The Mysterious Case of Mr. Strangeway (The St. Croix Chronicles) (9 page)

Author Note:

As you are no doubt aware, one of my favorite things to do in the
St.
Croix Chronicles
is to take actual history and twine it, in mysterious and fantastical ways, with the events within a story. Sometimes I leave only a few clues, and sometimes—such as in the case of the Fenian Brotherhood—the details are much more obvious. The Fenian dynamite campaign is truth, lasting from 1881 to 1885, perpetuated largely by two outspoken members and one silent associate of the American arm of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, which called itself Clan na Gael. Brits, with great presence of mind, did not distinguish much between the initial agitators—the Fenian Brotherhood—and their successors, as both were rather intent on sacrificing British lives to their cause.

The very train that Cherry infiltrated was among the targets, resulting in the injury of a reported two dozen passengers, though numbers reach as high as seventy. All were lower class, and among them, two schoolboys visiting from an outlying district.

The man who wrote the letter to Mr. Strangeway, Alexander Sullivan, was one of the three “action men” who appointed themselves the new leaders of Clan na Gael—they called themselves the “Triangle,” and worked in secret. The agitators split into two factions—those who supported Sullivan, D. S. Freely, and Michael Boland, and those who did not. In perhaps somewhat stranger news, Sullivan died at the well-rounded age of sixty-six, and “narrowly missed being the Republican candidate for Vice-President for Benjamin Harrison.” (
New York Times
, August 22, 1913)

I hope you enjoyed Cherry’s brush with history as much as I did writing it. To say she came out the wiser might be somewhat of a stretch—after all, we see how “wise” she really is in
Tarnished
—but I like to think she at least managed to get her footing under her. Perhaps next time she finds herself in the middle of a vast conspiracy, she may think twice before diving in.

Or, well, you know. Perhaps not so much. Some of us are simply assured that we are immortal, aren’t we?

And it’s that immortality that shall go to benefit others. Because my good friends Steampunk Boba Fett and Captain Anthony LaGrange very kindly allowed me to take their inspiration and use it in
The Mysterious Case of Mr.
Strangeway
, I am very happy to take a portion of the proceeds I make from the purchase of this book and donate it to the Make a Wish Foundation.

Thank you, from myself, Steampunk Boba Fett, and Captain LaGrange of the Airship
Archon
. Thank you for helping us make children’s wishes come true.

Sincerely yours,
from the finely furnished cabin of the FCS
Avonlea
,

Karina Cooper

About the Author

After writing happily-ever-afters for all of her friends in school, Karina Cooper eventually grew up (sort of), went to work in the real world (kind of), where she decided that making stuff up was way more fun (true!). She is the author of dark and sexy paranormal romances, steampunk adventures, crossover urban fantasy, and writes across multiple genres with mad glee. Her steampunk series, The St. Croix Chronicles, has been nominated for an RT Award and for an RT Seal of Excellence.

One part glamour, one part dork and all imagination, Karina is also a gamer, an airship captain’s wife and a steampunk fashionista. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with a husband, a menagerie, a severe coffee habit and a passel of adopted gamer geeks. Visit her at
www.karinacooper.com
, because she says so.

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ISBN: 978-14268-9622-4

Copyright © 2013 by Karina Cooper

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All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

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