Gail Carriger

Well, Gentle Reader, I am on vacation for the next week or so. I hope all remains well with the interwebs until then! So I shall leave you with some of my favorite things . . .

Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Mackage, my new favorite coats.



Your Tisane of Smart:
Amazingly beautiful Urban Forest
Your Writerly Tinctures:
Steampunk article in Time Magazine by Lev Grossman.

CAKE in Space: Back from agent, but now I don't have time for it.
And the lovely Mur has this to say on Tor.com. (Look at me, always fraternizing with Tor.) "However, I can say without reservation that Gail Carriger’s Soulless is an absolute delight to read." (I did an interview with her which will post at some point in the not too distant future.)
SPOILER ALERT! Amazon has posted Changeless cover along with blurb. Blurb gives bits of Soulless away so don't read if you haven't read the first book!
Blameless: Finished edits, back with betas.

Quote of the Day:
"Instead of fading away, steampunk has gotten increasingly intense and relevant, and right now it seems to be rising to the surface."
~ Lev Grossman

Today's blog, Gentle Reader, is a bit of a housekeeping jaunt.

I neglected to put up pictures from my reading out in West Marin from about two months ago. So here are a few from that event. Thanks to all who came and all who asked questions and took pictures.

Also I have uploaded the character dossier that I created for the designer of the Soulless Paper Doll app, to my webpage.
If you are particularly interested in the outfits and backgrounds depicted in Soulless, you can see some of my inspiration in this pdf. It's pretty large, so it may take a little while to download. You can find it in the PEOPLE, PLACES, & PLOT section of my Alexia's London page.



Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Steampunk cameos.

Your Tisane of Smart:
Bookcase meet staircase

Your Writerly Tinctures:
Author generates buzz by having readers vote for which way story goes - PD Martin at Writer Unboxed

CAKE in Space: Back from agent, but now I don't have time for it.
Librarian weighs in, "Soulless is utterly charming. I am charmed."
SPOILER ALERT! Amazon has posted Changeless cover along with blurb. Blurb gives bits of Soulless away so don't read if you haven't read the first book!
Blameless: Finished round 2 of edits, new scene written, off to betas soon I hope.

Quote of the Day:
Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says, "Dam!"
~ Tehs Interwebs

Supper for Today, 1876, in a London Townhouse

• Mock Turtle Soup ~ made from calf's head boiled in veal broth, friend shallots, Madeira wine, tarragon, chives, parsley, basil, cayenne pepper, mushroom ketchup, and lemon juice. Served with forcemeat-balls (meatballs made of the calf brain and deep fried) and small eggs.
• Roasted Calf Heart ~ stuffed with veal, basted with butter, served with brown gravy.
• Orange Pudding ~ made with butter, sugar, egg, and candied orange.

Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Steampunk laptop skin from Weta. Thank you Greg.

Your Tisane of Smart:
Old fashioned recipes on NPR's food podcast includes mincemeat pie (and answers the great question: does mincemeat include meat?) and the wonderfully named Nesselrode Pudding. (Which may have to make an appearance in a future Alexia story on silly-name factor alone.)
Your Writerly Tinctures:
All about pen names from an agent's point of view.

CAKE in Space: Back from agent, but now I don't have time for it.
The Lovely MK Hobson whom I met at World Fantasy has some things to say in her indomitable way. "Having gotten a copy of it from the Borderlands table, I had to then hide it away in my suitcase to keep myself from playing hooky from the con I’d traveled hundreds of miles to attend."
SPOILER ALERT! Amazon has posted Changeless cover along with blurb. Blurb gives bits of Soulless away so don't read if you haven't read the first book!
Blameless: Back from editor with edits still to do.

Quote of the Day:
"A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal."
~ Oscar Wilde

Today's regularly scheduled entry is under lock and key, so to speak, so here is just the daily dose.



Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Mary Poppins goes Steampunk

Your Tisane of Smart:
Maya Murals Give Rare View of Everyday Life. This is a very exciting find for those of us interested in everyday lives of the past. Unlike Egypt, this information is very hard to come by in this part of the world.
Your Writerly Tinctures:
Jim Hines on "Why My Books are Not My Babies."

CAKE in Space: Back from agent, but now I don't have time for it.
Sugar Skull is surprised. "It took me only a few pages to get acclimated to the cadence of the author's voice, and how she balanced the action, Victorian etiquette, and that delightful humor embedded in the fabric of the story."
SPOILER ALERT! Amazon has posted Changeless cover along with blurb. Blurb gives bits of Soulless away so don't read if you haven't read the first book!
Also, PW for November 16, 2009 has a cover shot of Changeless and mentions my series in conjunction with the steampunk trend on pg. 20. "Steampunk titles are on the rise, especially given the buzz surrounding debut author Gail Carriger's recent fantasy, Soulless (Orbit, Oct.), billed as a "novel of werewolves, vampires, and parasols," which has tapped into a happy crossover audience of paranormal romance readers. Adn the publisher's Parasol Protectorate series continues in April with Changeless."
Blameless: Back from editor with edits still to do.

