Interview with Patricia Eimer

This week we are talking with Patricia Eimer, author of THE CLOCKWORK BRIDE, which is part of A Riveting Affair, published by Entangled Publishing.

Airship Ambassador: Hi Patricia, thanks for making the time to join us for this interview.

Patrcia Eimer: Thanks for having me here and letting me blather on about Clockwork Bride

AA: Would you share some of the story details with us??

PE: Clockwork Bride is about Aida and Julian—a pair of scientists who are separated by social class as well as culture in a steampunk version of Victorian England. Aida is an Irish Clockwork Engineer and Julian is a member of the English aristocracy whose father is the head of the Luddite (anti-technology) Party in Britain’s Parliament. These two crazy kids meet up and in an act of defiance decide to get married on an airship on Christmas Eve—then have to learn to live with the consequences of marrying not just someone you barely know but also someone who’s life is completely different from your own.

AA: What was the motivation for creating THE CLOCKWORK BRIDE?

PE: I’ve always adored steampunk because it has such strong female characters and I loved the idea of two scientists as star crossed lovers because it was just such an irony.

AA: How did elements of your own life make their way into THE CLOCKWORK BRIDE?

PE: My husband and I are both actually scientists (I’m a trained economist and he’s a physicist) so I think a lot of the absent minded scientist sort of traits bled over into Clockwork Bride. When I was writing Julian I’d look over at my husband and steal characteristics from him as personality quirks for Julian.

AA: When I get my young nieces and nephews to read THE CLOCKWORK BRIDE, what would you like for them to take away from the story and the characters that they could apply to their own lives?

PE: Well there are sex scenes in it so maybe don’t let them read it if they’re too young but if they do read it—I hope they take away that you can do anything you want with your life, no matter where you come from or who society says you’re supposed to be. Oh, and there’s nothing wrong with the princess being the one to slay the dragon and save the prince instead of vice versa.

AA: People continue to hear about THE CLOCKWORK BRIDE every day. How are those new readers finding you – conventions, website, word of mouth, etc?

PE: Because Clockwork Bride is such a new release most of the readers have been finding me through my website www.patriciaeimer.com or through word of mouth—which I’ve been really grateful for.

AA: Every writer I’ve talked with has a different journey to seeing their works in print. What was your publishing experience like?

PE: My publishing experience was ridiculously blessed. Seriously, it was like winning the lottery. I was working in corporate America, about to burn out, when a friend of mine suggested I try National Novel Writer’s Month (NANOWRIMO) just for fun. So I signed up and sketched out a basic idea for my first novel—Luck of the Devil—at like 2 am on October 31 then started writing the next day.

After November was over I shipped it off to her and she told me it was good and sent me the link to Editpalooza at SavvyAuthors. I figured why not? I’d had fun writing it I might as well see what it could be with some polish. So I took a month long editing class with Liz Pelletier from SavvyAuthors (before Entangled Publishing started) and then I put Luck under my bed and went on about my boring days. Then Liz emailed me and asked me to submit Luck of the Devil for Entangled’s introductory release and Entangled Publishing bought it as a three book series.

Pretty soon after, I quit my job, started writing full time and before the year was out I had a contract for a three book series based on Luck of the Devil, a three book YA/MG series (The Chronicles of Nerissette coming in August 2013) contract and a contract for Clockwork Bride and I haven’t looked back since. Like I said, a complete and total fairytale beginning for what has turned into my dream career.

AA: If you weren’t a writer, what else would you be doing now?

PE: I’d probably be back at my old job—figuring out the most efficient way to run a factory line and firing people who had become redundant. (And people wonder why I was close to a nervous breakdown)

AA: Do you participate in a writer’s group to compare notes, have constructive critique reviews, and brainstorm new ideas?

PE: That’s my favorite way of killing time! And thankfully Entangled has such a lively, wonderful group of writers that it really is a big sorority full of great people who will let you bounce ideas and when needed kick you in the butt and tell you to quit wasting time and get back to work.

AA: Writer’s block happens to everyone and can be rather frustrating. What is your solution to overcoming it?

PE: Honestly? The first thing I tend to do is go for a run by myself, solitary exercise that’s repetitive seems to get my brain going. If that doesn’t work though I pull out the big guns and start cleaning out closets and scrubbing toilets. Pretty quickly my brain comes up with a way out of block just so I can get out of housework.

AA: Looking beyond steampunk, writing and working, what other interests fill your time?

PE: I love to run and cook (which is why I cultivated the love of running). I also fence but most of my time is spent chasing my kids and dogs around.

Thanks for joining us, Patricia!

The Clockwork Bride is part of A Riveting Affair Get your copy today!