Featuring a guest post by Lou Kemp, author of magical realism Music Shall Untune the Sky
It’s 1865 and three close friends; the immortal magician Celwyn, the automat Professor Xiau Kang, and Bartholomew, a scientist and widower from Sudan, set out on another adventure as they travel to Singapore to fetch the professor’s wife. Prepare to explore a world reminiscent of our own yet filled with magic and steampunk!
Their private, magically enhanced train, the Elizabeth, is carrying them through the countryside when they witness the purposeful crash of a hot air balloon next to them. Jules Verne emerges from it and joins their party. As they continue east, the danger following the author shadows their train, and the murders begin. When they arrive in Singapore, Captain Nemo uses a unique method to trick Professor Kang into climbing aboard the Nautilus.
Music Shall Untune the Sky is a steampunk fantasy filled with murder, magic, and adventure.
Excerpt from Music Shall Untune the Sky
The sun rose, glinting off the ornate cornices and brass crossbeams of the Prague Opera House. A murder of crows hovered over the top of the dome; their plaintive cawing as articulate as words.
“Francesca is most angry. Somehow, she knew Christina had died.” Kang shielded his eyes against the glare. “I believe she is the loudest one with the long neck.”
Celwyn sat beside him on the rim of the fountain, shivering under the shadow of the dome and too shocked over Christina’s death to even cry. He’d only begun to know her and her inner beauty. Later he would ask himself if he was the reason she had been killed or because the witches of Prague had a longstanding feud with vampires., The way Christina was murdered would make it worse. Too exhausted to stand, he watched the crows for a moment.
“Agreed. She has every right to be angry at Delgado and the rest of them.”
The magician couldn’t help glancing across the street to the Vltava River running swift and dark through the city. In the last few hours, he had made sure Delgado would never hurt someone he loved again; but in the end, he had been too late to save Christina.
The sun rose higher, spreading light over the city. The aroma of cooking fires reached them as the residents prepared to greet the day, and a forlorn siren wailed in the distance, competing with the cawing of the crows who circled, pecking at the magically enhanced net dangling from the spire.
Guest Post: What’s the main source of your book ideas?
Because I make up the Celwyn books as I go, the main source must be my imagination. But, because the books are sequential, with no breaks, it is really one very long story. It is also character driven, so in a sense, the characters are the source of the plots in my series.
The settings of the Celwyn series are sometimes the catalyst of the plot, and at times the weather plays a strong role also. In the companion book, Sea of the Vanities (spring 2023), the weather plays a continuing role; it lands the protagonists in precarious positions and then toys with them there.
History is also a factor, providing not only a background to the action but driving the characters’ actions, too. In book 1, The Violins Played before Junstan, Celwyn and company rescue two orphans, one dies, and in book 2 another joins them. The boys are a part of the plot, but not the focus of it. In book 7, the boys are nearing adulthood, and become major players in the story.
About Lou Kemp
Early work was horror and suspense, later work morphed into a combination of magical realism, mystery and adventure painted with a horrific element as needed.
I’m one of those writers who doesn’t plan ahead, no outlines, no clue, and I sometimes write myself into a corner. Atmospheric music in the background helps. Black by Pearl Jam especially.
More information is available at LouKemp.com. I’d love to hear from you and what you think of Celwyn, Bartholomew, and Professor Xiau Kang.
Giveaway
Lou Kemp will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for checking out Kit ‘n Kabookle! I’d love to connect on Goodreads for more book things. Some stuff I’ve read lately includes…
Lou Kemp is a new author to me, but I want to thank this blog for the introduction.
I look forward to reading this book.
I love the kids. It sets the stage for the book.
Thanks for hosting!
Great excerpt and cover.
The book sound great.
The book sounds fantastic. Love the cover!