Okay, so some of you are aware of my participation in November's NaNoWriMo challenge. My story is a steampunk fantasy, set in the typical futuristic victorian era.

"The tempest stirs. The city trembles. A man dies of unnatural causes."

In the Valley of the Tempest begins with a fight. That's how things are done ins West University. You want something, you fight for it, you earn it. One of the two fighters wants to win. The other wants it more.

A body has been found outside the city, down in the valley. The detective investigates, and he begins to fear that the death may be the start of something much more troublesome. He calls together some of the most resourceful professionals in the city, to lead an expedition deeper into the valley.

There, myths of a wild and erratic beast, the tempest, interferes with their better sense of judgement as they encounter all sorts of horrors in the deep, untamed passages of the valley. There, they're forced to fend for their lives as they try to uncover the truth behind the mutilated body and the secrets of the tempest.

Well, that's my pitch. I've got the first 10 or 11 "chapters" (I say it like that as they're going to be quite short, a few pages) covering the first "part" of the story. I've filled out the plot, characters and settings up until that point, and with a bit of research and inspiration around the place, the rest of the novel is falling into place and I should have more of the planning hopefully done soon. But I know one thing for certain, there's going to be robots, stunning machines and a whole variety of other bizarre and fascinating things throughout the novel. So, come November, keep an eye out for my novel, it's gonna be ace!