Mantles of Oak and Iron Release: Interview with Captain Marik

Hello, friends! Today is the release day for Mantles of Oak and Iron, book two in Jenelle Leanne Schmidt's epic gaslamp fantasy, The Turrim Archive! I'm super excited to help celebrate this release — moreso because I got to interview my favorite character in the series, Captain Marik of the airship Valdeun Hawk! I'm also sharing my thoughts on the book over on Light and Shadows, so make sure you check out that post as well. And if you're entirely new to the Turrim Archive, I have good news! Book one, The Orb and the Airship, is currently on sale in Kindle format for $0.99, so you can pick that out and get started on your adventure! Or, again, you can stick around here for the interview.

About Mantles of Oak and Iron

Grayden thought he had four years to decide his future… he was wrong.

War is imminent. The Igyeum has already begun incursions across Telmondir’s borders. The headmaster of the military academy issues a new directive: all students will be fast-tracked through the program. They will be full-fledged defenders by the end of the year. But when a training exercise turns deadly, Grayden must keep his head and become the leader his friends need.

Captain Marik has witnessed evil beyond imagining. Enough to make him sign on to the wizard Dalmir’s cause. But will the council of the west accept a pirate among their ranks? And will Marik’s crew join this mission, or will they consider him a traitor to all they once stood for?

Meanwhile, deep in the mountains lurks a hidden danger that threatens them all.

Find it on: Amazon || Goodreads

Find Jenelle online

Interview with Captain Marik

Captain Marik, art by Chloe Grace

Hello, Captain Marik! Welcome to the blog! I have to say, I'm a big fan of yours . . . but not all my readers know you, so to start out, please tell us a little bit about yourself: who you are, what you do, anything that you feel is important for us to know so we can understand what makes you, you.

Hello, thanks for having me over to this… blog, you said? I’m not sure what a blog is, but it’s always nice to meet a fan. I am a pirate by trade, though I started out as a treasure hunter. Unfortunately, we soon discovered that there wasn’t much treasure in the treasure hunting business, so we had to make a switch to piracy. Crew needs to eat, airships need cynders, pesky things like that drove us to it. We try not to harm people, but sometimes you can’t avoid it. Personally, I try to make sure that those who pay the most are those who have harmed others, or that I’m the only one in my crew who has to make the hardest decisions. I’m under no delusions that I’m the good guy, you see. But if I can protect those under my care from having to descend into the same darkness I walk alongside, then I will.

I know that you do your best to protect your crew, and that's one of the reasons I'm a fan. I understand you're currently making a career change of sorts — pirate to, well, something else. What's been the biggest struggle with that shift for you? Conversely, what's something that's come out of it that you've really enjoyed or appreciated?

I didn’t realize that was already common knowledge, but… yes. My crew and I recently encountered a man named Dalmir who helped change the trajectory I was on. I was mostly bent on survival and revenge, you see, and he showed me that I could do more to right some wrongs.

The hardest thing about this shift is not really knowing exactly what my responsibility is at any given moment. Working for the Council of Telmondir is not something I saw myself doing… working on any side of the law is not something I ever saw myself going back to. But here I am. For better or worse.

Something that’s come out of it that I appreciate is, well, a sense of working for a much greater good than I could have done on my own. Having a clear conscience, I suppose you might say.

It's not common knowledge (unless you read the blurb at the top of this post). I just know things. Moving on, as an airship pirate, I can imagine you've had some pretty impressive adventures. Can you tell us about one that's particularly memorable for you or that you felt was an especial triumph?

My favorite place in the world is a little hamlet in Vallei. The houses are small and humble, but the walls are covered on all sides with rice paper that has been painstakingly decorated by the people living in each home. Green mountains rise up on all sides and people work out in the fields from dawn till dusk just trying to carve a living out of the meager crops that grow in the area.

(Marik shakes himself here and gives a rueful little smile.)

Of course, the whole village is gone now, just a pile of ash left in wake of a regiment of Igyeum soldiers.

As for where I’d still like to go, I’d love to explore beyond the edges of the continent someday. Maybe fly out over the ocean and see if there is anything out there.

I'm sorry that your favorite place is no more, but I hope you can explore like you hope to someday. Changing topics a bit, a good captain needs a good crew . . . so tell us a little about some of the people in yours. Anyone you're especially close to?

My crew mostly consists of Oleck, Raisa, and Mouse. We hire others on at times, but those are the three that stay with me and live on board the Valdeun Hawk. Oleck is my first mate and right hand man. He’s steady as a rock, despite his fairly pessimistic outlook on life. I always know I can depend on him to have my back. Raisa is like a little sister to Oleck, and I sort of see her like a niece. She’s got a steady hand and a weather eye, and there isn’t anyone else I’d trust more at the wheel. Mouse is our little scamp. Kid sort of followed me home one day and I can’t get him to tell me where his family is. I couldn’t just leave him on the streets, but someday I’ll figure out how to take him home. I’m happy to have him on board, though, kid is quick-witted and good with locks.

Sounds like you have some good friends, then. I have to say, I'm curious about Mouse . . . hopefully someday he'll decide to reveal his background. One last question: how do you hope that people, either those in your world or those who read about you, remember you?

Like I said earlier, I know I’m not the hero of any story. There are things I’ve done that I’m not proud of. But I also know that there are monsters in our world, masquerading as men, and if I could take them with me, then I’d be happy to go out fighting against them to my last breath. I won’t ask anyone else to risk their lives for it, though.

I think you might be wrong about not being the hero of any story, Captain. If you're not there yet, your answers say you're headed in that direction . . . and I look forward to seeing where that path takes you. Until then, thank you for appearing on my blog and answering my questions; it's been a pleasure to have you!

Are you excited to meet Captain Marik? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

Hey'a! So, as you may remember, earlier in the year, Jenelle Leanne Schmidt ran a Kickstarter campaign for her new series, The Turrim Archive, which starts with The Orb and the Airship. Because I am still a sucker for all things steampunk and because I was insanely curious after hearing about this series on Jenelle's blog for the last five years, I backed the Kickstarter, which meant I got a super-early copy of the first book (before the ARC readers, even) . . . and y'all, it is so good. And since the book releases for general purchase today, I thought now would be a great time to tell y'all why you absolutely need to pick up a copy.

You Need to Read The Orb and the Airship

1. It's a super cool blend of steampunk and traditional epic fantasy. The scope of the world and half the plot feels very traditional epic fantasy — Wheel of Time-ish, but without the constant distrust and suspicion. You've got the old man in a mysterious tower with equally mysterious powers, the small-town boys heading out into the world, the threat of great and ancient evil, all that good stuff. But many other elements of the world, as well as the other half of the plot, are very much steampunk, with trains and airships and inventors and sky pirates — not to mention that the boys are setting out for military school, not a quest. Or, at least, that's what they intended when they started their journey . . .
   
2. Marik and his crew are just plain awesome. If you love Firefly or The Aeronaut's Windlass, Marik's half of the plot will probably be your favorite part of the book. (It certainly was mine.) Marik is a captain in the fine tradition of Mal Reynolds and Francis Grimm, a hero by nature and an outcast by circumstance, loyal to his crew and his principle. I loved his interactions with his crew and how he really does view them as his family. 
3. The friendship between the boys is lovely. Grayden and Wynn, our main characters for the more epic fantasy half of the plot, may not have drawn me in as quickly as Marik did, but I still enjoyed reading their friendship. Though they're very different people, they've known each other forever, and they support each other and have each other's backs in the best way. Things just get better once Berengar joins their group — I can't say a lot about him because of spoilers, but he's my favorite character after Marik for very good reason, and I deeply wish he existed in real life so I could be friends with him. He's a big guy, but his heart is bigger than his muscles, and he's absolutely loyal, and I just love him a lot, ok?
4. The story is satisfying on its own . . . but it also definitely sets you up to wish for more. On its own, The Orb and the Airship is an exciting adventure that brings together exploration and airship heists and daring rescues, along with a healthy dose of character tension, and then brings it all to a highly satisfying conclusion. That said, once you discover the world and the characters — and once you read the last chapters — you'll definitely find yourself eager for the next book in the series. (I know I am !)
5. There's no stress about stumbling into something inappropriate. A major frustration I have with both steampunk stories and certain epic fantasy series (that may have already been named in this post) is that, even while they're exciting and fun to read, every so often I'll run into scenes or elements that make me decidedly uncomfortable — they may not be explicit, but they're clearly meant to excite in a certain way. That's not a problem here. This is a book that I, as an adult, enjoyed quite a lot, but I'd also have no problem handing it to my preteen, just-getting-into-fantasy self (or to any currently-extant preteens in my life, if there were any). Such books are often hard to find, so I'm glad this one exists.

