Steampunk Writing

Facebook Live Chat With Jeff Mach About the Upcoming Steampunk World’s Fair and More!

/ Cindy Grigg / Leave a comment

Guess what? I’ll be Facebook Live-ing with the organizer of a huge steampunk convention: Jeff Mach, of Steampunk World’s Fair fame! He’s also a musician as well as an author, and probably many other things. I can’t wait!

Join us Tuesday January 16th at 11 a.m. Eastern Time.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1294540780652609/

Storypunks Social Guest Announcements Jeff Mach

I’ll be talking to Jeff about lots of steampunk goodness, especially since he blogs a ton on the subject at JeffMachEvents.com. I’m sure we’ll also talk about his forthcoming work The Steampunk Cookbook. How fun is that?!

Jeff Mach the-steampunk-cookbook-egregore

This should be a really interesting discussion, plus you can be part of it through the link above!

Also, this live event is part of a new audio and video show I’ve launched, so if you haven’t already, check out The Storypunks Podcast and subscribe!

Storypunks Podcast iTunes

By way of quick update, I am wrapping up my re-work of the first book in my Norse mythology meets steampunk series titled Piccadilly Valkyrie. It’s looking like this will be ready for beta reading in February or March 2018, so please sign up if this story sounds interesting to you (it’s pretty weird and wonderful, for the right reader!).

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And on that note, Jeff and I will be cosplaying for this Facebook Live Event!

I’m going as my main character–which is a bit scandalous because it makes plain that I’m pushing the edge of the steampunk envelope by setting this series in the Regency Era (there was steam technology then as well!).

So yes, there will be much to discuss!

Join us!!

My Panels at SL Comic Con FanX 2016: Gaining Writer Resilience, Writing Tough Topics for YA, and Going Beyond Steampunk Goggles

/ Cindy Grigg / 2 Comments

Cindy Grigg Profile Comic Con 2016

SL Comic Con FanX 2016 is upon us! Here’s what I’m promoting and where I’ll be.

First of all, this is my first time having a booth, so look for my boutique press Misch Masch Publishing in Artist’s Alley, with CrankLeft. Our address is Teal 3. Come say hi!

I’m promoting three books:

First, the Peacock Lavine and the Aetherian Fates of Nott series, about an immortal Valkyrie who lives among mortals in Regency London.

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“A Norse Steampunk and Urban Fantasy Rollick and Tussle Through an Alternative Regency Iceland, England, and the Afterlife”, Peacock Lavine and the Aetherian Fates of Nott includes notes of Jane Austen’s day but with airships, societal hermits, Luddites, and of course, Norse supernaturals.

And yes, it’s okay to go Regency rather than Victorian and still be steampunk because the Industrial Revolution began in the 18th century.

This has been incredibly fun to write, and it definitely covers a lot of ground, so it may need to be your next adventure novel.

Please note that you may want to preview this book before sharing it with your mature MG’s. It’s pretty tame but does reference violence (Valkyries are Shieldmaidens and this is during the time of the Napoleonic Wars, plus Ragnarok!), sex (that it happens, not a play by play), and garden variety swears. The protagonist is 18 years old, but she’s lived in a compound so she’s both figuring out who she is and where she fits in the larger world. For that reason, both MG and YA readers may relate.

BUY THE FRIST BOOK ON AMAZON

 

Here’s Contestant #2!

Psychopomps or “guides of souls” are those entities who escort the nearly or newly dead to an afterlife realm.Psychopomps Cover 20

A TEENAGE GIRL’S FIGHT TO SAVE HER NEWBORN BROTHER FROM THE PHANTOM OF DEATH WHO SEEKS TO STEAL HIS SOUL

Little Bundle of Death by BEN LANE HODSON  

A PIRATE’S REDEMPTION FROM INFERNUM TO AETERNUS WITH THE GUIDANCE OF A SEA REAPER MERMAID

The Sea of Ghosts by RAYCHEL ROSE

A CORPSE DUSTER’S INITIATIVE TO OUTPROGRAM DEATH

Mobile Dusters by E.W. FARNSWORTH

A BRITISH SOLIDER’S ESCAPE FROM LIMBO AFTER HIS VALKYRIE GUIDE GOES ROGUE

 The Resurrectionist’s Kiss by CINDY GRIGG

… AND MORE!

 

BUY THIS TITLE ON AMAZON

 

The third book is for writers, detailing how I speak my drafts rather than typing them, which has helped me be active by going on Writer Walkabouts, increase my daily word count, and more. A total lifestyle-changer, whether you write fiction or non-fiction!

I include a system of drills that are hopefully fun, as they incorporate works of classic literature.

Once you master this skill, you will feel like you’re working with eight arms and an octopod’s evil genius mind!!

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Note: This is a new cover for the print version. The eBook features a previous cover until early April. Same content either way.

BUY THIS TITLE ON AMAZON

 

Panels!

Not for the Faint of Heart: Being a Resilient Writer

Thursday March 24, 2016 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Writing is not for the faint of heart–but most artists are, regularly! How do we overcome the tricky interchange between storytelling and our inner forces that work against us, like worry, doubt, and fear? This team of panelists explores practical tricks and tools to help you use these forces to your advantage.

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Guests

Courtney Alameda
Shannen Camp
Cindy Grigg – Moderator
Craig Nybo
Scott Taylor
James R. Tuck

Friday March 25, 2016 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm

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Guests

Dave Butler Moderator
Steve Diamond
David Farland
Cindy Grigg
Aneeka Richins
Scott Taylor
Dan Willis

Saturday March 26, 2016 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm

150G

Guests

Cindy Grigg
Jennifer Jenkins Moderator
Michael Jensen
Kevin L. Nielsen
Ilima Todd
Julie Wright

 

Check out this main Panel Programming Page for more details, and have a wonderful week!

Action, Austen, Alice, and More: Salt Lake Comic Con 2015 Recap #SLCC15

/ Cindy Grigg / 2 Comments

SL Comic Con Cindy-Grigg-1030x832Writing is often wonderful but just as often, it’s a total slog, so I love the opportunity to step back and attend conferences or conventions.

This past weekend, participating in panels at Salt Lake Comic Con 2015 was a blast and I enjoyed meeting so many writers and readers. Here’s a recap!

First off, we broke a world record, no big deal…

Second, a bunch of you signed my email list for editing information but if you took a card instead, here is a form where you can please send me your email. We’ll be in touch soon.

My favorite panels to observe included one for Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans, one about voice acting, and another about a really inspiring project for children facing difficult challenges: True Heroes, featuring Shannon Hale, Brandon Mull, Ally Condie, Jennifer A. Nielsen, Adam Sidwell, and others, with photography by Jonathan Diaz.

True Heroes

As for the panels I participated on, here’s a quick run-down:

IMG_2820Writing Action – I loved being on this panel alongside amazing authors Aaron Lee Yeager, Eric James Stone, Larry Correia, Robert J. Defendi, Frank Morin, and Charles E. Gannon. I was able to share a few things I’ve learned from writing my character in Piccadilly Valkyrie, Kára, an immortal who confronts her complex relationship with violence and self-defense, and who trains to be a bare-knuckle boxer when exiled to live among mortals in early 19th century London.

IMG_2886Tea Time with Miss Austen – I loved meeting Shannon Hale,
author of Austenland, awesome podcasters Lola Binkerd and Emma Fyffe, and fellow authors Mette Ivie Harrison, Shallee McArthur, and E.B. Wheeler.  We explored why Austen is still relevant today and I believe our consensus was that if she was born in our day and age, she would be writing an awesome t.v. series with the likes of Tina Fey.


Psychopomps Pram Full Cover 20150 Years Down the Rabbit Hole (Through the Looking Glass / Lewis Carroll) – It was a pleasure meeting my fellow panelists Jessica Day George, Nathan Croft, Benjamin Tilton, and I particularly enjoyed sitting next to Frank Beddor, author of The Looking Glass Wars series, who inspired me with his awesome, intensive sourcebook on the topic. He is definitely an author who does his research! During this panel I was able to contribute a bit about Mischmasch, Carroll’s ‘self-published’ periodical among friends and family and the inspiration for the name of my boutique press Misch Masch Publishing. Check out our latest anthology, just in time for the Halloween season. Psychopomps: Shepherd of the Dead features several tales about those beings who may escort us into the next life.

Digital (e-Book) or Paperback

Finally, please consider joining my social media channels to the right, or at least browse through them so you can see the fun cosplay!