Cover-to-Cover Reveal and Giveaway of Dark Victorian: Risen by Elizabeth Watasin

 
One thing to love about the steampunk community is how talented the people are. From costuming to tinkering to artwork, steampunks know how to make beautiful things! I've loved getting to know the people in the steampunk community over the last year. One of my favorite people I've met is the multi-talented Elizabeth Watasin. Elizabeth recently updated the cover on Dark Victorian; Risen. Isn't it absolutely amazing! I have mad cover love. This lovely cover graces a really fantastic work that you really need to read. Right now.
 

Novel Description:


“Way will open.”
 
She is Artifice.
A resurrected criminal and agent of HRH Prince Albert’s Secret Commission.
An artificial ghost.
A Quaker.
 
He is Jim Dastard.
The oldest surviving agent of the Secret Commission.
An animated skull.
A mentor to newly resurrected agents.
 
In a mechanical and supernatural London, agents of Prince Albert’s Secret Commission, their criminal pasts wiped from their memories, are resurrected to fight the eldritch evils that threaten England. Amidst this turmoil, Jim Dastard and his new partner Artifice must stop a re-animationist raising murderous dead children. As Art and Jim pursue their quarry, Art discovers clues about her past self, and through meeting various intriguing women—a journalist, a medium, a prostitute, and a mysterious woman in black—where her heart lies. Yet the question remains: What sort of criminal was she? A new beginning, a new identity, and new dangers await Art as she fights for the Secret Commission and for her second life.

Experience female detective mysteries with a Victorian superheroine:
A gaslamp fantasy in a steampunk, paranormal London, follow the dangerous adventures of an uncanny female sleuth and her senior skull partner set in the same alternate world as Elizabeth Watasin's Victorian Gothic series, The Elle Black Penny Dreads.

Enjoy a bonus Art Gallery:
The paperback version of Dark Victorian: Risen contains a small gallery of illustrations by Elizabeth Watasin.

Learn more about the debut of this intriguing, steampunk lesbian series:
It is 1880; black arts sorcery had its time to grow in England and to battle the eldritch evils threatening, HRH Prince Albert's Secret Commission is born. Executed criminals are brought back to life without memories to fight as agents, and among those resurrected is Artifice, a six foot tall strongwoman, Quaker, and artificial ghost, guided by her senior partner, Jim Dastard, the animated skull.

Once awakened, Art knows only that she has risen with one purpose: to protect and serve England.  Her first mission is to track down a re-animationist who has raised murderous dead animals and children to take revenge upon the living. To do so she must quickly learn more about her past, her new ghostly powers, and especially how she must face threats when her Quaker nature interferes with the needs of battle.

But as the re-animationist rallies for a final confrontation, Jim, Art's skeptical partner and the most senior, surviving agent of the Secret Commission, learns what Art will do, and more.

The Dark Victorian series, a unique take on lesbian historical fiction:
Set eighteen years before words like 'homosexual' and 'lesbian' had yet to be invented, the world of the Dark Victorian series continues the 19th century tradition of British female marriage and romance into a future where same-sex unions thrive. Into this world, Artifice is reborn and while only four days living, quickly learns–from her encounters with a madwoman journalist, a mysterious woman in black, and a French prostitute–where her heart lies . . .
 
BUY THE BOOK HERE
 

About the Author:


Dark Victorian: Risen is the debut paranormal steampunk tale from speculative fiction storyteller Elizabeth Watasin, who delights in bringing you shilling shockers immersed in Gothic Victorian mystery, women sleuths, and the eldritch vestiges of an otherworldly London. Enjoy the deadly battles of a Victorian superheroine and her skull partner as Artifice and Jim Dastard rid the world of threats and monsters.


An Excerpt from Risen:

 

When Art emerged she felt there were several things torn inside of her. Were she human she would be vomiting blood, but since that hadn’t happen yet she felt she could manage consciousness for a little while. She leaned against a wall and tried to move the hand with the walking stick behind her. She needed to get at the pole ax stuck in her back.
Her vision clouded and one of her legs gave way.
When her eyes cleared, she thought she did well saving them from a fall because Jim was still in her hand, her walking stick was supporting her, and she’d only fallen to one knee. However, Jim was berating her.
“Art, while you were nodding a street rascal relieved you of your purse! A slew of boys came running and—good God, woman! You’ve a pole ax in your back!”
“Friend. . . the men. I hit them too hard,” Art gasped.
“What? Just eat something, hurry! Eating will heal you! I thought I saw turnips! Potatoes? There’s fried fish over there! And—what’s this?”
The street boys ran up to where Art knelt. The leader held Art’s coin purse.
“We snatched it back for you.” He grinned as he handed it to her. “And took our fee, too.”
“Keep it, you’ve a task,” Jim said. “You saw what Art did to the slaughter men, right? Go back in. Any that need a doctor, give them that.”
“Sir,” the boy said, instantly serious. He nodded and ran into the building with his companions.
“My thanks, Friend,” Art said.
“Now Art, eat something, damn it. Before I make someone force turnips into you.”
She stood with a jerk, her body trembling. She was surrounded by stalls of hanging red meat, frying fish, whelks being boiled—none of it called to her.
“DAMN IT, ART!” Jim cried.
She quickly lashed out with her stick. A man was hurrying by with his barrow full of live whelks and she hooked it. She stared at the shells and they began to shake. She opened her arms.
The whelks flew from the barrow and entered her body. They rattled within her as she drew the flesh out and absorbed the creatures. When she was done the empty shells dropped at her feet. The pole ax fell from her back with a thud.
The whelks seller grabbed hold of his empty barrow and ran.
“Wait, man, don’t you want payment?” Jim called after him.
Art set her stick to the ground. She walked. She was still shaky.
“Art, there’s more over there.”
“No,” she said. “Raw.”
“Who has live whelks?!” Jim cried. “Raw fish, oysters, eels, c’mon now!”
“Here, here, here!” A nervous man said, waving them to his stall. He had uncooked whelks in a basket.
“Do you accept the pin of the Secret Commission? Know what that means, right?” Jim asked. When they neared, Jim spat out a black shield shaped pin on a black ribbon. The seller nodded vigorously.
“Yes, yes, yes,” he said. Taking an empty shell, he placed the pin against it and it began to smoke. The image of the shield was burned into the surface.
“Good man! Take that to the Secret Commission’s payer. Art, eat now.”
 

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10 comments

  1. BEC (Black eyed children). I hate them.

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    1. I just hit the episodes in Tru Blood where everyone has black eyes. Freaking me out.

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  2. I am most intrigued by Vampires I find something quite mystifying about them!

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  3. I am scared of anything spider shaped... especially shapeshifting big spiders!

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    1. Ooo, what about people who shift into spiders! I remember being really "in the zone" in World of Warcraft when I stumbled upon a spider about 3x the size of my avatar. IT actually scared me!

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  4. I like ghosts. I always imagine they would have such a great time haunting. I would.

    Zombies freak me out. It's the whole undead thing.

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    1. I freak myself out when I'm writing zombies. It's kinda fun! :)

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