Here are more of Maili’s questions – and my (sometimes overlong) answers.

d) What’s the difference between a Steampunk novel and a Gaslight fantasy novel? What about alternative historical novels like Kim Newman’s Anno Dracula?

Agh. I always feel a little weird when I get into this, because although I’m happy to talk my mouth off about steampunk, when it comes to other genres I’m not as comfortable saying: This is what they are/aren’t. So let me preface everything that I say with the caveat that these are my impressions of the differences between genres, based on my (could be faulty) understanding of them.

First of all — just because a historical-set novel includes something like an airship or a scientist, that does NOT make it steampunk. Scientists really did exist in history, after all; so did airships. So did submersibles. So did Wimshurst machines. So did Leyden jars. These are all things that existed in true history, and their use or appearance in a historical novel can be fun, but it isn’t necessarily steampunk. There needs to be an application and/or an evolution of that technology that ventures beyond the reality of history.

So, imagining the inclusion of technology in historical set works as a sliding scale, a historical novel that includes steam technology but no real science fiction application of it is just … well, it’s a historical novel.

Then there’s gaslight fantasy/gaslamp fantasy (I’ve seen it called both and I don’t know if there’s a difference; if there is, please someone feel free to tell me in comments! I don’t mind being called out as ignorant, because then I can know better and not be ignorant anymore.) – To me, gaslight fantasy is more explicitly Victorian (because the ‘gaslight’ part immediately brings to mind London streets; I can’t help it.) It also includes some sort of magic/fantasy…and here is where I might be completely wrong, but that magic/fantasy is more occult-type of magic rather than, say, a werewolf or vampire running around the city. I always think of it as more like ghosts and weird-paranormal magic rather than an abundance of supernatural creatures. In addition, I always think of gaslight fantasy as having a certain oppressive atmosphere that feels almost gothic in nature.

But again, it’s a sliding scale. It’s not that gaslight fantasy can’t include vampires or werewolves, because it can. But what is the overall feel of the book and what is the underlying basis of the ‘difference’ from the real world? If you’ve just got a Victorian-set historical populated by vampires, that’s not gaslight — it’s a historical paranormal romance. If you’ve got arcane societies practicing dark magic, if you’ve got ghosts, if you’ve got a dark, wet atmosphere — and there just happens to be a vampire around, too? That feels, to me, more like gaslight fantasy.

The key always seems to be: What is the difference from the ‘real’ world, and what is the driving force behind that difference? What is the mechanism through which the world is changed?

In steampunk, that mechanism is science-based. In gaslight fantasy, it will be magic-based. I made up this little graphic for my workshop in San Diego. I’m not completely happy with it, but it gives a visual representation of that sliding scale that I’m talking about. You can click to enlarge it.

The more supernatural elements you have, the more magic, the more paranormal beings, the more that it is gaslight fantasy … even if it has a few gadgets or airships here and there.

Then there are alternate histories. Maili mentions Anno Dracula, but although I’ve read it, it was during my Anne Rice craze in 10th or 11th grade and I can’t recall exactly the differences in the world itself, and how much science fiction/magic was involved. Generally, however, I would say that an alternate history is one where there is a break from real history, and even though the course of the world might have changed dramatically (and that includes a different trajectory for technological and social evolution), that break in history and the social/cultural impact is the driving element behind the differences in the world, rather than magic or science, even if magic or science (or a supernatural creature) was the cause of the break.

And again, it’s not that a book has to be completely one or the other. The Iron Seas series is an alternate history — and that break came when Batu Khan became the Great Khan rather than one of Ögedei’s heirs. The driving force behind the differences in the world, however, is the technology created by the Horde, along with the technology created by those trying to stop them (and later the tech created as they adjust to their new world).

e) Does historical accuracy matter in a steampunk novel?

Yes and no. It doesn’t have to be accurate in the sense that events happen in the same way (in a historical novel, the date of certain battles are either accurate or they aren’t — but that battle might not even take place in a steampunk/alternate history novel.) It does have to be accurate, however, in that the worldbuilding has to be internally consistent and make sense. It has to be accurate in that, if something is out-of-place to that time, there has to be a reason behind it.

The technology (and everything else) can be anachronistic from *our* perspective. It can’t be anachronistic from the perspective of the characters and the world; it has to fit, it has to make sense — it has to be accurate according to the rules of that world.

f) what’s the difference between a steampunk romance and a steampunk novel?

I have no idea. Obviously the romance is the primary plot/story within a steampunk romance, but my difficulty comes because I have no idea what a steampunk novel looks like. The more I think about it, the more most steampunk seems to be a subgenre of something else — mysteries and adventure novels being the most popular. I’m often torn between calling steampunk its own genre, and just calling it a ‘setting.’

(I’m excluding steampunk art from this, by the way, as well as the steampunk lifestyle. I think that those are very clearly their own. But in literature, I honestly don’t know if it’s self-contained as its own genre.)

I would love to hear other thoughts on this, actually. Does steampunk feel like its own genre, and what books/movies would you use as examples of a steampunk genre?

g) What web sites and blogs would you recommend for us who want to learn more about steampunk?

I mentioned Beyond Victoriana last time. Also, every October, the publisher Tor has a steampunk month on their blog, and I think it’s worth checking out the articles and essays on steampunk (most easily found with the ‘steampunk’ tag).

For romance, The Galaxy Express does a great job of keeping SF romance readers apprised of upcoming steampunk titles — and is also great for links.

Girl Genius online — because it’s fun. The same goes for 2D Goggles (a.k.a. The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage.)

Airship Ambassador has a huge number of links to definitions, art, all kinds of stuff. The Steampunk Chronicle has great links, too.

Also, because the visual aspect is so strong (I’ll admit that I don’t read a lot of steampunk blogs aside from Beyond Victoriana, but I do love to go searching for artwork) I love pointing to sites like Deviant Art and simply searching for steampunk. When CGSociety was having their Myths and Legends steampunk art challenge, it was the greatest thing ever — and the winners (to which I just linked) are fantastic, but there was a lot of work showing up in the forums that was spectacular as well.

I know there are blogs and tumblers out there that repost steampunk art, but I usually just end up doing Google searches instead. If you know of any great steampunk blogs, please post a link in the comments!

h) Which films would you recommend for us who need to see what steampunk is like before we could read a steampunk romance/novel?

I’m saving this until tomorrow/Friday, because it will be another long answer (and Maili sent me some awesome links to videos, too, and I want to include those.)

g) Will your ‘Iron Seas’ map ever see the daylight?

Okay, well. I didn’t scan them in, because the more I thought about it, the more I realized that a lot of what is on those maps will either be spoilerish/will be more fun to develop in the books themselves. It’s not that I’m trying to be secretive, it’s just that I want to save some stuff to be revealed in the books, and the maps totally give it away.

But I totally understand that readers want a general history and a way to better visualize the world, and so instead of scanning it in, I spent time last night on a map in Photoshop, and on sketching out a general history on a page. It’s crude, the boundaries are not exact, it’s vague in some areas, it’s definitely a work-in-progress — but I hope it helps visualize the world a little better.

So, here’s a rudimentary Iron Seas guide. Please feel free to ask questions about it in the comments here.

Also, er — the fact that Ireland is orange doesn’t signify anything. I just wanted to make it clear that its fate was not linked to England/Wales/Scotland’s, and chose a contrasting color, and only later did I realize that it could be taken as a statement re: religion.

As before, I’m answering questions that were posed in my “Any Questions?” post. The following are from Maili — and I’ve broken this up into two parts and put them out of order because a) she had a lot of questions b) my answers are long, and c) I still haven’t gotten to a scanner and made pictures of my maps.

