It was a busy day, so this will be short. I just thought I would talk a minute about a common thread in many Steampunk properties. In fact, it is what makes some of the media “Steampunk” in the first place–and that is the search for the “next new/coming thing.”
One of the things that makes The Adventures of Brisco County so charming is Brisco’s eager search for the technology just over the horizon. Wickwire’s inventions fascinate him for this reason.
On The Murdoch Mysteries–just now out of the Victorian era and into Edwardian–there is a similar wonder about the next technology on the horizon, though Detective Murdoch is more of a “hands-on” sort, having already invented a stop-action security camera, gears for his bicycle, an ultraviolet light for crime scene investigation and at least a dozen other gadgets. Again, the whimsical wonder as to what will be the next big idea adds a charm and fun to the show.
It’s easier to “show” this mindset on video than “tell” it in the pages of a book, but Jo has referenced Alistair should make some sort of communications device (telephone) and Seamus has a recording mechanism built into one of his mechanicals. So, I do try to get a bit of it in.
What is your favorite example of this trope? Share in the comments! I’d love to hear from you. đ
Way back in 2013, I came across a call for submissions looking for collaboration between two writers whoâd never met in real life. I reached out to Kerry Lipp, whose writing style and sense of humor I admired, and asked if he wanted to write a story with me. Neither of us had ever done that, so we stumbled our way through 3900 words of a ridiculous tale of a man who wakes up physically dead but still mentally sharp. It was creepy, disgusting, and hilarious. We sold it.
I asked is he wanted to do another one, and he said, âSure! Whatcha got?â So, I sent Kerry this scene I had written but didnât know where to go with. It featured an aging (but bad-ass) bounty hunter interrogating a punk. He loved the character, Johnny Headcase, and wrote another couple thousand words. We went back and forth, each trying to leave the other on a mad cliffhanger or an âimpossibleâ situation for our heroes to get out of. We laughed and said âholy shit!â a lot, and overall had a blast writing this thing. At some point, we realized that weâd been at it for a while and checked the word count. We had written over 25,000! Weâd made a novella! This was kind of amazing, as we had only planned on writing a short. However, the story wasnât done yet, so we kept at it. Somehow, we blasted past 50,000 words andâŚwe had a book!
One of the characters, Gavin the Werewolf, was still under contract with a publisher (they had first rights of refusal), so we offered the novel to them. They loved it, worked with us to edit it so it was publication-ready, and we were stoked. Unfortunately, the publisher, after much soul-searching deliberation, realized that this book, while a hell of a fun read, did not, in fact, fit the demographic of their readership. They produce horror and romance books, and this was neither. Sure, it had monsters: vampires, trolls, goat-demons, and more. Sure, it had sex (rather a lot of fairly graphic sex). But it wasnât really horror. It wasnât romance. It was this weird hybrid, genre-jumping, unclassifiable thing. So, they gave it back.
Kerry and I sent it out to a couple of other publishers who passed on it. We tried not to take it personally. Then, I asked my publisher, LVP Publications, for whom I am the Managing Editor of Collections and Anthologies (impressive title, no?) if theyâd take a look at the book. They said okay, to send the first chapter. The first chapter is crazy short. So, they asked for the first five. And then they asked for the rest of the book. Then for character descriptions. They accepted it!
Kerry and I had written an origin story for one of the four main characters: Lydia, a half-human, half-demon warrior, and asked if they wanted to include it as a sort of coda. They read it and asked us to write one for each of the other three. We were like, âOh. Okay. Sure.â And, somehow, managed to crank these out too. So, after five years or so, HEADCASE is finally about to see the light of day. Itâs being released serially, one quarter at a time (with an origin story attached to each), in both eBook and paperback. There will also be an audiobook available, once all four sections have been published.
This is a series of firsts for me: first novel, first time having anything serialized, first audiobook. I couldnât be happier with the responses weâve been getting so far! People are excited about this crazy little book. No one more so than me and Kerry, of course. We started the sequel, so you know. Hopefully, it wonât take another five years to get this one out!
