Storm Watch: A Tale of the Sea

By LM Cooke

The Sea, they say, is a harsh mistress. But she gives as well as takes, and the tiny fishing village nestled between the towering cliffs depends on her good graces for survival.

James Fairweather has always been beloved of the sea, right from his early, unusual entry to the village. But the winds are changing, and the tides are turning, and perhaps James is not as well favoured as everyone had thought.

The air is heavy with the tang of salt. On the horizon, clouds are gathering. And something is stirring in the deep, below...

Storm Watch first appeared in 'Tales from the Asylum: A Steampunk Compilation', published by The Last Line in 2010. 'Tales from the Asylum' is the first volume of 'The Asylum Chronicles'.

The Asylum

It was built like a fortress; yet no-one questioned why.
It had hundreds of uniformed wardens; almost no-one noticed.
It held strange and dangerous inmates; no-one knew.
Built in the 1870s, yet seeming to endure forever, the Asylum has seen governments rise and fall, has witnessed wars and riots. It has stories to tell, strange twisting stories of past and future. These are just a few of those stories; these are the Asylum Chronicles...

• Language: English
• Publisher: LM Cooke
• Release date: Dec 6, 2014
• ISBN: 9780956674487

LM Cooke

LM Cooke is the author of The Automata Wars, a steampunk trilogy. Volume 1, The Home Front was released in September 2012, and tells the tales of the people left at home while the soldiers on the front line take on an unknown enemy in a losing battle, while volume 2, The Front Line focuses on the fighting on the front. The concluding volume will be released in the near future. LM Cooke has also contributed to the first three volumes of The Asylum Chronicles, the steampunk compilations also published through The Last Line. Contributions include Storm Watch in Tales from the Asylum (September 2010); A Letter To My Father in Beyond The Asylum (September 2011); and Waiting For The Sun in Lost Souls of The Asylum (September 2012). LM Cooke is also vocalist (and occasional other instrumentalist) and main lyricist in the dark, twisted but–occasionally-amusing band Crimson Clocks (www.CrimsonClocks.com) – listen out for their musical version of her short story, Storm Watch. In her spare time she is also co-host of the Gothic Alternative Steampunk and Progressive (GASP) Radio show on Blast 1386, has recently completed a Masters Degree in West Midlands history (specialising in Victorian prostitution) and plots galactic domination, while pandering to the whims of various feline overlords. You can find out more at www.LMCooke.com ‘The Automata Wars’ series and ‘The Asylum Chronicles’ are published by The Last Line Publishing House (http://thelastline.yolasite.com); and are available from The Last Line and other outlets. “...transcends genre limits to such an extent that if we didn't call it Steampunk we'd have to call it something like Gothic-Sciencefiction-Crime-Thriller-Horror.” - The Last Line Publishing House on ‘The Home Front’. Author photograph: Dave Frith photography.

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