Precious Metals Tour Stop!

 

For Constable Paul Benson of the North-West Mounted Police, monotony is a blessing. As a provision inspector below the Chilkoot Pass during the Klondike Gold Rush, he’s seen miserable conditions and gold fever turn civilized prospectors into madmen.

Joseph Starling is on his way to the Klondike to find the men who savagely beat him, murdered his eldest brother, and stole their mining machine. They’ll kill his youngest brother if Joseph doesn’t operate the machine for them—it won’t work without him. With time running out, Joseph must purchase an expensive ticket aboard a crash-prone airship. But the station is miles away through dangerous terrain.

Under orders, Paul grudgingly escorts Joseph, but quickly finds himself intrigued by the young man. As they make their way toward Juneau, it’s not just the need for warmth that drives them closer together. But neither man can draw an easy breath until they make it to the gold fields . . . and there’s no guarantee that Joseph’s brother will still be alive when they do.

 

I’m not usually a fan of this sub-genre, yet after I read the first book in the series, Noble Metals, I couldn’t get enough of the world that Ms. Witt had created, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book! 

I was completely drawn into this story because it was very well written, there were enough details given about the mechanical stuff that I didn’t feel completely lost.  I did like the twist with this story where it wasn’t about all about the gold, it was about family.  And mechanics of course!

I don’t really know if I have a favorite character because I really liked both of the main characters, Paul and Joseph, equally.  They both had their strengths, along with their weaknesses but they seemed to work with each other quite well.  I do have to say though that I connected a bit more with Joseph because he was willing to risk everything in order to save his brother.  And I am a total family person, risk everything for them? You have a winner from me.

I can say that if Ms. Witt were to release another book in this series I would be sure to grab a copy of it because it is that great of a read.  Even with the sex that was in the story, it didn’t overtake any of the scenes.  It added to the story, it didn’t detract from what was happening besides that. 

I can say that even though this is book 2 in the series, you don’t have to read book 1 because this is about completely different characters.  However, I really really REALLY recommend reading the first book because you will be in for a great read.

 "Where did you come up with the idea to write this series?  Because it's about a time period that there isn't a lot of books out about."

The series was originally the brainchild of myself and author Misa Buckley. Some inside jokes led us to the idea of Mittenpunk—winter-themed steampunk. When I started pondering my story, I decided right away that I didn’t want to set it in Victorian London. I think steampunk set in Victorian London is wonderful, but for this one, I wanted to do something different. I wanted a place where winter was brutal.

Like, say, Alaska/Canada.

And my mind immediately went to the Klondike Gold Rush, which is something that has always intrigued me. Growing up in Seattle, I ended up reading about it quite a bit—it’s a significant part of the city’s history, since most of the prospectors began their journey there. After doing lots of reading and writing a lot of papers about it, I guess the setting and time period sort of stuck in my brain. I’d always wanted to write something set in the Gold Rush, and when I realized I’d never read any Gold Rush steampunk before, I jumped on it.

Originally, Noble Metals was going to be a standalone. But the more I played in the steampunk Klondike, the more I saw potential for additional stories. The journey alone is  long, grueling, and dangerous, taking people through horrendous conditions and over terrain that would be tough to get over without loads of provisions. Then you throw in the steampunk element, letting the technology both help and hinder, and suddenly there’s endless possibilities.

Precious Metals came along when I decided I wanted someone who needed to get to the Klondike in a hurry, and not because he wanted gold. And I wanted him to have to overcome not only the treacherous terrain, but do it with an artificial leg. Thus came Joseph, and Paul’s character materialized shortly thereafter.

Will there be more in the Metals universe? Possibly. I mostly write contemporary these days, but man, when steampunk starts calling…

 

Amazon US || Riptide Publishing

L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer currently living in the glamorous and ultra-futuristic metropolis of Omaha, Nebraska, with her husband, two cats, and a disembodied penguin brain that communicates with her telepathically. In addition to writing smut and disturbing the locals, L.A. is said to be working with the US government to perfect a genetic modification that will allow humans to survive indefinitely on Corn Pops and beef jerky. This is all a cover, though, as her primary leisure activity is hunting down her arch nemesis, erotica author Lauren Gallagher, who is also said to be lurking somewhere in Omaha.

L. A.’s backlist is available on her website, and updates (as well as random thoughts and the odd snarky comment) can be found on her blog or on Twitter (@GallagherWitt).

Every comment on this blog tour enters you in a drawing for a choice of two eBooks off my backlist (excluding Precious Metals) and a $10 Riptide Publishing store credit. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on November 2^nd, and winners will be announced on November 3^rd.  Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries.