What is the heroine's journey? How is it different from the hero's journey? What makes Harry Potter different from Star Wars? Twilight from Wonder Woman?

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Gail Carriger uses her comedic style to explore the mythological foundation of one of the most joyful and powerful narrative structures we have access to as storytellers. She teaches how to identify, write, and utilize the heroine's journey to recover from writer's block.

FIX YOUR STORY

Explore hidden messages. Learn hacks and tips to improve your writing and make it more commercially viable. Gain insight into under-studied story arcs, tropes, characters, archetypes, and modern market desires.

CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE

Guaranteed to make you look at plot structure in books, video games, movies, and TV differently for the rest of your life.

Take control of narrative while redefining notions of strength and identity. This book will change how you write, read, watch, interact, and think about genre fiction and the world around you.

With over a dozen NYT and USA Today bestsellers and over a million books in print, popular genre author and former archaeologist Gail Carriger brings her cheeky comedic tone and over a decade of making her living as a fiction author to this fascinating look at one of the most popular yet neglected narratives of our time.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than in proper manners--and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

Soulless is the first book of the Parasol Protectorate series: a comedy of manners set in Victorian London, full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

Sophronia continues her second year at finishing school in style--with a steel-bladed fan secreted in the folds of her ball gown, of course. Such a fashionable choice of weapon comes in handy when Sophronia, her best friend Dimity, sweet sootie Soap, and the charming Lord Felix Mersey hijack a suspiciously empty train to return their chum Sidheag to her werewolf pack in Scotland. But when Sophronia discovers they are being trailed by a dirigible of Picklemen and flywaymen, she unearths a plot that threatens to throw all of London into chaos. With her friends in mortal danger, Sophronia must sacrifice what she holds most dear--her freedom.

Gather your poison, your steel-tipped quill, and the rest of your school supplies and join Mademoiselle Geraldine's proper young killing machines in the third rousing installment in the New York Times bestselling Finishing School series by steampunk author Gail Carriger.

The aliens are coming for us and they want our voices.

New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger brings you a gloriously warm and unique scifi about the power of art, celebrity, and found family.

Phex is a barista on a forgotten moon. Which is fine - he likes being ignored and he's good at making drinks. Until one day an alien hears him singing and recruits him to become a god. Now Phex is thrust headfirst into the galaxy's most cutthroat entertainment industry, where music is visible, the price of fame can kill, and the only friends he has want to be worshiped.

Welcome to the divinity. Where there is no difference between celebrity and religion, love and belief, acolyte and alien. Where the right kind of obsession can drive a person crazy or turn them divine.

A tapestry that is simultaneously witty, charming, exhilarating and downright fun. fantasyliterature.com (Soulless)

Becky Chambers meets The Voice in the first of the Tinkered Starsong trilogy in which the mysterious Dyesi are trying to take over the universe, but they're doing it so beautifully we might just let them.

Lessons in the art of espionage aboard Mademoiselle Geraldine's floating dirigible have become tedious without Sophronia's sweet sootie Soap nearby. She would much rather be using her skills to thwart the dastardly Picklemen, yet her concerns about their wicked intentions are ignored, and now she's not sure whom to trust. What does the brusque werewolf dewan know? On whose side is the ever-stylish vampire Lord Akeldama? Only one thing is certain: a large-scale plot is under way, and when it comes to fruition, Sophronia must be ready to save her friends, her school, and all of London from disaster--in decidedly dramatic fashion, of course.

What will become of our proper young heroine when she puts her years of training to the test? Find out in this highly anticipated and thrilling conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Finishing School series!

Puts the opera back into space opera.

New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger continues her cozy and engaging scifi about the power of art, celebrity, and found family.

Phex and his pantheon have become demigods and are taking their show on a galaxy-wide tour. Phex is shockingly good at singing but his voice is intoxicating and one wrong note can kill so everyone wants a piece of him - sometimes literally. But the aliens in charge of the divinity are hiding something even more sinister and it's hurting performers and audiences alike. When his lover is pitted against his pantheon, Phex will have to choose between the family he has found and the god he adores.

Let's take this show on the road - where the show is divine and the road is through the stars. Be careful, the moment you start listening you may never want to stop, and you just might kill to keep the music alive.

A tapestry that is simultaneously witty, charming, exhilarating and downright fun. - fantasyliterature.com (Soulless)

Murderbot meets Eurovision in the second of the Tinkered Starsong trilogy (follows Divinity 36) in which the mystery of the Dyesi is finally uncovered.

Also by Gail Carriger

• Crudrat (set in the same universe)
• The Finishing School series (start with Etiquette & Espionage)
• The Delightfully Deadly stories
• The Parasol Protectorate series (start with Soulless)
• The Supernatural Society stories
• The Custard Protocol series (start with Prudence)
• The Claw & Courtship stories

As G L Carriger

• The 5th Gender (also scifi set in the same universe)

Saving the unwilling with song, one planet at a time.

New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger brings you the thrilling conclusion to her Tinkered Starsong trilogy in which the true purpose of the divinity is revealed at last.

Can a group of performers take on an entire alien species? Do they want to, if the price of the truth is their own popularity and the safety of billions?

Phex, Missit, and their pantheons are the most popular gods in the galaxy and the aliens will stop at nothing to keep them singing. But with great fame comes great responsibility. As Phex finally understands the consequences of the music he produces, he is forced to choose between being a god and destroying humanity.

If you could sing peace into the bones of the universe, would you? Even if no one wanted salvation?

A tapestry that is simultaneously witty, charming, exhilarating and downright fun. - fantasyliterature.com (Soulless)

Ender's Game but make it Kpop in the final installment of the Tinkered Starsong trilogy (follows Divinity 36 and Demigod 12) in which the mystery of the Dyesi is finally uncovered.

Also by Gail Carriger

Crudrat (set in the same universe)

The Finishing School series (start with Etiquette & Espionage)

The Delightfully Deadly stories

The Parasol Protectorate series (start with Soulless)

The Supernatural Society stories

The Custard Protocol series (start with Prudence)

The Claw & Courtship stories

As G L Carriger

The 5th Gender (also scifi set in the same universe)

But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. So even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can. She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it.

Changeless is the second book of the Parasol Protectorate series: a comedy of manners set in Victorian London, full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

Queen Victoria dismisses her from the Shadow Council, and the only person who can explain anything, Lord Akeldama, unexpectedly leaves town. To top it all off, Alexia is attacked by homicidal mechanical ladybugs, indicating, as only ladybugs can, the fact that all of London's vampires are now very much interested in seeing Alexia quite thoroughly dead.

While Lord Maccon elects to get progressively more inebriated and Professor Lyall desperately tries to hold the Woolsey werewolf pack together, Alexia flees England for Italy in search of the mysterious Templars. Only they know enough about the preternatural to explain her increasingly inconvenient condition, but they may be worse than the vampires -- and they're armed with pesto.

Blameless is the third book of the Parasol Protectorate series: a comedy of manners set in Victorian London, full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

Accidentally abandoned

All alone in Singapore, proper Miss Primrose Tunstell must steal helium to save her airship, the Spotted Custard, in a scheme involving a lovesick werecat and a fake fish tail.

When she uncovers rumors of a new kind of vampire, Prim and the Custard crew embark on a mission to Peru. There, they encounter airship pirates and strange atmospheric phenomena, and are mistaken for representatives of the Spanish Inquisition. Forced into extreme subterfuge (and some rather ridiculous outfits) Prim must also answer three of life's most challenging questions: Can the perfect book club give a man back his soul? Will her brother ever stop wearing his idiotic velvet fez? And can the amount of lard in Christmas pudding save an entire species?

Until, that is, she receives a summons that cannot be ignored. With husband, child, and Tunstells in tow, Alexia boards a steamer to cross the Mediterranean. But Egypt may hold more mysteries than even the indomitable Lady Maccon can handle. What does the vampire Queen of the Alexandria Hive really want from her? Why is the God-Breaker Plague suddenly expanding? And how has Ivy Tunstell suddenly become the most popular actress in all the British Empire?

Timeless is the final book of the Parasol Protectorate series: a comedy of manners set in Victorian London, full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

Sophronia's first year at Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality has certainly been rousing For one thing, finishing school is training her to be a spy (won't Mumsy be surprised?). Furthermore, Sophronia got mixed up in an intrigue over a stolen device and had a cheese pie thrown at her in a most horrid display of poor manners.
Now, as she sneaks around the dirigible school, eavesdropping on the teachers' quarters and making clandestine climbs to the ship's boiler room, she learns that there may be more to a field trip to London than is apparent at first. A conspiracy is afoot--one with dire implications for both supernaturals and humans. Sophronia must rely on her training to discover who is behind the dangerous plot--and survive the London Season with a full dance card.

In this bestselling sequel to New York Times bestselling Etiquette & Espionage, class is back in session with more petticoats and poison, tea trays and treason. Gail's distinctive voice, signature humor, and lush steampunk setting are sure to be the height of fashion this season.

When a mad ghost threatens the queen, Alexia is on the case, following a trail that leads her deep into her husband's past. Top that off with a sister who has joined the suffragette movement (shocking ), Madame Lefoux's latest mechanical invention, and a plague of zombie porcupines, Alexia barely has time to remember she happens to be eight months pregnant.

Will Alexia manage to determine who is trying to kill Queen Victoria before it is too late? Is it the vampires again or is there a traitor lurking about in wolf's clothing? And what, exactly, has taken up residence in Lord Akeldama's second best closet?

Heartless is the fourth book of the Parasol Protectorate series: a comedy of manners set in Victorian London, full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

Can one gentle Highland soldier woo Victorian London's most scandalous lady assassin, or will they both be destroyed in the attempt?

New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger presents a stand-alone romance novella set in her popular steampunk universe full of manners, spies, and dainty sandwiches.

Lady Preshea Villentia, the Mourning Star, has four dead husbands and a nasty reputation. Fortunately, she looks fabulous in black. What society doesn't know is that all her husbands were marked for death by Preshea's employer. And Preshea has one final assignment.

It was supposed to be easy, a house party with minimal bloodshed. Preshea hadn't anticipated Captain Gavin Ruthven - massive, Scottish, quietly irresistible, and... working for the enemy. In a battle of wits, Preshea may risk her own heart - a terrifying prospect, as she never knew she had one.

A vampire hive descending into madness. A beautiful spy with a sparkly plan. And the bodyguard who must keep them from killing each other.

New York Times bestselling romantic comedy author Gail Carriger brings you a charming story of love, espionage, and Gothic makeovers set in her popular Parasolverse.

SPY

Dimity Plumleigh-Teignmott, code name Honey Bee, is the War Office's best and most decorative fixer. She's sweet and chipper, but oddly stealthy, and surprisingly effective given the right incentives.

VERSUS KNIGHT

Sir Crispin Bontwee was knighted for his military service, but instead of retiring, he secretly went to work for the War Office. Mostly he enjoys his job, except when he must safeguard the Honey Bee.

Neither one is a vampire expert, but when the Nottingham Hive goes badly Goth, only Dimity can stop their darkness from turning bloody. And only Crispin can stop an enthusiastic Dimity from death by vampire.

In a battle for survival (and wallpaper), Dimity must learn that not all that sparkles is good, while Cris discovers he likes honey a lot more than he thought.

This intoxicatingly witty parody will appeal to a wide cross-section of romance, fantasy and steampunk fans. Publishers Weekly, starred review (Soulless)

Spinning off from the Finishing School series, featuring deadly ladies of quality, this story stands alone, but chronologically follows Poison or Protect before the start of the Parasol Protectorate Series. It's Cold Comfort Farm meets Queer Eye meets What We Do In The Shadows from the hilarious author of the Parasol Protectorate books, perfect for fans of Julia Quinn, Jodi Taylor, or Meljean Brook.

Delicate Sensibilities?

Contains fraternizing vampires and one very curious young lady, who asks about seduction, sometimes in detail but mostly in retrospect. May also involve excessive use of velvet, melodramatic poetry, and the strategic application of interpretive ballet.

Also by Gail Carriger set in the Parasolverse

The Curious Case of the Werewolf that Wasn't

The Finishing School series (start with Etiquette & Espionage)
The Delightfully Deadly stories
The Parasol Protectorate series (start with Soulless)
The Supernatural Society stories
The Custard Protocol series (start with Prudence)
The Claw & Courtship stories (try How to Marry a Werewolf)

As G L Carriger

The San Andreas Shifter series (start with The Sumage Solution)
The 5th Gender

London's best and most covert spy tries to escape the man who has always adored her.

New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger brings you a charming story of enduring love set in her popular Parasolverse.

INTELLIGENCER

Agatha Woosmoss, the Wallflower, is the greatest intelligencer of her generation. And no one knows she exists. She has been invisible, capable, and cunning for well over four decades. Her greatest skill is in her ability to go forever unnoticed.

Except by one man.

VERSUS INTELLECTUAL

Pillover Plumleigh-Teignmott is a professor of ancient languages at Oxford University. He's tried to ignore his training as an Evil Genius and live a quiet life away from politics and intrigue.

When an assignment goes horribly wrong, Agatha must hide and heal. So she goes to ground with the only person who's always kept her safe, Pillover.

Can Pillover hold onto the deadly woman who specializes in getting away? Will Agatha realize that patience is indeed a virtue, and that perhaps it is good to be noticed by the one who waits?

This intoxicatingly witty parody will appeal to a wide cross-section of romance, fantasy and steampunk fans. Publishers Weekly, starred review (Soulless)

Spinning off from Miss Gail's Finishing School series, this story stands on its own and spans decades but was written after Defy or Defend. May contain vampires, old injuries, lost love, and the reappearance of many favorite characters. Perfect for fans of Julia Quinn, Jodi Taylor, or Meljean Brook.

Delicate Sensibilities?

This tale concerns a considerable amount of pining and the repressed passion of two people who secretly adore each other and occasionally act on it. Agatha and Pillover are mature characters who act maturely, please be aware of this. If you like gruff but caring men with secret sorrows and the tough smart women they love, you'll also enjoy How to Marry a Werewolf.

Also by Gail Carriger set in the Parasolverse

The Curious Case of the Werewolf that Wasn't
The Finishing School series (start with Etiquette & Espionage)
The Delightfully Deadly stories
The Parasol Protectorate series (start with Soulless)
The Supernatural Society stories
The Custard Protocol series (start with Prudence)
The Claw & Courtship stories

As G L Carriger

The San Andreas Shifter series (start with The Sumage Solution)
The Tinkered Stars stories

A steampunk lesbian romance featuring a maid bent on seducing a brilliant scientist who's too brokenhearted to notice. Or is she?

Imogene Hale is a lowly parlourmaid with a soul-crushing secret. Seeking solace, she takes work at a local hive, only to fall desperately in love with the amazing lady inventor the vampires are keeping in the potting shed. Genevieve Lefoux is heartsick, lonely, and French. With culture, class, and the lady herself set against the match, can Imogene and her duster overcome all odds and win Genevieve's heart, or will the vampires suck both of them dry?

This is a stand-alone LBGTQ sweet romance set in Gail Carriger's Parasolverse, full of class prejudice, elusive equations, and paranormal creatures taking tea. Look for surprise appearances from popular Parasolverse characters and the occasional strategic application of cognac. Supernatural Society novellas can be read in any order.

Delicate Sensibilities? This story contains women pleasing women and ladies who know what they want and pursue it, sometimes in exquisite detail.

Rue and the crew of the Spotted Custard return from India with revelations that shake the foundations of England's scientific community. Queen Victoria is not amused, the vampires are tetchy, and something is wrong with the local werewolf pack. To top it all off, Rue's best friend Primrose keeps getting engaged to the most unacceptable military types.

Rue has family problems as well. Her vampire father is angry, her werewolf father is crazy, and her obstreperous mother is both. Worst of all, Rue's beginning to suspect what they really are. . . is frightened.