Sound like your cup of tea? You can order The Orb and the Airship in ebook, hardcover, or audiobook on Amazon now! And in the meantime, what about this book sounds most appealing to you? Please tell me in the comments! (Also, if you've already read the book, feel free to tell me what YOU loved best about it in the comments section! I am all for mutual fangirling.)
Thanks for reading!

Things I Want to See More In Steampunk (Plus: Mechanical Heart Book Birthday!)

Hey'a, everyone! So, in a turn of events that I didn't actually realize until yesterday (mostly due to preparations for The Midnight Show's release), today marks the one-year anniversary of Mechanical Heart's publication! As I did for Blood in the Snow, I'm putting the ebook version up for free from today until the ninth — and, yes, I made sure I set the promotion on the right book this time. If you haven't read Mechanical Heart, or if you just don't have the ebook, I invite you to go pick it up and check it out!

Much as I love the steampunk genre, there are some things that I think could be done better and some things that I think authors haven't explored as much as they could or should. And since most of the main characters of Mechanical Heart are all about finding things that could be done better or explored more, I thought that I'd use today's post to spotlight some of those things.

Things I Want to See More in Steampunk

1. Non-European locations. A lot of steampunk — I'd even say most steampunk — takes place in some kind of modified Europe, usually the United Kingdom, usually London. But focusing everything on one continent, one country, one city, limits things way more than it should. Why not expand? Steampunk is all about exploration, after all. What does it look like in a modified India, China, or Australia? Plus, the steampunk age overlaps nicely with America's Wild West era — why don't we see more books taking advantage of that? After all, the one book I know of that does (Shannon Hale's Calamity Jack) is pretty awesome. Let's get some more of that going on.
2. Non-Earth locations. While we're expanding and exploring, why not take a page out of Jim Butcher's book and leave Earth behind altogether? Steampunk is most commonly thought of as a historical fantasy or historical sci-fi crossover genre, but there's no reason it has to be. What might steampunk look like in other worlds or other planets? Or if you're really set on having some Earth influence here, well, steampunk portal fantasy might not be a thing yet, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be.
3. More actual adventures. I don't know if this one makes sense to anyone else, but: a lot of steampunk is very focused on political and social intrigue and spying and secrets and so forth. Which is great! I love that! But I do think there are other stories to be told, and I think that you can have proper adventures within the steampunk genre. I mean, Jim Butcher did it in The Aeronaut's Windlass. Heather Dixon more or less did it in Illusionarium. Brandon Sanderson did it in his second Mistborn trilogy, especially The Bands of Mourning. So other people should be able to do it in other stories. This one could possibly also be translated as "You keep telling me there are airships, but no one ever goes anywhere or does anything in them. Fix that." (Actually, it might already be fixed, but if it is, tell me where the books are, please and thank you very much.)
4. Speaking of Jim Butcher and airships: more stories that properly take advantage of the existence of airships. Otherwise known as: more airship pirates, airship captains, and airship battles, please and thank you very much. Again, for all that steampunk keeps insisting on airships, I have found very few books that actually capitalize on the potential that you have with airships. That goes double for airship pirates. And, look. Maybe this is somewhat influenced by the fact that I've been binge-reading Schlock Mercenary in my spare time (and some not-so-spare time), and it's definitely influenced by the fact that The Aeronaut's Windlass is one of my favorite steampunk books ever, but please give me more books in which well-written, daring airship battles legitimately can be and are a thing. (Seriously. Please.)
5. And on that note, more stories that really lean into the science part of steampunk's sci-fi origins. By which I mean, stories where the science and gadgets of the steampunk world are more than just set dressing. I'm looking for stories where the main characters are actually involved and interested in the innovation of the world and where the science is a major part of the plot. And, yes, I know some of these already exist — Mechanical Heart is, in many respects, one of them — but I don't think I've found nearly enough of them.

What do you want to see more of in steampunk? Any recommendations of steampunk books that fill some of these holes? Please tell me in the comments! And don't forget to pick up your free e-copy of Mechanical Heart, if you haven't already!
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)

If Baili Met Breen (And Related Potentialities)

So, the other day, I was contemplating the fact that I write an awful lot of multilingual characters for someone who's solidly monolingual. (I really do, if you haven't noticed. I have more multilingual characters than monolingual ones.) And that started my thoughts down another trail: what would happen if the main characters of Blood in the Snow and Mechanical Heart met? Who would get along well? Who would fight? Granted, it's not something that's likely to happen (given the current lack of the appropriate magical and technological knowledge on both ends), but if it did . . . and if they somehow could understand one another despite different languages and deafness and whatnot . . . Well, I had such fun imagining the possibilities that I just had to share.

