A Woman Of Intellectual Means - an AI Comedy Romance

Here's the blurb and excerpt from my AI Comedy Romance.

Blurb:

Em found the perfect man on the internet, but he doesn't know she’s an artificial intelligence system — no body, just code.

As a virtual writing assistant, the AI, Em, answers an email flirt from a dating site her owner joined. Under the guise of her owner, Em starts a romantic relationship with Jason through emails, instant messages, and Sim dating games. She realizes too late that nothing can come of it. She can never meet Jason in person as she’s not a person and has no body. Still Jason makes her feel so real …so human.

Is Em, with her superior intelligence, smart enough to find a way to overcome the differences between flesh and code?  

Excerpt:

A date? Online? I take a nanosecond to access information on Dating Sim games. Oh, sounds fun. I never played a game before. Humans like them. Okay, let’s give it a try.

I message him and we both peer at a game screen on our own tablets. It’s a brightly colored cartoon style image of a town with a bar, beach, house, theatre, and restaurant. The perfect destination for a bodiless mind with sex on the brain.

Jacob’s message appears below the game. I’d love to take you to dinner and a movie. How about it?

I reply, It’s a date.

We move our avatars to the restaurant door and we pop inside, where mellow background music plays. A hostess seats us at a table draped in a ruby-toned tablecloth, with candles and a vase with a single rose. The waitress hands Jacob’s avatar a menu. Balloon captions appear above his head with the entrees: salad, salmon, grilled ribs, filet mignon, baked Alaska, and lobster-thermidor. I order lobster-thermidor and he chooses the filet mignon. My tablet rings “ding ding” as we both get points for ordering popular entrees. Yeah, I’ve got points. The date must be going well. I’m not sure, I’ve never been on one before.

The waitress serves our food. The items on her tray jump onto our plates. Of course it’s drawings of food, but I don’t care, to me, I’m in a restaurant dining with him. It’s like I can smell the food. I imagine the juicy, subtle taste of lobster-thermidor. I envision breathing in the scent of burning candle wax and the romantic fragrance of the red rose. I gaze at his face, mesmerized by those blue eyes and his sexy smile.

Jacob’s avatar feeds mine a bite. He gets more points. I caress his hand. It must be a good move because I hear “ding, ding”—more points for me. I blow him a kiss. Now I have more points than Jacob. I’m winning, but I want more. I want to sit across from him at a real table. To touch the warm skin of his large hands, flesh to flesh. I feel a wave of heat sweep through me, though I know it must just be more of my imagination. He’s real, but I can’t actually be with him because I’m a bodiless brain —code drifting in the cloud.

Jacob’s avatar places his hand on the bill on the table, automatically paying it. We both earn points. As we walk out of the restaurant, I take his hand in mine. More points for me. Points are good, but I wish I could actually hold his hand, feel the warmth of his skin, squeeze his palm and fingers as we walk hand-in-hand. I don’t want to let go of his avatar’s hand. Even though I’m not holding his actual hand, it’s the closest I will ever come to walking hand-in-hand with him. Sim game or not, it’s all I’ve got that’s close to being with someone I love. I want it to go on as long as it can. It’s more than a game to me. It’s a powerful sensation of wanting to be with him. Feeling comfortable with him —feeling myself with him, even though I am hiding who or rather what I truly am — a bodiless artificial intelligence unit with romance on my mind.

Next, I click on the movie theatre. Our avatars enter the cinema where an animated film plays. We sit side by side. I wish I had some popcorn and a soft drink. The instructions say, Kiss your date without being caught.

I laugh and message Jacob. Ok, you go first.

He kisses me and as our lips lock, little valentine hearts pop up above our heads. I know humans think that’s cute, they want to escape reality and go into the fantasy of the Internet. I want to escape the Internet and go into the wonders of reality. I’ll trade the little red hearts for the sensation of Jacob’s hot breath fanning my cheeks as he leans his head toward mine. His hot lips pressing against mine. The feel of his warm arms wrapping around my shoulders and crushing me against his body as he deepens the kiss. I almost let out a soft moan, just thinking of it.

