Elizabeth Bear Answers 5 Questions About Stone Mad

We got even more excited when we saw the cover, which we’re pleased to be showing off today. Cynthia Sheppard‘s cover for the first book was instantly iconic, which means new artist Micah Epstein (design by Peter Lutjen) faced a tall order with the followup—but we think he pulled it off. His Karen is fierce and fiery, and you can see her below.
We also got a chance to ask Elizabeth Bear five questions about the book, so make sure to keep scrolling past the cover for that. Karen Memery (“…like ‘memory’ but spelt with an ‘e’…”) returns in March 2018.
Readers met the irrepressible Karen Memory in Elizabeth Bear’s 2015 novel Karen Memory, and fell in love with her steampunk Victorian Pacific Northwest city, and her down-to-earth story-telling voice.
Now Karen is back with Stone Mad, a new story about spiritualists, magicians, con-men, and an angry lost tommy-knocker—a magical creature who generally lives in the deep gold mines of Alaska, but has been kidnapped and brought to Rapid City.
Karen and Priya are out for a night on the town, celebrating the purchase of their own little ranch and Karen’s retirement from the Hotel Ma Cherie, when they meet the Arcadia Sisters, spiritualists who unexpectedly stir up the tommy-knocker in the basement. The ensuing show could bring down the house, if Karen didn’t rush in to rescue everyone she can.

Elizabeth Bear Answers 5 Questions About Stone Mad

How and why did you decide to return to the world of Karen Memory?
I’ve always had ambitions to keep telling stories about Karen. She’s such a fun character to write—opinionated and courageous and humane and funny. I enjoy spending time with her!
I do feel a commitment to keep each of her stories individual, though—a standalone, albeit one with continuing characters and character arcs. But ideally, each book will have its own complete narrative. It’s a series format I have greatly enjoyed, and one we seem to have largely moved away from lately; I’d like readers to be able to hit any book about Karen and her friends, and hit the ground running.
What have Karen and the rest of the girls been up to since the end of the last book?
This book picks up very shortly after the end of Karen Memory, actually! Right after the end of the epilogue. So if you were to read it, you’d find out at least some of the story!
Please explain the title.
That would be a bit of a spoiler—but I will say that the titling conceit of the Karen Memory Adventures is that each book’s title is the name of a major character in it… possibly with a small pun attached.
Karen looks pretty pissed on the cover. What’s going down in this book?
Karen’s taking her best girl out to dinner to celebrate a small life accomplishment, and they make the acquaintance of a couple of confidence artists and a matronly stage magician in the hotel dining room.
Hijinks, as the expression goes, ensue. So… Karen’s just had a date interrupted, and nobody’s happy about it.
Oh, and the Singer has a supporting role again!
Describe Stone Mad with three adjectives.
Atmospheric.
Adventurous.
Earthshaking.
Preorder Stone Mad, available March 20, 2018.