Adventures at Geneva Steam 2019!

…and about my first subscriber special perk!

It is the wee hours of the night on Thursday and the pile in the living room next to the suitcase grows every few minutes. There is enough snackage to get us through at least 2 weeks of our 3 day stay-or the Automazomb apocalypse. A large stuffed Squid with overflowing tentacles sits in the chair. It must be time for Geneva Steam Con!

Geneva Steam was my first time as panelist at a convention as an author and not a painter or organizer. It was part thrill, part panic, and part wide-eyed apprentice who lost their goggles! Although Nan and I didn’t get our first book out in time for the convention (we’re waiting on an awesome cover artist), the convention was incredibly understanding and welcoming! We are thankful and grateful to Emily and Bill Bodden for giving us the opportunity and organizing everything for the authors. But how to make it up to the people there who will look at us like we’re alien alpaca, and not steampunk authors? Give them something special! Nan and I wrote a special short story from The Harrogate Chronicles, using the theme for the convention as inspiration: Leviathan. We read the beginning of the story at the author readings and it was well received, as well as the opening scenes for the book!

As repeated frequently at the convention: Anyone who subscribes to either my website or Nan’s, will automatically get a link to download our story “Teacakes and Kraken Bait” for free in the format of choice! This is available now, and will continue through Sunday, March 17th! Yeah, it’s still available! Just sign up! It’s our Geneva Steam Special! Once we have another story to offer, it will cost you to download “Teacakes and Kraken Bait” story, as we will switch to other stories for our subscribers.

The story takes place after Atahualpa’s Mummy, Book 1 of The Harrogate Chronicles, a small adventure for Esme and Kinzy in the North Sea, where they meet the crew of the Serenity–woops–maybe I should just give you this description:

Miss Kinzalynn Quinn, covert Fae attaché to the British court, tags along when her friend Lady Esme Harrogate is sent by Queen Victoria to deal with the disaster at the Berneray Mining Station. Two submersibles destroyed and their crews lost, the new automaton created by Professor Hieronymous Burroughs – the scientific genius behind many of the gadgets used during their assignments – has gone rogue, and is blamed for the catastrophe. Professor Burroughs is adamant he can repair his machine, the head of the mining station is fuming and wants to blast it from the North Sea, and the ladies must stand between them and discover what’s really wrong at the bottom of the briny deep.

So if you have not subscribed, please look for the pop up, or contact me and let me know if there are any problems. Then you’ll be able to read about their exciting adventures. Hopefully it will hold you until the first book is ready! There will be more stories for subscribers in the future, too! Subscribing will get you emails regarding special appearances, updates on the books, and the occasional ooo and ahhh over a book I loved, or something cool I found. Steampunk, SF and Fantasy included.

Geneva Steam was at the delightful Lake Lawn Resort in Delavan, WI. As our very first Steampunk convention, we delved into various nooks and crannies, attended a few panels, as well as adored the Tea Room. There was much discussion on and off panels regarding the future of the genre, how writers come up with the gadgets in our stories, as well as the difficulties inherent in a Victorian Steampunk with Victorian culture and social norms that limited women’s freedoms. I believe we left that discussion with the idea that if we could tweak the science and history, we can tweak the societal norms, as well as find those women who did take their freedoms seriously and went where they willed. They existed! (Lady Digby, anyone?!) Writers can take much inspiration from their lives and accomplishments. We discussed the steam of other cultures around the globe, and may have a few books and stories that were inspired by a few of the ideas! The Leviathan Panel was standing room only as the panel discussed little known real monsters of our world, as well as their favorite fictional seamonsters. Truth is often stranger than fiction!

There were more panels I wish I could have seen, exploring the science of Jules Verne, and other aspects of steampunk culture, but I had my own panels to give! It was wonderful meeting the other authors and having a good time discussing not only craft, but all the fun things found in our research, and, ehem, the vendor room.

Nan and I will return, along with our patient friend and companion Carol Hornung. We had a great time, at the friendliest con we have ever been to, and loved the opportunity to explore the genre with both readers and writers. Hope to see you there next year!

The suitcase is now unpacked everywhere, there is a cup of tea beside me, and my feet are propped up and comfy. I have dreams of new steampunk costumes, and some new jewelry to put away. The To Be Read pile has grown a bit! After this quick note, it’s back to working on Book 2 of The Harrogate Chronicles. I hope to update everyone soon with news on the new publication dates for the steampunk series, as well as for my other manuscripts in various stages of indie publishing.

Now – go off and get your copy of “Teacakes and Kraken Bait”, and you may want to look up Aspidochelone. 🙂 Just a helpful hint to enjoy a small aspect of the story.

See you next year at Geneva Steam Convention!