Quote of the Day:
"The Twilight movie number 2, New Moon the series continues its redefinition of vampires. Instead of horrible monsters of the undead they are unemployed Abercrombie & Fitch catalog models who sparkle. They sparkle in the sunlight. And instead of human blood I believe they drink redbull and vodka. In this new movie (the sequel) the vampires are opposed by some monsters from a rival modeling agency. It ends when all the creatures of the night realize what they've been repressing and they move in together in a loft in Chelsea."
~ Wait Wait Don't Tell Me

Courtesy of donnaricci
Now don't get all mad at me, you know I prefer my vampires gay!

All sorts of excitement afoot, Gentle Reader. My cover designer informed me over the weekend that Soulless won a NY Book Show best of 2009 cover award, as did Nichole Peeler. Go Orbit, go, rah rah rah! I so happy for Lauren, she is amazing.

You can read all about how my cover came into existence (from my point of view) in this blog entry. The post for Orbit where Lauren talks about the Soulless cover launch is no longer available but here is my original response, and here she discusses Changeless. (Because I'm now paranoid I'm going to ghost this entry on my blog for posterity.)

Speaking of Changeless, here's a shot of the Orbit catalog layout for this second book in my series.

I haven't seen the final ARC yet, and I think we are going with a Lev Grosseman cover quote, but there it is.

I got my copy of said Orbit Spring/Summer catalog and in addition to a lovely spread, it looks like they've bumped the release of Blameless up a few months to September of 2010. Which means you'll get both books next year: Changeless in March and Blameless only a few short months later. Fun fun. You're excited, right? I know I am.

Lastly I have an extensive interview wherein I answer some reader questions over on RomCon. There's a pretty fun little discussion going there. Here's a sample . . .
Oo, this is fun. Michele ~ The umbrella/parasol on the cover of the first book is all artifice (so far as content is concerned), however, it did inspire a kind of steampunk 007 parasol in future books.



Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Victoria's Secret Goes All Steampunk courtesy of donnaricci

Your Tisane of Smart:
Evidence Alexander the Great Wasn't First at Alexandria
Your Writerly Tinctures:
BBC Woman's Hour recent segment on what's so alluring about vampires.

CAKE in Space: Back from agent, but now I don't have time for it.
An appropriately silly review won Amazon. "Begin with one generous portion of rigorous byzantine Victorian social mores. Whisk in a refreshingly unique heroine. Carefully add one irascible Scottish werewolf. Pepper with flamboyant undead, mad science and a hell of a mystery. Garnish with parasol. Serve at tea time."
SPOILER ALERT! Amazon has posted Changeless cover along with blurb. Blurb gives bits of Soulless away so don't read if you haven't read the first book!
Blameless: Back from editor with edits still to do.

Quote of the Day:
"I've been attacked by Rush Limbaugh on the air, an experience somewhat akin to being gummed by a newt."
~ Molly Ivins

I've been voted Best Dressed in the First Novels Club's first blogger superlatives.

I have a guest blog up at Tee Morris's site all about the sexiness of steampunk. Please excuse the typos, I was late, it was tired. Or something.

Obviously, first and foremost, one word: corsets. There are a number of fine corsets (on the outside and underneath, worn by men and women) bumming about the steampunk scene. But as scrumptious as they are, there’s also . . .



Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:

Your Tisane of Smart:
Remains of Minoan-style painting discovered during excavations of Canaanite palace (Assaf is an old prof of mine, how cool is that?)
Your Writerly Tinctures:
Lauren talks about author branding.


CAKE in Space: Back from agent, but now I don't have time for it.
Speaking of sexy, Lord Akeldama makes a brief, though of course colorful, appearance on the Out of the Coffin Podcast #51.
SPOILER ALERT! Amazon has posted Changeless cover along with blurb. Blurb gives bits of Soulless away so don't read if you haven't read the first book!
Blameless: Back from editor with edits to do.

Quote of the Day:
"What is not good for the hive is not good for the bee."
~ Marcus Aurelius

Supper for Today, 1876, in a London Townhouse

• Chicken soup ~ with vermicelli, bacon, and soaked bread
• Devonshire squab pie ~ made of pippins, mutton steaks, and onion
• Corner dish ~ of pickled beatroot
• Lemon Turnovers ~ made with lemon rind, sugar, and milk

Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Via my dear friend Bob.

Your Tisane of Smart:
Short film about the UK steampunk exhibition.

Your Writerly Tinctures:
The power of giving books away.

CAKE in Space: Back from agent, but now I don't have time for it.
It's official I've been pirated and also here.
SPOILER ALERT! Amazon has posted Changeless cover along with blurb. Blurb gives bits of Soulless away so don't read if you haven't read the first book!
Blameless: Handed in!

Quote of the Day:
"Each cup of tea represents an imaginary voyage."
~ Catherine Douzel

The last day of World Fantasy was rather a recovery period. I tried, unsuccessfully, to kidnap my editor but we ended up eating breakfast at the hotel and mostly staring at each other dumbly with hangovers. After that, I double-checked the suite to make sure it was nice and clean (or as clean as possible after that kind of party), changed, and attended the World Fantasy Awards Banquet on Ken Scholes's arm. The food was delicious, the company excellent, and the speeches, blessedly, short. Can't ask for a nicer way to end a weekend. Except that I returned home to find the car unpacked and my darling mum vacuuming the living room. Best mum evah!

One last thing, the boys have begun calling me the Princess of Steampunk, I accept this accolade with all the pink frilliness it deserves, and will attempt to come up with an appropriate steampunk costume homage to She-ra as a result. But, I demand a tiara!

Oh and here's my business card round up:

• Maryelizabeth Hart from Mysterious Galaxy (happens to be my friend Bob's favorite bookshop. I grilled her about not having Soulless up to buy, because I wanted to link to as many independents as possible. She said it was now, and it is!
• Cliff who dances a mean swing.
• Michael McLaughlin who draws some awesome art.
• ElizaBeth Gilligan who told me about the Joys or Research Yahoo Group, I'm intrigued.
• Snow Glass Books all the way from Australia, hopefully I'll get to see them next year at World Con in Melbourne.
• Rare book dealer Books Upstairs.
• Andrew Michael Schwartz, author whose webpage doesn't appear to be working.
• The Shortbread Fiancé himself, Myke Cole (who needs a better webpage).
• Peter V. Brett, horrible enabler of drunken editors and embarrassing youtubes.
• Brent Weeks, fellow Orbit author and big time trouble.
• And last but not least, John Kilma of Hugo award winning Electric Velocipede, whom I have heard interviewed on Adventures in SciFi Publishing liked Soulless invited me to submit a short story. I thought my short story days were over, but if I have something that suits his taste I may just venture. Or perhaps I'll write a little ditty special about Alessandro & Floote, or Lyall, or even Lord Akeldama. We shall see . . .

Now, just in case you don't trust my opinion here are some others blogging about World Fantasy:
Donwong Song ~ editor at Orbit
Devi Pillai ~ my editor at Orbit
Lucienne Diver ~ agent extraordinaire and author fabulouso
Fellow author and dear friend Blake Charlton has another author perspective.


Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Sunday World Fantasy Awards Outfit

Your Tisane of Smart:
Roman-era cemetery uncovered near Hebron
Your Writerly Tinctures:
How Does an Author Gain Trust of His/Her Work?

CAKE in Space: Back from agent, but now I don't have time for it.
Kind thoughts from Pure Imagination Blog. "Gail Carriger has created new series that will have everyone hooked."
SPOILER ALERT! Amazon has posted Changeless cover along with blurb. Blurb gives bits of Soulless away so don't read if you haven't read the first book!
Blameless: Handed in!

Quote of the Day:
"I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite."
~ G. K. Chesterton

The Great & Fateful Soulless Book Launch Party . . .

Massive party of doom! Spent the morning prepping deserts, heating savory puff pastry, last minute shopping, and picking flowers with my mamma. Marshaled the first wave of troops at 3 PM, packed car and headed over to hotel in caravan of three cars (for various logistical reasons), and commenced set up. Put team Cute Beams & Best Dressed Press on distribution lace froofroos and decorating, team Tunstell & Proxi Armenian Lover on booze, team Least Weasel on tea, team Mum on flowers, and team Professor Dufflesworth on general odd jobs. Around 6 PM the second wave arrived: Lor, Professor Lyall, Will, Katie, Chris, Kimmie, Ritchie, Nessa, Kitty, Britt, Ivy Hisselpenny, Captain Featherstonehaugh, & Melissa ~ and we had FOOD!

Food ~ Savory

• Fig & Onion Tart
• Mushroom & Caramelized Onion Bear Claws
• Roasted Red Pepper & Cheese Vine Squares
• Apples & Cheddar & Walnuts
• Petite Quiche Lorraine
• Petite Quiche Florentine
• Snodgrove's Delight Watercress Sandwiches
• Egg & Mayonnaise Sandwiches
• Cucumber Sandwiches
• Cheese & Chutney Sandwiches
• Cheddar Chive Scones with Spicy Pepper Jelly & Cream Cheese
• Pickled Onions
• Mum's Special Scotch Eggs & Chutney
• Mushrooms stuffed with Spinach & Cheese & Dill & Walnut
• Ricotta & Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Croissants
• Escargot Brioche

Food ~ Sweet

• Assorted Cookies
• Quisnel's Candied Orange Peal
• Iced Homemade Shortbread
• Carmel Bordeaux
• Lemon Bars
• Swiss Almond Crunch
• Chocolate Bordeaux
• Swedish Ginger Snaps
• Treacle Tart
• Lemon Mint Turkish Delight
• Vanilla Meringues
• Mincemeat Tarts
• Lemon Turkish Delight
• Macaroons
• Raspberry Mousse Chocolate Cups with Berry Clotted Cream
• Espresso Chip Squares with Coffee Mousse Layer Cake

Rach, Iz, Lor, Will, Katie, Kimmie, Nessa, Kitty & Melissa transformed themselves into my "staff" and worked their steampunk magic gliding about in Floote-like glory with tea and trays off food.

Chris took himself out into the Hallway to act as town crier. Britt began snapping photos. Phran became Locus Press in action.

