Enter the Steampunk World of Beth Cato's THE CLOCKWORK DAGGER

We are eager to welcome debut author Beth Cato to discuss her steampunk YA novel THE CLOCKWORK DAGGER, in honor of its release day. Welcome, Beth!

Octavia—the heroine of THE CLOCKWORK DAGGER—is kind-hearted healer, and she still manages to be strong, tough (and can I say, bad-ass) without stabbing or shooting at anybody. Can you tell us a bit about how and why you developed her character in this way?

I really wanted Octavia to be a fighter and a pacifist all in one. I modeled her on military corpsmen and modern emergency workers. Octavia has spent her teenage years working in medical wards on the frontline of war. She hates violence and its consequences. At the same time, she's a survivor. She'll fight to defend herself and others. If her attackers are injured, she's the sort who will step in to heal them... and scold them fiercely in the process.

The hero, Alonzo, is equally good-hearted and a perfect match for Octavia. Why did you choose to make your hero a good guy instead of a sexy-bad-boy archetype?

Honestly, I'm not attracted to bad boys! I love a good, strong hero--the sort who works for a grand cause even if everyone else is against him. When I read about bad boys who are reformed in the course of a book, I don't always find it believable. I wanted Alonzo to be true to himself from the start. There were plenty of other ways to ramp up the conflict and chemistry.

Not only is the leading couple a strong pair, but there is also a sassy sidekick, whom I can only describe as a precious kleptomaniac gremlin. How did such a unique character form within this story?

It's funny, but Leaf didn't even exist in my initial outline. I created gremlins to be an inconvenience to Octavia at one point in the story, and she ends up adopting little baby Leaf. He kind of wormed his way into the full outline, became a major plot point, and with every novel draft became a more important character. It still amazes me that readers adore him so much. Leaf is on his way to forming a fan club.

The steampunk world-building in THE CLOCKWORK DAGGER is top-notch, in my opinion. What are some elements of the genre that draw out your evident passion for steampunk?

Steampunk is very visual, and that's part of the great fun in writing it. I get very passionate about the details involved--the rustic elegance of steampunk in the satin clothes, the corsets, the amazing contraptions--and sometimes my editors ask me to scale things back. The genre can be very dark and grimy at times, and that really makes the beauty stand out even more. Those lush details are also why the genre translates so well to movies, like Robert Downey Junior's take on Sherlock Holmes and anime like Howl's Moving Castle. If you do a Google search for steampunk clothing, the styles and accessories will blow your mind. It's easy to be inspired by all the material out there.

Fresh Fiction readers want to know: When you aren’t writing, what do you like to read?

I read a bit of everything, really--urban fantasy, young adult, nonfiction history, science fiction. I've been on a major historical fiction kick lately, whether it's straight-up history or with a dash of paranormal to it. I'm in the midst of Jo Walton's Small Change Trilogy and I'm in awe of it-- it envisions the late 1940s if England and Germany negotiated a peace to end World War II early. I also loved J. Kathleen Cheney's Golden City books because of her fresh setting of historical Portugal with a twist on mermaid culture.

Read more about THE CLOCKWORK DAGGER below, and buy your copy today!

Full of magic, mystery, and romance, an enchanting steampunk fantasy debut in the bestselling vein of Trudi Canavan and Gail Carriger.

Orphaned as a child, Octavia Leander was doomed to grow up on the streets until Miss Percival saved her and taught her to become a medician. Gifted with incredible powers, the young healer is about to embark on her first mission, visiting suffering cities in the far reaches of the war-scarred realm. But the airship on which she is traveling is plagued by a series of strange and disturbing occurrences, including murder, and Octavia herself is threatened.

Suddenly, she is caught up in a flurry of intrigue: the dashingly attractive steward may be one of the infamous Clockwork Daggers—the Queen’s spies and assassins—and her cabin-mate harbors disturbing secrets. But the danger is only beginning, for Octavia discovers that the deadly conspiracy aboard the airship may reach the crown itself.