The Scion's Delight: This ebook features a strong female protagonist: a princess who prefers gears and grease to perfume and lace. Her story is the prequel to my Mage Conspiracy series.
Synopsis:
A cunning trap. A whiff of magic. A burst of steam.
Princess Cordelia has steel plate ambition, a mind like twisting brass gears, and the political might of tin foil. The girl aims to ratchet the Iron Empire into a glorious new day of gears and steam. The entire palace is arrayed against her. The chambermaids disdain her. The emperor ignores her. The mages, championed by Lord Oriolanus, lead a brisk campaign of lies and coercion. Those evil magic users threaten to tighten their grip upon the land even though machines are clearly superior. By the gods' oil-stained hands, why can't anyone else see her vision of the ideal future?
Just when Cordelia's future threatens to slip back into medieval quagmire, a lone stranger with ice blue eyes and flowing blond hair arrives from the savage north. The handsome barbarian is destined to make both the hearts of the empire and the princess tremble. Does this spell doom or salvation for the girl's fragile dream?
Explore The Scion's Delight, the fantasy romance prequel novella of The Mage Conspiracy series. Discover a world of adventure and intrigue where lies cut deeper than any sword.
About the book:
TITLE: The Scion's Delight
SERIES: The Mage Conspiracy, Book 0
AUTHOR: Jeffrey Bardwell
GENRE: dark epic fantasy / romance / steampunk
LENGTH: 43000 words / 150 pages
PURCHASE LINK: https://books2read.com/the-scions-delight
Q & A's:
1. Tell us a little bit about your book
My latest book was inspired by a dream of a haughty princess who was frustrated because the steampunk rat maze she was trying to build kept falling apart on her. When I realized this princess was none other than the younger version of the villainous empress in my main series, everything clicked.
2. Which is your favorite season to write in and why?
I enjoy writing in the autumn. The weather and the atmosphere are ideal.
3. How do you get your creativity flowing?
Long walks are very useful.
4. What has influenced you the most as a writer?
Reading excellent books by other authors has been inspiring.
5. What is your most unusual writing quirk?
I celebrate finishing each chapter by singing Queen's 'Another One Bites the Dust.'
6. What is your favorite genre to read and why?
Fantasy and science fiction are my favorites because I enjoy the imagination and creativity that went into creating them.
About the Author :
Jeffrey Bardwell writes epic fantasy with elements of darkness, steampunk, and romance set in the Metal vs. Magic Universe. His character-driven books are guaranteed to include gritty realism, political intrigue, lurid entanglements, dry wit, and dragons in differing proportions. He devours fantasy and science fiction novels and is most comfortable basking near a warm wood stove. When not writing, Jeffrey enjoys cooking, gardening, and shooing baby dragons from the compost bin.
The author lives on a farm and in a prior life worked as a community ecologist. He is overfond of puns and alliterations. He is also an unabashed history and mythology enthusiast.
You can discover more about Jeffrey and his fantasy universe here: