Bronze Gods by A.A. Aguirre Cover Reveal, Interview and Giveaway

Today I am honored to be able to share with you the cover of Bronze Gods, the first installment in the Apparatus Infernum series by Ann and Andres Aguirre. I've spent a lot of time staring at this cover and admiring it and I really hope you guys will like it as much as I do. 

Below you'll find a short interview with Ann and a giveaway, and make sure to visit the book page on Ann's website where she'll soon post the first chapter.  

Expected publication: April 30th 2013 by Ace

Danger stalks the city of steam and shadows.
Janus Mikani and Celeste Ritsuko work all hours in the Criminal Investigation Division, keeping citizens safe. He's a charming rogue with an uncanny sixth sense; she’s all logic—and the first female inspector. Between his instincts and her brains, they collar more criminals than any other partnership in the CID.

Then they’re assigned a potentially volatile case where one misstep could end their careers. At first, the search for a missing heiress seems straightforward, but when the girl is found murdered—her body charred to cinders—Mikani and Ritsuko’s modus operandi will be challenged as never before. Before long, it's clear the bogeyman has stepped out of nightmares to stalk gaslit streets, and it's up to them to hunt him down. There’s a madman on the loose, weaving blood and magic in an intricate, lethal ritual that could mean the end of everything…

Click on the cover to enlarge...


What was it like collaborating with your husband?

It was the best partnership I've ever had. It's fantastic because when one of has an idea, the other is right there to talk it through. Due to other deadlines and his work load from the day job, we ended up rewriting the manuscript in about a month--and let me tell you, that was stressful. But we buckled down and got it finished... then we ended up doing another round of revisions after that. But the finished book is quite wonderful. I can't wait for everyone to read it!


What do you think about the cover? How did it come together?

I've had many lovely covers from Ace over the years, but this is my favorite. I love it SO MUCH; Andres feels the same. These are the characters we've been carrying around for years now.

My editor, Anne Sowards, asked for a great deal of input regarding what we thought it should look like, so Andres and I found some examples of steampunk covers we truly admired, included those, plus detailed descriptions of the leads, ideas for the background, and then we also put Cliff Nielsen on our short list of dream artists. To our utter delight, they ran with our concept and they contracted Mr. Nielsen to do the cover. He brought our vision to life so beautifully that I can't even articulate it. I'm thrilled!


What should readers know about the series? And why steampunk?

Like all my books, there are compelling characters, but readers should know that my husband is especially meticulous about world-building. He comes to it from a gaming perspective, so he's got incredibly detailed charts and graphs. He's working on maps, too, both of the island and the city. Our goal is to offer enough source materials that people could set a roleplaying game in Dorstaad. The writing is also more descriptive and lyrical; and that's Andres's influence as well. Our editor actually commented on how lovely the writing is, which is pretty cool.

I'd call this steampunk noir, actually, because it is, essentially, a detective story set in a neo-Victorian world. There are steampunk elements, but there's also magic, darkness, romance, and action. I hope you'll all check it out!

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And because Ann is amazing beyond words, she will pre-order three copies of Bronze Gods for you guys at The Book Depository. My copy is already pre-ordered and I'm insanely excited about it. All you need to do to enter is fill out the Rafflecopter below.
Good luck!
EDIT: If the Rafflecopter isn't working AGAIN, just leave a comment about the cover and mention that you're entering the giveaway. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway