Gail Martin - Deadly Curiosities

That left one more person, and I was afraid I already knew the answer to my question. “Did we lose Mirov?”

Sorren nodded. “He fought bravely. An instant’s distraction – that’s what it comes down to in these fights. I took care of the body, and let the Alliance know.”

I didn’t have much chance to get to know Mirov, but his death made the dangers of our work soberingly clear. “So it’s over?”

Sorren nodded. “Yes. Getting rid of the demon closed the conduit to the spirit energy that was spilling over to the objects and energizing the Navy yard. It doesn’t get rid of the area’s bloody past: that will always make it a hotbed for supernatural activity. But it should end the killings and dampen the hauntings. The minions and the shadow men are gone, too.”

“Too late for Jimmy Redshoes,” I murmured fighting the draw of sleep.

“Not entirely,” Sorren said. “Papa Legba holds the keys to the afterlife. He helped the ghosts who wanted to go pass over and move on. They’re at rest.” If I heard a bit of envy in his tone, I decided not to mention it. Perhaps final rest sounded good, now and again, to a being that had lived as long as Sorren.

Baxter had settled onto my chest and gone back to sleep. I stroked his fur and felt happily adrift.

“I suspect the Navy yard will always have its ghosts, but it should have fewer – and less dangerous – ones now,” Sorren added.

I felt pleased in a warm, woozy way, as if I’d had a little too much wine. If I had to guess, I suspected Sorren had worked some of his vampire magic to help me sleep and heal. And right now, that was okay with me.

“Go ahead and rest, Cassidy. I’ll stand guard,” Sorren said. “It’s not like I can leave, now that the sun’s up,” he added with a lopsided grin, “And besides, your cellar’s a bit damp. Just think of me as your own dark guardian angel.”

“Thanks,” I murmured.

“And when you’re up to it, there’s a new crate for you at Trifles and Folly,” he said matter-of-factly. “Turned up in an estate auction. Quite a few things from 1918. That was an interesting year.”

World war, flu pandemic. Yep, that was bound to be an interesting box.

And the funny thing, as I drifted back to oblivion, was that I was already looking forward to the adventure.

THANKS FIRST TO my agent, Ethan Ellenberg, to my editor, Jon Oliver, and to all the folks at Solaris who have been wonderful to work with over the years. I’m very excited about this new adventure, and looking forward to explore where it will take us.

Authors have a funny way of using fiction to filter real life experiences and turn them into something different. This novel, and the short story Buttons that inspired it, arose from a particular set of circumstances and events, without which the story would not have developed as it did. It’s been a very interesting process seeing what my subconscious made of things, embellishing and embroidering and changing pieces around to end up with something distinct, yet rooted in the original. For that reason, it’s also been a different kind of book for me to write, which was fitting, considering that we were venturing into new territory.

My partner and husband, Larry Martin, has come to play an increasingly important role with the books over time. He is my primary beta reader and first editor, with an eye for finding typographical errors and continuity issues. Over the years, he has become an excellent plot brainstorming partner, and he played an essential role in bringing this book to life. The books are stronger because of his involvement, and I am happy that a life partnership has developed into a creative partnership as well. Watch for us to co author a new Steampunk novel, Iron and Blood , in 2015.

Charleston, South Carolina is a real place. Some of the landmarks and a few of the historical figures in this book do exist, and some (but not all) of the historical events were real. But the characters and their shops are all a work of fiction. So for example, if you go to Charleston (and I hope you do, because it’s a lovely place to visit), you can see the real Charleston City Market and walk down King Street, but you won’t find any of the businesses or restaurants I’ve mentioned by name. The old Navy yard is real, but not the history I invented for it (so far as I know). Any resemblance to real people or actual businesses is completely coincidental.

Many people in Charleston will tell you that the ghosts, however, are real. My ghosts are fictional, but that’s because Charleston has enough of its own already. But don’t take my word for it. See for yourself.

Want more about Cassidy, Sorren and Teag? Check out my Deadly Curiosities Adventures e-book short stories on Kindle, Kobo and Nook!

Gail Z. Martinwrites epic and urban fantasy, steampunk and short stories. She is the author of the Chronicles of the Necromancer series, the Fallen Kings Cycle series and the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga series of epic fantasy books, as well as the Deadly Curiosities urban fantasy world and coming in 2015, Iron and Blood , a steampunk novel, co-written with Larry N. Martin. Gail is a frequently contributor to US and UK anthologies. She also writes two series of ebook short stories: The Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures and The Deadly Curiosities Adventures .

Find her at www.ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer.com, on Twitter @GailZMartin, on Facebook.com/WinterKingdoms, at DisquietingVisions.com blog and GhostInTheMachinePodcast.com. She leads monthly conversations on Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/GailZMartin and posts free excerpts of her work on Wattpad http://wattpad.com/GailZMartin.

When she’s not writing, Gail also enjoys reading, cooking, watching anime and Dr. Who, and hanging out with her husband, kids and dogs.