Mechanica

Nicolette's awful stepsisters call her “Mechanica” to demean her, but the nickname fits: she learned to be an inventor at her mother's knee. Her mom is gone now, though, and the Steps have pushed her into a life of dreary servitude. When she discovers a secret workshop in the cellar on her sixteenth birthday—and befriends Jules, a tiny magical metal horse—Nicolette starts to imagine a new life for herself. And the timing may be perfect: There's a technological exposition and a royal ball on the horizon. Determined to invent her own happily-ever-after, Mechanica seeks to wow the prince and eager entrepreneurs alike.

Betsy Cornwell is the author of Tides, a YA novel inspired by selkie mythology. She graduated from Smith College and was a columnist and editor at Teen Ink before pursuing an MFA in creative writing at Notre Dame, where she also taught fiction writing. She lives in Ireland. Visit her website at?www.betsycornwell.com.
?