This first one is out of order because I’m going to refer to this answer when I answer the others:

Did you explain the ‘punk’ part? I think that’s the core of all -punk genres. Cyberpunk = futuristic technology versus big brother, for instance.

To me, the ‘punk’ part is critical to steampunk, and includes some form of social/cultural criticism or commentary, and a challenge to the status quo. I think the criticism can vary from overt to subtle, and the issues taken up can also vary, but it should be there in any ‘punk’ genre.

Here’s the thing about steampunk, too — it’s set in historical times, and so there often is (simply by nature of writing from a twenty-first century perspective) some kind of criticism of historical social/class/gender/sexual/racial attitudes. It’s very, very difficult to write about something like child labor or social inequality without including some criticism of it. It’s easy. And, IMO, that sort of criticism/challenge to the status quo (while fine) is not the kind of “punk” that steampunk is about. Poking at those issues is like shooting monkeys in a barrel. “Slavery is bad. So is gender inequality.” No shit, really?

Whatever issue/challenge it is obviously will be part of the novel and the characters’ world, but the manner of the challenge/criticism and the resolution (if there is one) should reflect a more contemporary discussion — contemporary to the author and the readers. But I think that’s true of most science fiction: whatever is being explored or examined has much more to do with current events than it does with whatever time the novel is set in.

a) Why aren’t many other mainstream Steampunk books more racially diverse and LGBT-friendly like your The Iron Seas series?

Ha! Maili knows I can’t answer for other authors. In fact, I can’t even say much about many other mainstream steampunk books because I’m not reading them right now. So honestly, I don’t know. I can guess a few reasons, based upon anecdotal evidence and a general familiarity with comments around the blogosphere.

One reason is that writers might be afraid — afraid of screwing everything up and afraid of reader reaction if they do. I absolutely know this fear. I hate knowing that I’m going to offend people, because I am trying to get stuff right, but I still know I am going to portray some things badly or suggest something that I don’t mean to. Hell, I have already. And my next book probably will, too. And my next book. But despite knowing that, I’ll keep trying to get it right — because I don’t know about you, but I look around me and I see a lot of people who aren’t white and aren’t straight, and I’m writing a science fiction world that can be anything I want it to be, and I love science fiction that actually reflects the contemporary world, so I’m including it.

I’m censoring myself with my comments about the fear of sales/marketing fails, because frankly, I think it’s a chicken-egg problem.

But I also think this is a genre-wide problem, not just an issue in steampunk. I don’t know what to say. I can’t speak for other authors, only myself, and I can relate one little story from my recent signing in San Diego, where I was speaking with a reader and she thanked me for having Mina as a heroine. Thanked me. On one hand, I am so, so glad that Mina was a character that she loved, and that I didn’t screw that up for her; on the other hand, I’m horrified that including an Asian heroine is so rare in romance that I was thanked for it.

I think, in general, romances as a whole are doing better (and in general, that romance epubs are doing better than mainstream publishers, but I also don’t know if that is an issue of who is submitting where, or if it’s all about marketing, or something else, or a combination of everything). We’re not even close to reflecting contemporary reality yet, but I think that more authors are trying to. So, there’s that. It’s not much, but I keep hoping this trend continues, until it’s not a trend anymore, until it’s not even remarkable anymore.

Because you know what I want more than anything in the world? That by the time my daughter grows up and begins reading romances, she never EVER has to thank any author for including a character whose race is the same as hers.

b) Does it have to take place in Britain and the US only? Does it have to be 19th century, too?

I answered this in the other Q&A but I’ll say it again, because it needs to be said again and again and again, because I keep seeing the opposite being said otherwise in other places: No, it doesn’t have to be Victorian. It doesn’t have to be set in Britain or the U.S. It doesn’t have to be 19th century. It has to be steam. It has to be punk. The setting is up to the author.

c) Are H.G. Wells’s The Time Machine and Jules Verne’s novels like 20000 Leagues Under the Sea steampunk novels?

