When I first set out to revamp/revise/and Re-release Witch Born, my steampunk fantasy romance with Robin Hood flavor, I did not realize it was going to turn into an emotional journey.
For the last several weeks it has felt like I was in a conversation with my younger self. Things that I never blinked at when I was younger have taken on a new light. Situations that were raw back then have somewhat dulled and I can approach them from an angle of healing – something I could not have done at 20-years-old.
At the same time, I recognize certain patterns in my imaginative worlds. Such as the two dirigibles that I have now created.
It would seem that I very much like the idea of a dirigible travel. In the original drafts of Witch Born, Elsie and Dorian are allowed a respite as they travel back to Delgora Lands and I took great pains in creating the cabin suite where they are able to connect. It is very steampunk in its copper and bronze trimmings and plush furnishings.
Some fifteen years later, enter the Nora Grayson novels. In Nora and the Duke of Autumn, Constable Elliot Cade showcases Fairy to Nora by taking her on a trip via dirigible. This dirigible was built a little different. Instead of the classic gondola passenger car, it is a galleon ship with a massive air balloon holding it in the sky. The internal spaces are all a little different too, but it is safe to say that dirigibles are a staple in my writing.
Some other staples I found in my personal craft are the strong female lead – even the villain of the story is a female – and the romantic counterpart that struggles to keep up with her. I will say that Dorian and Elsie showcase this struggle to find balance between them far more deeply than the rest of my books.
Magic tends to run rampant in my stories as well. With the exception of Persona, a historical fiction, and Pawprints on the Wall, a contemporary romance. Unless you count love as a magical force, in which case… they would be chock-full of magic too.
It has been a lot of fun revisiting this work and I am deeply proud of this newest iteration. I hope readers love Dorian and Elsie as much as I do, and I hope that somewhere in the pages its message of healing reaches those who need it most.
Happy Reading. Happy Writing.
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