So, because I took a chance and asked a virtual stranger to write a story with me, I have not only a debut novel imminent but also a solid friendship with someone I genuinely admire and get along with well. You never know until you reach out. Thank you for listening.
Hereâs a link to the book trailer. If you think itâs something youâd like to read, the preorder links are in the YouTube videoâs comments. You can order just the first section, the first and second, or the whole shebang.
[Since the new WordPress editor embedded the really cool video, here are the links for your convenience:
Despite what my husband says, most of my income is from hand-selling at conventions. He thinks internet sales are the way to go. My KDP reports say I am not as good at that as I am at sending people home with a book (and I’m not great at that.)
Adding to that the fact that I really haven’t felt like writing this year at all, and I’ve been trying to come up with alternate revenue streams.
One of my ideas is to add bookmarks to my convention table and Etsy store. I’ve managed to get three up online so far. I really hope to make this a new thing, but there will be a learning curve. Especially in listing them on Etsy. đ
Does anyone have any ideas on how to showcase them better?
Another potential way to make some income is the fact that I have a few copies of my out-of-print books on hand that I would be willing to part with for better prices than they appear on Amazon…
The Luckless Prince — $15 + shipping
The Lute and the Liar — $10 + shipping
The Right Hand of Velachaz — $7 + shipping
Skellyman — $20 + shipping
Sidhe Moves Through the Faire — $10 + shipping
and the great thing about these is they can be signed for free! Plus, shipping will be less if you buy more. For one: $5 shipping, for two: $8 shipping, for three $11 shipping; for four $15 shipping; for all five $18
There are limited numbers of each, so order early for these limited editions. Hopefully, they will be back in print eventually, but these will be collector’s items. đ
Drop me an email at riewriter@gmail.com to order any of the above (and tell me how you want them personalized if you want them signed.)
I promised that I would be back to work this week, but I am afraid that won’t be happening. There are several reasons, and you probably don’t care…but I am still not feeling up to a lot of cleaning, and Newell has an office holiday today, so I am taking it easy. I will see about making it up later in the week if possible.
Sometimes…life is like that.
Let’s have a discussion instead. What is your favorite cleaning tip you’d like to pass on to everyone else? Leave a comment if you’d like to participate.
Although this is really a topic for the Home for Wayward Spirits blog, I was having a hard time coming up with something for today and decided to escape with something I really love.
Watching the original Addams Family television series as a girl was where I first fell in love with John Astin, an admiration that survives to this day. The juxtaposition of what they thought was normal with the “real world” they were a part of was enchanting to a girl who also loved The Munsters. Maybe this is what shaped my writing career…
So, today I first watched the 1991 film with Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston. The story is fine. The acting is outstanding, with a stellar cast, but there is something missing…I think it is the fact that–even though they react to the world around them in much the same way as the original–the sense of play is different. They don’t sell the wide-eyed wonder quite as well.
Even though they mirrored several of the iconic scenes, they didn’t feel the same. And adding all the blood seemed unnecessary. Updating to modern morees seemed to take away some of the charm.
Thank you, Rie, for the opportunity to steam into your blog. Iâll try to leave the place looking as shipshape as I found it.
I know Rie and her fans love pirates, so allow me to brag about a new anthology featuring the first man to conduct his piracy underwater. About a year ago, I realized Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seawould turn 150 years old in June 2020. I decided to commemorate that sesquicentennial by creating an anthology of stories paying tribute to Jules Verneâs proto-steampunk classic.