Savi became the bionic bartending machine.


The four characters took on full measure of their personas, complete with flirting, chatting, accents, and meaty sandwich hidden in waiscoat pocket.

Everyone sang me "Happy Book Day" I warned them we'd get slammed around 10 PM. Door opened at 8 PM and . . . we were slammed. It was pretty much packed until around 10:30.

Some highlights:

• Jude offering to get me tape for my poster ~ Borderlands is like Floote, deadly useful.
• Tor editor Liz's steampunk outfit with its tiny gun that dropped down a little flag that said "STET."

• Phran's expression when she ate treacle tart for the first time. "Wow, this is deliciously disgusting!" "Now you know why it's funny in the book."
• Jack dragging me about to meet one important person after another, which was very reminiscent of BEA.

• Savi carding my editor. Editor's response: "Best party EVAH, I just got carded by an Armenian lover!"
• Brent Weeks and company torturing said editor with booze, pointed questions, and possible YouTube humiliation.

• Melissa receiving a marriage proposal over her amazing homemade shortbread, which earned said drunken coast guard the unenviable name of the "Shortbread Fiancé."

Yeah, it was a lovely party. There's a whole bunch more photos over on flickr. Here's Orbit's summation if you are hungry for more, and one of my fellow Orbit author's, the lovely Mr. Bennett also has some very nice things to say. (No, Austen fans, not that Mr. Bennett.)



Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Book Launch Party Outfit

Your Tisane of Smart:
Remains of 1,000 people recovered at medieval site
Your Writerly Tinctures:
A different POV on agent hunting

CAKE in Space: Back from agent, but now I don't have time for it.
Short a sweet from Reed Now Sleep later "What I can enjoy is this new stake-and-crumpets Victorian steampunk series: The Parasol Protectorate."
SPOILER ALERT! Amazon has posted Changeless cover along with blurb. Blurb gives bits of Soulless away so don't read if you haven't read the first book!
Blameless: Handed in!

Quote of the Day:
"Stupidity is no excuse of not thinking."
~ Stanislaw Jerzy Lec

And the Book Launch was without food and snacky-bits and hunger was upon the Author Beast.

So she spoke from on high (i.e. facebook) and qoth she:
Book Launch do I have, and food have I none, and time have I neither. But low, for am I rich in Foodie Friends, and we, we must strive to prove much to those Denizens of New York who descended upon us. (The authors would be happy with dry crackers so long as there is booze, but the agents and publishers . . .)

And so, in the fullness of time, the Foodie Friends did answer. And they did say unto the Author Beast:

For as thy book is likened unto thy progeny, we will look upon this as a baby shower and we will flock unto you. And we shall come, bringing with us such earthly delights as homemade shortbread, and savory scones, and caramelized onion & fig tartlets, and stuffed mushrooms, and tea sandwiches, and Scotch eggs, and cinnamon chocolate truffles, and candied citrus, and bacon wrapped water chestnuts. And yea, for they did say, we art even prepared to attempt that sacred, of sacred, that holiest of holies, the treacle tart.

And the Author Beast did reply unto the Foodie Friends: And It Shall Be Delicious.



Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:

Your Tisane of Smart:
On race and Steampunk.
Your Writerly Tinctures:
All about genre respectability, I find it interesting that they chose authors who are, within the SF/F genre, considered respectable (read: hard core with a literary bent).

CAKE in Space: Back from agent, but now I don't have time for it.
Couldn't resist quoting this whole section because it made me smile. "But now I must get to my favorite character, Lord Akeldama. He's a dandy to be sure, and a rogue vampire due to a mysterious disagreement over waistcoats, but he's so much more. He's a complex little spy who loves Alexia because she makes him feel human. But his spy network is really where it's at. His trusty Drones, led by Biffy. These dandy's are everywhere and hear everything, but at the same time are so stereotypical and a product of their time that they are a part of the scenery. They are perfectly calculated by Akeldama to be his eyes and ears lending him the appearance of omniscience. Also lets not forget they are great little helpers, in every sense of the word. Do to their cackling dandy herd mentality and the name of Drones and knowing that the author is a fan of P.G. Wodehouse, I can't help myself envisioning a whole different take on the Drones Club. This one would be more stylish, with lots more purple silk and more overt Wildean overtones. I would pay to read about that...really I would."
SPOILER ALERT! Amazon has posted Changeless cover along with blurb. Blurb gives bits of Soulless away so don't read if you haven't read the first book!
Blameless: Edits hand done now just taking forever to enter into computer.

Quote of the Day:
"Another novelty is the tea-party, an extraordinary meal in that, being offered to persons that have already dined well, it supposes neither appetite nor thirst, and has no object but distraction, no basis but delicate enjoyment."
~ Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, The Physiology of Taste

Before I tell you the story, Gentle Reader, one last reminder I'm running a contest to win much cool loot. It ends this Sunday. And now, on to The Call.

I'd written two and a half books in a YA fantasy trilogy and had been trying to sell the first for about six years. There'd been a little traction here and there, mostly from publishers (as opposed to agents), but hope was slim. I'd sold two small education fiction readers to the Australian market in the meantime, the second of which went south in such a way as to make me Very Very Wary of the publishing industry. And a small handful of shorts had found homes in varying markets with varying success.

