Guest Author: Beth Cato

Beth CatoI am excited to welcome author Beth Cato, who is celebrating the release of her novel, The Clockwork Dagger.

Orphaned as a child, Octavia Leander was doomed to grow up on the streets until Miss Percival saved her and taught her to become a medician. Gifted with incredible powers, the young healer is about to embark on her first mission, visiting suffering cities in the far reaches of the war-scarred realm. But the airship on which she is traveling is plagued by a series of strange and disturbing occurrences, including murder, and Octavia herself is threatened.

Suddenly, she is caught up in a flurry of intrigue: the dashingly attractive steward may be one of the infamous Clockwork Daggers—the Queen’s spies and assassins—and her cabin-mate harbors disturbing secrets. But the danger is only beginning, for Octavia discovers that the deadly conspiracy aboard the airship may reach the crown itself.

Make sure you stick around to the end. We’ll be giving away .
_____________________________________________

The Clockwork Dagger: The Supporting Cast

In my steampunk fantasy novel THE CLOCKWORK DAGGER, Octavia Leander is an extraordinarily gifted medician. She can use healing magic drawn from a world tree known as the Lady. Octavia really wants to get away from war and settle down in a quiet village. Instead, her airship journey to her new home lands her in a mess of murder, poison, and mayhem–and all the dire circumstances seem to revolve around her.

Fortunately for Octavia, she quickly finds friends who help to keep her alive… though the timing of their help is a bit peculiar, too. The book is inspired by MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, and true to Agatha Christie’s form, Octavia can’t trust any of her new allies to be who they say they are.

Alonzo Garret
Alonzo is a steward aboard the airship Argus. His dark skin sets him apart from his paler countrymen, as does his formal accent. Octavia is appalled when they meet and she hears his name–his father, General Solomon Garret, accidentally caused the deaths of Octavia’s parents. Despite that terrible association, Octavia can’t help her attraction to Alonzo. He’s so intelligent and… nice. Almost too nice. He also has a suspicious knack to be close by when she’s most in need.

Mrs. Stout
Octavia’s roommate on the airship is a fifty-something woman with a formidable build, garish eye shadow, and a bright blue streak in her silver hair. Mrs. Stout is brash and rather tactless at times, but she also has a keen eye for detail. She’s made of tougher stuff than it appears, and she’ll need that fortitude to endure this particular airship ride.

Leaf
When Octavia rescues a young gremlin, she has no idea the repercussions the act will carry through her life. Leaf resembles a green-skinned naked cat with bat wings. He’s scarcely larger than a kitten and speaks in chirps, though he understands a great deal of human speech. Gremlins are biological constructs from a southern city-state, and Octavia’s countrymen revile them as metal thieves.

The thing that’s surprised me is that Leaf is stealing readers’ hearts, too. The gremlins pretty much sold the book to Harper Voyager! The front cover blurb from Kevin Hearne praises Leaf, and I swear the little green gremlin is building up a fan club.

With the help of Alonzo Garret, Mrs. Stout, and even tiny little Leaf, Octavia has a chance of surviving her journey. I hope you join the ride, too. Maybe you’ll even be a new member in Leaf’s fan club!
______________________

Meet Beth Cato!

Beth Cato’s the author of THE CLOCKWORK DAGGER, a steampunk fantasy novel from Harper Voyager. Her short fiction is in InterGalactic Medicine Show, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and Daily Science Fiction. She’s a Hanford, California native transplanted to the Arizona desert, where she lives with her husband, son, and requisite cat.

BCato-Clockwork DaggerContact Info: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | GoodReads | Amazon | Pinterest

Want to purchase Beth’s novels?
The Clockwork Dagger
The Clockwork Crown (September 2015)
Trust and Treachery: Tales of Power and Intrigue
Fae
Tales of the Talisman, Volume 9, Issue 4

About Jackie 3282 Articles
I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.