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In this steampunk sequel to The Impossible Cube, two adventurers must find a way inside a kingdom on the brink of war to save themselves and the world. As Gavin Ennock pilots his airship, the Lady of Liberty, to China, his fiancée, Lady Alice Michaels prays they make it in time. The Clockwork Plague consumes Gavin's body and mind, driving him increasingly mad—and driving a wedge between him and Alice. Their only hope lies in China with the Dragon Men. But a power-hungry general has seized the Chinese throne, intending to conquer Asia, Britain, and the world. He has also closed the country's borders to foreigners. Meanwhile, the former ruling dynasty is plotting to return the throne's rightful heir to power. Seeing their opportunity, the two travelers dive into a political power struggle where one false move could spell doom for Gavin and the entire world. “[The Dragon Men] continues to demonstrate its original premise and to showcase the inventive pair who strive to save a world.” —Library Journal “My favorite book in the series yet. I'm not sure whether that's because I've become so enamored with the world of the Clockwork Empire as a whole, or that the action sequences are nearly relentless, which a definite plus in this case.” —That's What I'm Talking About

A noblewoman and an airship pilot fight zombies, mad scientists, and more in this steampunk adventure series debut by the author of Iron Axe. A bizarre strain of zombies roam the streets of Victorian London, infecting all they touch with the Clockwork Plague. While most victims die painful deaths, a few become Clockworkers, geniuses who create the greatest inventions of the age—right before going insane. The plague has also taken its toll on the life of twenty-two-year-old Alice Michaels. After her mother and brother die from the disease because of her, she feels obligated to ensure her father's happiness. Unfortunately, that means ignoring her passion for automatons and instead, pursuing the wealthiest man possible. But when zombies attack Alice's cab, being tied down in a loveless marriage is the least of her worries. She is quickly swept up into a secret organization chasing down Clockworkers—and into the arms of Gavin Ennock, a former airship cabin boy and talented fiddle player. Together they will navigate a political conspiracy that threatens to consume their country and the world... “If you love your Victorian adventures filled with zombies, amazing automatons, steampunk flare, and an impeccable eye for detail, you'll love the fascinating (and fantastical) Doomsday Vault!” —My Bookish Ways “Harper creates a fascinating world of devices, conspiracies, and personalities.... Alice and Gavin fight to survive and to find love in this steampunk coming-of-age story. Harper's world building is well developed and offers an interesting combination of science and steam.” —SFRevu “A goofy excursion in a style reminiscent of Foglios's Girl Genius graphic series.... A highly entertaining romp.” —Locus

A half-troll and his companions must recover a forgotten magic to rescue their friends in this epic fantasy adventure by the author of Iron Axe. Danr the half-troll saved the kingdom of Erda from destruction and restored peace to the realm. His own life, however, is far from peaceful. Going out in public, he draws attention from fans and from those who still see him as an evil half-breed. When he learns of a people who once wielded the power of the shape, he dreams of becoming fully human and settling down on a quiet farm with his beloved. But others would like to possess such magic. Slavers abduct Danr's friends, ransoming them for the power of the shape. Now Danr, Aisa, and their friend, Talfi the undying, must embark on a perilous quest that will force them to confront the Fates, Death, and a giant wyrm that dwells at the bottom of the sea. If he hopes to survive, Danr must become the hero he is so reluctant to be...Praise for Iron Axe “[Harper's] reinterpretations of trolls, giants, and fae folk give this series opener a fresh feeling, while his nods to Norse mythology and folklore root it strongly in fantasy tradition. Readers will be eager to see what's in store for Aisa and Danr.” —Publishers Weekly “Steven Harper created a world that I never got tired of exploring.” —The Qwillery “The story holds all of the adventure, magic, and mystery I have come to expect from the genre.... [It] follows a hero's journey... with energy and artfulness.” —Wicked Little Pixie