Essentially, I was still waiting for that Call, but I hadn't any hope. So I gave myself six months to switch gears, write something completely different, and send it out. Told my friends I was breaking the rules, I was writing for the market as I saw it in two years multi-genre including steampunk, and if it worked I'd turn myself from artist to artisan. Soulless was the result. I sent it out as a stand alone in its fourth draft (usually nothing of mine sees the light of day until after draft ten at least) I figured it might as well work for me while I worked on it. I expected to wait. I expected to wait a long, long time.

An editor called me within two months (2!) and left a voicemail on my repulsive little cell phone. Two months Soulless had been floating the black hole before getting scooped out of slush, after ten years of waiting.

I was sitting in my favorite coffee house. They'd seen me through a lot – mostly caffeinated beverages, frustrated silences, and mountains of student essays. They are the kind of coffee house that boasts vegan cupcakes, uncomfortable chairs, and pierced baristas with sour expressions. They knew my name but they always said it as though they were doing me a favor. But after two years in Italy I don't care about attitude if the coffee is good, and by good I mean Italian, none of that French burn-the-beans-into-submission mumbo-jumbo.

My voicemail buzzed at me. My repulsive phone has a will of its own on the subject of whether it will ring, or just send calls to voicemail and notify me a few hours or days later.

I listened. The editor was the senior editor at big house, an sf/f house, a house that published most of my favorite fantasy. The editor called Soulless charming. (This is a word I was to become very familiar with.) I went white as a sheet. I walked out of the back of the coffee house and bounced around. A lot. There might have been squealing but I refuse to admit to it. I took a number of deep breaths. And then I started to panic.

Two months later I had an agent, a negotiation, and a treatment for a second book. It would be over a year before I signed an actual book contract, but that's a whole other story.



Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
New nail style I love.

Your Tisane of Smart:
Threadbanger has a pretty cool tutorial on how to make your own top hat. In this case, it's intended for a Mad Hatter Halloween costume, but I was thinking it could be adapted easily for steampunk.

Your Writerly Tinctures:
FTC is now telling Amateur Bloggers to disclose that they’ve gotten free review copies or ARCs or face fines.

CAKE in Space: Back from agent, but now I don't have time for it.
On the nightstand review. I don’t really think I’ve ever come across a book quite as quotable as Soulless, and right from the start it had me in a combination of giggles and 'oh, I’m so going to have to remember that line."
SPOILER ALERT! Amazon has posted Changeless cover along with blurb. Blurb gives bits of Soulless away so don't read if you haven't read the first book!
Blameless: Now with third beta.

Quote of the Day:
"People on the outside think there's something magical about writing, that you go up in the attic at midnight and cast the bones and come down in the morning with a story, but it isn't like that. You sit in back of the typewriter and you work, and that's all there is to it."
~ Harlan Ellison

Well, Gentle Reader, I am guest blogging today over on Fresh Fiction all about steampunk. Here is the intro:

When I knew I'd be writing a little something about steampunk, I thought I'd try to figure out what people still wanted to know on the subject. Steampunk has been around for a while now, and certainly the internet has taken notice. So I took my request, as I do with most things these days, to the web. Here's what I was asked: Read more...



Also just a quick reminder I'm running a contest this week for lots of cool stuff. Hope you participate.



Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Steampunk Wedding Cake
Your Tisane of Smart:
Steampunk Toilet Flushes Away Your Clockwork Dreams
Your Writerly Tinctures:
The Steampunk Scholar blogs about audiobooks some of which are free.

CAKE in Space: Back from agent, but now I don't have time for it.
"It’s a corker and definitely something that’s new in the field that I suspect will win Gail fans by the bucketload." Falcatatimes Review
SPOILER ALERT! Amazon has posted Changeless cover along with blurb. Blurb gives bits of Soulless away so don't read if you haven't read the first book!
Blameless: Now with second beta.

Quote of the Day:
When Professor John Henry Pepper was demonstrating certain pieces chemistry before an audience that happened to include Queen Victoria, he is reported to have calmly introduced one demonstration with:
"The oxygen and hydrogen will now have the honor of combining before Your Majesty."

Just a quick reminder: Starting Monday I'm running a BIG FAT CONTEST. Check this blog for details.

Supper for Today, 1876, in a London Townhouse

• Partridge Soup ~ bird on the bone stewed with ham, onion, celery, mutton, & peppercorns
• Cold Roast Beef, Broiled ~ topped with fried potato skins that had been season with ketchup, salt & pepper (yes, the Victorians had ketchup & that's what they called it)
• Vegetables ~ boiled beets, carrots, & potatoes with a brown butter, sage, & rosemary sauce
• Boiled Apple Dumpling ~ pudding made with apple, cinnamon, & butter, topped in a boiled crust

Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Steampunk art report for Westerfeld's Leviathan
Your Tisane of Smart:
World's Oldest Human Brain Found in Armenia ~ Brainz
Your Writerly Tinctures:
Jim Hines on How to REALLY Help an Author Out

CAKE in Space: Back from agent, but now I don't have time for it.
He Said, She Said has a review up. "Though the story intertwines with a hot romance from a budding female author there is enough action to make it an excellent read for either sex."
SPOILER ALERT! Amazon has posted Changeless cover along with blurb. Blurb gives bits of Soulless away so don't read if you haven't read the first book!
Blameless: Now with second beta.

