Giveaway and Guest Post with author Heather Massey and her book The Watchmaker's Lady

Happy Hump Day everyone!!  Its another glorious Wednesday and I have a special guest with me today.  I'm really getting my feet wet as far as versions of Steampunk (or erotic Clockpunk:)  go and I must say that I am really enjoying it!!  Heather is going to tell us all about her inspiration for writing this story and she is going to give you a chance to win a copy of your own!!  Take it away Heather:

Supercharged Soul Mates

Many of us dream that we’ll find a soul mate of our own. The fantasy is very comforting because it provides a vicarious experience of finding love with that perfect person, someone with whom we are destined to spend our lives. A message of hope underlies it as well because nothing beats the secure feeling of being wanted.

While we don’t always get our soul mate wish in real life, in fiction we can explore that fantasy multiple times and in a variety of ways. Romance is particularly well-suited to soul mate stories, as demonstrated by the plethora of such tales available. As befits the diversity in this genre, soul mates come in all shapes, colors, sizes, and pairings.

When I conceived of my erotic clockpunk romance, The Watchmaker’s Lady, the soul mate theme was at the forefront of my mind. You see, I had just returned from a theatrical viewing of Pixar’s totally epic Toy Story 3. In that film, Barbie meets Ken for the first time. The scene is all about pure, electric attraction. But long before that magical moment, you just know the two are destined to be together. There’s no denying that Barbie and Ken are the perfect fit—even though they are dolls.

Toy Story 3 teaches us that even dolls can find their soul mates and have romance in their “lives”! And why not, eh? After the movie, I couldn’t stop thinking about the scene of Barbie and Ken’s first meeting. So as that scene kept playing—and replaying—in my head, a new thought struck me like lightening:

What if a watchmaker from the 1800s fell in love with an automaton—a clockwork Victorian sex doll—of his own creation?

With the theme from Barbie and Ken’s meeting blasting in the back of my mind (Gary Wright’s “Dream Weaver”!), a new spin on the Pygmalion mythology sprang forth. Pygmalion, as you may recall, is the sculptor who fell in love with a statue he created. For me, that mythological story is another type of soul mate tale, so I took the idea and ran with it!

Here’s the basic premise for The Watchmaker’s Lady:

Matthew Goddard is a lonely watchmaker in 1840 New England. One fateful day, he discovers the lover of his dreams in a dusty corner of the local general store—Isabel, a bisque porcelain mannequin head with mesmerizing, smoky blue eyes.

When Matthew invites her to come live with him, she eagerly “accepts.” The couple embarks on a lust-filled affair, one fueled by Matthew’s wild imagination. In order to provide Isabel with a brass body and pretty clothes, he begins a secret side business selling clockwork sex toys to his wealthy female customers.

Danger, however, threatens their idyllic romance when a disgruntled customer exposes Matthew’s forbidden business to the townspeople. Despite the growing menace, Matthew will stop at nothing in order to save his soul mate—and protect their love.

***

In short, I supercharged the Pygmalion mythology and brought it to a whole new level.

To get you in the mood for The Watchmaker’s Lady, here’s the clip from Toy Story 3 that inspired it all:

Now for even more fun! I have a digital copy of The Watchmaker’s Lady to give away to one visitor. Winner’s choice of PDF, ePub, or .mobi. The deadline to enter is five days from the date of this post.

To enter, leave a comment for this post and include your email. Tell me about your favorite soul mate story!

About the author:

Heather Massey is a lifelong fan of science fiction romance. She searches for science fiction romance adventures aboard her blog, The Galaxy Express.

When she’s not reading, she’s watching cult films and enjoying time with her husband and daughter.

For more information about her work, visit heathermassey.com.