Along with Kelly A. Harmon of Pole to Pole Publishing, I co-edited 20,000 Leagues Remembered, which contains 16 stories by modern authors, each written in honor of the first submarine novel. Hereâs a taste of what youâll read:
Author Stephen R. Wilk merges Twenty Thousand Leagues with another Verne novel, The Blockade Runners, in his lively ship chase, âA Game of Hare and Hounds.â
If you pit Nemoâs Nautilus against Mark Twain, an ironclad, and an airship, you get submariner M. W. Kellyâs rollicking story, âFarragutâs Gambit.â
What if John Strock, Verneâs American detective in Master of the World, was assigned to investigate strange maritime reports from Baltimore? Find out what happens in J. Woolston Carrâs âThe Ghost of Captain Nemo.â
In Eric Choiâs riveting adventure tale âRaise the Nautilus,â British salvagers attempt to recover the Nautilus and its technology, but they may not be the only interested party.
Older English translations of Verneâs novel were horrible, and in âThe Silent Agendaâ by Mike Adamson, youâll find one fascinating explanation why.
Suppose Professor Aronnax were to meet Cyrus Smith, the leader of the castaways in Verneâs The Mysterious Island, yearslater. Read âAn Evening at the Worldâs Edgeâ by Alfred D. Byrd to discover how both their lives change forever.
Maya Chhabra explores Captain Nemoâs origin in Bundelkhand, India and how it affected his interactions with Pierre Aronnax in her thought-provoking story, âThe Maelstrom.â
Nemo assembled his loyal crew somehow, and must have found a way to replenish their depleted numbers by some secret method. In Andrew Gudgelâs âRecruiter,â youâll read how that might have happened.
What if the Nautilus existed today, and contained mysteries that could alter us and our planet forever? Enjoy âNemoâs Worldâ by James J.C. Kelly and uncover Nemoâs long-hidden secrets.
Nikoline Kaiser wrote a poignant coming-of-age story we couldnât resist, a tale set in Greenland, of all places. âLast Yearâs Waterâ explores a young girlâs grieving process.
If a diving mishap left you trapped inside an extinct volcano, could you escape? Read âHomework Help from No Oneâ by Captain Demetri Capetanopoulos to discover a particularly Vernian solution to that problem.
150 years can seem like nothing, if you ride in the right kind of vehicle. The protagonist of Corrie Garrettâs âA Concurrent Processâ might wish sheâd not spent her time investigating that strange UFO over Chicago.
What happened just after the Nautilus entered the maelstrom at the end of Verneâs novel? Thanks to Jason J. McCuiston, you can find out what bizarre sights Nemo and one unusual crewman encounter âAt Strange Depths.â
Could a band of misfit criminal oddballs hope to steal the gold and treasures rumored to be aboard the Nautilus? Author Allison Tebo will leave you laughing out loud when âFools Rush In.â
Nemo described sperm whales (cachalots in French) as nothing but âmouth and teeth.â To know what a sperm whale might think of the Nautilus, youâll have to read âLeviathanâ by Michael D. Winkle.
Twenty thousand leagues in outer space? We travel there, too, in Gregory L. Norrisâs tender story âWater Whispers.â
Horror ranges from the silliness of Scooby-Doo to the terror of The Ring. But some of the most interesting and insidious horror comes when an everyday object becomes unexpectedly evil.
Look at Cujo. The book, and subsequent movie, are visceral and terrifying–and yet, they are about a rabid dog, not some demonic creature. Any dog can be bitten by a rabid animal and go on such a rampage. The story terrifies because it could happen to any household in any neighborhood.
Would Child’s Play have as much impact if Chucky were not a doll? One of the most innocuous toys possible…something in any little girl’s room.
If you are setting out to write horror, don’t think only of the monsters. Think of the mundane items in your world and see if there is something you can turn into the catalyst of your story. Perhaps the water fountain in the square suddenly starts poisoning people. Why? Is it a human intervention, or is there something more devious at work? Perhaps a vengeful water spirit?
Maybe a pet songbird suddenly starts singing words–words that prophesize murder. (Wait…I think I want that one…)
The point is, horror doesn’t have to be full of ghosts or demons or vampires to bring a shiver to the spine. And, sometimes, it is better when it isn’t.
