From Prussia With Love by Tina Christopher ♥ Fun Facts, Book Tour & GIVEAWAY ♥ (Erotic Alternative History Steampunk Romance)

Clara Redbeck has one goal: to prove to the sods at work—and to herself—that the best man for the job can be a woman. To do that, she must prevent a traitor from blowing London to bits. If only the dashing first mate of the dirigible she’d been tasked to plunder didn’t set her aflame.

Garrett Dewhurst has one goal: to execute the coup of a lifetime. His plans do not include a spanking dalliance with the most intriguing woman he has ever met.

With each encounter, the fire between them burns hotter and their need grows stronger. Finally, the cramped cabin aboard the Bismarck becomes their intimate playground, where Garrett introduces Clara to the pleasure of submission and they explore their passion in every way possible.

Clara and Garrett want a future together, but each holds a secret that if revealed could cost them everything. When danger closes in, they have to choose between protecting themselves or the whole of London.

In my novel From Prussia With Love, Clara and Garrett discover that the Bismarck, the dirigibles they are travelling on, contains some unexpected cargo. It makes sense as it’s close to Valentine’s Day. Much to Clara’s delight Garrett is an expert at utilising their booty.

In my travels around the internet I have found a few intriguing and unusual pieces of information about Victorian customs. Here are three of my favourites:

1) In 1862 the Prince of Wales (Queen Victoria’s son and heir to who would reign as King Edward VII) thought it would be a good idea to get a tattoo while visiting Jerusalem. This resulted in a fad among his friends and quickly spread to the wealthy and nobles. In 1898, in an article in the Harmsworth Monthly Pictorial Magazine, author R.J. Stephen estimated as many as 100,000 people in London alone had tattoos. Notable tattooed persons of the Victorian age were Tsar Nicholas II, Prince and Princess Waldemar of Denmark, and King Oscar of Sweden.
2) Many Victorian women had a jeweler pierce their ears, but in the late nineteenth century, a fad for nipple piercing came into vogue among the fashionable ladies. At least one English jeweler and one Parisian jeweler are cited as offering this unusual service to their female customers. After the nipple was pierced, a gold “bosom ring” was inserted. Sometimes two rings were joined by a chain. One notable theory suggests the fad came into being because women believed nipple rings would make their breasts grow rounder and more attractive. Another theory is that they enjoyed the pleasurable sensations.
3) “Hysteria” was a catch-all diagnosis for women from about 1859 onward. Nervous disorder? Hysteria. Feeling blue? Hysteria. One cure for married women was “pelvic massage.” In other words, masturbation. By a doctor, but using his hand or his fingers could lead to cramping, so a clockwork or foot pedal-powered device was used—the first vibrators. It would be used until “hysterical paroxysm” – an orgasm – was achieved by the patient.

I knew there was a good reason I enjoy research and history;). Is there a snippet you’ve come across on the internet that has stayed with you?

Garrett tugged on her hand when she wanted to hurry on and slowed her to a normal walk. “We’re nearly there, love. No need to rush now.”

She looked at him and groaned. “You have got to be kidding, Garrett! You can’t seriously want to go slow?”

He didn’t, not really, but he hovered too close to the edge and needed to find control. And he loved playing with her. He smiled and knew the result was not charming or nice. “You did say the last time that going slow had some advantages.” He offered her his arm. “And we’d be a little obvious if we hurried through the streets like our clothes were on fire.”

Clara took his arm but grumbled. She was cute when she pouted. He was wise enough not to mention that to her. She did carry a gun and was a little unpredictable in her current state.

For the next ten minutes, they walked, a touch slower than absolutely necessary, and with each step the tension between them thickened. They exchanged no words. Instead he imagined everything he wanted to do to her, thankful his long coat disguised his response.

A couple of times they had to step around street-cleans. With their flat metal bodies and numerous appendages, they were perfect for cleaning up the city.

Clara skirted one with a grimace. “They always remind me of spiders. Any moment I expect them to turn on me, wrap me in their web, and drag me back to their lair.”

Garrett swallowed his smile and paused beside one that barely reached his ankle. “Yes, I completely understand.” He tapped it with his toe. “We should install surveillance across the city to ensure our citizens are safe.”

Tina Christopher spent her early years flitting across the Channel between Germany and England. After touring the world extensively—from hanging out with elephants in South Africa to hiking through the wilderness in Alaska—she finally laid down roots in Toronto. Although Canada’s winters may be frigid, Tina’s characters are anything but!

Like most writers, Tina often hears voices in her head, but it took the encouragement of an editor friend to have her actually put fingers to keyboard. While those first stories will never see the light of day, she’s subsequently honed her craft and learned to build not just worlds, but entire galaxies. History has always been an area of interest for her, and she’s enjoys few things more than imagining what could happen when history and future meet.

When not imagining far-away worlds and scorching-hot encounters, Tina can be found on her sofa working through her never-ending TBR pile or venturing into the real world—whether to a nearby café or a passport-required destination. She’s a member of the Romance Writers of America Toronto chapter and looks forward to where her characters take her next!