There is something fantastic about writing Steampunk. We
take the prim and proper world of the 19th century and dial it up to
eleven. We take the style of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne and add a little modern
nuance. We make our characters push the limits of the world they were born in.
It is speculative fiction at its finest.
There are no cell phones or high powered rifles. No
television. You might be lucky to have a radio. Books are all the rage. Your
characters have to walk or ride a bicycle. Depending on your timeline, cars
weren't invented yet or too expensive for most people to own. Clothing is
classy. Stylish. Women often wore bustles and layered gowns. Men wore smart
trousers and detailed vests. Hats were removed when indoors. Manners were
paramount. Gentlemen offered calling cards before paying a visit. Ladies had
sewing circles and ice cream socials. The world was a simpler place.
Setting the stage in the past gives us a wealth of
limitations. Limitations we can push the boundaries on. Take social mores and
tip them on their ears. Homosexuality was frowned upon, but that didn't stop
men from taking lovers under covers. Women were expected to wear skirts and act
like ladies, but that doesn't stop them from being like their male
counterparts. You like ships? They're steam powered and can fly. How do they
fly? You decide. The industrial revolution, as impressive as it was, takes on a
whole other burst of ingenuity. It's a bygone era we can use as fuel for
fanciful flights of fantasy.
Not as much for the historical? No problem. Steampunk has
you covered. Take a fantasy world created from scratch and drop in your steam
powered contraptions. What if society collapsed and in its place, a world of
steam power crops up? Water is a renewable resource and if we've stripped the
planet of its coal and oil, steam seems a suitable power source.
Steampunk allows your mind to wander onto the what-ifs and
make them fantastic.
About the author
C.V. Madison is a licensed
massage therapist, author, feminist and gamer full of schadenfreude pie and
Mountain Dew. She pens urban fantasy, horror and steampunk with a side of heavy
romance. Her characters are straight, LGBTQIA and some shades not on the
spectrum. She has been published in both fiction and non-fiction anthologies.
Through
the month of November, she can be found in local coffee houses, over
caffeinated and armed with her trusty laptop as she strives to bang out 50,000
words in 30 days for National Novel Writer’s Month. She serves as a Municipal Liaison for Columbus,
Ohio.
She
is a writer for the Caffeine Crew and does book reviews and promotion for the
Yeah Books! Blog.
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C.V. Madison is celebrating the release of her new book "With Proper Maintenance"
Release date: 09 October 2014
Publisher: Jupiter Gardens Press
Blurb:
Named the youngest
head engineer in the history of his company, Ethan Cole’s first voyage on the
Platinum Bow is his chance to stand out from his father’s shadow. His dream is
dashed by the roguish Cecil Goode, promoted to Ethan’s position just before the
ship sets sail. When the Bow is hijacked by pirates, Ethan and Cecil have to work
together to bring the pirates’ nearly wrecked ship to safety. Will they make it
to port before the ship plummets from the sky? And what will become
of the combustible passion between them? Will it outlast the pirate attack?
Book buy links:
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Check out the giveaway for "With Proper Maintenance"
Giveaway codes:
