Nickie’s New Look!

It’s high time, really. Although the original cover wasn’t bad, it wasn’t as good as it could’ve been. Now, it’s even better that I ever thought.

Thanks to the magnificent work of J. R. Fleming, cover artist for Caught in the Cogs: An Eclectic Collection and Christine and Ethan Rose’s 4th “Rowan” book Power of the Zephyr, Nickie Nick has a new look.

Additionally, the embarrassing number of typos and mistakes from the first printing have also been corrected. Although we unlikely got all of them, we never do, we did get most that slipped through the editing process the first time around.

And FINALLY….the big announcement….for those of you who haven’t been able to enjoy The Zombies of Mesmer via Fiction Podcast because you, like me, just don’t really listen to podcasts, starting in a few weeks, I’ll be serializing The Zombies of Mesmer right here on this blog, Victorian Style, in preparation for the its sequel to be released this summer. Each week a new chapter or segment will go live in place of the podcast. So, as soon as the podcast ends, look for The Zombies of Mesmer serialized in print with a new segment each Friday, starting May 17th!

There has never been a better time to get acquainted with Nickie Nick!

Available in paperback, on Kindle, podcasted, and (shortly) serialized right here.

Skybourne Presents: Carnival Menagerie

The following is a guest post by Patricia Ash.

-_Q

The best thing about Steampunk Music is that there’s more than one sound to it. It ranges from ethereal and gothic to erudite rap, encompassing all that is tribal, rock, pop, and parody. It’s such a lively and varied scene that it needs a festival to celebrate it all!

And that is why the Skybourne Areodrome wishes to bring you Skybourne Presents! Carnival Menagerie. The Sky Commodore has gathered thirteen bands and has procured all sorts of clowns and circus performers. The Carnival Menagerie will feature Steam Powered Giraffe, The Marquis of Vaudeville, Unwoman, Darwin Prophet, Spoon Fed Tribe, and many many others. Not to mention magicians and DJs. This Steampunk extravaganza will occur in Dallas in September. The dates are set, but the venue is not. The Sky Commodore has launched a Kickstarter in order to raise some funds for a large venue. Here is the link to that: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/991732307/skybourne-presents-a-carnival-menagerie

This will be huge. If he obtains a good-sized venue, it will be more huge. Even though there are thirteen bands already making the pilgrimage, there are dozens more entertainers in the Steampunk scene. It would be lovely if they could put in appearances as well, but first they need a stage to perform on. Thus the Kickstarter.

In addition, the Sky Commodore has a big goopy soft spot for children. If the Kickstarter surpasses the goal, a portion of the funds will be donated to the charities The Water and Kids Need To Read. One gives life, the other gives life adventure. There will also be ways to donate to these charities at the Carnival Menagerie itself. It will be an amazing event that will help change the world for the better. It’s hard to get better than that.

-_Q

Patricia Ash is the Associate Editor of Gearhearts Steampunk Glamor Revue and the Captain of Marketing for Skybourne. When she’s not writing or emailing someone, she’s playing with yarn, petting kitties, or strolling around a Sci Fi convention. Follow her misadventures on Facebook or https://twitter.com/thejoyofpash. She also has a brand new feature on gearheartsmag.com – every other week, she reviews Steampunk books.

A Kiss in the Rain: Winner!!!

I’m so very thrilled to announce that my short story, “A Kiss in the Rain” won the Steampunk Chronicle’s Reader’s Choice Award! This is the second year in a row I’ve had the honor to win in that category. Last year was for “Dust on the Davenport,” as well as Avalon Revisited for best novel.

Also, the book in which I contributed an article on Polyamory, A Steampunk’s Guide to Sex, won the award for best nonfiction!

See all the winners here!

Additionally, I’ve just had a short story passed on to the next round for Penumbra! I’ve never gotten this far with that publication before, so I’m über excited. I won’t find out if it made the final cut for months. Regardless of the outcome, I’m so proud to have gotten this far.

If you’ve yet to read these, you can find them and many other stories for your enjoyment, some for purchase & some for free, on my published works page. Please explore the links in the right sidebar to find out more about me and my work.

Peace.

-_Q

The Zombies of Mesmer (Podcast) – Chapter 18 & 19

Follow Nicole Knickerbocker Hawthorn (Nickie Nick) as she discovers her destiny as The Protector, a powerful vampire hunter. Ashe, a dark and mysterious stranger, helps Nickie and her friends solve the mystery behind several bizarre disappearances. Suitable for teens, enjoyed by adults, the story is full of interesting steampunk gadgets, mad scientists, bloodthirsty vampires, and mesmerized zombies. This paranormal adventure is sure to appeal to fans of Boneshaker, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Vampire Diaries.

