she starts to not only trust herself, but also others. Criminy comes across a bit strong at the beginning, but we soon get to find out why.

 

Yeah, this was one awesome book! I can't wait to read Casper's story, because I was totally intrigued by him.



THE AFFAIR OF THE WOODEN BOY by Ian Doyle

In Drummond, James Stark and his pretty wife Mina run a discreet inquiry agency. The city is rife with dark creatures, great monsters and men who are beasts. When a puppet knocks on their door in the dead of night claiming to be a real boy who has had his body stolen through black magic, James cannot resist his curiosity. Mina accompanies her husband and soon finds their lives are in peril as they chase a mastermind from the grand mansions into the Gutbucket district.

This is a freebie I picked up for my Kindle, and I really enjoyed it!

Mina and James Stark live in Drummond and run an inquiry agency. The city is filled with dark creatures, and James loves to investigate strange occurrences. So when a wooden puppet knocks on their door and needs their help, the couple set out into the dead of night to help him.

I found this story really charming. It hooked me in, was very interesting, featured a lot of dark creatures, a stange mystery involving dark magic, and an unexpected twist at the end.

Yeah, I really liked this one. And would love to read more stories featuring this married couple.

My only problem was with the actual formatting of the eBook. I'm not sure why it was all in bold, except in some places where it wasn't. Strange, but not enough to take away from the story. :)

THE STRANGE CASE OF FINLEY JAYNE by Kady Cross

Finley Jayne knows she's not 'normal'. Normal girls don't lose time, or have something inside them that makes them capable of remarkably violent things. Her behavior has already cost her one job, so when she's offered the lofty position of companion to Phoebe, a debutante recently engaged to Lord Vincent, she accepts, despite having no experience. Lord Vincent is a man of science with his automatons and inventions, but Finley is suspicious of his motives where Phoebe is concerned. She will do anything to protect her new friend, but what she discovers is even more monstrous than anything she could have imagined…

I wanted to read this prequel novella before The Girl in the Steel Corset--which I already have on my bookshelf--and I'm really glad I did!

Finley Jayne isn't like other girls. She seems to have another side, and is very strong. She also likes to think for herself and doesn't take any crap from anyone. That's probably why she keeps getting fired. Still, she's got a supportive mother and stepfather.

The day Lady Morton approaches her to become her daughter's companion, Finley can't believe her luck. The job pays well, she has a lovely room, plus Lady Morton and Phoebe are great. Her friendship with Phoebe grows very quickly, which makes it that much harder when Finley finds out that the man her friend is engaged to isn't quite what he seems.

Soon, Finley finds herself in the role of bodyguard as she tries to get to the bottom of what this inventor of automatons really wants with young Phoebe...

I actually read this novella in one sitting and had a blast with it! Seriously, it's awesome. I loved the main character, and the steampunk world she lives in is fascinating. I can't wait to read more.

An exciting steampunk announcement from Heather Massey...

Greetings!

Yolanda has kindly given me time on her blog to tell you about The Watchmaker’s Lady, my forthcoming erotic steampunk romance e-novella from Red Sage Publishing. In this story, a watchmaker in 1840 New England falls in love with a beautiful clockwork automaton, but how long before the townspeople discover his forbidden affair?

Here’s the (unofficial) story blurb:

Matthew Goddard is a lonely watchmaker in 1840 New England. One fateful day, he discovers the lover of his dreams in a dusty corner of the local general store—Isabel, a bisque porcelain mannequin head with mesmerizing, smoky blue eyes. When Matthew invites her to come live with him, she eagerly “accepts.”

The couple embarks on a lust-filled affair, one fueled by Matthew’s wild imagination. In order to provide Isabel with a brass body and pretty clothes, he begins a secret side business selling clockwork sex toys to his wealthy female customers.

Danger, however, threatens their idyllic romance when a disgruntled customer exposes Matthew’s forbidden business to the townspeople. Despite the growing menace, Matthew will stop at nothing in order to save his soul mate—and protect their love.

***

The Watchmaker’s Lady is a tale of two soul mates who fight to keep their romance alive despite overwhelming odds. The story combines clockpunk, a hero with an unusual occupation, an unconventional heroine, steamy love scenes, and a surprise twist that I’m not going to spoil for you!

Look for The Watchmaker’s Lady from Red Sage Publishing in Spring 2012. You can also visit my site and blog for developing news.

Thanks for reading!