The Steamed! Halloween Author Invasion starts on Sunday–are you excited? I know I am. We kick off with YA author Tera Lynn Childs as some of our favorite non-steampunk authors “invade” the Steamed! blog this coming week for spooky posts, prizes, and mayhem in honor of Halloween. From October 24-October 31 stop by each day for a new author and new giveaway. See you there.
Today we welcome author Kristen Painter. Her steampunk romance, Miss Bramble and the Leviathan was just released on Tuesday from Samhain. One lucky commenter will win a copy. To enter, just leave a comment. Contest ends October 30th, 2010 at 11:59 PST.
Kristen Painter is a former college English teacher, personal trainer, advertising exec, maitre d’, and runway model. When not building fantastical worlds, creating new characters or plotting herself out of a corner, she hangs out in the forum at Romancedivas.com, the award-winning site she co-founded with Jax Cassidy, blogs at www.kristenpainter.blogspot.com (except for Tuesday’s when she’s on deck at www.fictionistas.blogspot.com) or tweets at http://twitter.com/Kristen_Painter.
To Be Or Not To Be…Steampunk, That Is
When Suzanne invited me to guest blog, I couldn’t for the life of me think of anything steampunky to talk about despite the fact that my steampunk romance, Miss Bramble And The Leviathan, came out on Tuesday from Samhain.
Then it occurred to me that I might be able to offer some handy lists for folks who weren’t sure if they were really “steampunk” or not. So, here goes…
You might be steampunk if:
1. Your sunglasses are actually goggles.
2. Top hats are part of your everyday wear.
3. Your pet requires winding and the occasional touch of oil.
4. Tea is your favorite drink, especially when served from your antique Victorian tea set.
5. It takes you fifteen minutes to remove your coat due to the number of buckles.
6. Corsets are a mainstay of your lingerie and outer wear.
7. A trip to the hardware store means you’re getting a new outfit.
8. Most of the electronics in your house have been rehoused in custom-made brass and wood cases.
9. As soon as the financing comes through, you’re trading your car in for a dirigible.
10. You travel by train whenever possible.
You’re so not steampunk if:
1. You think an iron lung is a new submersible device.
2. You spray paint all of your electronics copper.
3. The only gears you own are the ones you shift.
4. You’re pretty sure Jules Verne is the guy who mows your grass.
5. Your favorite steampunk outfit was purchased at Abercrombie.
6. You’ve got goggles, all right. The same ones you wore on the high school swim team.
7. You’ve renamed your cat Sprocket to help build your street cred.
8. You just build a robot! Out of pipe cleaners!
9. You think spanx and corsets are basically interchangeable.
10. You once asked someone if a difference machine really made a difference.
Have any more to add? One commenter will win a copy of Miss Bramble And The Leviathan!
- Kristen Painter
www.kristenpainter.com
You’re not so steampunk if… you think bustle means “busy” instead of a clothing accessory.
Congrats on the new release Kristen! LOVE the list. It’s really cleared up a few questions for me, lol.
Mira
So glad I could help, Mira. ;o)
You might be steampunk if:
You prefer rivets to chrome on your super advanced machinery.
You prefer your computers to rattle and clack.
You prefer your heroines scandalized…
by showing too much ankle or neck.
You believe the world can be saved by…
STEAM!
If I had a cat or dog, I might name him or her Sprocket. But that’s because I love me the Fraggles.
I’d add one to each section:
You might be Steampunk when:
11 — If you find yourself searching for clothes that were fashionable pre-1920.
You’re not so Steampunk when:
11 — You think Ada Lovelace was an adult film star.
This is great! I’m a Steampunk wanna-be for now. Can’t afford all the amazing clothing. I DO have goggles though. Real Steampunk goggles. Going to add the new book to my Steampunk list, sounds good!
I love all the new additions to the lists!
You might be steampunk if: You think Robert Fulton is a God.
Jules Verne DOES clean my pool! How did you know?
Hysterical list, Kristen, thanks for the Steampunk lesson. MISS BRAMBLE is made of awesome! Loved it! xo
Don’t know if I can still be entered, but cool list! I haven’t really read Steampunk but I think that western with Will Smith that came out a long time ago seemed steampunkish and I liked that alot.
Nice post!
My cat responds better to the name Sprocket, that’s why I call him that. He likes it.
OMG, I have nothing to add–this list is too hilarious already! And you don’t need to enter me in the contest–I’ve already got my copy of Miss Bramble waiting for me on my Kindle!
You might be steampunk if your keychain has massive skeleton keys on it, including the one for the big, brass lock on your mahagony front door.
You might be steampunk if your luggage is a trunk with a brass lock and leather hinges.
How is it I can answer yes to everyitem on the steampunk list and I didn’t know what it was? Dusting off my wood and brass box with a field phone inside…adjusting my corset. I need to start reading steampunk.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Kristen_Painter, Has, Roxanne St. Claire, Louisa Edwards, Kate Pearce and others. Kate Pearce said: RT @LouisaEdwards: Great post! RT @Kristen_Painter: Are you steampunk? Come find out: http://trunc.it/byz7k PZ RT (via @roxannestclaire) [...]
Funny. A dear friend and I were discussing starting a steampunk accessory boutique last night.
You might be steampunk if you’re thrilled you’ve never thrown away anything mechanical, because it could be the perfect accessory.
You’re steampunk if every time you visit the thrift shop, you come home with strange objects that you plan to take apart so you can incorporate the pieces into your outfits.
I’m looking forward to reading Miss Bramble and the Leviathan, I love Steampunk.
How about, you’re steampunk if…. you made your first computer out a pocket watch, a semi-conductor, and copper wire…and you have a good supply of round-trip tickets for the Nautilus.
I’ve got a couple of the top 10! Still just a poser though…
You might be Steampunk if someone’s ever said, “what a great costume!” and you had to point out *they* are the ones in costume, you are wearing *clothes*. LOL! I loved these lists, they really brightened my day! Please enter me in the contest!
You guys are all coming up with such good ones!
Look at all those great comments!
Thank you so much, Kristen, for blogging with us today.
Happy to be here! It’s been a fun day filled with awesome comments.
Love the list and love the gorgeous cover of your new book!
- Lydia
I, sadly, have nothing to add to the list, although I think it’s great. I am definitely not steampunk. In fact, I’ve just started to get into it recently, and that’s only reading it, not dressing the part, although I do love the style. I’m definitely looking forward to reading Miss Bramble.
Contest is now closed. Winner posted soon. Thank you for participating.