I have always been a sucker for a good ballad. From the time I was a little girl, this was my favorite sort of song, and I could listen to a good story song over and over.
The best lyrics tell a good story. Sure, there is a place for a good dance song, but it isn’t as difficult to write as poetic lyrics that also tell a story. The artists above are masters of it, but there have been more recent examples.
Jim Morrison‘s lyrics were almost always poetry because he was a poet at heart. Songs like “The Unknown Soldier” combined poetry with story, and helped make The Doors stars.
As I mentioned yesterday on Here’s The Clean, the master storyteller was Harry Chapin. His way of painting portraits of people with a song is simply amazing. From “Taxi” to “A Better Place to Be,” you feel like you know the people he was talking about personally. This is the mark of a true master, and something I would love to emulate in my own work.
When writing my own songs, I try to keep the storytelling tradition in mind, even if it doesn’t always work. I am particularly proud of “Rose” and “Soul of a Harper” in this regard.
The bards of old were also usually balladeers. My ultimate goal in life is to fit that tradition. đ
Of course, this list is by no means complete. Do you have a favorite that isn’t listed? Feel free to leave a name in the comments. I am always on the lookout for a good story song.
Not all maintenance of the house involves cleaning stuff up. Today, it’s mostly laundry. Lots and lots of laundry. Second load in the washer and one in the dryer. Next load waiting for a spot.
I’m also cleaning up a music collection by removing duplicate songs for my Car Music. I love Harry Chapin (paid link), but I can only do with one copy of “30,000 Pounds of Bananas” (paid link) a day…
Last Monday, I talked about the sorting I was doing for a new merchandising idea I had. Well, here are the first results…
(The black and silver ones are birthday presents…)Â Still learning, but it’s kinda fun. Debating if I should put them into my Etsy shop or just have them at conventions. There’s not much else in my shop at the moment…
I know they aren’t very polished, but I was thinking of only charging a dollar or two…what do you guys think? Leave me a comment. I love feedback.
I also got the office trash out before the collectors got here, so that was something.
There is so much to do, that I feel extremely overwhelmed at the moment.
Laundry days always do a number on my back too, so I may be finished for the day. After I get the current load in the washer into the dryer and both dryer loads put away…
This isn’t the cleanup you signed up for, is it? Next week, I promise back to work!
The mockumentary genre can be very hit or miss. Sometimes, it works; sometimes, it doesn’t. I would say, in this case, it is about 90% spot on. There are a few scenes that make you wonder about the size of the film crew that must be involved…but it generally works.
Looking first at the movie, the geniuses behind the “script” (according to the IMDB site, it was mostly improvised around an outline), Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi also directed and starred in the film, along with Jonny Brugh. The three vampires walk the film crew through a few days nights in their undead lives. It’s a fun romp, but I think the dynamics of the household work better in the TV series because of the introduction of a female perspective.
The introduction of Nadja into the house gives a lot of new possibilities to the action. The relationship between Nadja and Lazlo is really interesting to watch. Natasia Demetriou is delightful, and I always love Matt Berry. I had never seen Kayvan Novak before, but I like his style. I think having the familiar be part of the household is also an interesting twist.
The call-back to the movie in the episode “The Trial” is also nice, having the original vampires be part of the Vampire Council, as well as some other familiar faces, was a lot of fun.
Part of the charm of the franchise is the discovery, so I don’t want to give away too many details. I would definitely recommend both the movie and the series, and give the whole franchise 4 Bats.
Rie Sheridan Rose 
Best Laid Plans…
I promised that I would be back to work this week, but I am afraid that won’t be happening. There are several reasons, and you probably don’t care…but I am still not feeling up to a lot of cleaning, and Newell has an office holiday today, so I am taking it easy. I will see about making it up later in the week if possible.
Sometimes…life is like that.
Let’s have a discussion instead. What is your favorite cleaning tip you’d like to pass on to everyone else? Leave a comment if you’d like to participate.