Gail Carriger – Book Signing for Prudence

Gail Carriger made a book tour stop in Houston, Texas for her new release, PRUDENCE : The Custard Protocol: Book One. In this latest novel, Alexia’s girl, now all grown up, with all the spunk of her mother and then some ventures to the exotic land of India. Her high priority, top secret mission involves tea, vampires and weremonkeys. 

At Murder By the Book, Gail shared with her fans that she did a lot of research for this novel as it is set in India. The mythology used in the book including that of the Rakshasas, India vampires, and the Vanara, India weremonkeys is accurate. In her research she also uncovered the interesting historical tidbit that Bombay was originally several islands the English engineered into one by means of land reclamation projects.

Ms.Carriger also discussed how she comes up with such interesting names for her characters. She uses names for humor. Sometimes the name just comes to her as she’s writing like it did for her main character, Prudence. She also looks names up in Victorian registries and on tomb stones. Sometimes she likes a word so much she just adds a letter or letters at the beginning or end to make a name.  Another way she choses names is what she calls cookies, meaning it’s a treat for anyone willing to do the research. She’ll pull a name from a real historical character or the name will have a hidden meaning or she’ll spell a word backwards for a name. One such cookie is Lord Akeldama. If you don’t know where and what Akeldama is, google it. It’s interesting. I have to say my favorite new character name in Prudence is Spoo, she’s a lively member of the Spotted Custard’s crew.

At the book signing, Ms. Carriger was asked how she explains Steampunk to people who aren’t familiar with it? She says, “Imagine living in a time period where you can take a hot air balloon to the moon.” Speaking of fiction genres, she also divulged that she likes military sci-fi including Rachel Bach’s Paradox series and Valor’s Choice by Tanya Huff. And she likes some romance in her sci-fi reads. Ms. Carriger even has a book club on Goodreads where you can read along with her. A book she likes is chosen each month.  Also on My Book The Movie blog you can see who she would chose to cast for Prudence if it were a movie.

I read Prudence and I love the line,

Rue was moved to italics by the gesture. “Mine?”

As you can see from that sentence, PRUDENCE is as charming and humorous as all of Ms. Carriger’s books.

She could be a member of the Spotted Custard crew, perhaps Greaser Phinkerlington or even Spoo.

In PRUDENCE, the adventure begins when Dama gives Prudence an airship, which she paints to look like a lady bug and she names it the Spotted Custard. Of course her good friends Prim, Percy and Quesnel come along. Intrigue and espionage ensue, which Prudence thinks is all due to the special tea Dama has sent her for but it turns out it’s also about supernatural beings in India, the vampiric Rakshasas and the Vanara, weremonkeys.  I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say of course in the end Prudence manages to save the day.

The book is a funny, sweet, fresh delight. It’s ever so creatively original – after all it’s by Gail Carriger. I highly recommend PRUDENCE for anyone who likes good books and of course it’s a must read for all Gail Carriger fans.

Here is a video from Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego 03/17/15

Other Gail Carriger related post on Steamed:

Book Monday: Timeless by Gail Carriger

Maeve Alpin Reviews Gail Carriger’s Timeless
How To Make A Proper Pot Of Tea by Gail Carriger 
In Which We Get Cozy with Gail Carriger
In Which Author Gail Carriger visits

~      ~      ~

Maeve Alpin, who also writes as Cornelia Amiri, is the author of 26 books. She creates stories with kilts, corsets, fantasy and happy endings. She lives in Houston Texas with her son, granddaughter, and her cat, Severus.

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In Which Kinekt‏ Shows Off Their Amazing Gear Rings

First off, I’d like to wish Lolita Elizabeth a happy release day. Her new book, “Love in a Time of Steam” releases today. You can find it here.

Now, on to today’s topic, one of my favorites, shiny things,

Have you seen the incredible gear rings from the folks over at Kinekt? They are the first company to introduce the concept of moving gears as jewelry. Yes, they have rings where the gears really work. Talk about distraction, lol.