Nope. They are science fiction novels.

I know that they are often used as examples of steampunk — heck, I do it, too, because so many more people are familiar with Verne and Wells than with … well, any steampunk author that I can think of. I find myself continually saying, “It’s kind of like Verne or Wells.”

But they aren’t steampunk writers/their novels aren’t steampunk novels.

To me, the key difference is the direction of the writer’s gaze and speculation. Verne and Wells were looking forward into the future; steampunk authors are looking backward into history. Even though Verne, Wells, and steampunk authors are all using historical tech and imagining its future evolution, Verne and Wells were only bound by what they knew, not by future technological developments. Steampunk writers are informed by an entirely different technological history and are bound by that ‘steam’ threshold.

More tomorrow or Tuesday, depending on time.

With the release only a week and a half away, the Heart of Steel postcards are ready to go out. As you can see, I have quite a few international cards — if you’ve signed up for the postcard mailing list but never receive them, please let me know! I don’t know how long they usually take, but they should be arriving within a week or two. If you’re in the U.S., you should have them by the end of next week.

It’s too late for this mailing, but if you would like to receive a postcard reminder for each novel release, please sign up here. NOTE: This means that man-titty might show up in your mailbox! If you prefer to receive e-mail only reminders, I also have an e-mail newsletter that I only send out when I have a release and/or a significant amount of news or updates.

Steampunk Q&A – Brenda Hyde said:

I can’t remember where I saw this, but an editor of a smaller digital publishing company said they would love to see steampunk stories submitted that were NOT Victorian. My question is would it truly be Steampunk if it weren’t Victorian in some way?

No, it doesn’t have to be Victorian. I think this misconception is pretty common because most of the steampunk that we see is Victorian-ish (perhaps because when many of us think of advancing technology — especially steam technology — we think of the Industrial Revolution in England?) I’m not sure exactly why Victorian England is so often considered the only setting/era for steampunk, but it absolutely doesn’t have to be — and yes, it is still truly steampunk if it isn’t.

One blog that is a really fantastic resource for imagining steampunk that goes beyond Victorian England is the aptly named “Beyond Victoriana.” I highly recommend it to those looking to see what steampunk can look like beyond the popular Victorian version.

Also, I’ve been seeing SO many variations such as Cyberpunk, Dieselpunk etc. How do they figure into the Steampunk scene?

Actually, steampunk figures into the cyberpunk scene This is kind of what happened (overly simplified.)

“Steampunk” hasn’t always been known as steampunk — it wasn’t really called anything (that I know of.) It was just historical set science fiction/alternate histories. Then along comes cyberpunk (books like Neuromancer by William Gibson), and that term is bandied about science fiction reading communities.

The term steampunk is actually a reference to that — instead of cyber/futuristic books, they are historical books where the technology is all steam powered (or at least, it hasn’t crossed over into modern technology like internal combustion engines or computers.) In that way, it’s a bit of a joke. But, hey — it’s a catchy term and it does the job of indicating the type of science fiction it is. So it sticks, and now there’s a way of referring to these types of historical science fiction/alternate history tales.

From there, you can just do the same thing to refer to other types of alternate histories/historical science fiction. Clockpunk, like in Jay Lake’s Mainspring — the primary tech is going to be gears/clockworks. Dieselpunk — I always think of this as a rougher, dirtier version of retrofuturism, and typically with a setting that feels pre-WWII. I’ve also seen tongue-in-cheek references to a setting, like sandalpunk (steampunk set in Ancient Greece or Rome) or Icepunk (Kate Elliott’s Spiritwalker series, which is described on her site as “an Afro-Celtic post-Roman icepunk Regency fantasy adventure with airships, Phoenician spies, the intelligent descendents of troodons, and a dash of steampunk whose gas lamps can be easily doused by the touch of a powerful cold mage.”)

