- your book's title
- your author name
- the book blurb
- buy links
One blurb per author, please.
I'm looking forward to reading some great blurbs this weekend!
Cate
Showing posts with label steampunk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label steampunk. Show all posts
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Steampunk BlurbFest!
This weekend, TBR is open for all authors of steampunk to share your book blurbs.
It's easy to participate. In the comments section, post:
- your book's title
- your author name
- the book blurb
- buy links
One blurb per author, please.
I'm looking forward to reading some great blurbs this weekend!
Cate
- your book's title
- your author name
- the book blurb
- buy links
One blurb per author, please.
I'm looking forward to reading some great blurbs this weekend!
Cate
Friday, February 24, 2012
TBR welcomes Pauline Baird Jones
TBR: Welcome to TBR, Pauline Baird Jones. Will you share a little bit about yourself?
Pauline: I began my writing career penning romantic suspense (fictional murder doesn’t get you strip searched!) but I had a secret longing to write ramp up the spills, chills and daring do.
Pauline: I began my writing career penning romantic suspense (fictional murder doesn’t get you strip searched!) but I had a secret longing to write ramp up the spills, chills and daring do.
By chance I wrote a science fiction romance, realized I’d been mixing fiction into my science since high school (oops, sorry science teachers!), and thought, why not go where I haven’t gone before? After that, it was easy to stir in some steampunk.
The Key was the first in my Project Enterprise series, which will conclude with #6, Kicking Ashe, which is releasing soon.
TBR: Tell us about STEAMROLLED and where it's available.
Pauline: Steamrolled is available at all the usual online book sites, including Amazon and B&N, and in all digital formats.
Pauline: Steamrolled is available at all the usual online book sites, including Amazon and B&N, and in all digital formats.
TBR: Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Pauline: With all of time at risk, it's a bad time to fall in love—unless it's the only time? Robert Clementyne is going on a transmogrification machine hunt. He fears finding the machine will be as difficult as pronouncing the name.
Pauline: With all of time at risk, it's a bad time to fall in love—unless it's the only time? Robert Clementyne is going on a transmogrification machine hunt. He fears finding the machine will be as difficult as pronouncing the name.
How can the steam-powered device perform as advertised, and how useful can any information be, coming from a steampunk themed bowling alley/museum? It's pretty crazy, but he's been there, done that, and thinks he can handle it. And then he meets the proprietor/curator—Emily Babcock.
Emily grew up in crazy, still lives in it—hey, it's her freaking zip code. So no worries when Robert and his team walk into her bowling alley. The first visitors ever to her museum.
But neither of them is prepared for what happens when they open the door to the past—and the future. With a side trip through Roswell—and a face-to-face meeting with an evil genius/wannabe—who is on his way to becoming evil overlord-of-everything?
TBR: Are you a plotter or pantser?
Pauline: I am not just a pantser, I am a leap-off-the-cliff-totally-blind-and-wing-it-into-the completely-unknown-er. Sometimes if feels like my head is going to explode, but it hasn’t. Yet. And so far it always works out. Except for my editor who fears her head will be the one that explodes.
Pauline: I am not just a pantser, I am a leap-off-the-cliff-totally-blind-and-wing-it-into-the completely-unknown-er. Sometimes if feels like my head is going to explode, but it hasn’t. Yet. And so far it always works out. Except for my editor who fears her head will be the one that explodes.
TBR: How do you develop your characters?
Pauline: My characters would totally dispute that I “develop” them. They believe they come visit, study me for a while, and eventually “let” me get to know them. Most of them leave quietly when the book is done, but I had a few stick around and demand their own story, which is how I came to write my Project Enterprise connected series.
Pauline: My characters would totally dispute that I “develop” them. They believe they come visit, study me for a while, and eventually “let” me get to know them. Most of them leave quietly when the book is done, but I had a few stick around and demand their own story, which is how I came to write my Project Enterprise connected series.
TBR: Do you have a favorite quote you’d like to share?
Pauline: "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." Groucho Marx
Pauline: "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." Groucho Marx
TBR: While creating your books, what was one of the most surprising things you learned?