Today I’ve asked them to come on and tell us about their rings. They’re even going to give one away to one lucky reader in their choice of size ($165 value, tell your friends, they have sizes 5-14). There’s a form to fill out at the bottom of the post in order to win. Will you keep it or will you give it as a gift to that special someone?

To understand exactly what I’m babbling about, you can see the ring in action here.

Very cool, huh?

What inspired you to develop the gear ring? It’s not your usual piece of jewelry.

Kinekt Design creator, Glen Liberman, has always been fascinated and inspired by small mechanisms and their complementary movements. Glen felt there was a void in the market so he teamed up with kinetic designer Ben Hopson to develop the Gear Ring, a product “complex enough to play with, yet simple enough to wear.”

We’ll you’ve certainly got an interesting product. What sort of research/work went into designing it? How long did it take?

The Gear Ring took slightly over a year design. There were mechanical complexities to it–making sure which metal would hold up the best over time due to the friction of the gears. Many, many prototypes were made. We made much use of SLA printer and Solid Works software program. We had to figure out how many gears on the ring would look the best, how much play should the gear ring have, etc. If its too precise or tight, the gears won’t move as freely. There was a balance between form and function. Finally, we agreed to where it is today. During this process, we were able to get the ring protected by numerous patents pending (both design and utility), as well as other Intellectual Property rights, both in the USA and Internationally.

That sounds complicated, lol. Can you tell us a little about the rings?

The Gear Ring is fabricated using 316L, which is the highest quality surgical stainless steel in the jewelry market. Stainless steel is highly durable and resistant to tarnishing, fading, scratching, and rusting. It won’t bend or break and is hypoallergenic for those with metal allergies. We have sizes 5 to 14 and the ring is for both Men & Women. Our rings are covered by a lifetime warranty. If the item becomes damaged or if there seems to be a manufacturer’s defect at any time we will gladly exchange it for a new one.

Nice. So, how can I get one?

Easy. You can either purchase directly from our website or call 1-888-600-8494 between 8:30am to 8:30pm eastern time, Monday-Friday. Comments, returns or all other questions can be sent to our email address — hello (@) kinektdesign.com

What other projects do you have in the works? Necklaces? Tiaras? I would simply adore a tiara with real working gears.

Yes, Kinekt Design seeks to bring you forward-thinking design objects and products that fuse together a modern aesthetic with physical interaction. It can be any objects and we are working on other jewelry related as well as non-jewelry products. Stay tuned.

Very cool, I can’t wait. Thank you so much for joining us. So, now for the important stuff. The contest runs until Saturday, August 14 at 11:59 pm PST. One winner will get a Kinekt gear ring in their choice of size. Please tell your friends.

To enter to win the ring, please sign up for their newsletter by filing out this form.

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Rum all around!

Hello my lovelies–I have some exciting news to share!

My steampunk erotic, ‘Steam Heat’ sold to Harlequin for their Spice brief line in a two book deal! They will be releasing back to back in 2011! I am so excited! Seriously, I am still passing virtual rum around to everyone! I will keep you up-dated as I get more info! I will give you the little blurb to keep you entertained for now!

                                                                   Steam Heat – Blurb

   What does a half succubus, a scientist and a feisty female steam engineer have in common? Not a lot. Until, they are thrown together in a race against time to re-power the dying crystal that purifies the earth’s air. Suddenly it is up to Angel, Nick and Jezebel to save the world. The only way to supply the energy needed to power the crystal, is to find out exactly what makes a half succubus tick……

Now on to other exciting news of the day! My steampunk romance novella ‘Love in a Time of Steam’ is available for pre-order! It is just $0.99! To order click here!

Love in a Time of Steam – Blurb

Ashlyn hasn’t seen Gray her former lover in five long years. Not since the day he believed her to be a traitor to the military cause they both served.

   Now as the volatile nature of their planet is reaching a fevered pitch, and the war over water to run their steam-powered technology is threatening all beings, she must face him once more.

   Despite her intense hatred towards Gray, Ashlyn can’t let the father of her child be murdered by General Dagnus, the leader of the opposing army. Risking her life, Ashlyn lays everything on the line to save the man that betrayed her once. As they work together to survive, will they be able to rekindle the passion they once shared?