So they are like a quick-and-dirty (and fun) way to describe the tech or setting. They aren’t necessarily steampunk (although they can be a sub-category of steampunk), but the terms usually are in reference to some kind of alternate history, and whatever comes before the “punk” tries to give an indication of exactly what that history/tech is.

Patricia said: This isn’t really about the content.. but the language. I’m from Germany and while I always got straight As in English I had some serious problems when I started reading English novels. (I was 14 back then, though) I often shy away from historicals and wondered if the language is that much different from your Guardian novels’ language. – With some things it’s okay, because I can look them up, but others.. Well. *sigh*

I can’t speak on this about steampunk in general, only my own work. The Iron Seas books are written in a different mode than my Guardian books, which incorporates more contemporary/modern slang, usage, and so on. With the Iron Seas, however, I use a structure that sounds less modern (to my ears, anyway), and am diligent about making certain the words themselves are appropriate to the time period (the etymological dictionary is my best friend while writing them.)

But my voice is similar, I think. On the level of a sentence, you won’t find the complexity of, say, a Jane Austen novel. I deliberately try to make it as accessible as possible without making it *simple,* if that makes sense — and so I would *hope* that you would find it as easy to read as the Guardian books.

That said, it’s hard for me to judge. I use terms that might be familiar to many historical readers, yet that wouldn’t be to a non-native speaker who primarily uses contemporary English, and I wouldn’t realize that I’ve made it difficult in that way. Not that I don’t deliberately select every word and phrase, because I do — but because I wouldn’t know which ones would be familiar to you from your reading.

So I’d love to give you a real answer — Yes! they will be easy!, or No! They are difficult! — but it’s simply impossible for me to guess. I suspect that if you don’t have any trouble with the excerpts on the site (link), you probably wouldn’t have any trouble with the novels. There will likely be some confusion even while reading those excerpts (simply because there is a lot of worldbuilding going on, and many aspects of the world will be unfamiliar to you whether the language is clear or not, and I introduce terms like “nanoagents” that only have meaning in this world), but it will give you a good idea of whether my writing is significantly different.

I also wondered if the people in Steampunk novels are open-minded.. No, I mean.. If it’s a historical setting then you’d expect the people to be like they were back then, but it’s also fantasy and romance.. So.. Well, I guess most of my questions are about those differences. Not the setting, but how this changes the reading experience, the personalities (and I wanted to add something else but nothing comes to my mind so I’ll just say–) etc.

My answer here is Yes and No. I often describe steampunk as history written (or re-written) through 21st century goggles, and I think that modern sensibility often bleeds through so that the behaviors that are acceptable within the story are more explicitly written/viewed through that lens. I also think that the inclusion of those modern sensibilities don’t seem as anachronistic as they can in some historical novels, simply because of the nature of the steampunk genre (that fantasy aspect, if you will.) Those modern sensibilities still have to *fit* the world — just as the advanced technology does — but if written well, it’s not as jarring as it can be in a historical novel.

I don’t want to give the impression, however, that *everyone* in a steampunk novel is more open-minded, or that all people in history were close-minded. They aren’t. It all depends on the individual character. Some men in steampunk novels will think it’s perfectly fine to beat their wives; some real historical men or men in historical novels would be horrified by the idea, and it wouldn’t be anachronistic at all. On a wider scale, however, on a social and cultural scale — yes, I think it is easier to incorporate more modern ideas without seeming anachronistic.

A few days ago, I asked for questions re: steampunk so that I could make certain I covered/anticipated as much as possible during my RWA workshop in San Diego over the weekend (which was awesome, by the way — thank you so much to HelenKay Dimon and everyone in the chapter for making me feel so welcome!)

Anyway, I promised to answer the questions here, too — and I’ll be taking them one-by-one or in pairs. Here’s the first.

DawnD asked:

1) what is steampunk, broadly?

