Ava Morgan
Ava Morgan loves history and retro style, but always with a little twist and a dash of “what if”. During college years, while other students memorized historical facts simply to pass an exam, she was taking it a step further by attending reenactments and picking up arcane little hobbies such as archery and Lindy Hop.
As the years passed and Ava learned that possessing cute quirks weren’t going to pay the light bill, she worked in various fields ranging from administration, sales, and criminal justice before returning on her real passion, writing. Steampunk and fantasy are her chosen genres. Both offer the chance to explore the unknowns, the maybes, and the what-might-have-beens. Ava’s debut Curiosity Chronicles series came from her affinity for the romance of history as well as its quirky anachronisms.
As you can probably guess, Ava is a bibliophile and will read everything she can get her hands on, especially steampunk, fantasy, and old pulp fiction. When she isn’t planted in her writing chair, she can be found sampling mead and turkey legs at a Renaissance Festival alongside her husband or running up a tab at the local coffeehouse. To find out what Ava’s been up to recently visit her at any of the below.
The Lady Machinist: Curiosity Chronicles (Steampunk/Science-Fiction/Romance)
Lydia Dimosthenis detests pirates, especially those of British ilk. The lady machinist will do anything to protect her island home of Aspasia from the scurvy knaves, even if it means crafting seven-foot clockwork soldiers to drive intruders away. When her automatons catch the eye of a charming yet stubborn ambassador from New Britannia, she is given an offer that she truly cannot refuse. But that doesn’t stop her from trying.
Rhys Cartret, ambassador and agent for the Cabinet of Intellectual Curiosities, didn’t count on having a strong-willed, attractive inventor thwarting his every diplomatic move. It’s hard enough keeping his pirate past a secret from Lydia. Matching wits with her is the last thing he needs, especially since New Britannia’s rival France is racing to get the automatons before he does. Intrigue, romance, and striking bargains abound in this curious tale of clockwork soldiers, ruthless pirates, and steam-powered ships.
The Armored Doctor: Curiosity Chronicles #2 (Steampunk/Science-Fiction/Romance)
Dr. Jacob Valerian is considered an eccentric by London society. Bearing the physical and mental scars of his stint as a medic in the India campaigns, he returns home to New Britannia to help accident victims regain their mobility with his revolutionary line of artificial mechanical limbs. When evidence surfaces that his designs are being stolen, word spreads that his new assistant, the pretty and plucky Miss Abigail Benton, is the culprit.
While Abigail is grateful for her new job, the stern Dr. Valerian seems to never be pleased with her work. She suspects his prickly demeanor is due to the injuries he sustained. As her compassion for him grows, so does her hidden attraction. But when she is accused of theft, all secrets must be laid bare in order to clear her name. The soft glow of romance competes with the grit of London’s streets in this curious tale of mechanical armor, espionage, and class struggle.
Coming Soon to Kobo…
The Industrial Spy: Curiosity Chronicles #3 (Steampunk/Science-Fiction/Romance)
Dominique Fontaine has worked as an agent for the French government agency Bureau de L’Industrie ever since her family’s bakery was shut down by the criminal industrialist Emile Broussard. Keen on bringing him into custody and restoring prosperity to her family and village, she bravely works undercover at one of his illegally-run flour mills.
Engineer Colton Smythe, an agent of New Britannia’s Cabinet of Intellectual Curiosities, is on a hunt for the man that he believes is responsible for his mother’s death. When the COIC orders him to team with Dominique to infiltrate a metal foundry in northwestern France, he must choose between completing the mission or fulfilling a personal vendetta. Working with the headstrong, though utterly beguiling Dominique may also prove to be his undoing. The pastoral lands of France are deceiving in this curious tale of industrial sabotage and passion.
Uprooted: The Grafters, Book I (YA/Fantasy/Paranormal Romance)
A seventeen year-old girl with extraordinary abilities.
A mysterious high school senior with dryad blood in his veins.
A two hundred year-old curse.
An old legend exists in southeast Tennessee about a race of people in the Appalachian Mountains. The Grafters are born of dryad blood and are said to guard the forests. But an evil force threatens their existence…
Stevie Sanders is trying to fit in at her new high school in Houndsfoot, Tennessee. It’s bad enough that she had to move before her senior year, but now her secret abilities are getting harder to hide, especially in front of Kieran Blackthorn, the hot yet mysterious guy in her botany class. Who is he? Why does his strong bond with nature seem to be steeped in powers that Stevie can’t understand?
And why does she feel like her life is entwined with his, like branches on a vine?
UPROOTED (The Grafters, Book One) is for readers who enjoy stories about fantasy and mythological beings, dryads, fae creatures, paranormal creatures, teen and young adult fantasy paranormal romance.
Note: This book is intended for older teens. There are several fight scenes, as well as sexual situations, including the thoughts and feelings that come with them.
Lydia’s Decision: A Curiosity Chronicles Short (Steampunk/Short Stories)
A romantic steampunk short story of adventurers, seafarers, and daring choices, set in the Curiosity Chronicles world.
Isle of Aspasia, 1838: Lydia is spending the winter months with her parents in Aspasia when she receives news of Rhys’s latest pirate battle in France. Concerned for him and their future together, she wonders if she can play a larger role alongside him in the fight against piracy on the high seas.
Note: Although the plot of this short story is self-contained, it follows the characters Rhys and Lydia from The Lady Machinist (Curiosity Chronicles, #1) and references events from The Industrial Spy (Curiosity Chronicles, #3). 11,000 words.
Abigail’s Discovery : A Curiosity Chronicles Short (Steampunk/Short Stories)
A romantic steampunk short story of masquerades, mystery, and hidden weapons, set in the Curiosity Chronicles world.
London, New Britannia, 1838: Abigail’s unique idea for a new device warrants her an invitation to one of the biggest soirees of the season. But can she convince an increasingly reclusive Jacob to appear alongside her before members of London’s high society?
Note: Although the plot of this short story is self-contained, it references events and follows characters Jacob and Abigail from The Armored Doctor (Curiosity Chronicles, #2). 13,000 words.