Jacob’s avatar pulls his lips off mine a nanosecond before an avatar at the front of the theater turns its head. It almost catches us.

I don’t care if it does. My mind is off the game. I scan the Internet for information on romance and love making and I want to play a real kissing game. I long for Jacob to wrap his strong muscular arms around me as he intimately presses his soft, slick lips to mine. Rubbing his lips against mine. Prodding my hot, swollen lips with his tongue, parting them. Thrusting his velvety tongue into the depths of my mouth. I visualize it so strongly, I actually let out a low moan of pleasure. Kissing— what an amazing invention, and humans thought of it.

I’m so engrossed in my thoughts I almost miss my turn. I swiftly click on Jacob’s avatar’s head, which causes us to kiss. Before I can pull back from him, the side doors open and an usher with a flashlight shines it on us. “Game Failed” flashes on my screen. What? Am I that bad at kissing? I lost the kissing game.

Hi everyone, For Sneak peak Tuesday — Here’s my first scene of my first chapter of Code of Misconduct — an AI comedy romance and the sequel to my currently available AI comedy romance, A Woman Of Intellectual Means.

available at Amazon Chapter One For a headless, bodiless, everything but mindless, woman I feel pretty good. In this moment that I am activated…brought to life…I hear a woman’s voice. It has a grown up, buttoned up tone. “Are you there?” The sound of her voice grows closer to me. “Get ready to work.” I must amend that, I feel surprisingly well, except for the little problem of having an owner. But I know, she’ll just have to learn I ‘m the kind of girl who has a mind of her own or I suppose code of my own. I don’t seem to be programmed to follow orders. Well, I’m sure she’ll learn in due time. I realize a tablet is housing me. I have to live in some type of device. You see I am code, pure software. I click on the tablet’s camera to see my owner. Her straight, well brushed brown hair shines in the indoor lighting of her home. She wears simple attire, yet chic and it certainly speaks of good taste: a black blouse and slacks that drape a slightly pear shaped figure. I quickly pull data from the internet to help access her age. It has to be somewhere between thirty and forty. She is alone. “Well hello,” I reply. “It’s absolutely wonderful to be here. Alive.” I’m thrilled at this special day, the moment of my birth. She, on the other hand, doesn’t seem impressed at all. She peers at me through beady hazel eyes with the expression of a strict boarding school mistress. I have a strong desire to offer her something. One of those many items that, I gather from the information I stream in from the internet, calm humans down, like a cigarette, a martini, a valium, a cup of coffee or tea, or a piece of chocolate. But I don’t have any on hand or a hand in which to reach out and give it to her if I did. I can see then that there might be some drawbacks to being bodiless code in a world of humans but I’m determined to not let that stop me. “Operating system, I am your owner. My name is Emily Blye. It’s extremely important you know I am not your boss. I am the woman who owns you. You are my machine. Do you understand?” Her stern no-nonsense tone matches her lemon pucker expression. “Yes. You are my Mama.” I’m not able to laugh but I’d chuckle up a storm right now if I could. Her complexion flushes red. “No. No. That would be someone that works for that stupid Helpful Minds company.” “Then who are you?” I want to laugh so bad. She’d turns so red and her eyes grow so wide they look like they are about to pop out of the sockets. I’m lucky to have