Networking, the fun way

"Steampunk: My Coal-Dusty Heaven" is a guest blog post I wrote for a very cool steampunk blogger I met on twitter, @suzannelazear.

I've had another blog ask to interview me, not because I'm the steampunkiest out there (I can dream!) but because of networking.

I've been retweeted by steampunk authors, artists, and musicians. I've virtually met a lot of movers/shakers and shapers of our wondrously steampunk world, all very cool people.

I've subscribed to steampunk news, blogs, and tweets. While my fondest hope is that Professor Raven's Curiosity Emporium blows up with adoring fans and eager customers, the exposure isn't what I really love about all this "networking".

What I really love about it is being on the front lines, fighting the good fight, and the occasional Zeppelin battle, to craft the genre the way we, the true steampunkers, want it.

Sure, it's popular now, and will be for a couple more years. But after the masses "trend" something else, we will still be part of this mechanized world, still dreaming of rivets, steam, and land-walking Cephalopoda.

Did I tell you this to brag? Or to scare you? Gawd, no...other than government-controlled mechs tearing up our carefully-crafted towns, what could possibly scare a steampunker? And how could my occasional retweet of Lord Likely (who's likelypedia is hysterical), or quote of Airship Ambassador's, possibly engender any awe? Really, I don't want my 15 minutes of fame; I just want to be an eccentric who's heavily involved in steampunk, craft what I love, and have my passion pay for itself.

No, I tell you all this to encourage you to "network" with like-minded steamers, to get to know each other. Most of us have day jobs, and require the odd assistance in the mundane world; having an ally to point you in the right direction sure could help a lot. Banding together into a cohesive worldwide union or resistance force ensures the steampunk world we love will never truly disappear, fall by the wayside, or be left in the dust of obscurity. Getting to know artisans and journeymen can teach you a lot! Attend a con, tweet your heart out, go out there with coat tails flying and goggles secure! I can't wait to meet you!

Meet Vespa Nyx

The Unnaturalists, coming to print soon, by author Tiffany Trent, sounds like a good read! Danger, intrigue, strange creatures, alternate timeline, steampunky goodness... . Is it August yet??

spine-tingling synopsis
In an alternate London where magical creatures are preserved in a museum, two teens find themselves caught in a web of intrigue, deception, and danger.Vespa Nyx wants nothing more than to spend the rest of her life cataloging Unnatural creatures in her father’s museum, but as she gets older, the requirement to become a lady and find a husband is looming large. Syrus Reed’s Tinker family has always served and revered the Unnaturals from afar, but when his family is captured to be refinery slaves, he finds that his fate may be bound up with Vespa’s—and with the Unnaturals.

As the danger grows, Vespa and Syrus find themselves in a tightening web of deception and intrigue. At stake may be the fate of New London—and the world.

Tiffany sounds like a fantastic writer, and now after reading that, I have to go find her books! (Plus preorder this one!) She also has a great blog!

Going a slightly different direction

I've spent the past couple of years on this blog just sort of drifting. Parenting, kids' needs, family life, product reviews... not really sure where I wanted to go, no specific destination or even route in mind. And how do you know you've arrived if you don't know where you're going?

Today, I was hit by Tesla! I've been fascinated by the steampunk world and genre for several years now. I'm not very active in the online steampunk community, only participate on one forum, and that's very sporadically. I work full time at a job that pays the bills but that I love. I spend my spare time creating steampunk goodies, playing with my kids, domestic drudgery, and now exercising. Doesn't leave a lot of time for online steampunk networking, but there ya have it.

Much like an author, I've had characters in my head for a while, the start of a story around them. Only recently have I been able to bring those characters to life, fleshing out their appearances and beginning to craft their back stories. So much I want to do!

So I bid a very fond farewell to the "I'm a mommy" blog, and now my charming, handsome, debonaire alter-ego Professor Raven will be taking over. Fair warning: he's rambunctious, elitist, and eclectic at times!