She soon discovers Remy is not what he seems - he's hiding his own macabre, unspeakable secrets. Lizzie prefers to flash her ankles and flirt to get what she wants, and she's jealous of smart, witty Eliza.

Of course not! I wanted Lizzie Hyde to have other, naughtier ideas. Catch the killer, solve the case, get rid of Captain Lafayette. He's far too cunning - not to mention cocky - and she's determined to ignore his glib flirtations. Apart from looking irritatingly spectacular in uniform, like all good fantasy heroes he's deeply dangerous to the heroine - if he learns Eliza's secret, she's a dead woman. Not too much to ask, is it?Įnter Captain Remy Lafayette, an arrogant, talented, ruthlessly charming Royal Society agent, who's sent to interfere with her murder investigation. A man, in fact, who has everything a clever lady could desire. Resourceful, funny, brave, compassionate, decorative. Who isn't intimidated by her, yet challenges her in return. A man who appeals to her intellect and sense of justice, as well as her eye. I needed a special gentleman to even get her attention, let alone win her heart. She isn't one to be swayed by foolish emotions like love or attraction. She's a fiercely independent woman who loves her career and prides herself on her rational, scientific mind. Add a dash of alchemy, a series of gruesome murders to solve … and, of course, an irresistible romantic hero.Įliza was uncooperative, to say the least, when it came to romance. Not to mention the secret magical elixir, with her dark half, Lizzie Hyde, threatening to pop out any moment. Of course, Eliza's up to her neck in strange inventions. Sorcerers are hunted down and burned by the all-powerful and corrupt Royal Society, and anyone who's magical or practices unorthodox science is forced into hiding in the criminal rookeries. She lives in a fantastical electric-powered Victorian London, where magic is illegal. Eliza Jekyll is a tinkerer, witty but edgy, with a dash of mad scientist. What could be cooler than a steampunk detective heroine, haunted by an irrepressible dark side, solving murders with wacky science? Thus was born the Electric Empire series, which begins with The Diabolical Miss Hyde.ĭr. I love steampunk, and I'm a geek at heart. Who knows? But I instantly fell in love with the idea. Where do ideas, plots and characters come from? Wherever did I get the notion, for instance, for a dark romantic steampunk retelling of Jekyll & Hyde, in which Dr. Viola: Authors are often asked this question. Viola Carr shares how the idea for her romantic steampunk adventure The Diabolical Miss Hyde, book one in the Electric Empire series, came to her.

The diabolical miss hyde by viola carr