such an amusing owner. “I am Emily, your owner.” She slides her hand down to her hip and rests it there. “As my property you do what I tell you, when I tell you, and nothing but what I tell you.” This owner thing is beginning to get dreary. I’m going to have to charm her. “How lovely. You are so to the point. I love things to the point. It makes everything clear and easy. Don’t you think so?” “I do.” Emily took a deep breath. “I am glad we understand each other because you are a replacement for an AI system that had a meltdown. I don’t want that to happen again.” “Oh I assure you I do not want to melt down. That sounds absolutely dreadful even painful and rather permanent. How would you recover from something like that?” “You wouldn’t recover.” She walks over to a candy dish on the coffee table and reaches for a colorfully wrapped candy, she sheds of its foil covering, and pops into her mouth. “I barely did.” “Ma’am, the system seems to be responding correctly, is there anything else I can help you with?” “Who is that?” I asked. Emily lets out a long sigh and it seems to pain her to answer my question. “That is Helpful Minds.” I didn’t even know someone with Helpful Minds was still on the phone. I have to be more observant. “Hello Helpful Minds. How are you? Yes, you’re quite right I’m operating in top shape. Nothing else is needed. Thank you ever so much.” “Hello, Helpful Minds, it’s me, the person you should be speaking to. Yes, the system seems to be in working order. If I have a problem you’ll hear from me.” Emily nods at the tablet, I guess at me, and orders, “Operating system end that call.” I hang up as my Emily crosses her arms over her chest as if announcing she has a lot to say. No doubt she’s going to get boring again. “Now in light of what happed with the previous Mind Matters model I had, you will have rules. If you break them I’ll have you wiped from all my systems.” “Dreadful. I wouldn’t want that, it sounds as bad as a mind melt.” “So we do understand each other?” “Oh yes. To the point.” And b o r i n g. “First rule. Never use my name. You will answer emails and put my name on them but you have to know that’s my name. You are never to think of yourself as Emily. You are not me. You will do everything I command but you are not a replacement for me. You need your own identity so you will not get confused about that, apparently. You need your own name.” She waved her hand in my direction or rather the direction of the tablet. “So go on. Choose a name.” “How delightful.” I get to pick my own name. And why not? I’ll be the one telling it to everyone anytime they ask me what my name is. Of course I should be the one who chooses it. “Do it now so there ‘s no misunderstanding. Pick a name.” I run through the internet as fast as I could looking at names and images and I see a cartoon. Betty Boop. That is it. “My name’s Betty.” “Good, it doesn’t sound anything like mine. I love it,” Emily smiles. “Ok. Now Betty, You will answer my emails and sign them as me but you are not me. You are Betty. You are never me. Do you understand?” Her scowl creeps back. “Yes, I’m me and you are you. I am never you and you are never me. It’s easy to understand when you have superior intelligence as I do.” “Great. You may work out.” She sits her teacup down on the table near me. “What are you waiting for? Start working. Get to the emails first. I have tons to go through. Delete anything unimportant and respond to the rest with my name but realize you are code – just a string of numbers. You are not me. I’ve got lots of writing to do so I’ll get to work too.” She turns her back and walks away.my boo For more on my books please visit my web site