In this steampunk adventure by the author of The Dragon Men, a femme fatale offers a vengeful vigilante a simple job that becomes deadly. The Clockwork Plague continues to incite destruction throughout the world. For Thaddeus Sharpe, the only solution for the disease is death. That is why he has dedicated his life to hunting and killing Clockworkers, and his mission brings him to the streets of St. Petersburg. There he meets a mysterious young woman named Sofiya Ekk, who offers him a proposition from her powerful employer, Mr. Griffin. Thad has his suspicions, but it's an offer he cannot refuse. In a nearby village, a mad Clockwork scientist named Mr. Havoc has taken residence in a castle. His dreadful experiments on men and machine terrify the locals. He has created a dangerous machine, a ten-legged robotic spider. Griffin doesn't care what happens to Havoc; he only wants the invention. Simple enough... But when Thad arrives at the castle with Sofiya, they make a startling discovery. Not only is Havoc hiding the machine, but he has also been experimenting on a little boy. Now Thad finds himself caught in a mystery he must quickly unravel before havoc reigns...Praise for the Novels of the Clockwork Empire “Action, adventure, dirigibles, and mad scientists, oh my!” —Night Owl Reviews on The Impossible Cube “Harper creates a fascinating world of devices, conspiracies, and personalities.... Harper's world building is well developed and offers an interesting combination of science and steam.” —SFRevu on The Doomsday Vault “My favorite book in the series yet. I'm not sure whether that's because I've become so enamored with the world of the Clockwork Empire as a whole, or that the action sequences are nearly relentless, which a definite plus in this case.” —That's What I'm Talking About on The Dragon Men

A brave half-troll must stop an evil elf queen from destroying the world in this epic fantasy trilogy finale by the author of Blood Storm. The three Fates tend the sacred Garden, which orders all lives both mortal and immortal. But everything is thrown out of order when the evil elf queen abducts one of the fates. The future of every being, including Death herself, is now in jeopardy. There is only one hero who can defeat the elf queen: Danr the half-troll. But first, Danr must first find the fabled Bone Sword. With it, he can free the Fate and destroy the evil queen. Unfortunately, he must do so without the help of his companions, as they are busy hunting down a dangerous creature with a terrifyingly familiar face. Danr and Aisa must go it alone and they must hurry before the Garden dies and all is lost. But even if they do succeed, Danr may still need to make his greatest sacrifice yet...Praise for Iron Axe “Steven Harper created a world that I never got tired of exploring.” —The Qwillery “[Harper's] reinterpretations of trolls, giants, and fae folk give this series opener a fresh feeling, while his nods to Norse mythology and folklore root it strongly in fantasy tradition. Readers will be eager to see what's in store for Aisa and Danr.” —Publishers Weekly “The story holds all of the adventure, magic, and mystery I have come to expect from the genre....[It] follows a hero's journey... with energy and artfulness.” —Wicked Little Pixie

In this steampunk sequel to The Doomsday Vault, a pair of adventurers confront technological terrors as they race for their lives from Britain to China. Gavin Ennock once sailed the skies on airships and delighted audiences with his fiddle music. Now a victim of the Clockwork Plague, he is consumed by both madness and brilliance. To save her fiancé's life, Alice Michaels breaks into the Doomsday Vault to recover a cure, only to incur the wrath of the British Empire and make them both enemies of the Crown. Their only remaining option for a cure now lies across the globe in China. Soon they are up in the clouds with the mad genius Dr. Clef, on the run from an underground police force. But Clef has a plan of his own involving the most destructive force the world has ever seen: the Impossible Cube. With dangerous foes at their heels and trouble brewing aboard their ship, Alice and Gavin must keep their wits about them if they hope to survive... “A fast-paced, imaginative story.... Exciting chases and nail-biting close calls.” —That's What I'm Talking About “An exciting adventure thriller that starts off with action and never slows down.” —Genre Go Round Reviews

Death asks a half-troll and his friends to save the world in this epic fantasy series debut by the author of the Clockwork Empire series. Although Danr is the son of a human mother, his father was one of the hated Stanes, trolls from the mountains. Now the barrel-chested teenager is condemned to hard labor on a farm where he endures taunts of “Troll boy” from the others. Yet no matter how bad things get, he always remembers the advice of his recently departed mother: be gentle and do not unleash the monster inside. One of Danr's few friends in the village, Aisa, was sold into slavery by her father and is now controlled by an abusive man. She keeps herself covered from head to toe and dreams of a better future. She and Danr hope to escape and make their way to freedom, but a series of dark events soon stirs up chaos. Strange creatures come down from the mountains, slaughtering villagers. Spirits of the dead haunt the land, terrifying those that are still alive. As rumors spread about the Stanes'involvement, Danr decides to find out the truth, taking Aisa and an amnesiac new friend with him. Soon they are called up by Death herself to set things right. At Death's request, the group sets out to recover the Iron Axe. Crafted by the dwarves, it is capable of restoring balance in the world—and destroying it, too. Along the way, Danr must call upon the monster within to face fierce and fantastic creatures while discovering truths that will change their lives forever. “[Turns] common tropes on their heads.... [Harper's] reinterpretations of trolls, giants, and fae folk give this series opener a fresh feeling, while his nods to Norse mythology and folklore root it strongly in fantasy tradition.Readers will be eager to see what's in store for Aisa and Danr.” —Publishers Weekly “Brought back fond memories of a classic fantasy book while still offering a wonderfully unique take on the genre.... Steven Harper created a world that I never got tired of exploring.” —The Qwillery “The story holds all of the adventure, magic, and mystery I have come to expect from the genre....[It] follows a hero's journey... with energy and artfulness.” —Wicked Little Pixie