Have a steamy day! ~Elizabeth

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The World Steam Expo report!

 Ok, since I have so many pictures to include in this post – I am just putting the thumbnail size in, just click on them to get the full-sized picture! That being said–lets move onto the fabulous World Steam Expo! So as usual, I flew all night, got into Dearborn, MI at about 5am, dead tired and looking like death warmed over. I stumbled into the hotel, sure my room wouldn’t be ready….but they had a room available. I almost kissed the hotel clerk right then and there! I stumbled sleepily into my room and face planted on the bed and promptly passed out for the next few hours. Awake and bright-eyed and busy tailed, I showered off the traveling grime and slipped into something a little steamier! First stop was coffee and then registration! Things kicked off nicely as the people helping me get all signed up and such were a delight and some witty banter ensued. Properly badged and official I set out to traverse the halls and see what mischief I could find or create! I ran into some acquaintances from Steamcon and it was lovely to catch up with some of my fellow steampunkers. I perused the vendor hall and there were a million bright and shiny distracting things clamoring for me to buy them…..I resisted….barely… While I was there I met the fantastic Nick Valentino author of the steampunk novel Thomas Riley , seriously he is awesome. If you see his booth at a con, make sure and stop by and say hi! After much chatting and meeting fabulous people, I hopped in line for Abney Park’s acoustic concert. They of  course were awesome and charming and they even managed to get the lyrics right for Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang! After they were done, I stopped by to say hi and get the obligatory pictures with the band members.  Then it was time to get ready for the masquerade ball! I wish I had a good explanation as to why I didn’t manage to get a picture of my ensemble of the evening… Anyways the costumes were lovely and the masks were exquisite. Everyone was having a splendid time dancing and I believe a fabulous time was had by all! My evening quickly went down hill from there! I was convinced by “friends” to attend the midnight carnival…much to my protesting about possible scary clowns. They assured me I would be fine…*I should mention here I have a very big clown phobia* I WAS NOT FINE! Creepy clowns+scary, warped circus music=one very frightened Elizabeth! I was mildly distracted by a hilarious individual in a fez hat sitting next to me…but alas even such antics weren’t enough to squash my need to flee….and flee I did! It being like 2am I decided to retire for the evening/morning….Ok, this has become long and this only captures the joys of Day 1! I will do another post to wrap up the fun next week! 🙂 ~Elizabeth

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Love in a Time of Steam!

 So I have some fabulous news! My steampunk short “Love in a Time of Steam” has been accepted by  Tease Publishing  and will be releasing on July 15th in e-book! It will also be releasing in print as a part of the “Love Like Clockwork” steampunk anthology in a few months! I just got my cover and it is so lovely! I want to say thank you to the lovely Kate and James, who run the amazing Parliament and Wake website, for gracing my cover! I will keep you informed of preorder info and all that good stuff! I will blog about the fun I had at the World Steam Expo next week!!

Love in a Time of Steam – Blurb

Ashlyn hasn’t seen Gray her former lover in five long years. Not since the day he believed her to be a traitor to the military cause they both served.

Now as the volatile nature of their planet is reaching a fevered pitch, and the war over water to run their steam-powered technology is threatening all beings, she must face him once more.

Despite her intense hatred towards Gray, Ashlyn can’t let the father of her child be murdered by General Dagnus, the leader of the opposing army. Risking her life, Ashlyn lays everything on the line to save the man that betrayed her once. As they work together to survive, will they be able to rekindle the passion they once shared? 

~Elizabeth

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Preparing to embark upon a new adventure!

 What does a brave adventure wear when embarking upon an epic quest to one of the largest gatherings of readers and authors of the romantic persuasion? Well for starters I crafted this fun little steampunk adventurer outfit. I made everything but the corset and armwarmers! I will be sporting this one day at the Romantic Times convention in Columbus, OH. I am going to be there networking and obnoxiously pimping my upcoming release “Bound by Blood”. It’s not steampunk, but Mila my kick ass vampire heroine rocks a set of goggles! I promise a detailed report upon my return! There will be a variety of costumed parties, of course I will produce photo proof! I will be cavorting as a Vampire, Fairy, and there is even an Alice in Wonderland theme and heading back to the prom…oh wait I guess I never did prom…oh well! I must catch my flying transport at midnight on tue/wed and arrive bright eye and bushy-tailed at 9ish and head straight into the festivities and insanity! Wish me luck!