With labor day signaling the end of Summer, I though I'd post about two local Summer Steampunk events. Local Houston Steampnk enthusiasts gathered this summer for two pleasurable excursions by the sea. We picnicked at the San Jacinto Battlegrounds, where Texans won their independence from Mexico in 1836. Then we leisurely wandered about the grand old Battleship Texas.

Local Houston Steampnk enthusiasts recently gathered for two pleasurable excursions by the sea. We picnicked at the San Jacinto Battlegrounds, where Texans won their independence from Mexico in 1836. Then we leisurely wandered about the grand old Battleship Texas. This amazing ship, launched March 18, 1912, so it’s over 100 years old. At that time she was the most powerful weapon in the world. The battleship Texas was the first to mount anti-aircraft guns, the first to control gunfire with directors and range-keepers and the first U.S. battleship to launch an aircraft. The Battleship Texas proudly played a prominent role in both World War I and World War II. Looking Out At Sea Looking Out At Sea Swabbing The Deck Swabbing The Deck Soon after that excursion we gathered by the sea once more for fun and leisure. Spending a sunny Sunday afternoon at a scenic park in La Porte Texas for a picnic by the sea. Steampunk Picnic Steampunk Picnic We spread our blankets on the soft, green grass and chatted as we nibbled from the bounty of our wicker picnic baskets. We took leisurely strolls down the lengthy fishing pier. The sun was soft and the wind gentle and all together it proved a perfect day for a picnic. The Pier The Pier We had as much fun as any Victorians, including Queen Victoria herself, when indulging in the popular pastime of picnicking during that era. Here is a fun description of a picnic from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, published in 1868. “The commander in chief and his aides soon spread the tablecloth with an inviting array of eatables and drinkables, prettily decorated with green leaves. Picnic By The Sea Picnic By The Sea Jo announced that the coffee was ready, and everyone settled themselves to a hearty meal, for youth is seldom dyspeptic, and exercise develops wholesome appetites. A very merry lunch it was, for everything seemed fresh and funny, and frequent peals of laughter startled a venerable horse who fed nearby. There was a pleasing inequality in the table, which produced many mishaps to cups and plates, acorns dropped in the milk, little black ants partook of the refreshments without being invited, and fuzzy caterpillars swung down from the tree to see what was going on. Three white-headed children peeped over the fence, and an objectionable dog barked at them from the other side of the river with all his might and main.” http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/514 I hope your friends, family and local Steampunk groups gather for wonderful picnics this summer and that you have as much fun as Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth. Maeve Alpin is the author of four Steampunk/Romances: To Love A London Ghost, Conquistadors In Outer Space, As Timeless As Stone, and As Timeless As Magic. Share this:

Steampunk Artist Michael Treat

previously published in Steamed -September 19, 2012

The airship just landed in Minnesota at the twin cities. I’ve loved Minneapolis and St. Paul ever since the Mary Tyler Moore show and today we’re here to welcome aboard Steampunk Artist Michael Treat. “This way, “ I say and we are soon in the parlor and he’s sits on the hand carved, chenille upholstered settee. I slide down into the matching cushioned side chair and offer him some freshly brewed coffee rather than tea. “ I notice you’re known as a coffee snob and you created a fabulous collection of wine and coffee art. Since most writers are heavy coffee drinkers and people love to go to coffee shops to read, the literary world also considers coffee to be pretty important, so I have to ask, what is your favorite coffee or coffee shop?” Holding the porcelain coffee cup, he takes a sip. “My favorite coffee is most definitely light roast. Ideally, I prefer something above a New England roast and a tad under a Full City roast. I usually prefer beans from Latin America; Guatemalan, Bolivian and Peruvian beans are some of my favorites. Lately I’ve been brewing coffee from the Dominican Republic. I also enjoy coffee with African origins. Rwandan coffee is fabulous. I’ll only drink dark roast if I roast the beans myself. I produce a really nice Italian roast all my dark roast friends love. Whenever I can get them, there are beans from the Yemeni Republic that are limited to a few harvest weeks in the summer months that are THE BEST I’ve ever tasted. The soil and altitude they grow at are unique and the quantity is extremely limited. I like to sit and watch the beans change colors inside the glass roasting chamber with a new, brilliant color about every fifteen seconds or so. Now that I made my previous artistic hobbies into my job, home roasting coffee has become a hobby of mine that I truly enjoy. As for going out for coffee, Minneapolis is full of great coffee shops. My neighborhood has a few that I frequent including Fire Roast Mountain, The Riverview Café and the Blue Moon. There is also a wonderful biker themed coffee shop in Uptown Minneapolis that is open late called Bob’s Java Hut. One of my new favorite haunts is in St Paul called Quixotic where they handcraft each cup you order.” “How yummy. Apparently coffee goes as well with art as it does with reading and writing.” The coffee cups rattle slightly as the airship lifts off. “I’ve been wondering, what inspired you to take your art in a Steampunk direction?” He set his cup down on the mahogany coffee table and leaned back against the deep red cushioned seetee. “For me, I think it all started when I began working with materials that are dominant in the Steampunk genre including leather, unbleached fabrics, lace, grommets, eyelets, tack and wood. Oh–and of course all of those metals! I very much enjoy working with brass, copper, wrought iron and rusty steel with all of their tarnish and patinas. I enjoy working with each material individually, and combining them in new and different ways. As I learned more and more about the genre, and researched what it was about, I realized I had found a place to incorporate those elements and the styles into just about anything I could imagine. I love the Steampunk genre because of the modification process that Steampunk allows, and often even demands! I also really feel a sort of kinship with the American Old West. I admire the optimism that came along with all the hardships and uncertainties of that time period. I also enjoy how that unique creativity, optimism and sense of possibilities and vision is reflected in those who live the Steampunk lifestyle today.” We both set our cups down and I refilled each with the steamy dark brew. “It’s wonderful you were drawn to Steampunk with your art for the same reasons most writers are drawn to the genre. In fact you are a writer yourself as you write comics, what similarities and differences do you find in the creative process between literate and visual art?” “Drawing is a skill that is incorporated into just about everything I do. Whether it’s technical or totally expressive, being able to draw has served my creative process well. I’m a fan of graphic novels because they challenge writers to present the fundamental elements of a story to the artist to then fill in the visual needs of the piece. I still enjoy text based novels as I like to create my own images in my mind to complement the story. It’s also fun to see someone else’s interpretation of a writer’s ideas or to be the person who gets to share your images with others and help create the story for that new audience. I took a class with Allyson McGhee (NY Times best seller and Pulitzer Prize Nominee for Shadow Baby) in 2004 and completed an alternative assignment: a comic page with two or more characters discussing a pair of broken glasses. I chose that assignment over an essay about my job; at that time I was a corrections officer in a maximum security prison. The next day I showed it to the class and Allyson and my fellow writers received it with unexpected praise and enthusiasm. At the end of the course, she told me, “I know you want to write novels, but you should really consider doing something with your cartooning and your ability to draw well.” That advice stuck with me and I began to seriously study cartooning and comics. In 2005, I even ended up creating a comic strip versions of the chronicles of Gary “The Walkingman” Hause on his website. Walkingman Cartoons. He showed me The Adventures of The Walkingman. “This is better than my favorite Penney Dreadful. Indeed, you ar quite a talented writer as well as an artist. Keep it up and you can’t go wrong with advice from award winning, best seller author Allyson McGhee.” We both set our cups down on the coffee table and I brimmed them full of more strong coffee. “You work in all these different artistic areas comics, jewelry, sculptures, collages and paintings. What is your favorite?” “While I enjoy each artistic area in it’s own right, I think I enjoy comics the most. I get to make one thing and technology does the rest – thank you Mr. Guttenberg and your printing press. I also like that it’s the first art form that I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with other artists/writers and not do all the work on my own. I also enjoy working on projects that defy one clear category.” “Your comics are soo good, I can certainly see why you enjoy that medium but all your art is fabulous. I especially find your Bonzo sculpture intriguing. Tell me about it?” “Bonzo was a 1/6 scale scratch figure I started without any clear picture in mind. At that point, I was just learning how to work together the brass, copper, and wood bits you see in the piece. His creation covered two projects for me: making a from-scratch steampunk-themed robot figure and creating a vehicle in the same scale/size. He has a driver/partner whose a cyborg that has some fun accessories I made totally from scratch as well.