Quote of the Day:
"I would like to find a stew that will give me heartburn immediately, instead of at three o'clock in the morning."
~ John Barrymore

So, officially, Gentle Reader, here is the cover for the second book!

It's up for preorder on Amazon.com but be WARNED the blurb for the second book reveals SPOILERS from the first. So if you haven't read Soulless yet, just look at the pretty picture, don't read at the description, please. Unless you're like me and you like spoilers, in which case sally on. Amazon claims to be sending it out in March, but unless Orbit puts a gag on the second book I imagine it will start to go on sale in brick & mortars slightly before that, as happened with Soulless.

In the traipsing about the internet roster, first up it isn't me being interviewed by the Mad Hatter, it's Alexia and Lord Maccon! As always they have much to say for themselves.

MH: Now, Alexia, my dear, what made you choose someone such as Gail Carriger to chronicle your life story? And why do you think other people would want to hear about you traipsing about with Werewolves and Vampires? This is most unbecoming information concerning a well-bred lady such as yourself.

ALEXIA: Well, the horrible little strumpet chronicled my doings entirely without my knowledge or approval. Naturally, I am considering legal action, but right this moment I simply don't have the time to chase after a minor American authoress with delusions of grandeur. Really, what one has to wonder is, how does she get all of her information?

LORD MACCON (under his breath): Lord Akeldama perhaps?

And as if they weren't enough to handle he goes on to interview Lord Akeldama. As usual Lord Akeldama reveals little while saying much.

MH: How do you view the Victorian era versus the other epoch’s you’ve lived through?

LORD AKELDAMA: Ah, sugar bell, I do find this era a little staid in the matter of color and shoe adornments, and of course I simply cannot and will not approve of the muttonchops. Not even slightly. But I shall admit that I do find some of the new brass accessories unexpectedly intriguing.

Fantasy Cafe and I discuss much of the business of writing. For example:

FC: Did you learn anything about the process that you wish you’d known beforehand?

GC: Lots of terms that I won't bore you with here (like "in house copy"), a few behavior modifications, and one or two better luck next times.

The Steampunk Scholar analyzes the steampunk nature of Soulless – as he should, that's his thing. As ever he does it with brilliant aplomb.

I've done a proper review of Gail Carriger's Soulless for the current issue of Exhibition Hall [issue #2], but as I decided earlier this year, I'm not reviewing books here: I'm analyzing them for how they contribute to the steampunk aesthetic. When Carriger sent me an advance copy of her novel, she apologized for the lack of steampunk, by which I believe she meant steam-tech, as Soulless stands within the aesthetic boundaries I've been drawing up here at Steampunk Scholar. I'm not of the opinion that anachronistic brass Babbage Engines a steampunk story make. I often feel like I'm beating the proverbial dead horse when I say this, but if that's all steampunk amounts to, someone needs to phone up Steamcon and tell them to un-invite Tim Powers: he's out of the club.



Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Tea Mug with Pouch

Your Tisane of Smart:
Toyota builds and electric car with steampunk influences. Huh?

Your Writerly Tinctures:
October is steampunk month at Tor.com


CAKE in Space: Back from agent, but now I don't have time for it.
Soulless hit #21 on Bookscan's Fantasy Bestseller list! My agent talks about it.
SPOILER ALERT! Amazon has posted Changeless cover along with blurb. Blurb gives bits of Soulless away so don't read if you haven't read the first book!
Blameless: Now with second beta.

Quote of the Day:
"When once the itch of literature comes over a man, nothing can cure it but the scratching of a pen."
~ Samuel Lover

The Google book settlement has been on my mind for a while now, Gentle Reader – in a niggling "I don't really like the taste of that but I'll eat it anyway kind-of-way." And before you get turned off of this blog and think it is going to be yet another post on the niceties of the debate, I am not going to weigh in on the subject. The beauty of the matter is that, at the moment, I don't have to. My book is published after The Date of Contention and anything I wrote before I either sold my copyright entirely (because that's the way educational writing works) or it's a short story of indifferent skill and appeal.

However, I do believe that if you are a writer or intending to be one you should be informed on the subject. So I'm going to draw your attention to a couple of resources I've found useful:

• A podcast from the BEA of a biased presentation on the subject from Google's POV. While I like their spirit and some of their intention, the problem is in their eventual practice and execution (read: legal wording). It's still worth a listen to understand why Google, generally considered in our neck of the woods to be one of the better and kinder companies, is coming down like a brick s**thouse on the little authors.
• In this week's GeeksOn podcast, about halfway through, the laymen (read: non-author types) duke out the principles of the thing in a clear and concise (although not entirely well informed) manner. I spent a lot of time yelling at the iPod, but it's still great for those of you who want the bigger picture.
• And in this month's SFWA Bulletin (August-September 09) Mike Resnick & Barry Malzberg, between them authors of over 100 SF books, get into a 6 page back and forth debate on the subject. They are highly intelligent and well-informed gentlemen and both have books at stake in this process. (On a side note, you don't have to be a SFWA member to get the Bulletin. I highly recommend a subscription for any budding author in the SF/F genre.)

Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:

Your Tisane of Smart:
Unexpected Man Found Amid Ancient Priestesses' Tombs in Peru (he he "unexpected man")
Your Writerly Tinctures:
Sadly, The Willows, a steampunk magazine is saying goodbye.

CAKE in Space: With agent.
Soulless: SffWorld doesn't like the book.
Changeless Release date currently April 2010. Copy edits are in.
Blameless: Still with first beta.

Quote of the Day:
"Writing is the only profession where no one considers you ridiculous if you earn no money."
~ Jules Renard
Which reminds me of my friend Eytan's thoughts on the subject. "At a wedding reception, it is far far better it introduce oneself as a struggling writer than an out of work economics professor."
~ Eytan Kollin

Much discussion recently on the subject of steampunk literature. Here's my list:

• The Windup Girl ~ Paolo Bacigalupi
• New Amsterdam ~ Elizabeth Bear
• The Somnambulist ~ Jonathan Barnes
• Crystal Rain ~ Tobias S. Buckell
• Scar Night ~ Alan Campbell
• The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters ~ Gordon Dahlquist
• The Steampunk Trilogy ~ Paul Di Filippo
• The Difference Engine ~ William Gibson
• Thunderer ~ Felix Gilman
• Neverwhere ~ Neil Gaiman
• The Court of the Air ~ Stephen Hunt
• Morlock Night ~ K. W. Jeter
• The Age of Unreason ~ J. Gregory Keyes
• Escapement ~ Jay Lake
• The Affinity Bridge ~ George Mann
• Perdido Street Station ~ China Mieville
• The Nomad of the Time Streams ~ Michael Moocock
• Anno Dracula ~ Kim Newman
• Airborn ~ Kenneth Oppel
• Whitechapel Gods ~ S.M. Peters
• The Anubis Gates ~ Tim Powers
• The Boneshaker ~ Cherie Priest
• The Golden Compass ~ Phillip Pullman
• The Alchemy of Stone ~ Ekaterina Sedia
• The Hunchback Assignments ~ Arthur Slade
• Eyes of Silver ~ Michael A. Stackpole
• Diamond Age ~ Neil Stephenson
• The Fall of Ile-Rien ~ Martha Wells
• Extraordinary Engines Anthology ~ Nick Gevers (ed.)
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret ~ Brian Selznick
• Steampunk ~ Ann & Jeff VanderMeer (eds.)
• The Grand Ellipse ~ Paula Volsky (eds.)
• Like a Wisp of Steam ~ steampunk erotica from Circlet Press

Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Oscar De La Renta's Spring 2010 Collection

Your Tisane of Smart:
2,000-year-old ritual bath found in Jerusalem
Your Writerly Tinctures:
If you like werewolves.

CAKE in Space: With agent.
Soulless: PiggyDiva at Book Crossing has some very nice things to say. "Carriger is a less verbose Dickens, a less crass Wilde, and a less proper Austen."
Changeless Release date currently April 2010. Copy edits are in.
Blameless: Still with first beta.

Quote of the Day:
"The virtue of books is to be readable."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Recently I had a radio interview, Gentle Reader, at KWMR. KWMR is a local, mostly volunteer run, radio station with its headquarters near where I grew up. So over the tragically traffic-riddled three-day weekend I drove my shiny little spyder up north for a frolic and fraternization with the old rural metropolis. Yes, it still smells like cow.



Naturally, my mother insisted on accompanying me. We had a lovely breakfast beforehand, visited a near-by vintage clothing shop, and arrived slightly early for the interview. Barring the manifold embarrassment of having one's mother in tow, (yes I know, but if you meet my mother you comprehend instantly why she did, in fact, have to accompany me) everything went smoothly. My previous experience in the matter of interviews has been podcasting and two, brief, YouTube-style video stints: one at BEA, and one to do with a video game. (Oh and there was one local news incident several years ago when I was "the woman on the street" with regards to a netflix exposé. Yes, netflix. And, no, it's not a very interesting story.) It's at times like these I think my life seems much more exciting than it actually is.

Regardless, what I am trying, rather wordily, to work my way round to is the following: In the interest of posterity, I thought I'd detail my radio experience. One day my cat's sapient great-grand kittens (a la Red Dwarf) will read of this antiquated ritual and lament by-gone days.



The radio station in question was tucked away at one end of a long building past a physical therapist's office and up a small set of stairs. Inside were several little desks and two studio rooms, one of which was already in use. In classic small town fashion: the physical therapist had once worked on my mother's knee, the woman reading on the radio from The Little Princess (one of my favorite childhood books) when we walked in happened to be the mother of the librarian who gave me my first job, and the station manger grew up in the house my mother now owns. Sitting on the secretaries desk was an appetizing little cobbler, and littering the walls were various signs about shutting appliances off and making sure to close the window after it had been opened. It was all very homey.

