Spectacle of the Spring Queen: A Steampunk Novella

When Mae Wright inherits a shop in Soldark, her dreams of opening her own seamstress business come true. But when she lands in Soldark and bad luck strikes, she’s forced to choose between saving her dog, or the money she came with. With Bobbin safely in hand, she must find a way to make it in a new city almost penniless.

Things change when she meets Des, who hires her as a costume designer for the Proserpina Theater. Spending her meagre earnings simply on clothes and food, she’s thrown into destitution yet again when her shop demands more repairs than she can afford. And with the theater close to the brink of going under, she and Des decide to team up to design a costume for the annual spring festival contest—the winnings enough to save both of them from sinking.

But with the spring festival looming, Mae finds herself immersed in the comfort and beauty of the Proserpina, the place pulling her away from her own dreams. And when she realizes her feelings for Des, she finds herself even more torn between the two worlds. But her contract is ending, and time is running out to make a decision on her future.