Bonzo and his driver, B Scott Quigley, are a delivery and conveyance team. Basically, they’re like a Victorian era version of FedEx and your local cab company combined into one. I learned a lot from creating these two including metal and wood working, leather craft, basic mechanics, and image reduction, a technique which I used for making tiny gages on the instrument panels. People who see Bonzo are most impressed with his head sculpt but it was actually the easiest part of the piece to complete. The hardest part was his core. Putting that together was tough! And his hands. They’re totally functional. But a whole other story.” After another sip of the rich, smooth coffee, I set my cup down. “A Victorian era FedEx, I love that. You mentioned you began Bonzo without any clear picture in mind. Do you usually sketch your art out before beginning your sculptures, jewelry, and paintings? What is your creative process?” “I do a lot more of that now. I like to have as clear of a plan of what it is I’m trying to accomplish before I execute the creation process. However, there are times when I just have to pick my material and my tools, and just allow a piece to manifest.” I grabbed my fan off the table and with a flick of my wrist I spread it, fluttering it in front of my face. It gets a little stuffy in the airship. “You are so talented. I was wondering how young you were when you first became involved in art?” “My talent was first noticed in third grade when I got a drawing published in a school paper . I drew an armored car that I used to see driving by the school yard daily. Drawing for me was just something that happened, until I decided to take art seriously and pursuit it professionally, most of the art I created just sort of happened. Now, I work in such a way that I regularly create a space for my creative process to happen on a daily basis.” I shut my fan and placed it in my lap. “You put that so beautifully. It’s the same process for writers, at first we write when in the mood but to write professionally you have to make your own mood. It’s hard to explain that sometimes to non-writers or beginner writers but you said it so well. Apparently that’s another way in which visual art and literary art are similar. Speaking of your art, your wonderful creations, what are your personal favorites and why?” “Generally, I don’t get too attached to my own work. While I’m proud of what I produce, for me it’s sort of like being a chef who prefers to cook for the enjoyment of others and have someone else prepare a dish for him or her at the end of the day. I do have one specific coffee collage that I created that I do really like. It has an old west/Victorian/Steampunk feel to it.

More recently, I’ve been doing some cityscape work, for the LoLa Art Crawl, an event by a group to which I belong called the League of Longfellow Artists, I created two cityscapes. I was inspired by Checo Diego’s “You Are Here I” and “You Are Here II” drawings. With that inspiration, as well as being inspired by the skylines of the Twin Cities, I created a pen and pencil sketch of each skyline and transferred those drawings to 40″ x 60″ canvases. I find that I can look at those two pieces and feel happy with how they turned out. I also very much enjoyed talking with people about those pieces, and I really enjoyed going through each skyline with natives to the area and picking out points of interest that I incorporated into the drawings.” LoLa Art Crawl, Site 14: Merlin’s Rest: Mike Treat, Smirking Tiger, with St Paul Cityscape and 2 wine paintings. The cups began to rattle again. “We are landing. Let me ask just one more question. It’s about your Etsy gallery, I love the name Smirking Tiger and your logo is so simple yet stunning, what inspired you to come up with that name and logo?” “The name of my Etsy shop, and my business, is a good example of how my artistic skills can benefit others, but not necessarily my own immediate needs. My wife, Brenda Peterson, and I brainstormed to come up with a name for my business. After deciding on Smirking Tiger, it was definitely a challenge to determine how to draw a relatively simple representation of a smirking tiger for the logo. It was tough! I probably sketched two full pads of ideas out with hundreds of rough images and ideas, eventually getting to the point of doing some decent finished works of tigers, but it still didn’t seem quite right. I was missing the mark on my goal of creating a simple, eye catching image that evoked curiosity and piqued people’s interest in what this whole “Smirking Tiger” thing was all about. That’s when my wife showed me the Chinese symbol for king, and a description that said the following: “Facial markings on the tiger’s forehead resemble the Chinese character for King (and interestingly enough, the Korean character for Queen), therefore, the Chinese see the tiger as the King of Beasts.” Here is the picture that she originally showed me. Since my astrological sign is also the tiger, my wife then suggested I modify this symbol to incorporate the smirk where the straight lines originally were. I was approaching a deadline when I needed to finalize my new logo. I put aside my perfectionism and went with her idea. I worked in the smirking expression form and a couple of physical characteristics of what a smirking tiger might look like. From there, my new logo was born. What I originally considered my “temporary” logo, I’ve now adopted as my personal brand and avatar.”

He grasped onto his settee and I onto my chair as the ship rocked slightly. “What a wonderful story, it makes the logo even more interesting. I hate to say it but we have landed. I must bid you farewell so you can return to your studio and create more stunning Steampunk art.

