The time has come for what’s probably the most unusual and confusing release I’ve ever done. Free-Wrench, the NaNoWriMo project I completed last November and released as part of the NaNoWriMo bundle, has now officially released! It should already be available at Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple, Amazon, and Smashwords with others soon to follow.
Thanks to the early release, I’m proud to say the book has already earned some wonderful reviews, so if even if you’re not a steampunk fan, I hope you’ll give it a chance. It’s got some fun characters, and a rather wacky setting. But don’t take my word for it, go ahead and read the blurb! (Yes, I’m aware that’s also my word. Don’t be difficult.)
The islands of Caldera are a shining jewel in a rather bleak world. A terrible calamity in the past had blanketed much of the world with a toxic “fug.” Those who survived were forced to take to the mountains and the skies in wondrous airships. Life has since been a struggle, with only the most ruthless and crafty able to survive. To spare themselves the same fate, the Calderans erected a battery of guns to fend off the airships of the mainland. They isolated themselves from the madness of the world, choosing instead to focus on the pursuits of art and creativity. Few believe the technologically advanced but socially barbarous outsiders have anything to offer. Amanita Graus, though, is hoping that they do.
Nita’s mother has lost her livelihood and perhaps soon her life to a terrible disease. Already the black sheep of the family for embracing engineering rather than art, Nita resolves to leave the safety of her home and do whatever it takes to find a cure. For a price, the bizarre crew of an airship called The Wind Breaker are willing to grant her a meeting with their mysterious benefactors, and thus a chance to procure the one thing with a chance to save her mother.
Free-Wrench follows Nita’s adventures in a steampunk world of airships and lunatics. Helping her in her journey are an eccentric crew of smugglers; the gruff Cap’n Mack, the simple but enthusiastic Lil and Coop, the arrogant marksman Gunner, the surly surgeon Butch, and the irritable mascot Wink. To survive and find what she seeks she’ll need to earn their trust, follow their rules, and meet face to face with the people who pull the strings of their society.
Normally I’d make a big production of a release like this, but life is preventing such a thing. I’m currently working 13+ hour days at the day job, and mulling over a rather significant career offer that I’ve got less than a week to act upon. I don’t have much time or brain to spare for book promotion. I’d be much obliged if you folks would spread the word about the books, though.
I’m so very, so painfully close to finishing the first draft of the next book, a little sci-fi story called Artificial Evolution. (That’s now the official title, since I went and told Nick that’s what it was.) You might see that ready for pre-order before its ready to proofread, since I’m starting to take advice from the good folks at Book Expo America and Smashwords, which means doing a LONG pre-order. Fingers crossed, people!
Thanks for reading, and enjoy!