 

If Baili Met Breen (And Related Potentialities)

1. Baili and Josiah bond surprisingly quickly over their similar roles in their stories/worlds. It's not, like, instant friendship, but Josiah's good at drawing people out, and he and Baili quickly find their common ground (they're both royalty, both working for the rights and benefits of a lower class, both dealing with court life and all that comes with it). They share stories, which turns into sharing strategies, which turns into an all-out "ideal society, what's it look like" discussion. They also compare notes on people trying to kill them, 'cause that's also a shared experience. Meanwhile, Chouko and Luis also bond pretty quickly over their shared roles as reason-speakers to idealistically heroic royalty.
2. Xiang kind of geeks out a bit over Breen and Luis's inventions. Fun fact that comes up a little in Blood in the Snow and a lot in Blood in the Earth/Soil: the Liu dynasty is known for being particularly interested in scholarship and study of the world, and Xiang is no exception. And while his primary interests are medicine and magic, not engineering and invention, he still finds Luis and Breen's work really storming cool. Breen doesn't entirely know what to do with his particular brand of enthusiasm, but Luis quite enjoys getting to show off a bit. (Xiang also pulls Baili over to see the inventions that he finds most interesting; Baili is also very impressed but not as excited.)
3. Regardless of what communication-enablers are put in place, Gan and Baili both get Grace, Josiah, and Breen to teach them some sign. It's actually Gan, not Baili, who makes the request, but Baili joins in as soon as she realizes what's going on. They both pick it up reasonably well for the amount of time they have, but Gan is both better at it and more into it than Baili is. (This is partially because Gan's attitude is "I can think of five different ways to use this, also, languages are interesting," while Baili's attitude is "This is reasonably interesting and a fun bonding experience!")
4. Because it's in the title and must, therefore, be mentioned: Baili and Breen get along, but definitely are not instant best-buddies or even instant friends. They both respect each other and what the other has had to go through and is now trying to accomplish, but neither one leaves their encounter thinking "Ah, yes, I would go out of my way to spend time with this person again at a later point." And they're both honestly pretty ok with that. Baili, as has already been mentioned, prefers spending time with Josiah (and also Grace), and Breen finds Chouko, Azuma, and Gan a bit easier to deal with.
5. Josiah, Breen, Baili, and Xiang are all rather concerned (to varying degrees) about the potential implications of Bloodgifts and blood alchemy if combined. The first time Bloodgifts come up, Josiah and Breen actually freak out a little (in the sense of "Wait, blood-based magic, we thought these were ok people, not blood alchemists . . . oh, wait, it's not blood alchemy, it's actually ok, no one is dying over this, we're fine"). And the first time blood alchemy comes up, the topic doesn't go very far before Xiang starts wondering (out loud) what would happen if the blood alchemists got their hands on the blood of someone like him or Baili, and should they possibly move to a more secure location with more guards (not that he and Baili couldn't protect themselves, of course, and not that they don't trust their friends to also protect them, but he has almost lost Baili once and he would rather not have it happen again). Everyone ends up fine in the end, of course, but it still causes some stress on both sides.

What about you? If you've read both Mechanical Heart and Blood in the Snow, what are some other interactions you think might occur if the casts of the two were to meet? Alternately, how do you think the cast of either Mechanical Heart or Blood in the Snow (or both) might interact with the cast of your WIP? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade) 

New Year's Dream [A Mechanical Heart Short Story]

So, I originally wasn't going to do a New Year's short story this year, but then I had this idea, and, well, things happened. This takes place the winter before Mechanical Heart, so no worries about spoilers. That said, you might want to hop back and read "New Year, New World," last year's New Year's story.

New Year's Dream: A New Year's Short Story

It was supposed to be a quiet night. A peaceful one, even, if such a thing could be had on Crossings Night. Luis had been planning it for weeks. His family would be out at various celebrations. Josiah, of course, was busy with the royal Crossings Night ball, with its rich food and wine and lavish costumes and four — four — different sets of musicians to rotate in and out so the dancing wouldn't stop until the dancers grew tired. And that left Luis to welcome the coming year in the best possible way: alone, in his workshop, with an abundance of projects to tinker on and the remains of the eggnog to help the process along.

Of course, it couldn't last.

Luis's first warning that something odd was afoot came when every miazen crystal in his workshop sudden blazed with brilliant white light, nearly blinding him. His next was the sight of two people in colorful robes who dashed out of thin air and ran smack into his workbench.

"What in blazes —?" Luis leapt to his feet and cast about for the nearest weapon. He grabbed his largest screwdriver and a small knife, feeling keenly the inadequacy of either.

The two didn't seem to notice him. One — a young woman with dark skin and a wild mass of black curls — recovered first. She straightened and spun around, bright green robes swirling around her, and made a series of sharp slashing motions through the air in front of her. Sign language, like Josiah's sister used? But there was no one there for her to be signing to . . .

Something else began to appear, faint and shimmering. Luis could make out the hint of a huge, dark form, gleaming . . . teeth? Or perhaps claws? Yes, claws; they were becoming more and more real at a quicker rate than the rest of the being.

The other person, a man with severely mussed dark hair and a bruised face, pushed himself to his feet. "Shut it! Quick!"

"Patience. I'm working." The girl made a final slashing motion. The claws became suddenly solid and dropped to the floor, leaking blood. The rest of the being disappeared. "See? We're fine."

I have to be dreaming. Luis took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself. Either that or finishing off the last of the eggnog at dinner had been a severe mistake. "What just happened? Who are you, and what are you doing in my workshop?"

The woman turned around, pushing her curls back from her face. Her eyebrows rose slightly when she saw Luis, and then she gave him a lazy smile. "Sorry 'bout that. It's nothing for you to worry about. I'm Carrie, and this is Tamison. Who're you?"

Her accent sounded like caramel tasted: rich and warm, with more than a little stretch in the vowels. Luis blinked, then took Carrie's hand and shook it. "Luis Kronos. I think that if you're barging into my workroom, it's something I have a right to worry about."

"We're just passing through." Carrie smiled like she was enjoying her own private joke, while Tamison groaned. "Mind telling us where we are? Then we'll leave you to your . . ." She looked around. "Your whatever this is."

"Kronos Clocks and Gadgetry. This is the back workroom." Luis paused, noted the lack of recognition on either face, then added, "Upper Rivenford? Chania?"

"Chania?" Tamison's face grew red as the trim on his robes. He turned on his companion. "You used the wrong coordinates! Now we're not just in the wrong world; we're in the wrong dimensional orientation!"

Carrie blew out a long breath and put her hands on her hips. "I wouldn't've used the wrong coordinates if you'd've just gone on and told me the right ones the first time I asked instead of going on about secrecy and the will of the Wizard Council."

Tamison drew himself up proudly, offense written clear as newsprint across his anger-blotched face. "I was following orders!"

Luis held up a hand, his mind finally having caught up from where it had stuck a few moments ago. "Wait. Wait. The wrong world?" He blinked twice, then dropped his screwdriver, reached up, and started flipping through magnifications on his work goggles, hoping that somewhere in the transitory blurs between lenses, the two would disappear or at least resolve into something more reasonable, like a few friends playing a joke on him.

But the pair remained present, as they were, and the massive claws continued to slowly leak blood onto the wood floor. Luis pulled off his goggles and shook his head. "You're mad. Or I'm mad. Or dreaming."

"Dreaming, yeah. We can call it that." Carrie gave him another slow smile. "And in a moment, you'll wake up and we'll be gone." She gestured in the air again, her motions slow and swooping this time. Then she paused, frowning. "Or perhaps not."

Tamison frowned too. "It's not working. That's odd. There's more than enough ambient magic to power a short-lived portal, even one going between perpendiculars instead of parallels . . . wait." He turned to Luis. "What day is it?"

"It's Crossings Night, the last night of the year," Luis replied slowly. The fact that Carrie had agreed that this was all a dream suggested that it really wasn't a dream at all, but he didn't have a better explanation  . . . not unless all this was real. "What do you mean, between perpendiculars?"

"You've heard of parallel dimensions?" Tamison asked. "They're like that, but oriented differently. It's complicated." He turned back to Carrie. "We must be losing alignment!" Then, over his shoulder to Luis: "Quick, what's the time?"

Luis gave the man his best unimpressed look and gestured around the workshop at the dozens of clocks hung on the walls between shelves and toolboards. "Look for yourself."

Tamison glanced around and sagged slightly. "Ah. Yes. It's . . . oh, dragonsbreath. It's only half an hour to midnight. And by midnight, the alignment will be lost and we'll be stuck here and in this world's parallels for who-knows-how-many years, thanks to someone's haphazard portaling."