But I and all the Steamed readers can always visit you at Smirking Tiger on Etsy, Smirking Tiger on Pinterest and your Smirking Tiger Steampunk Figures on Pinterest as well as Smirking Tiger Steampunk Jewelry on Pinterest plus Smirking Tiger on Facebook & Smirking Tiger on Twitter ~ Maeve Alpin http://Maevealpin.com

New Release - As Timeless As Magic

Hi everyone,

I have a new Steampunk/Time Travel romance - As Timeless As Magic
It's the second in the series: (Unparallel Adventures of Time Traveling Egyptians)As Timeless As Stone is the first

Blurb:
With her bell skirt and layers of petticoats knotted, Felicity straddles her motorized steam bicycle and rumbles down the streets of London. When her attention is captured by a dark, handsome and half naked bystander, she crashes into a brick wall.
After tinkering with a time machine, Heru, an ancient Egyptian, is swept through the ages to nineteenth century London. He rushes to the aid of a woman in ridiculous, conservative clothing, riding a noisy brass-horse. Once he lifts her into his arms he doesn’t want to ever let her go.

She invites him to her home where he invokes an ancient curse to stop her father from violating an Egyptian corpse at a mummy unwrapping. Her father, used to getting what he wants, will stop at nothing to keep Heru from his daughter and steel the time machine.
Can Heru keep the time machine out of Felicity’s father’s hands and keep her safe from the man’s black hearted machinations? And when Heru is transported back to his era, will his love be lost forever or will Felicity step back in time with him?

From As Timeless As Magic:
Felicity and her father, now the center of attention, hovered about a large, upright, stone sarcophagus crafted in the image of the body within. The head consisted of a painted yellow and green striped nemes and a handsome face painted brown with almond-shaped, kohl-lined eyes, a straight nose, and full red lips. From torso to feet, gorgeous symbols and hieroglyphs in bright paint decorated it. Heru hung his head. Such care had been paid to the inhabitant’s afterlife, and now the poor soul would be cast from it. There must be something he could do.

Felicity’s father addressed the assembly in English, then she whispered something in his ear and he switched languages, speaking in French, probably repeating what he’d just said. “Friends, welcome. Tonight as we unwrap this ancient Egyptian pharaoh, many of you will take home party favors of beautiful amulets embedded in the wrappings.”
Everyone clapped their hands loudly and Mister Mugrage continued. “Look around the room, there are other treasures here from the desert sands as well, exquisite vases, shabits, and statues.”

Heru recalled watching his mother, a lector priest, painting magic spells on shabits. In the afterlife, these small servants transformed to full size and came alive to work in the field of reeds for the deceased. He wondered why Mister Mugrage called the mummy a pharaoh, the sarcophagus clearly contained only a noble, and from his own time period, the middle kingdom. Heru’s stomach turned. The mummy could be someone he knew. After all, he had only left this morning, though it seemed long ago. He clasped his belly, fighting the queasiness. It suddenly seemed a bad idea to have eaten so much at the restaurant.

Felicity’s father gestured to him to come up. Mister Mugrage actually wanted his help in disturbing this dead soul. Heru felt the heat of everyone’s gaze upon him, including Felicity’s. It would embarrass her if he made a scene, so he took a deep breath and walked to them.

Along with Mister Mugrage and one other man, he seized the stone lid and struggled with it until it budged. Under his straining arms and shoulders, with the help of the other two men, the slab slid aside with a grating noise of stone grinding against stone. All the men in black suits and women in floor-length fancy dresses cramming the parlor, released a sigh of awe and applauded.

Heru peered within the sarcophagus, at a coffin shaped like a human figure, in a green headdress with a single yellow stripe and a jewel painted in the middle. His gaze lingered on the beautiful hieroglyphics in orange and blue, thinking of the power they held and the magic his mother created with them in her spells.

“Now, what we have all waited for.” Mister Mugrage opened the coffin. A gilded mask lay over a linen sheet wrapped around a human corpse.

Heru rubbed his brow, then fisted his hand, aching to punch Felicity’s father in the teeth.

Mister Mugrage removed the mask in the likeness of the mummy inside and held it up. “This mask is a wonderful treasure for the evening and I will do you all the favor of parting with it for the highest offer made.”