I will be giving away a signed cover of “Bound by Blood” and a few of my fabulous pens today to hold you over until my return! All you have to do is comment away and let me know what parts of my RT adventures you will be most keen to hear about upon my return! ~Elizabeth

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New steampunk corset!

  I won a fantastic corset from the fabulous Dracula Clothing for a blog post I did a while back! It arrived the other day and let me say they were so quick at getting it shipped(from overseas) no less! It arrived nicely packaged inside a heavy zipper pouch and in perfect condition! I have nothing, but good things to say about Dracula Clothing and it’s owner, he is a delight as well! I highly recommend them for all your corset needs! They have a wide variety for the neo-victorian, goth or steampunker and they have some other lovely clothing as well! My corset isn’t laced as tight as it should in the picture I took, but since I was lacing it up myself I hope you will forgive me! So to sum it all up Dracula Clothing=awesome and I am so happy with my new corset! It feels amazing on too!  ~Elizabeth

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I’m so excited!

I just got my book cover for “Bound by Blood” my upcoming paranormal romance from Lyrical Press. I may be a bit partial, but I think it is FABULOUS! It isn’t steampunk, but my heroine does wear goggles!

Mila Deluca is an immortal vampire powerful in magic with a quick trigger finger.

Bryce D’Angelo is a lethal warrior as sexy as he is deadly and pack leader to the Lycan clan.

Two equally powerful species, they are each other’s greatest enemies whose lives collide in the midst of a world filled with chaos.

As an uneasy alliance is formed to right wrongs and impart justice what begins as lust turns into something deeper even in the face of a dangerous evil.

They must become one before they face the enemy in a final show down that will decide the fate of the world

      To save the world they must become, “Bound by Blood” 

 ~Elizabeth

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Steampunk+mainstream

Is it a good thing that steampunk is popping up in so many very mainstream places? I found the jacket and the timepiece ring at Hot Topic which for hosting a plethora of goth/alternate clothing is beyond mainstream! I am a little on the fence about this topic, because I feel that steampunk is a very D.I.Y. subculture and feel it takes away from it when you can just go into a store and procure an entire “steampunk” outfit. On the flip side though, for those with limited time or are less than crafty this provides them with a way to enjoy steampunk fashion. I have seen it pop up everywhere, from store window displays to magazines to commercials all very mainstream places and so many more people have at least heard of steampunk. It is also catching on with the teen crowd. I do have to say as an author I am kind of stoked, because well when I contract my steampunk book I will have that many more readers. But after attending Steamcon 2009 and seeing the amazing effort people put into the wardrobe and how they adopted the mannerisms and feel of the steampunk subculture so well, I can’t help but wonder what this fabulous and amazing subculture is going to morph into as more and more people take it on. It has reached so far into mainstream that the lovely half-naked angel with the amazing wings is actually a model strutting her stuff at the Victoria’s Secret fashion show! For the record I want her whole outfit, wings included! I suppose what it really boils down to is we should be glad that so many people are able to find some joy in steampunk and we know that those of us with the love of steampunk firmly rooted in our hearts will still be standing after the fad has faded. And yes I will always be glad that this has informed so many people what steampunk is….it will make marketing so much easier! 🙂 So what are your thoughts, is it good, bad or ugly that steampunk has come barreling into the mainstream on a steam-powered locomotive? ~Elizabeth

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A bit of good news and fun!