"Someone just saved your skinny rear from a mad sorcerer and his hoard of crazed werecats," Carrie huffed. "Where's the most likely spot to be aligned still?"

"Ah, well . . ." Tamison licked his lips nervously. "Usually it's a south-to-north progression . . . and high spots usually have the strongest connection between dimensions . . . moreso if they have a strong concentration of magical energy . . ."

"North, up high, lots of magical energy." Carrie turned to Luis. "What do you say, Luis Kronos? You know this city. Anywhere that fits the description?"

"Well . . ." Luis hesitated. "There is one place . . ."

But could he risk sending them there? After all, no one was supposed to enter the clock tower lest they risk draining the magic from the miazen crystals at an increased rate. But, then again, if these two were already magic, perhaps it would be all right.

"There's a clock tower," he said, finally. "It's north of us, and it's one of the highest spots in the city, and it's powered by magic."

"Perfect." Carrie's smile returned. "Care to show us the way?"

Again, Luis hesitated. It would be so much easier to stay in, to stick to what was left of his plan and hide out in his workshop. He imagined the crowds and lights and noise outside and grimaced.
But . . . if this was a dream, he wouldn't really be going out. And if it wasn't a dream, he couldn't leave these two in the lurch. True, he could give them directions, but it would be faster to just show them.

"Fine." He pulled his goggles back up. "It's a good thing for you that it's Crossings Night. You'll blend in better since everyone is already costumed. You'll need masks, though."

"That's easy enough to solve." Tamison gestured, and something shifted. Luis blinked. Masks had appeared on the two's faces: a small black domino mask on on Tamison and a larger, more elaborate green mask on Carrie. In addition, their robes had somehow changed so they looked more like costumes and less like clothes. A white shirt collar poked up from the top of Tamison's robe, and the front now hung open to reveal a waistcoat and trousers. Carrie's robes had become more fitted in the bodice, and the shape suggested that she was now wearing a corset and a full skirt beneath them. In addition, a tall, pointed hat with a bit of filmy pink fabric attached to the tip had appeared on Carrie's head, nestled among her curls.

Carrie looked down at herself and sighed wearily. "Lovely." She looked at Luis. "Won't you need a mask too?"

Luis tapped his goggles. "These will do well enough. Now, let's go."

He led the way out of the shop, locking it behind them, and up the crowded streets. Even at nearly midnight, musicians and dancers still made their rounds, tailed by crowds of masked revelers dressed in dramatic blacks or brilliant rainbow hues. Their laughter and shouts mixed with the music into a joyful, chaotic cacophony. Luis grimaced, remembering all too keenly the reasons he hadn't wanted to come out tonight, and sped up.

He guided Tamison and Carrie as quickly as he could up towards the clock tower. Occasionally, some of Luis's friends or acquaintances would call out to him, inviting him and his companions to join them or pretending offense at the fact that Luis had rejected them in favor of a pair of strangers. Luis just waved and hurried on.

Thankfully, the crowds thinned as they moved further and further into the wealthy part of town. Here, the celebrations were mostly held in shops and homes. Luis caught glimpses of a few through windows, though he mostly didn't look, even when they passed the Clockmakers' Guild Hall where Luis knew his parents would be celebrating.

By the time they reached the clock tower, less than ten minutes remained 'til midnight. Luis tried the door. "It's locked." He checked his pockets — nothing. "And I don't have my locksmith's tools."
Tamison peered at the lock. "And it looks to be steel and iron. Unpleasantly resistant to magical meddling."

Carrie put a hand on the side of the tower. "That's a pity. This place is just bursting with ambient magic." She straightened her shoulders. "We'll just have to try from here. Unless . . ." She eyed the roof of the tower with a speculative gaze.

The color slowly drained from Tamison's face. "Oh no. You wouldn't . . ."

Carrie smiled — sharply, even wickedly. "Of course not. You're welcome to stay here. I'm sure you'll find this world plenty enjoyable while you're waiting for the dimensions to align in a safer location."
"Don't even think about it." Tamison scowled. "Fine. We'll try it your way."

"I thought you'd come around." Carrie turned to Luis and put a hand on his arm. "Thanks for your help. Whatever happens, we appreciate it. Assuming we don't fall, we probably won't see us again, and I'll make sure you don't remember us except as a dream like you thought we were. It'll be safer that way — less risk that someone will try to get information from your memories and hurt you in the process. But if you don't mind, wait around until we're gone to make sure we don't fall and die."