Pauline: I did some Victorian research for my steampunk/science fiction mash-up, Tangled in Time and wow, the Victorians were a creative and inventive bunch. They invented steam engines, sewing machines, typewriters, the light bulb and the telephone, to name just a few of the normal stuff. The weird stuff was really, really weird. Like totally weird. Some of it creepy weird.
Pauline: I did some Victorian research for my steampunk/science fiction mash-up, Tangled in Time and wow, the Victorians were a creative and inventive bunch. They invented steam engines, sewing machines, typewriters, the light bulb and the telephone, to name just a few of the normal stuff. The weird stuff was really, really weird. Like totally weird. Some of it creepy weird.
TBR: Tease us with one little thing about your fictional world that makes it different from others.
Pauline: My characters have an…interesting relationship with time. Ashe, who shows up in Steamrolled and stars in Kicking Ashe, can “see” time in a way others can’t and can tell when its wrong. (This would be the part that almost made my head explode.)
Pauline: My characters have an…interesting relationship with time. Ashe, who shows up in Steamrolled and stars in Kicking Ashe, can “see” time in a way others can’t and can tell when its wrong. (This would be the part that almost made my head explode.)
TBR: What's next for you?
Pauline: I just turned in Kicking Ashe, so a little between books, though the brain is already percolating on a straight (is there such a thing?) steampunk romance with lots of adventure, buckets of action, and of course, what I hope will be sigh worthy romance.
Pauline: I just turned in Kicking Ashe, so a little between books, though the brain is already percolating on a straight (is there such a thing?) steampunk romance with lots of adventure, buckets of action, and of course, what I hope will be sigh worthy romance.
TBR: Any other published works?
Pauline: I will release my twelfth novel soon, so that would be a hearty yes. My most recent books are science fiction romance, though I used to write romantic suspense back in the day. My most recent books are: The Key, Girl Gone Nova, Tangled in Time, a connected short story called “Steam Time” in the Dreamspell Steampunk Vol 1, and Kicking Ashe, releasing 3/12/2012. Complete information about my books and my backlist are available on my website at www.paulinebjones.com
Pauline: I will release my twelfth novel soon, so that would be a hearty yes. My most recent books are science fiction romance, though I used to write romantic suspense back in the day. My most recent books are: The Key, Girl Gone Nova, Tangled in Time, a connected short story called “Steam Time” in the Dreamspell Steampunk Vol 1, and Kicking Ashe, releasing 3/12/2012. Complete information about my books and my backlist are available on my website at www.paulinebjones.com
TBR: What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your books?
Pauline: From a reader on Amazon about Steamrolled: “This book is really quite amazing to me. The synoptic blurb is entirely accurate but only begins to touch the lovely mix of weird and romantic with reasonably credible soft SF.”
Pauline: From a reader on Amazon about Steamrolled: “This book is really quite amazing to me. The synoptic blurb is entirely accurate but only begins to touch the lovely mix of weird and romantic with reasonably credible soft SF.”
TBR: Where can readers find you on the web?
Pauline: I can be found in all the usual social networking places (links on my website) as Pauline Baird Jones and at www.paulinebjones.com
Pauline: I can be found in all the usual social networking places (links on my website) as Pauline Baird Jones and at www.paulinebjones.com
TBR: Thanks for visiting TBR, Pauline. All the best to you.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
TBR welcomes Brooke Johnson
TBR: TBR is happy to present Brooke Johnson. Will you share a little bit about yourself, Brooke?
Brooke: Well, I am a twenty-something writer from Northwest Arkansas, where I live with my husband and dog. I like wearing the color purple, listening to techno, and doing nerdy things like playing Dungeons & Dragons.
Brooke: Well, I am a twenty-something writer from Northwest Arkansas, where I live with my husband and dog. I like wearing the color purple, listening to techno, and doing nerdy things like playing Dungeons & Dragons.
TBR: Tell us about The Clockwork Giant and where it's available.
Brooke: The Clockwork Giant is a steampunk adventure tale, full of geeky science and a touch of romance. It’s available at most online retailers, most notably Amazon.
Brooke: The Clockwork Giant is a steampunk adventure tale, full of geeky science and a touch of romance. It’s available at most online retailers, most notably Amazon.