  I have some very happy news to share! I sold my first book, “Bound by Blood” a sexy paranormal romance featuring Vampires and Lycan to Lyrical Press! This one isn’t steampunk, but my heroine does wear goggles frequently! I am so excited, but of course this has increased my already busy schedule to really busy! So today I just wanted to share the good news and update you on how my outfits are progressing…well that front isn’t so happy! I have things cut out, but the belt on my machine broke! I will have to break out the duct tape and fix it.. 🙂 While I am busy I wanted to share this totally fun and time-wasting site where you can dress up a virtual paper doll with amazing steampunk clothing from Clockwork Couture! Just follow this link http://anniestegg.com/clockworkcouture.php and let the fun begin! I will also put up the book trailer for “Bound by Blood”! I will be back next week with pictures showing progress on the sewing front! ~Elizabeth

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A glimpse….

 Today I will share with you the beginning of my journey into creating a steampunk wardrobe! Or at least how I, a poor writer of steampunk/paranormal romance creates a wardrobe! The upcoming year holds many conferences, steampunk and writing alike and I need an extensive wardrobe to cover the many themes and days and events, etc, etc… Not being loaded with money and clearly being a toy short of a happy meal I am going to make my wardrobe….and make it on a treadle sewing machine none the less! Now I love my sewing machine it is beautiful and fun and it was free….but moving along…. until now I have only created one outfit at a time with many months in between, but now I am going to be cramming ten different outfits into the next couple of months and I am going to bring you along for the fun…aka …insanity! Have I also mentioned I will be doing edits and working on a new manuscript during all of this? I also don’t like to buy new fabric, I prefer to repurpose old clothing into something new and useable. So I have a mountain of old stuff that I need to transform into steamy goodness that I can be seen in public in! An impossible task? I think not! There are corsets, bustles, utility belts and short skirts in the works! So hold on to your top hats and fasten your garter belts because here we go! Stay tuned for Phase One, tackling the corset, next week! ~Elizabeth

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Photo Contest Winners!!!!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered the photo contest. I let the tot (the kid in the goggles in the last contest post) pick her personal favorite…

…and the winner is…

(drumroll please)

The “SteamCon Hussies” from SteamCon in Seattle, (Lolitas Deborah, Elizabeth, and Marie-Claude) as entered by Deborah Schneider.

Congratulations!

Deborah, as the one who entered the photo, you’re the one who gets the prize! Please email me at suzannelazear (@) hotmail.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday!

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Steampunk Steamcon Style

Steampunk Lolitas: Deborah Schneider, Elizabeth Darvill and myself at Steamcon!

by Marie-Claude Bourque

What is Steampunk style? I am probably the last one to know. That’s why when I headed for Steamcon in Seattle, I didn’t really know what to expect, expect for a bunch of brass goggles and a few corsets.

So it’s with my own corset (laced tight and rescued from the Romantic Times Convention) that I sat down in the lobby of the Seatt;le Marriot  and sipped my venti nonfat latte doing what I like best (after writing) and… people watched.

I was glad I had read about all the various Steampunk spin-off  in Suzanne Lazear blog post at Steamed! Dieselpunk, Monsterpunk, Oilpunk, Clockpunk, coompleted with Steampunk fairies, I think I saw it all.

 

  

What striked me the most was that really all goes. As you long as you have your goggles on, you are good to go. I did expect the clockwork and victorian look but I have to say that I was surprised by the intrincacy of it all and by how well dressed everyone was.

I saw plenty of victorian ladies and gentlemen in full regalia, top hats and elaborate googles and ornate canes, beautiful skirts and expensive corsets (mine is a cheap one, be warned) but also feather in upswept hair, parasol and yes, fans! So many things I want (need?) to buy!!!

 

Beside the victorian look, was also the western look. Think of the movie Wild Wild West, with variation on steampunk  guns, cowboy hats. Some were on the goths or dark side with black and spooky outfit closer to MadMax that is probably what they would call Dieselpunk. And some ladies had on simpler dresses that wouldn’t have been out of place in Anne of Green Gables.

 

All in all, I think the rule is to let your imagination run, and yes get those goggles and that corset! Can’t down too many lattes with it on but your waistline may thank you!

 Steamcon 2010 is on! Get your tickets as soon as they come on sale! I bet they will fly really fast! (yep, stood in line for four hours  to get mine!). I’ll be there 🙂

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