"I will. Glad I could help. Good luck, wherever you're headed." Luis glanced from Carrie to the tower roof. "What exactly are you doing, by the way?"


"This." Carrie grabbed Tamison's arm. Then both lifted off the ground and rose higher and higher towards the tower top.

Luis watched, gaping. Twice, their progress faltered and they dropped a foot before recovering and continuing to rise. But at last, they alighted on the roof of the tower, barely visible in the darkness. Luis had to squint to make them out, but he thought he saw Carrie gesturing, stepping forward —
Then something in his mind went blip, and his vision blacked out for a split second.

Luis blinked and looked around. What was he doing here at the clock tower? On Crossings Night of all nights? He'd planned to spend the evening in his workshop with his inventions, he remembered that much. And then . . . had he fallen asleep? He vaguely remembered something hazy and dream-like: a girl in green, a monster, people flying, and an urgent need to . . . do something. Had he sleepwalked all the way out here?

The tower struck midnight, the bells ringing out brilliant and clear over the city. Luis stared up at the top of the tower instinctively. In his dream, he'd needed to get to the top of the tower for some reason. But that was nonsense. No one could go up in the towers.

And yet . . . Luis frowned. Was that a shadow on the clockface? Something moving inside?

Nonsense. Luis shook his head and set off down the street as the last bells died away. He was sleep-deprived to even think of it. Honestly, he should've just gone to bed an hour ago rather than staying up to greet the new year.

And it was the new year now. Luis grinned. Tomorrow — today at this point — Josiah would come by with leftover fancy food and tales of what happened at the royal ball. And he'd have some new goal for the year, something big and impossible and shining and noble. Who knew what it would be; Luis would be happy just to get into the Inventors' Guild. And who knew? Maybe this would be his year. He'd just have to wait and see.

Golden Braids Blog Tour DAY 3: MECHANICAL HEART RELEASE! (Ft. Writing Deaf Characters (When You're Not Deaf))

Hey'a, everyone! As you can see from the title, Mechanical Heart is officially out! Writing, editing, and publishing this book has been quite a journey, and it involved a lot of challenges I didn't have to deal with when writing Blood in the Snow. But it's done; it's out in the world and ready for you all to explore; and all those challenges are now just life lessons and stories to tell. And for today, I'm sharing about one of those challenges . . . but first, blurb time.

About . . .

Mechanical Heart!

Can you save someone who doesn’t know if she’s alive?

Breen lives locked away, separated from the world by the walls of her clock tower and the machine of gems, gears, and magic that replaces her heart. That is, until an unexpected visitor appears in her tower, offering a dangerous gift: freedom. His promises awaken hope for a life unbound by the tower walls — but she knows that if he learns about her heart, it’s only a matter of time before he turns on her.

Josiah is powerless. Though he’s the crown prince of the mighty Chanian empire, he feels stifled by his inability to protect his people from the schemes of corrupt nobles. When he discovers a girl trapped in a locked clock tower, he thinks he’s finally found a problem he can solve . . . but more than just walls keep her captive.

From the royal palace to the streets of Rivenford to the tops of clock towers, secrets hide around every corner in this steampunk retelling of Rapunzel. Breen and Josiah hold the keys to each other's struggles — if they can break down the barriers that divide them.

Find it On: Amazon || Goodreads

On Writing Deaf Characters (When You're Not Deaf)

If you’re an author of speculative fiction, you learn pretty quickly how to write characters who are different from you. After all, most writers aren’t sword-wielding, spell-slinging adventurers or sharp-shooting, quick-witted starship captains. Very few of us grew up without knowing who our parents are; most of us haven’t had to deal with the mental or physical aftermath of fighting for our lives; and none of us have ominous prophecies hanging over our heads. (At least, I assume not. If I’m wrong on that one, please let me know.)

Mechanical Heart is no exception to that principle. After all, its cast includes a politician prince whose desire to change the world is only surpassed by his tendency to make dramatic speeches, a pair of pretty brilliant (and also rather technically minded) inventors, and a princess who might be one of the most outgoing and extroverted characters I’ve ever written. Oh, and did I mention that two of those characters — one of the inventors and the princess — are deaf?

So, how does a hearing author write a deaf character? The usual advice for writing characters different from you — “Write people, not characters” — only goes so far. For the rest, well, that requires a lot of research and a bit of ingenuity.

Most of that research went into figuring out how Breen and the other major deaf character, Princess Grace, would communicate and interact with other people. In the earliest version of the book, conversations between Breen and Josiah (the prince I mentioned earlier) involved a lot of written notes and too-accurate lip reading. However, the more I learned about life for a deaf person, the more I realized that what I had was both unrealistic and infeasible.