The Zombies of Mesmer is a Gothic Young Adult Paranormal Romance novel set in Victorian London.
Appropriate for teens.

The Zombies of Mesmer – Chapter 18 & 19.

Buy your copy of The Zombies of Mesmer via Amazon or Barnes & Noble in paperback, and it’s also available in digital format exclusively for the Kindle at Amazon.com (Kindle Select – Free for PRIME MEMBERS).

Also available: Author-Signed through the publisher.

-_Q

Fiction Podcast
Including short fiction and poetry, and The Zombies of Mesmer
Subscribe in a reader …. or in iTunes

Recovering from PTSD

Starting today, I’ve created a new category called “Trauma & Recovery.” So much of what I’ve written has been filed under “Romance & Relationships,” as that’s where the trauma occurred, but I’ll be going back and setting some of those posts under the new category as well.

Since I’m really unable to write much about romance and relationships these days, I hope to be writing more regularly about recovery from and understanding abuse, especially the kinds of abuse that aren’t overt, as they can be even more damaging psychologically for that very reason.

Still, my most popular post is “PTSD from Emotional Abuse.” Understandably so. We’re a culture immersed in so many types of abuse, PTSD is truly an epidemic, I’ve learned. Doctors and psychologists are now starting to figure out the connection from childhood abuse to later psychological and behavioral issues. They’re understanding the cumulative effect of prolonged abuse, causing chronic PTSD.

I’m still in recovery from the rapes last year, and I’ve learned how The Rapist’s (aka Austin Poly Rapist, The Auctioneer) calculated manipulation and covert abuses throughout our short-lived relationship acted as a culmination of the two most recent sexual assaults/coercive rapes from 2010 and 2011, by The Writer and The Musician, respectively. Through extensive therapy over the past year, I’ve learned how even those assaults were made possible by earlier trauma that I didn’t even consider abuse. Just like the assaults by those three men, I didn’t call them what they were for a very long time. Too long. “Made possible” because I had been socialized to not see the warning signs, not to see abuse as abuse, but rather a symptom of desire or love, putting me in the same room with a rapist. The fault and responsibility of those actions, however, lie solely with those who chose to rape and/or commit sexual assault. The shame lies with them, as well.

Steampunk Spotlight: Bellows of the Bone Box

Great new anthology of Steampunk Horror! Bellows of the Bone Box is the latest title from Sirens Call Publications, and it contains twelve (12) great short stories, including my very own erotic horror story “Love is for the Living.”

From the Amazon.com description:

The Steampunk and Horror genres are masterfully combined in the twelve stories contained within Bellows of the Bone Box. Each of the authors has transported you to an age where steam is the dominate means of power and has woven a tale that will fascinate, or possibly scandalize you. In this volume, you will find clockworks, pneumatic tubes, airships, and leather worn out of necessity – not vanity. Can an engine be powered by human blood; should it be? What about body modification; what happens when the mechanical meets the biological and goes awry? Does the heart rule the machine, or does the machine consume the humanity that once existed within it? What of airships, regeneration, or hallucination; is it safe to trifle with such things? Should technology that can rift time and dimensions be researched; and if that research proves fruitful, should it ever see the light of day? Packed full of intrigue, imagination, and horror, lovers of Steampunk will have a hard time deciding which of the twelve is their favorite!

Get your copy in paperback, on the Kindle (or for your Kindle app), or in various other eBook formats via Smashwords.

Avalon Reviewed

Great new review for Avalon Revisited by VampChix at the Bite Club.

Great opening that sets the scene for a world you could only imagine, with airships, bloodletting devices, vampire detectors, and brothels, Avalon Revisited is an erotic alternate history that includes one very spoiled vampire prowling the dance halls of England, preying on the fine ladies of society.

The devil is in the details which in this case made the pacing at the beginning a bit slower than I expected, but once the mystery of murder was brought in and Arthur applied himself to seducing Avalon you appreciated the time spent learning about each character. I would have preferred a less spoiled version of the depraved and cavalier Arthur because at the beginning he came across like the brother he despised, and that made it hard to like him, which I suspect was quite intentional on the author’s part, and his behavior was very true to men of that time period. Eventually Arthur grows on you (it doesn’t take long) and as a reader of paranormal romance I found his transformation in the name of love to be well done, indeed. From about midway on events move rather quickly with a few surprises added to the mix, and although one twist was picked up on rather quickly, I thought the ending was just what I wanted.

I’ll definitely add Avalon Revamped to my reading list!

Thanks VampChix!

I’d love to hear what you think of Avalon Revisited readers. Get your very own copy of this Amazon Gothic Romance bestseller in paperback, on Kindle, or in various other eBook formats via the publisher.