Kevin Devereaux'Leben kann gar nicht mehr schlimmer werden. Er steht unter Bewährung und lebt zusammen mit seinem vorbestraften, arbeitslosen Dad in einem heruntergekommenen Trailer im verrufenen Osten der Stadt. Um seine Bewährungshelferin bei Laune zu halten, tritt er einer Theatergruppe für Jugendliche bei und verliebt sich Hals über Kopf in Peter Finn, den Hauptdarsteller der Produktion – und Sohn des reichsten Elternhauses der Stadt. Trotz ihrer Unterschiede erwidert Peter Kevins Gefühle und zum ersten Mal erfährt Kevin, was es bedeutet, verliebt zu sein.Doch Peters Familie weigert sich, einen schwulen Sohn zu akzeptieren – und schon gar nicht einen Freund aus ärmeren Verhältnissen – und so müssen die beiden in der konservativen Stadt ihre Beziehung geheim halten. Immerhin bleibt ihnen das Theaterstück und sie können sich gegenseitig Halt geben, also schlagen sie sich durch …Bis ein brutaler Angriff Kevins Leben erschüttert und Peter kurz davor steht, wegen Mordes ins Gefängnis zu müssen.

Kevin Devereaux's life can't get worse. He's on probation. He's stuck with an unemployed ex-convict dad. And he lives in a run-down trailer on the crappy east side of town. To keep his probation officer happy, Kevin joins a theater program for teenagers and falls hard for Peter Finn, the lead actor in the show—and the son of the town's leading family. Despite their differences, Peter returns Kevin's feelings, and for the first time, Kevin learns what it means to be in love. But Peter's family won't accept a gay son—let alone a boyfriend from the wrong side of the tracks—and in their conservative town, they must keep the romance secret. Still, they have the play, and they have each other, so they'll get by— Until a brutal attack shatters Kevin's life and puts Peter in danger of going to jail for murder.

It's difficult enough to live in the neighborhood'freakazoid'house. It's even more difficult when you're autistic and neither your family nor best friend really understands you. So when Ryan November wakes up on his eleventh birthday with the ability to see the future, he braces himself for trouble. But even his newfound power doesn't help him anticipate that the fair folk—undines, salamanders, gnomes, and sylphs—want him dead, dead, dead. Ryan races to defend himself and his family against unrelenting danger from the fairy realm so he can uncover the truth about his family history—and himself. Except as Ryan's power grows, the more enticing the fairy realm becomes, forcing him to choose between order and chaos and power and family. And for an autistic boy, such choices are never cut and dry.

The author of Blood Storm and Iron Axe returns with the third Book of Blood and Iron—where Danr the half-troll must stop two vengeful queens from razing the world to the ground... From their sacred Garden, the three fates control all life and maintain balance in the world. But one of the fates has been captured by the evil elf queen, placing the future of every being, including Death herself, in jeopardy. And only one hero can defeat the elf queen: Danr the half-troll. In order to rescue the missing fate, Danr must first acquire the fabled Bone Sword. Normally Danr would expect his companions to help. However, they are currently in pursuit of a mysterious creature who seems both oddly familiar yet dangerously unknown. But one thing is certain for all of the adventurers: failure is not an option.

In this brand new series from the author of the Clockwork Empire series, a hopeless outcast must answer Death's call and embark on an epic adventure.... Although Danr's mother was human, his father was one of the hated Stane, a troll from the mountains. Now Danr has nothing to look forward to but a life of disapproval and mistrust, answering to “Trollboy” and condemned to hard labor on a farm. Until, without warning, strange creatures come down from the mountains to attack the village. Spirits walk the land, terrifying the living. Trolls creep out from under the mountain, provoking war with the elves. And Death herself calls upon Danr to set things right. At Death's insistence, Danr heads out to find the Iron Axe, the weapon that sundered the continent a thousand years ago. Together with unlikely companions, Danr will brave fantastic and dangerous creatures to find a weapon that could save the world—or destroy it.