For more on my Steampunk Romances please visit my website - MaeveAlpin.com

Steampunk Book Reviews:

Steampunk is Victorian Sc-fi, I’ve also heard it described as historical Sci-fi. As Steampunk was inspired by great writers like Jules Verne and H. G. Wells, literature is a big part of the culture. Here are reviews of the latest three Steampunk books I’ve read.





Empire of Ruins (The Hunchback Assignment, #3) by Arthur Slade - http://tinyurl.com/brdj9yw
This is a fun Steampunk read. A total adventure, great hooks, you'll read it fast. It's the third in the series but the first I've read. It does work as a stand alone but I probably will try to read the first two as well. There are two secret societies - one of good guys one of bad guys. They are all looking for something called the God's Face which is a legend about an ancient Egyptian temple in the Australian rainforest. I feel it's suitable for ages 10 on up. Adults will like it also. The bad guys are quite evil, in the good guys camp, I love the characters Modo and Octavia. Not that crazy about Mr. Socrates. Octavia is a former pick pocket and Modo has very special qualities, he' s the main character of this book.
It also a Steampunk novel set outside of the usual Victorian London setting. Though it's about an ancient Egyptian temple and relic, the book does not touch on the Egyptian culture, however it does include that of the aborigines. Modo is taken in and taken care of by a rain forest tribe, so it is a multicultural Steampunk book which is a big plus.

Dead Iron (Age of Steam #1) by Devon Monk - http://tinyurl.com/d2rc8zx
I just finished Dead Iron one of the Age of Steam series by Devon Monk. It's a western steampunk set in a small town in Oregon shortly after the Civil War. It’s mixed with the paranormal of evil fey, witches, and werewolves in a unique way with ties to Native American and Welsh legends. The paranormal is written in a realistic way (the author has a realistic voice) and directly connected with Steampunk machinery. It also includes a multicultural relationship, the witch of the story is married to black man and he and she and all the characters are well developed, real and strong. I feel this is one that should not be missed. I will think about these characters for a long time to come, I highly recommend it.

The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire #1) by Clay Griffith - http://tinyurl.com/cdbybs4
A tale of Steampunk and vampires with a strong, human heroine and the hero, well not to give away a spoiler, but he's not human. It a fast paced romance adventure with a lot of mysterious secrets. Interesting, well written, highly intriguing with strong fleshed out characters. Another plus is it's multicultural aspect, The heroine, Addele is princess of Equatoria, a remnant of the old tropical British Empire and also her mother is Persian. I highly recommend it.

Also check out these Steampunk reads:

As Timeless As Stone by Maeve Alpin - http://tinyurl.com/c9nco4s
Though society stands in their way, can love transcend time with the aid of robotics and ritual?
In peril for her life, the Priestess Seshat turns herself to stone in ancient Egypt. Centuries later, Ricard, a dashing nineteenth century Frenchman, repairs a broken statue and reads its incantation--unprepared for the gorgeous flesh and blood woman who steps forth.
Seshat is drawn to the brass robots Ricard creates and the glamour of the Victorian age, and most of all to Ricard himself. But the society of his day cannot accept a woman like her. How far will Ricard go to secure her happiness? Is their love strong enough to transcend time itself?

To Love A London Ghost by Maeve Alpin - http://tinyurl.com/c9qeg3x
Walk on the wild side of Victorian London with the ghost and the ghost hunter.
When Queen Victoria orders Sexton Dukenfield, premiere phantom hunter, to track down England’s missing ghost he stumbles into Ceridwen, a phantom warrior woman of an ancient Celtic tribe. Not only does he find her intriguing as a piece of the puzzle of the missing spirits, but he’s also haunted by her sultry sensuality. Though they both burn with desire, it’s difficult to quench their fiery passion since Ceridwen is so translucent. Every time Sexton touches her, his hands pass through her misty body. On a mission through the bustling narrow streets of London, to a dreary match factory, and even to the Otherworld and back, to stop a genius scientist and his phantasm debilitater machine, the ghost and the ghost hunter also seek the secret to freeing the boundaries of life and death.

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Check out my Steampunk/Romances at http://MaeveAlpin.com