Meet CA Chevault, Author of the First Darkside Codex Novel Storm Angel

Today is an exciting day for the Darkside Codex crew.  The first novel set in TDC's world of Southwatch, Storm Angel, was released by Musa Publishing for a fantastic Black Friday launch. The novel is available now on Musa's website , on Amazon and other third party retailers.

TDC: So tell us about Storm Angel. What's the book about? 

CAC:

When her sister is murdered, Alysse is set upon a quest for revenge--but her search leads her to a conspiracy that threatens the destruction of Southwatch itself. 

Alysse has just been cast in the role of a lifetime—the lead in a famous opera. But when her sister Leonie dies, Alysse believes her sister was murdered, and vows revenge. 

Kyria is an Angel of Steel, who works with Alysse to find the killer. They soon realize that Leonie's death was the opening gambit in a plan that reaches from the industrial districts to the palatial airships of the Aerie, and they need to find its source from the clues left behind. 

But what do a dead courtesan, a Fae spy , a hidden cache of jewels, and a cadre of conniving conspirators have in common? Nothing less than a plot to control not only the political power of Southwatch, but that of the Caelimane Temple as well. Alysse and Kyria must find a way to stop them, even in the eye of the storm.

TDC: So you've used a lot of elements from the world--the Lyric Opera, the Dark Dryad tavern, the Angels of Steel and their compound, the Caelimane Temple, and even the airship of Thomas Amberville, the Baron of Southwatch. Was it hard to create the first elements of the world from the bible? 

CAC: No, it wasn't hard. It was a little scary, because I knew a lot of what I wrote would become part of the canon.  But the world was already so well defined and laid out that it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. It was a lot of fun, actually.

TDC: So tell us about your protagonist. 

CAC: I have two, actually, because I'm writing further books in the world. Alysse Castlemaine is the primary protagonist in Storm Angel.  She's making the transition from student to prinicpal actress at the Lyric Opera house because she's proven that she sing a role originally only a Fae soprano could perform.  But even her ambition takes second place to finding out who killed her sister, Leonie.

And then there's Kyria, who is the Angel of Steel who helps Alysse with her quest.  She's young too, and idealistic, with a strong sense of loyalty to the Archangel and an even livelier curiosity. 

When both girls begin to work together, they both change a little--just enough to collaborate very effectively against their common enemies. 

TDC: And are there any romantic attachments for these characters? 

CAC: No, not yet...or maybe I should say not exactly. Alysse has definitely caught the eye of a Fae prince, Brannar, and there may be a romance there in the future. But not quite yet. 

TDC: What about Storm Angel is the most important part of the updated bible? 

CAC: I'm most excited about establishing the political scene in Southwatch--the interplay between the government, the Temple, the Angels of Steel, and the Fae, who are more involved in Southwatch than it seems. Southwatch is an ancient city,  with many political factions, and the higher you go in the city, the more convoluted the entanglements become.  I think all the TDC writers will have fun exploring that. 

TDC: Is there any event in Storm Angel that will affect all subsequent books? 

CAC: Just one.  In the bible, there's a section regarding the Pertcha holiday--an annual event that begins with a ceremony in the harbor.  While the populace watches from the shore, the sun is eclipsed.  In a normal year, the eclipse is partial--which brings good fortune to Southwatch.  But if the Pertcha eclipse is a full eclipse, that's the first act in a year of disasters for the city and its citizens.  In Storm Angel, the Pertcha eclipse is a full eclipse, and so all the characters know that the upcoming year is full of danger and uncertainty. 

TDC: You say you're writing a second TDC novel? 

CAC: Yes. I'm in the middle of Storm Song, which is the sequel to Storm Angel.  The story will pick up right where Storm Angel left off, and will follow Alysse and Kyria on their further adventures. 

TDC: So now that you're in the middle of it, what do you think of the world? 

CAC: It's amazing!  The details are rich and the canon is already extensive. I think that any reader (or writer) is going to love Southwatch, whether they're darksiders or sunsiders.

TDC: And which are you? Darksider or sunsider? 

CAC: Like both Alysse and Kyria, I started out as a darksider. I think I'll always have a taint of the darkside, no matter how much time I spend writing about the sunside. 

Storm Angel is the first book in the Darkside Codex.  The second book, The Electro-Addicted Moth Flame by Daniel Ausema comes out on December 20.  Stay tuned for an upcoming interview with this author here on the Darkside Codex blog!

But in the meantime, pick up a copy of Storm Angel and take your first steps into Southwatch.

Big Happenings on the Darkside Codex Front!

It is now less than a week from the launch of the Darkside Codex, with the release of The Darkside Codex 1: Storm Angel by CA Chevault this Friday, November 29. All of us who have worked on this project are very excited to take this first wild ride through the streets of Southwatch, and as a result we have a lot to discuss.