Eventually Mimi arrived, my interviewer. Initially two ladies were supposed to interview me but one was ill. Mimi went over the questions she'd be most likely to ask and the general system of hand gestures she might use. Then, once the room was free, we went in and sat down while music played. I put on a set of headphones, she did the same and then began tinkering with an antiquated computer system. A little light went on. Just before she switched us live she reminded me not to use any bad words and off we went.



All in all it wasn't very different from being interviewed on a podcast, except there was more equipment and we never stopped for a break or went backwards to rerecord anything. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

My mom's only opinion on the result was that I came off sounding very interesting. Which brought me right back to the fact that my life always seems more exciting than it actually is.

And, with that pearl of wisdom, I need tea.



Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Shoe lust objects:
Plaid brown boots, olive button booties, ruffle pumps, brown knit flats, Seychelles Fiddle, Via Spiga daria and pansy.



Your Tisane of Smart:
3000 Year Old Butter Found In Irish Bog
Your Writerly Tinctures:
California's Steampunk Exhibition will be at the HILTON Garden Inn in Emeryville, March 12 - 14, 2009.

CAKE in Space: With agent.
Soulless: Romantic Times gives Soulless 4.5 out of 5 stars calling it a "spectacular debut novel."
Changeless: Working on copyedit. Release date currently April 2010.
Blameless: Gone off to betas.

Quote of the Day:
"I can't bring myself to say, 'Well, I guess I'll be toddling along.' It isn't that I can't toddle. It's just that I can't guess I'll toddle."
~ Robert Benchley

Supper for Today, 1876, in a London Townhouse

• Mock Turtle Soup - made with calf's head, tongue, and sherry
• Brown Minced Veal - seasoned with lemon and mushroom ketchup
• Vegetables - asparagus, cabbage sprouts, and sea kale
• Carrot pudding - with raisins, currents, and nutmeg served with a brandy sauce

Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Some lovely steampunkable jackets from Net A Porter

Your Tisane of Smart:
2,000-yr-old bronze statue of roman emperor Augustus discovered in Germany
Your Writerly Tinctures:
King Stephen Fry on A Short History of Copyright - funny and informative from His Most Royal Majesty, the Ruler of Twitterham.

CAKE in Space: With agent.
Soulless: Another review. Best bit: "Soulless is a laugh out loud ride for the thrill seekers among us–full of twists, turns, and werewolf fur. Just don’t spill your tea."
Changeless: Awaiting copyedit. Release date currently April 2010.
Blameless: Gone off to betas.

Quote of the Day:
"There is a lot more juice in grapefruit than meets the eye."
~ Author Unknown

This Morning's Conversation

Self: What a fabulous outfit!
AL: I know.
Self: You bought it while I was gone.
AL: Yup.
Self: You went shopping without me! You don't need me anymore. What good am I if I can't go shopping with you?
AL: Well...
Self: Oh I see. I'm like the cat. You're just tolerating me so I can be food after the zombie apocalypse.



Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
Tiny hats and hat pins, from rubyblackbird.

Your Tisane of Smart:
Jeff VanderMeer's steampunk overview.
Your Writerly Tinctures:
It's all about the name.

CAKE in Space: With agent.
Soulless: Orbit gives me a shout out
Changeless: Awaiting copyedit. Release date currently April 2010.
Blameless: Gone off to betas.

Quote of the Day:
"If men can run the world, why can't they stop wearing neckties? How intelligent is it to start the day by tying a little noose around your neck?"
~ Linda Ellerbee

Rummaging about the internet yesterday, Gentle Reader, I came across a promo for this book:

Now, please don't misconstrue, I find the book gently intriguing. "Steampunk Romance" says the tag line and from reading the copy it looks like the female love interest would appear to be an airship captain. You well know what a deep abiding affection I have for chicks that kick ass, but (and there is always a but) I sense a trend afoot and it frightens me.

Why the headless torso front cover? Why? Did she misplace her brain? Have her knees suddenly gone off about business of their own?

There is a prevalence of this madness in paranormal romance and urban fantasy already, I object most strongly to it leaking into steampunk. I'm taking a stand here and now, Gentle Reader, this trend should not be allowed to jump the shark into another sub-genre. Leave my goggles and dirigibles alone, you, you Art Department Torso Lovers!

Where have all the heads gone? (*singing* Longtime passing.)

Gail's Daily Dose
Your Infusion of Cute:
New fashion inspiration Latina singer Silvina Magari

Your Tisane of Smart:
Awesome resources for snippets of Victoriana The Illustrated London News with samples online and a very useful time grid.
Your Writerly Tinctures:
obtaining Cover Blurbs

CAKE in Space: With agent.
Soulless: Soulless is SFWA's featured book!
Changeless: Awaiting copyedit. Release date currently April 2010.
Blameless Gone off to betas.

Quote of the Day:
"Writing is not a genteel profession. It's quite nasty and tough and kind of dirty."
~ Rosemary Mahoney