Melanie Karsak

We are just one week away from the release of Chasing the Star Garden. I can't believe it! I have to admit I am a bit of a nervous wreck. I do hope everyone enjoys the novel. I wanted to take just a moment to introduce everyone to Lily Stargazer, the loveable airship racer and protagonist of Chasing the Star Garden. I thought it might be fun for you to learn a little about Lily before diving into the series!

 

Chasing Lily Stargazer

The protagonist of my novel, Lily Stargazer, is a very loveable but shattered young woman. Over the course of the novel, her backstory is revealed in flashbacks. Lily has had a pretty rough upbringing. In Industrial Revolution England, it was commonplace for children to be indentured into a trade. To both her misfortune and her luck, Lily finds herself raised in the social class of air jockeys. It is not, by far, an ideal life, but Lily discovers her true talent as a airship pilot. While she loves the trade and learns how to fly, her early life is filled with dark moments and even darker characters.


As an adult, one way Lily deals with her problems is by medicating herself with opiates and alcohol. Lily doesn't really recognize she is running from anything.  She's just having fun, right? Over the course of Chasing the Star Garden, the reader will go along with Lily as she begins facing her demons.


Lily is surrounded by men. Angus and Jessup, who are like brothers to her, make up her airship crewmates. Then Lily has her lovers. She is currently bouncing between the infamous George Gordon, Lord Byron with whom who she has been in a relationship for years. She and Byron have an unusual connection-it is a deep, spiritual relationship, but it is also no strings attached. Complicated. Lily is also enamored with Salvatore Colonna, an ex-pat Italian living in London. Sal is a genius Tinker who Lily simply adores. Through the course of the story, Lily is pushed to explore the nature of the relationship she has with both of these men.



I can't give away the mystery of the story, but it is an epic adventure akin to Dan Brown. The story is a steampunk romance with elements of fantasy and adventure. If you have never read steampunk before, but you like Indiana Jones type adventures with a heap of romance, you will enjoy the aesthetic of this novel. It's fun, a little gritty, but full of excitement.

One week to go!