First off--for current TDC authors and hopeful future submitters, a new version of The Darkside Codex Bible will be available beginning tomorrow.  This version of the bible includes changes and additions as a result of TDC 1: Storm Angel and TDC 2: The Electro-Addicted Moth Flame by Daniel Ausema.  This bible also has expanded to include more detailed information about the world--things that we might have missed before. New sections include more details about the Aerie, the Angels of Steel, the Lyric Opera House, the Caelimane Temple, Thomas Amberville (the Baron of Southwatch and its ruler), the history, composition, and purpose of the Dark Cloud, both the Seelie and the Unseelie Courts, Titles of the artistocracy, and much, much more.  If you are currently writing a story for the Darkside Codex, you will need this bible as reference.  Email Celina Summers at editor@musapublishing.com for an updated version.

Then, this week we will be featuring new information about Southwatch, its institutions, and citizens all week on this blog.  We'll talk with author CA Chevault about Storm Angel, and find out what she thinks of TDC.  We'll take a look at the Angels of Steel, who feature prominently in Storm Angel, and tour the golden bessem airship that is the Caelimane Temple. We'll explore the city of Southwatch--at least, the areas we know about--and we'll roll out information about The Electro-Addicted Moth Flame and TDC 3: On Wings of Steel by Codex co-creator Richard White.

Then on Friday, we'll launch The Darkside Codex with the release of TDC 1: Storm Angel. Musa Publishing is hosting events all over the internet for their Black Friday releases, so stay tuned to this blog--we'd be willing to bet that you'll have a chance to win a free download of Storm Angel if you're paying attention.

And then on Monday, December 2, Musa is having its amazing Cyber Monday sale!  For that one day, EVERY book on the Musa website will be FIFTY percent off. (Capitalizing that FIFTY is our way of saying, "No, you read that right--everything is half off.")

So authors, be patient as we update the site with the latest information, and readers, get ready to take a stroll through the spires, streets, chutes, and tunnels of Southwatch--make sure you're wearing your mask and filtration unit first. The Darkside Codex is almost here, and we can't wait to share this exciting new world with you.

Welcome to The Darkside Codex!

Hi! I'm Celina Summers, the Editorial Director of Musa Publishing and a collaborator with Richard C. White on The Darkside Codex, a new shared world project with its roots in steampunk and branches into multiple genres. I'd like to welcome you to the rich and storied world of Southwatch, an ancient port and industrial city of prominence in the wide-flung empire of Dalraida.

Since we opened for submissions on April 1, we've sent out over two hundred TDC bibles to interested authors. I have every expectation that this shared world project is going to develop into a tapestry of different authors, styles, and genres. This world was designed with that idea in mind. Although we like the look and feel of steampunk, we wanted to make certain that there were areas of the city and storylines to explore with science fiction, high fantasy, urban fantasy, horror, paranormal, romance, mystery, and noir themes. Regardless of the genre, however, at the core of every TDC story is the immense and strange city of Southwatch.

Southwatch is an anomaly among cities in Dalraida. Not only has it wrapped around the natural harbor that first lent the city prominence, but due to a strange occurrence in the past, it has also grown vertically. The roofs of each structure serves as the foundation for another, and each building is strengthened and reinforced by a cunning network of beams, support columns, hidden tunnels with ladders that disappear both above and below, and architectural precision that would rival that of our Roman Empire.

But when you look at Southwatch from a distance, one major feature of the city is impossible to miss. The Dark Cloud—a toxic stew of chemicals and pollution--bisects not only the city, but the people who live in it. Below the Dark Cloud is the darkside—where the great Steamworks and other industries emit the chemicals that make up the Cloud. Above the Dark Cloud is the sunside—a place that gives the term "upper crust" a new meaning.

The dichotomy between the sunside and the darkside of Southwatch is exemplified in the segregation forced upon the city by the Dark Cloud. Above, all is light and clean and healthy, while below everything is dark and gloomy and dangerous. The Darkside Codex begins on the 23rd day of the Fifth Month in the year 2958. A week later, at the Pertcha festival, Southwatch experiences a full solar eclipse. That eclipse foretells a year of disaster for Southwatch. As legend has it, when the Pertcha eclipse is full, that means the goddess Dione has been defeated in her annual battle against Chaos. A Pertcha eclipse resulted in the creation of the Dark Cloud in 2868. What does this full eclipse mean for Southwatch and its citizens?

You'll have to keep an eye on The Darkside Codex if you want to find out. In the meantime, take a look through the pages here. We'll keep you abreast of upcoming books, special events, and authors/books that we've signed to participate in the TDC project. We'll continue to add information here throughout the project, so there will always be something new to take in.