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I'm appearing in the Author Spotlight this week on . Join me there for some fun behind-the-scenes insights, and be sure to leave a comment for your chance to win a digital copy of The Mysterious Lady Law.



Best,

Robert

I haven't read this one yet, but I'm dying to. by lovely SF Romance author Ella Drake has one of the most imaginative premises I've come across in a while. I love it when old myths and fables are given the twisty SF treatment. Check this out:

In a world of floating islands and bio-engineered beans, the bad guys are taken down by agents of the Mother organization—agents like Jacqueline "Jaq" Robinson. Instead of accepting her next routine assignment, she sets out on a mission of her own—to destroy Giant Corp, the company responsible for her sister's wasting illness. Jaq must steal her cure from Giant's headquarters high above the city...even though she'll be brought face-to-face with Harper English, the man who left her to go deep undercover at Giant.

For Harp, Jaq had been a distraction the mercenary thought he couldn't afford. But once he sees her again, Harp knows he's made a mistake. Even though she vowed he won't have her again, it's clear they still have a powerful attraction. Harp's determined to get a second chance with Jaq—if they can escape Giant Corp and get back to solid ground in one piece...

20,600 words

A futuristic Jack and the Beanstalk, anyone? With added biotech beans? You just know this one's gonna rock.

Read an !

Jaq's Harp is available now as an from Carina Press

and also as an !

To learn more about Ms. Drake and her fabulous dark paranormal and SF works, !

AmyC at gave my steampunk novella 4.5/5 and a Top Pick rating! And the best part: she cited my two favourite Victorian authors, Haggard and Wells, in her review. :doffs bowler hat to AmyC:

Here's a snippet:

"Mr. Appleton's voice reminded me of all the great classic books I loved to read, Haggard, Wells—so I was absolutely thrilled to find a modern day book with the same tone. Mr. Appleton's Victorian London was very well done and I wouldn't hesitate to read more of his works or recommend him to Steampunk fans."

Two new releases in one week -- both involving fantasy and historical England! But that's where the similarities end. You see, runs alone.

Just like its eponymous hero, this imaginative novella is hard to pin down. It's a high fantasy tale involving time travel, romance, out-of-time travel, sea battles, temporal mountain climbing, swashbuckling, and other unpredictable adventures. As a storyteller, you'll find me at my most wistful and escapist in -- and I dare you to come along for the ride!


Have you ever wondered what it's like outside of time? For disillusioned young waitress Rebecca Green, those words become startling reality when a mysterious stranger arrives to literally turn her world upside down.

Sam Morrow is on the run. He's being pursued across time by four dangerous men from his past, including the deadliest swordsman in France. But now that he's found the girl of his dreams, it might just be time to stand and fight. Rebecca has an idea—to recruit the best swordsman in eighteenth century England—but will aristocratic Percy Torrance dare miss his wedding on Monday for an unprecedented time travel journey?

Pulse-pounding duels, sea battles and a daring mountain rescue punctuate this tale of romance on the edge. From the distant past to the far-flung future, there's no hiding from fate. Hold on tight to The Temporal Man.

Novella, 26,000 words

The eBook version is available now (priced $3.99) at:


The paperback edition is coming soon from Amazon!

(A quick note to all my fans: I'm not quite finished with her yet!)

And there she goes! Wind all clocks back to 1899, hold your breath (London was rather smoggy in those days) and delve into the exciting world of airships, giant burrowing machines, and all manner of steam-powered awesomeness. Today, makes her debut at Carina Press. Come and find out what all the fuss is about...

In a time of grand airships and steam-powered cars, the death of a penniless young maid will hardly make the front page. But part-time airship waitress and music hall dancer Julia Bairstow is shattered by her sister's murder. When Lady Law, the most notorious private detective in Britain, offers to investigate the case pro bono, Julia jumps at the chance—even against the advice of Constable Al Grant, who takes her protection surprisingly to heart.

Lady Law puts Scotland Yard to shame. She's apprehended Jack the Ripper and solved countless other cold-case crimes. No one knows how she does it, but it's brought her fortune, renown and even a title. But is she really what she claims to be—a genius at deducting? Or is Al right and she is not be trusted?

Julia is determined to find out the truth, even if it means turning sleuth herself—and turning the tables on Lady Law...


The eBook is available at:

(20% off!)






Or downoad the audiobook from (a first for me!)

Tally-ho, dear readers! Hope you enjoy it.

Rob

I have to say, my new publisher Carina Press has done a tremendous job of marketing in the run-up to its release. Usually for a small press author, letting the public know that your book even exists is a long, laborious process that has you multi-tasking like crazy for weeks, even months on end, often to little reward. So it's a huge relief to know your publisher is working just as hard in that same endeavour. Trust me, that isn't always the case.

Carina (a digital imprint of Harlequin) uses a handy website called , through which prospective reviewers can request a free ARC. And through todays's inexhaustible social networking magic, those early reviews can (hopefully) spark that elusive, cyber-alchemic reaction that spreads word of your book in avenues you never knew existed. It's a bit of a gamble--what if the reviewers hate your book--and there's no guarantee of anything, even if they like it, but Netgalley is one of the best ideas I've come across for eBook marketing.

Here are a few of the early reviews I found for my steampunk debut, (officially released in 2 days!):

"...succeeds in capturing the spirit of the classic "Whodunit" detective fiction. With the added steampunk element, it's quite the imaginative romp...I hear-tell that this story is Robert Appleton's first go at steampunk. I think he wove a fun little tale, and hope he has plans to write in the genre again." 4/5 -- Alisha,
"...filled with adventure and wonderful steampunk gadgets ...It is interesting to see if a dance hall girl, detective and aging adventurer can outwit the formidable Lady Law. I recommend this book to lovers of steampunk and lovers of mysteries." -- Kathy,
"Journey into a steampunk reimagining of Victorian London in The Mysterious Lady Law. Robert Appleton has penned an entertaining mystery that starts off with a bang and ends in a mostly satisfying way. I liked Julia, Al, and Holly, the tale's protagonists. They're interesting characters with unique voices and their energy buoyed the story." -- Shayna,
"Robert Appleton does an excellent job of realizing this world and building the bits and baubles up a piece at a time... Overall, I enjoyed the worldbuilding and the mystery. I was kept guessing on what was coming right up to the end and I was left satisfied with the story we were given." -- Kelly,


See you at Carina on Monday!


Best,
Rob

Nominations for the were announced yesterday. received two: Best Sci-Fi/Futuristic Book and Best Cover. My uber-talented co-writer Sloane Taylor also received nods for her brilliant erotic books, French Kiss and French Twist.

Shout-outs also go out to my fabulous blog friends Clare London, Tabitha Shay, Ella Drake, and Melissa Bradley, who all earned nominations!

...in which Sloane Taylor and I field delightful questions by the fabulous erotic author, Melissa Bradley. These dual interviews are a lot of fun as we don't get to see each other's answers until the actual blog goes live. Find out what we had to say about (and one another) at .

The incomparable Sloane Taylor has a website and blog .

Claire de Lune is now also available on , as well as at .