TBR: Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Brooke: It's 1881, the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of Chroniker City, the global hub of technological advancement in the modern world. Based off the British coast, the city is home to the most prestigious polytechnic university worldwide, a center of mechanical ingenuity teaching everything from clockwork mechanics and thermodynamics to electromagnetism and electricity.
Petra Wade, self-taught clockwork engineer, dreams of one day becoming a member of the Guild, an elite group of inventors and innovators who envision a future fueled by technology, but her ambitions will only come to fruition if she can find a way into the illustrious university—an institution reserved for men only. When she meets Emmerich Goss, an accomplished engineer newly recruited into the Guild, Petra discovers that he needs help building a top-secret, government-sanctioned automaton, and she is just the girl to help him.
Together, they craft the clockwork giant, and as the deadline for its completion nears, Petra finds that she can love more than gears and mainsprings.
Brooke: It's 1881, the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of Chroniker City, the global hub of technological advancement in the modern world. Based off the British coast, the city is home to the most prestigious polytechnic university worldwide, a center of mechanical ingenuity teaching everything from clockwork mechanics and thermodynamics to electromagnetism and electricity.
Petra Wade, self-taught clockwork engineer, dreams of one day becoming a member of the Guild, an elite group of inventors and innovators who envision a future fueled by technology, but her ambitions will only come to fruition if she can find a way into the illustrious university—an institution reserved for men only. When she meets Emmerich Goss, an accomplished engineer newly recruited into the Guild, Petra discovers that he needs help building a top-secret, government-sanctioned automaton, and she is just the girl to help him.
Together, they craft the clockwork giant, and as the deadline for its completion nears, Petra finds that she can love more than gears and mainsprings.
TBR: What inspired you to write about the theme?
Brooke: I wanted to tell a story about a girl who despite her current situation isn’t afraid to follow her dreams, even if she has to fight the entire way. It’s something I’ve always believed in. If you’re determined enough, you can achieve anything, no matter what life throws at you.
Brooke: I wanted to tell a story about a girl who despite her current situation isn’t afraid to follow her dreams, even if she has to fight the entire way. It’s something I’ve always believed in. If you’re determined enough, you can achieve anything, no matter what life throws at you.
TBR: How do you develop your characters?
Brooke: I try to make my characters as realistic as possible, giving them dreams, flaws, past relationships, etc. But the most important thing about a character is what they want, why they want it, and how far they’ll go to get it. You can learn a lot about a character based on their dreams and how they react to obstacles, more so than their current occupation or eye color.
Brooke: I try to make my characters as realistic as possible, giving them dreams, flaws, past relationships, etc. But the most important thing about a character is what they want, why they want it, and how far they’ll go to get it. You can learn a lot about a character based on their dreams and how they react to obstacles, more so than their current occupation or eye color.
TBR: Did any music inspire your book? Do you have a playlist?
Brooke: I didn’t really create a playlist, but I did have a long list of albums I’d listen to while writing, including the TRON: Legacy, Atonement, The Painted Veil, The King’s Speech, Finding Neverland, Spirited Away, Steamboy, Howl’s Moving Castle, and House of Flying Daggers soundtracks. I also listened to a lot of Daft Punk.
Brooke: I didn’t really create a playlist, but I did have a long list of albums I’d listen to while writing, including the TRON: Legacy, Atonement, The Painted Veil, The King’s Speech, Finding Neverland, Spirited Away, Steamboy, Howl’s Moving Castle, and House of Flying Daggers soundtracks. I also listened to a lot of Daft Punk.
TBR: Which of your characters would you most/least like to invite to dinner, and why?
Brooke: Almost everyone who has read the book can agree that the last person from Chroniker City they’d want to see at their dinner table is Tolly. He’s crude, selfish, and a sorry friend. That dinner party would not go well, and it would probably end up with Tolly badly injured.
Brooke: Almost everyone who has read the book can agree that the last person from Chroniker City they’d want to see at their dinner table is Tolly. He’s crude, selfish, and a sorry friend. That dinner party would not go well, and it would probably end up with Tolly badly injured.
TBR: Tease us with one little thing about your fictional world that makes it different from others.