Very broadly, it is historical science fiction. More specifically, it’s historical science fiction where the primary ‘advanced’ technologies are powered by steam engines or clockworks, or utilizes historical scientific theories in some fashion (even if they have since been debunked).

2) how does steampunk romance differ?

From other romances? It depends on the writer, I think. My version of steampunk romance is adventure-oriented; others focus on mysteries, or are very light and funny, or are erotic and dark. I don’t know that the romance itself is different from what you’d find anywhere else; certainly the world influences the types of characters, but it’s still about people meeting, facing some sort of conflict, and falling in love.

3) what attracts you to writing for this genre?

Aside from the fact that it is really, really fun, I love that I can do anything with it. There are rules, of course — I can’t just change the Iron Seas history now — but I can come at it from a million different perspectives and go anywhere I want to in this world.

4) Your books remind me of Victorian crime novels – I think Ann Perry or even Sherlock Holmes. Is that a conscious decision on your part (or my own construct entirely)?

For personal reasons, I haven’t read Anne Perry, so I can’t speak to any resemblance there. I think that for THE IRON DUKE, some resemblance to Sherlock Holmes is inevitable, though — after all, I had a detective in a Victorian-ish setting, and she had a sidekick that could easily be likened to a Watson. It probably isn’t difficult to find a bit of Poe in there, either, simply because they are both rolling around in my head and informing my idea of historical detectives.

Is it deliberate? Not really. When I look back and search out similarities, I can find them…but I’ll be very curious to see whether you still see a resemblance after reading HEART OF STEEL, which moves away from that detective mode (or it does to me, at least).

For those of you who enjoyed following along with the creation of my steampunk trading cards, and for those who — like me — never get tired of the pretty, silvertales has posted a few more steampunk (but not Iron Seas) pieces to her journal here and here.

Tor.com is current in the middle of their steampunk fortnight. It includes short stories, blog posts regarding different aspects of the genre, reviews, and more.

Also, @janoda on Twitter pointed out that there are more steampunk romances listed here (Goodreads link), including some that I don’t have on the steampunk romance week roundup.

And did anyone else watch the “Sherlock” premiere, recently aired in the U.S. this past weekend? How fun was that? (“Too fun,” I say.)

Since Burning Up has released, I’ve received many requests from readers asking me to point them in the direction of more steampunk romance. After all, there’s plenty of steampunk (and for some great reviews and recommendations of non-romance, I urge you to visit The Book Smugglers’ blog and their posts tagged “steampunk” — there is a huge variety of books reviewed and recommended there) but not so much romance.

On Monday, I’ll begin featuring a series of guest posts from authors who have previous, current, and upcoming releases in the steampunk romance genre, so that we can learn a little more about their books and their steampunk worlds (if you want a peek, you can find many of them tagged “steampunk romance” at Amazon already).

Until then, here are a few that you can check out now.

Emma Holly’s THE DEMON’S DAUGHTER

I think this one is often overlooked as a steampunk romance — first, because it was marketed as a paranormal romance, and because later books in the series moved away from a Victorian setting, and they don’t have that same steampunk feel to them.

And, please excuse me while I get all nostalgic for a minute.

This book came out in November of 2004. At the time, I was writing Demon Angel, and had pushed my steampunk series far in the back of my head, but I was still looking for anything that might resemble it … because I so, so wanted any kind of steampunk romance. Then this showed up, and I was SO FREAKING HAPPY. It was so close to everything I’d wanted, and I’d hoped that it would open up the market to more steampunk romances like it.

But…we didn’t see that many. Sigh.

Other romance readers might recall something that came out earlier, but as far as I know (and I was looking, believe me) this was the first romance steampunk novel, not just a steampunk with romantic elements. Again, it is marketed as a paranormal, and the “demon” in the title suggests paranormal (there’s no mention of steampunk anywhere in the description) but it definitely has more of a science fiction/alternate history base to the worldbuilding. I highly recommend it. Emma Holly is an amazing writer in every genre, but if you’re looking for steampunk romance, this has plenty of both.

