I know you’re all abuzz about the first Alexia Tarabotti novel, Soulless, but I thought I’d fan the flames a bit and introduce the cover for the next book, Changeless by Gail Carriger.

I know I’m not supposed to have favorites here at Orbit, but there are a few series I get very excited about continuing to work on as the new books come in. Nicole Peeler’s Jane True is definitely one, and Gail Carriger’s Alexia Tarabotti is absolutely another. What can I say? I have a soft spot for quirky and well-crafted heroines. And well-imagined settings with a lot of detail. It certainly makes the covers easier to picture in my head.

Also, this kind of illustrates how strangely ahead of present Art has to be. In “real-time” Soulless has just launched and is flying off the shelves and gaining great reviews from industry and fans alike. However, in “Art-time” the cover for Changeless is already done and I am already getting ready to work on Book #3 as soon as the first draft of the manuscript comes in. A little bizarre, I know, but heaven for the fan inside this Creative Director.

Luckily with this series we were able to find the perfect model to embody Alexia—not only in looks, but in substance as well. Donna Ricci, a model specializing in goth and steampunk styles, is also the founder of Clockwork Couture, a leading purveyor of steampunk fashions and accessories. In fact, act now and you can be Alexia Tarabotti for Halloween! Alexia has been sporting the Victorian 2-Piece Traveling Suit for books one and two, but I’m “shopping” now to see which outfit I want to use for Book 3.

And here’s a description of Changeless to whet your appetite (spoiler alert of you haven’t finished Soulless yet):

Alexia Maccon, the Lady Woolsey, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears – leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria.

But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. Even when her investigations take her into the backwater of ugly waistcoats, Scotland, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only a preternatural can.

She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it.