Brooke: I think the biggest thing that sets it apart from other steampunk books is the fact that there are absolutely no paranormal elements in Chroniker City. No vampires. No werewolves. No zombies. No magic at all. I wanted to create a world that celebrated science and the ingenuity of its people—in this case, the Victorians—and I think I accomplished that. Chroniker City is a testament to scientific progress and innovative vision, cultivating the talents of anyone who dares to dream big. There, anything is possible.
Brooke: I think the biggest thing that sets it apart from other steampunk books is the fact that there are absolutely no paranormal elements in Chroniker City. No vampires. No werewolves. No zombies. No magic at all. I wanted to create a world that celebrated science and the ingenuity of its people—in this case, the Victorians—and I think I accomplished that. Chroniker City is a testament to scientific progress and innovative vision, cultivating the talents of anyone who dares to dream big. There, anything is possible.
TBR: What's next for you?
Brooke: Now that the post-release jitters have gone, I’ve started the sequel to The Clockwork Giant, currently untitled. Petra’s story will continue through this book and probably a third. But after that? I plan on doing something different. Maybe a Norse epic, or a space opera, or may a handful of standalone novels. I have a good two dozen book ideas, so rest assured, there will be something after Petra’s story is over.
Brooke: Now that the post-release jitters have gone, I’ve started the sequel to The Clockwork Giant, currently untitled. Petra’s story will continue through this book and probably a third. But after that? I plan on doing something different. Maybe a Norse epic, or a space opera, or may a handful of standalone novels. I have a good two dozen book ideas, so rest assured, there will be something after Petra’s story is over.
TBR: What’s the most challenging aspect of writing? Most rewarding?
Brooke: I find the whole experience challenging. The moment I realize that I’m no longer challenging myself with each book, that will be the moment I’ll be most disappointed in myself. Writers should always challenge themselves. It forces them to be more creative, takes them to places they could never imagine, and it creates books that are passionate, daring, and awesome. The most rewarding thing about writing is finishing something that you never thought you could do. When I got the idea for The Clockwork Giant, I didn’t think I could write it. I knew it would be far more difficult than anything else I had written, and I was afraid of it. But I wrote it anyway. It’s the best thing I’ve ever written, the most challenging thing I’ve ever written, and I hope I can continue to say that with each book I write.
Brooke: I find the whole experience challenging. The moment I realize that I’m no longer challenging myself with each book, that will be the moment I’ll be most disappointed in myself. Writers should always challenge themselves. It forces them to be more creative, takes them to places they could never imagine, and it creates books that are passionate, daring, and awesome. The most rewarding thing about writing is finishing something that you never thought you could do. When I got the idea for The Clockwork Giant, I didn’t think I could write it. I knew it would be far more difficult than anything else I had written, and I was afraid of it. But I wrote it anyway. It’s the best thing I’ve ever written, the most challenging thing I’ve ever written, and I hope I can continue to say that with each book I write.
TBR: Who are some of your favorite authors and books? What are you reading now?
Brooke: I love anything written by Diana Wynne Jones. She is a storytelling goddess. My favorite book of hers is Howl’s Moving Castle. I also love The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien, as well as the Green Rider series by Kristen Britain, the Leviathan trilogy by Scott Westerfeld, and the Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare. Right now, I’m reading the How to Train Your Dragon series by Cressida Cowell, and I have several other books lined up, including Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series, Across the Universe by Beth Revis, and The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry. You can of course see everything I’m reading on Goodreads (link below).
Brooke: I love anything written by Diana Wynne Jones. She is a storytelling goddess. My favorite book of hers is Howl’s Moving Castle. I also love The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien, as well as the Green Rider series by Kristen Britain, the Leviathan trilogy by Scott Westerfeld, and the Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare. Right now, I’m reading the How to Train Your Dragon series by Cressida Cowell, and I have several other books lined up, including Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series, Across the Universe by Beth Revis, and The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry. You can of course see everything I’m reading on Goodreads (link below).
TBR: Where can readers find you on the web?
Brooke: My website: http://brooke-johnson.com
Brooke: My website: http://brooke-johnson.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/brookenomicon
Google+: http://gplus.to/brookej
TBR: Readers, Brooke is giving away a copy of The Clockwork Giant, either ebook or paperback (winner’s choice). She'll pick a winner from among the commenters on January 25 and announce the winner here.
Thanks for visiting TBR, Brooke. Best of luck to you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)