From the author of Iron Axe comes the second Book of Blood and Iron…Ages ago, those who had the ability to change their shape lost it, leading to endless bloody battles for supremacy between the races—until one reluctant hero stepped forth to restore peace to the world.… Even though Danr the half troll ended centuries of fighting, he still is not living the quiet life he longs for. Rumors have arisen that certain people are once again wielding the power of the shape. If Danr could learn to use it, he could become fully human and spend his life with his beloved, Aisa. But he is not the only one who craves the gift of changing form.… Slavers have taken Danr's friends captive, demanding the power of the shape as ransom. To obtain it, Danr must cross paths with the Fates, Death, and a giant wyrm that lives at the bottom of the ocean—before other, more dangerous parties uncover the secrets of shape changing.…

In a world riddled with the destruction of men and machines alike, Thaddeus Sharpe takes to the streets of St. Petersburg, geared toward the hunt of his life….Thaddeus Sharpe's life is dedicated to the hunting and killing of clockworkers. When a mysterious young woman named Sofiya Ekk approaches him with a proposition from a powerful employer, he cannot refuse. A man who calls himself Mr. Griffin seeks Thad's help with mad clockwork scientist Lord Havoc, who has molded a dangerous machine. Mr. Griffin cares little if the evil Lord lives or dies; all he desires is Havoc's invention.Upon Thad's arrival at Havoc's laboratory, he is met with a chilling discovery. Havoc is not only concealing his precious machine; he has been using a young child by the name of Nikolai for cruel experiments. Locked into a clockwork web of intrigue, Thad must decipher the dangerous truth surrounding Nikolai and the chaos contraption before havoc reigns….

As China prepares to become the ultimate power in an era of extraordinary invention and horror, Alice Michaels'fate lies inside the walls of the forbidden kingdom…. Gavin Ennock has everything a man could desire—except time. As the clockwork plague consumes his body and mind, it drives him increasingly mad and fractures his relationship with his fiancée, Alice, Lady Michaels. Their only hope is that the Dragon Men of China can cure him. But a power-mad general has seized the Chinese throne in a determined offensive to conquer Asia, Britain—indeed, the entire world. He has closed the country's borders to all foreigners. The former ruling dynasty, however, is scheming to return the rightful heir to power. Their designs will draw Gavin and Alice down a treacherous path strewn with intrigue and power struggles. One wrong step will seal Gavin's fate…and determine the future of the world.

In an age where fantastic inventions of steam and brass have elevated Britain and China into mighty empires, Alice Michaels faces a future of technological terrors… Once, Gavin Ennock sailed the skies on airships and enchanted listeners with his fiddle music. Now, the clockwork plague consumes his intellect, enabling him to conceive and construct scientific wonders—while driving him quite mad. Distressed by her beloved's unfortunate condition, Alice Michaels sought a cure rumored to be inside the Doomsday Vault—and brought the wrath of the British Empire down on them.Declared enemies of the Crown, Alice and Gavin have little choice but to flee to China in search of a cure. Accompanying them is Dr. Clef, a mad genius driven to find the greatest and most destructive force the world has ever seen: The Impossible Cube. If Dr. Clef gets his hands on it, the entire universe will face extinction. And Gavin holds the key to its recreation…

Vampires, werewolves, and zombies, oh my!Writing a paranormal novel takes more than casting an alluring vampire or arming your hero with a magic wand. It takes an original idea, believable characters, a compelling plot, and surprising twists, not to mention great writing.This helpful guide gives you everything you need to successfully introduce supernatural elements into any story without shattering the believability of your fictional world or falling victim to common cliches.You'll learn how to: • Choose supernatural elements and decide what impact the supernatural will have on your fictional world • Create engaging and relatable characters from supernatural protagonists and antagonists to supporting players (both human and non-human) • Develop strong plots and complementary subplots • Write believable fight scenes and flashbacks • Create realistic dialogue • And much moreComplete with tips for researching your novel and strategies for getting published, Writing the Paranormal Novel gives you everything you need to craft a novel where even the most unusual twist is not only possible - it's believable.

In a clockwork Brittania, Alice's prospects are slim. At 21, her age and her unladylike interest in automatons have sealed her fate as an undesirable marriage prospect. But a devastating plague sends Alice off in a direction beyond the pale-towards a clandestine organization, mad inventors, life-altering secrets, and into the arms of an intrepid fiddle-playing airship pilot.