I think more readers are familiar with Dru Pagliassotti’s CLOCKWORK HEART. And, okay — this (like SOULLESS) is more “strong romantic thread” than “romance genre”, but, if you’re like me, as long as the romance is there, you’re a pretty happy camper.

A steampunkish romantic fantasy set in Ondinium, a city that beats to the ticking of a clockwork heart. Taya, a metal-winged courier, can travel freely across the city’s sectors and mingle indiscriminately among its castes. A daring mid-air rescue leads to involvement with two scions of an upperclass family and entanglement in a web of terrorism, loyalty, murder, and secrets.

I think this might be out of print, but shouldn’t be too hard to find at online stores — and let’s hope that Dru eventually finds a home for the sequel.

I’m not sure I really need to introduce SOULLESS — this book and its sequels are probably the reason why I get so many hits from readers searching Google for steampunk romance. But just in case you haven’t heard of the Parasol Protectorate series yet, they are witty, steampunky comedies of manners that follow the adventures of Alexia Tarabotti. (Carriger’s site is awesome, by the way. Very fun to poke around in.)

And earlier this year also saw the release of Katie Macalister’s STEAMED (which I think(?) is the first book out of New York* to be marketed explicitly as steampunk romance, rather than pushing it under the ‘paranormal’ umbrella), and which got an awesome starred review from Booklist:

*Starred Review* Captain Octavia Pye is surprised to find an unconscious, oddly-dressed man and an equally unusually clad woman aboard her airship. There’s evil afoot in her world, and Octavia wonders if these two are pirates or secret agents. After an explosion in his lab, Dr. Jack Fletcher is shocked to wake up beside his sister in a Victorian airship, complete with a no-nonsense captain and crew, all of whom are outfitted in late nineteenth-century fashion. Jack thinks he has gone back in time; instead he’s astounded to learn that it’s the same day as the explosion. Caught in a parallel universe where technology is still at the steam engine stage, Jack finds himself pulled between a longing for home and an increasingly stronger desire for the intrepid Octavia. MacAlister hits it out of the park with this highly entertaining steampunk fantasy. There’s danger, adventure, romance, and lots of humorous moments as Jack and Octavia discover that the laws of love always trump the laws of physics. –Shelley Mosley

I also can’t count the number of rave reviews I’ve heard for Ginn Hale’s WICKED GENTLEMEN. The description:

Belimai Sykes is many things: a Prodigal, the descendant of ancient demons, a creature of dark temptations and rare powers. He is also a man with a brutal past and a dangerous addiction. And Belimai Sykes is the only man Captain William Harper can turn to when faced with a series of grisly murders. But Mr. Sykes does not work for free and the price of Belimai’s company will cost Captain Harper far more than his reputation. From the ornate mansions of noblemen, where vivisection and sorcery are hidden beneath a veneer of gold, to the steaming slums of Hells Below, Captain Harper must fight for justice and for his life. His enemies are many and his only ally is a devil he knows too well.

So, that’s a few to get us started. Have you read any of these? Feel free to post away in the comments. We have a lot more coming up next week, so I hope that you’ll join us on Monday!

*A few e-publishers marketed romances as steampunk and actually used the term in the description a little earlier.

Bleeeeeergh. Okay, so the promised promo was delayed by a virus from hell that knocked me out for a couple of days. I’m slowly making my way through e-mails and interviews that I need to finish…most of which will end up on links here in the next few days, heh.

First of all, how awesome is this? The Book Binge is giving away seven copies of BURNING UP and seven of THE IRON DUKE.

I’m over at Odd Shots today, talking about genre combinations and giving away a copy of Ilona Andrews’s awesome BAYOU MOON and a copy of THE IRON DUKE.

