The Aldersgate is a dark steampunk fantasy novel that will introduce you to a cast of characters of power, intrigue, and magic. It’s a story that follows a young girl, a blacksmith’s apprentice, a clumsy bard, and a cold-hearted killer across a barren landscape and into the heart of a queen’s plot. Part "Firefly" part Game of Thrones, it’s got clockwork, seidcraft, romance, and lots and lots of adventure.
When magic returns to Earena, no one’s sure what to do with it--least of all Cora Grey. Taken from her home, separated from her younger sister, and thrust into a world she never even knew existed, she learns not just what’s she’s capable of, but perhaps the secret to what’s happening. In the mean time, Cora discovers the true meaning of love, friendship, and loyalty, in the face of fear and betrayal.
Brick Smithson can’t convince Cora Grey to leave him alone. But when circumstances finally separate them, he’s taken across enemy lines and then into the heart of a ramshackle group of knights called the Order of the Asp. With his dreams of knighthood within his grasp, he’s suddenly more than just a simple smith’s son--he’s a commodity. But will his fear prevent him from ever achieving his potential?
All his life, Emry Roy has been the odd one out. While his talent in barding was never an issue on the Isle of Mor, where he was born, one day on his first assignment and his life is in ruins. More than that, he’s privy to murder, death, and may have awakened an ancient evil that he just can’t shake. Seeking out the help of the mysterious Sibs of the Nithings, Emry finds he must choose sides... but with either choice comes a great cost.
Sylvan DeLoire is the most talented assassin the Queen has ever employed. Of course, it helps that he’s her bastard grandchild. Sylvan got by for years as her favored knight in the Order of the Rose... but Queen Maelys discovered he was having an affair with Ellinora, the princess in line for the throne, he was sent far and away to do her bidding. Without question. Now that he’s been allowed to return to Hartleigh Castle, he finds Ellinora miserably married and the queen a shadow of her former self. But with his own dark powers manifesting, he’s running out of time.
Together, these four characters, along with a cast of dozens, weave their stories together and start to uncover the mysteries of the Aldersgate, the source of their powers, and the ancient magic that’s always been there... in the roots beneath their feet.
With your money I plan to subsidize the sequel, The Ward of the Rose, and provide my longtime readers, friends, and family, with the copies of the book for which they’ve waited so long. With other projects and adventures in my life, The Aldersgate has always come back to me, asking to be shared.
For fans of steampunk, this is a break from alternative history and, instead, a look into an entirely new world built around steampunk aesthetics and inspirations. In fact, the whole story came to be when my best friend Karen casually said to me, "I’m surprised you’ve never written a story about cowboy knights."
Well, if cowboy knights, romance, sweeping landscapes, and fantastical contraptions seem like something that’s up your alley, I’d love you to join along on the adventure, too.