Steampunks Ahoy!

On Saturday, February 16, the local Sacramento Steampunk Society held an Emporium and Swap Meet--plus, we talked author Gail Carriger into coming for a signing!

Alas, Gail's drive from the Bay Area to Sacramento did not go well but she was able to sign books for everyone in line (including the signed copy of Etiquette and Espionage going up on Pens for Paws, along with some steampunk swag).

As for me, this was my very first steampunk event and it was a little overwhelming with all the shiny. I went hoping to find an inexpensive corset or waist cinch to round out my costume but left empty-handed (never fear, I've spent loads of time since then finding out the inside info on where and how to buy corsets).

And even though I've posted pics of my outfit on Facebook, I wanted to put them here because I'm moderately proud of how it came together:

Bought the fedora at Target and added embellishments--peacock feathers, a brass brooch, a lacey scarf--and everything is held on there without glue or pins so I can change it up. The silk skirt and tuxedo shirt were a find at a consignment shop near me and didn't cost me a dime since I had credit from other clothes I sold there.

And the vest was originally in a bag of stuff to see if I could trade, but I added it to the ensemble at the last minute in case the riding-habit-style jacket was too uncomfortable to wear the entire time. Good thing, because it was terribly hot at the Emporeum--steamy, in fact! Sorry, couldn't resist.

But I am disappointed that you couldn't see my steampunk crow pendant from Desert Rubble in the pictures--it was flipped around and I didn't notice until I'd already changed out of my outfit.

One last picture--Pippin kept trying to photobomb my pictures, so I made him pose with me.

YA Market Listing: Call for Pugalicious Press Anthology

Update March 2013: Pugalicious has unfortunately shut down. 

Details from their blog:

"We are looking for YA short stories to include in our first ebook anthology, titled Timeless!

If your short story is between 3000 and 7500 words and fits into the genre of YA historical romance we want to read it. The story can include steampunk, fantasy, or adventure, as long as it includes some historical elements then we are interested in reading it.

Submit the whole manuscript as a Word .doc file (no .docx) by March 30, 2012, with the subject heading: submission–YA anthology.

Please include a bio, publishing credits if any, and a synopsis."



Update March 2013: Pugalicious has unfortunately shut down.

Road Trippy Wednesday: Best Book in October

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on our own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

This week's topic: What was the best book you read in October?


Okay, so the photo above has nothing to do with the books I'm going to mention--it's just something I saw on the way home. What appeared to be a large shrubbery merged onto the highway; the pickup was so overloaded you couldn't see the vehicle at all from the back. I had to take 3 photos before I got one that shows a wheel to prove there is indeed a pickup under there.

I thought to myself,"Boy are the Knights Who Say Ni going to be happy when he brings them that shrubbery!"


On to the books: my picks are three books from the same series, Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate. I've already blogged about how I dipped my toe into Soulless and was then sucked into a vortex of do-nothing-else until I had read Changeless and Blameless also, but I'm not sure that counts as a proper review.

I haven't read steampunk very widely (does The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson count? That's one of my all-time favorite books), but as far as I can tell they fit the genre, with the added bonus of vampires and werewolves. And yes, I too am reaching saturation on vampires and werewolves, but I'm always on the lookout for books that put a new twist on the fuzzies and the fangies.

And Gail Carriger does manage a new twist, both with the paranormals and the alternate history/world she has created. The main character's voice is so strong, and it fits her personality so well. I can't wait to read the next book (2011!), even though I thought the third one dragged in places. These are just great, fun reads, with a little bit of sass and spice thrown in.

Soulless Confession

Yesterday afternoon I was all set to post for Road Trip Wednesday, but I made a rookie mistake with the new Kindle:

I downloaded a sample of Soulless by Gail Carriger. Then I read the sample. Then I hit buy. Then I did nothing but read Soulless for the rest of the day and evening.

Laundry? Pfft!
Dinner? Boil some turkey hot dogs and open a can of beans, toss in direction of husband.
Finish the reading for Thursday's critique group? There's always Thursday morning . . .

I know I'm somewhat late to the game for this title (again!) I really don't know why it took me so long to read it, there are so many great elements: vampires! werewolves! steampunk goggles (man am I jonesing for these for myself)! bustles! unseemly wrestling on the settee! witty banter!

What more could you ask for? Exceptional writing, you say? That's there too! And yes, I enjoyed this book so much that it justifies all these exclamation marks cluttering up my post!