The post was inspired by a few questions that Suzanne Johnson asked me as part of a spotlight on October science fiction releases at Tor.com; unsurprisingly, I over-answered and only a few lines made it into the post at Tor, but I think it’s a really fun question: What on earth possessed me to think that it was a good idea to blend two genres that are so different on the surface? The simple answer is over at Odd Shots, but I’ve pasted my long answer after the jump (which is after the links to reviews.)

Starting October 1st, Moira Rogers and Vivian Arend are hosting a Fall Frenzy, including tons of giveaways and book recommendations. They’ve got an amazing site set up — you just start clicking to enter.

Some early reviews for The Iron Duke:

Booklist:

Brook jumps ship from her Guardians urban fantasy novels (Demon Blood, 2010) to a steampunk series mixing the British Regency period with the Industrial Revolution gone mad. During the celebration of the Iron Duke’s defeat of the Horde in England, a body is dropped from an airship onto his London doorstep. Detective Inspector Lady Mina Wentworth is assigned the case to find out who the dead man was and who killed him. Intrigued upon meeting her, Rhys Trahaearn, now Duke of Anglesey known as the Iron Duke, invites himself along on her investigation. So begins an adventure reminiscent of an action-packed video game complete with mechanical oddities, from metal eyes and human limbs to a killer kraken plaguing the seas. Dirigibles, blacksmith shops, contraband bazaars, and clipper ships become the backgrounds for Rhys and Mina’s blossoming love affair. With adept writing and a flair for creating believable worlds, Brook’s first in the Iron Seas series showcases her masterful storytelling. — Pat Henshaw

Throuthehaze Reads:

There is a prequel to The Iron Duke in the anthology Burning Up which is called Here There be Monsters (my review is HERE). It was the first thing I have read by this author and from that story I knew that this series was going to be amazing. The Iron Duke was beyond awesome. It is a steampunk adventure with romance and a ton of action.

Parajunkee:

Hot damn! My jaw is still on the floor after reading this one. Excuse me while I pick it up and get my thoughts in order. I can only compare the world building in the IRON SEAS series to the greats, Tolkien, {yes him} Rowling, {her too} and King. It was phenomenal, smart, heart-stopping and rotund. The novel tracked from one end of this fictional world to another and had me imagining Krakens, Air Ships, giant coal burning ships and a world where even the humans are machines. I’m smitten with Brook’s Iron-Clad world and I can’t wait to go back.

Vampire Book Club:

If we were to merge the alpha overtones of Gone With the Wind, the swagger of Sherlock Holmes, the post-catastrophic world of Downside and a bunch of microscopic machines, we would get The Iron Duke. (And, yes, it really is that awesome.)

Lovin’ Me Some Romance (VampFanGirl):

Lighter than her Guardian Series, Brook’s Iron Seas is a series filled with swashbuckling adventure, rogue pirates, corrupt governments and at its center, a heated core of romance that propels the plot through the seas and the air.

And there are quite a few more reviews on The Iron Duke’s Goodreads page.

Awesome. I probably won’t post excerpts from reviews every time, because I feel like a self-congratulatory a$$shole and it makes me uncomfortable, but as someone who can barely string two words together to write a good review, I just want to express my thanks (as both reader and writer) to everyone who does. I know reviews serve other readers, not authors … but that doesn’t mean authors don’t appreciate the hell out of anyone willing to read their book, let alone talk about it.

And not specific to The Iron Duke, but this was fun: The Literary Sluts spotlight on my work (with the flashing boobies again!)

The Iron Duke is a RT Book Reviews Top Pick! Whee! My first solo Top Pick! From the review:

“…a high seas/airborne adventure that’s filled with zombies, pirates and deadly betrayal. Along with the pulse-pounding adventure, there’s plenty of seriously sensuous sizzle for readers to enjoy.”

Over the weekend, an Iron Seas/steampunk Q&A that I did with fellow Rose City resident and writer Christy Carlyle showed up on the Portland Examiner site. You can read more here.