Join me in welcoming Devon Monk to the blog today! She’s doing something a tad different than your typical book tour. She’s written a story just for us! How cool is that? Here are the deets:
Hang Fire is a steampunk short story set in late 1800’s America. It takes place between the Age of Steam book #1, Dead Iron and book #2 Tin Swift. The story is broken into 20 “chapters” and posted, one chapter at a time, on 20 awesome blogs. To read the whole story, start at chapter 1 at Candace’s Book Blog and follow the “read the next chapter” links at the end of the post.
Captain Hink let out a whooping yell, and leaned out the port door to get a bead on the airships ahead and above them.
“Mr. Seldom,” he called out, “ready the canons.”
Mr. Seldom already had the nine-pound Napoleon loaded and ready to fire.
“Headings, Captain?” Mr. Guffin at the helm was no longer swearing in French, or any other language.
“I’ll take the wheel, Mr. Guffin,” Hink said. He pushed away from the door and held tight to the interior skeleton of the Swift as he jogged toward the front of the ship. With each slap of his palm against her tin bones, Hink could hear the sweet song of the Swift, as eager to fly as he was to take her high above the clouds.
“Canons, Mr. Seldom?” he called back over his shoulder.
“Ready, Captain.”
Mr. Guffin pulled his boots free from the floor bracers and scurried back to man the starboard guns.
Captain Hink took the wheel and stomped his boots under the bracers. He latched a safety line from his harness to the rail above his head. “Looks like we’ve got a couple vultures come to pick our glim claim. Let’s make it clear they’re picking on the wrong edge of sky.”
He tugged the bell wire, telling Molly, back at the boilers, to give him every drop of steam they had.
“Hold what you got, boys,” Captain Hink yelled. “We’re burning the blue.”
The Swift was a small ship, crewed by just the four of them. But she was the fastest, lightest glim trawler in the sky. Wasn’t a ship that could outrun her. Wasn’t a ship that could out maneuver her.
And the glim jumpers just ahead of them were going to find out she was a damn sharp shot too.
No matter how much a man equipped a vessel to make it otherwise, there were three things that would kill an airship dead as stone: a hole in her envelope, a fire in her hull, and a break in her boiler.
Captain Hink brought the Swift up hard and tight behind the closest ship. She was a big brute of a craft. He didn’t recognize the colors she was flying, but knew the flags on the ship just ahead of her: the Iron Draught, Les Mullin’s boat.
A chill snaked Captain Hink’s spine. Mullins had been sniffing around his business a little too closely lately. To find his ship jumping Hink’s claim was more than coincidence. Man had a grudge.
Well, Hink was happy to oblige the settling of that grudge.
“Mr. Seldom!” he yelled as he spun the wheel, broadsiding the Swift and exposing a clean shot to the first ship’s envelope and hull. “Fire!”
| Author Bio Devon Monk writes the Allie Beckstrom urban fantasy series, the Age of Steam steampunk series, and the occasional short story. She has one husband, two sons, and a dog named Mojo. She lives in Oregon and is surrounded by colorful and numerous family members who mostly live within dinner-calling distance of each other. She has sold over fifty short stories to magazines and anthologies in five different countries, including a Year’s Best Fantasy collection. When not writing, Devon is either knitting strange things, remodeling the house-that-was-once-a-barn, or hosting a family celebration. |
 |
|
   
|
On top of writing this awesome story for her blog tour, Devon is also offering up this fab Tin Swift prize pack! It includes: a copy of Tin Swift, Tin Swift magnet and a handmade signed steampunk airship bookmark. US only, ends July 3rd, 2012 @ 11:59 PM.
Thanks again Devon for stopping by! I have to say, you’re one of the nicest authors that I’ve ever dealt with. It’s been a real pleasure! Best of luck on the rest of your tour.
About the Blogger
I review Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance books with a focus all things werewolf. Based out of Ottawa, Canada
Owner, designer and main blogger behind Rabid Reads. Avid book reader, snowboard bunny, video gamer and Supernatural fan. I love all things paranormal, werewolves especially. Oh, and I’m Canadian, eh!
Wish I had Tin Swift to read, but at the same time would like to finish Hang Fire first. Really enjoying it so far, but waiting each day for the last week or so to see what happens next is just killing me. ;->
Another wonderful stop and chapter! Thanks Carmel and Devon! This has been such fun! Looking forward to more on Rachel’s stop. Woohoo!
I’m really enjoying the excerpts from Hang Fire as it goes along – fantastic idea for a blog tour
Thanks again for doing this. I have been enjoying the story.
@Alison Smith Hehe I know what you mean and having to take a break during weekends is brutal too!
@BellaBunnell Glad to hear that you’re enjoying Devon’s tour. 🙂
@Maria D. It most definitely is. Devon is awesome!