It’s been a month.
I’ve been trying to get back into a groove, what with the new job (nearing a month being here and it’s been great!) and how that will affect my writing calendar. We’ve managed to get in a steampunk tea in Shepherdstown, West Virginia (photos from S4 by Bruce Press Photography are available for viewing and purchase) and a fantastic weekend at Steampunk unLimited (thank you to everyone who stopped by and said “Hi!”), all of which has kept me from getting back to the blog. My wife-of-infinite-awesome may need a cooler title, as Pip is keeping me in check with a variety of things, and finally I stole a pocket of time to talk to you about one of them. We’ve got some great news coming down the pike; but last week we were (pleasantly) surprised by our publisher-of-infinite-awesome, Ace/Roc Books, as they revealed to the world the next cover in the adventures of Books and Braun.
I now present to you The Diamond Conspiracy, the fourth installment in the award-winning Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series:
For years, the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences has enjoyed the favor of Her Majesty the Queen. But even the oldest loyalties can turn in a moment…
Having narrowly escaped the electrifying machinations of Thomas Edison, Books and Braun are looking forward to a relaxing and possibly romantic voyage home. But when Braun’s emergency signal goes off, all thoughts of recreation vanish. Braun’s street-wise team of child informants, the Ministry Seven, is in grave peril, and Books and Braun must return to England immediately.
But when the intrepid agents finally arrive in London, the situation is even more dire than they imagined. The Ministry has been disavowed, and the Department of Imperial Inconveniences has been called in to decommission its agents in a most deadly fashion. The plan reeks of the Maestro’s dastardly scheming. Only, this time, he has a dangerous new ally—a duplicitous doctor whose pernicious poisons have infected the highest levels of society, reaching even the Queen herself…
If you’re digging this cover as much as Pip and I are, you might be asking yourself (and your fellow agents) a few questions, like…
Where are they? Last we left them, Wellington and Eliza were on an airship bound for
Who does Eliza have in her sights?
What is Welly wearing? And what is he doing? Yoga?!
Wait..wait…hold on – is that a Martian Lander behind them?!?
All will be revealed on March 31st, 2015. But you might be able to pick up a few teasers while following @BooksAndBraun on Twitter and The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences on Tumblr and Google+.
And before you ask, yes – the incomparable James Langton will be returning as the voice of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences on Audible.com for Tantor Media’s audio version of The Diamond Conspiracy. Make sure to let Ace Books (on Facebook and on Twitter) and Tantor Media know how much you enjoy your steampunk adventures from the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences.
Preorder your copy of The Diamond Conspiracy today from Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Kobobooks, and share this cover across your networks.