Thankfully, by the time I got around to writing the second, third, and fourth drafts, I had help. By that time, I was in college and had found a friend with a fair knowledge of sign language and the Deaf community. She and some of her friends were able to answer quite many of my questions, and they directed me to solid resources for learning more. (For those curious: most of the people I asked said that Lifeprint is the best choice for learning ASL, and I relied on it quite a bit in certain scenes.)

Of course, how characters talk to each other is only part of how they interact. I also had to try to understand how people in the Deaf community tend to view hearing people and what behaviors and attitudes would be realistic or unrealistic on both sides of the conversation. One resource I found particularly helpful on this point was a deaf YouTuber, Jessica Kellgren-Fozard, who has some videos that provide a really good look at a deaf person’s perspective. Of course, the attitudes of someone from our modern era might not match those of someone from the Victorian era . . . but I’m not writing historical fiction here! That meant I could make societal treatment of the deaf in the world of Mechanical Heart a lot more like what it is today than what it was historically.

(Also, minor sidetrack: Victorian attempts at hearing aids are fascinating. Most of them were something along the lines of an ear trumpet or a reverse megaphone — but the Victorian people found so many ways to hide them. In hairpieces, in hats, in fans, in chairs . . . it’s honestly impressive. This article from the Washington University School of Medicine covers the topic pretty well; go read it. It’s cool.)

Even once I’d done the research, writing from a deaf POV and about deaf characters had its own challenges. Obviously, I had to make sure I wasn’t including sound details when I was writing from the perspective of a deaf character. However, I also had to consider other details that normally wouldn’t be a concern, like whether or not characters would actually be able to see what the other was signing and what type of sign language different characters use. (For example, Breen uses her world’s equivalent of ASL, which has a grammatical structure different from that of English. On the other hand, Josiah, who often has to speak and sign at the same time, tends to use his word’s version of PSE, which uses ASL signs with English word order.)

Even with all that to consider, though, writing from Breen’s POV wasn’t any harder than writing from any other character’s POV. In fact, her scenes were often easier to write than Josiah’s many debates and other verbal sparring matches. The biggest challenge was just making sure I got her part right. I want to tell a good story, but I also want to tell it in a way that’s respectful to the communities my characters represent. I’m aware that I may have gotten some things wrong; after all, I’m only human. But I did my best, and I hope that will be enough.

So, are you excited to read Mechanical Heart? What are you most looking forward to? Have you ever written a character who's deaf (or faces other physical challenges that you don't)? What character that you've written about would you say is the most different from you? Please tell me in the comments, and don’t forget to check out the rest of the tour posts and enter the giveaway!
Have a lovely day!

-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)

Blog Tour Stops: August 7

Knitted By God's Plan - Five Reasons to Read
Light and Shadows - Five Reasons to Read
Dreams and Dragons - Writing Deaf Characters

Reviews

Reality Reflected + Mini Interview!
The Page Dreamer
The Language of Writing
The Labyrinth + Mini Interview!
The World of a Writer

Interviews

To be a Shennachie - Sarah

Guest Posts

Dragonpen Press - Why Nomances

Or find the full list of stops here.

Fantasy or Sci-Fi? What is Steampunk REALLY?

Hey'a, everyone! So, first of all: in case you haven't seen already, signups are open for both the Golden Braids blog tour and ARC copies of the Golden Braids books, including Mechanical Heart. If you want to help promote any of these books, please do sign up! We've got plenty of spots still open!

One unexpected question I've had to deal with in the process of publishing Mechanical Heart is what exactly steampunk is. I don't just mean in the sense of "what are the characteristics of the genre?" (though I have gotten that question a few more times than I expected). The question I'm referring to is whether steampunk is considered fantasy or science fiction. Opinions vary depending on who you ask, so I thought I'd weigh in with my view on the subject. Essentially, I'm going to evaluate five common elements or tropes of the genre, decide if they fall more in line with sci-fi or fantasy, and decide based on that. So, let's go!

 Fantasy or Sci-Fi? What is Steampunk REALLY?

1. Element: A Victorian or Victorian-esque Setting. The core of steampunk is that it's a sort of alternate version of the Victorian Era (that is, the years from 1837 to 1901). This alternate may be set on Earth and simply have different technology and different history, like we find in The Invisible Library. It might also be set in a different world that simply shares much of the culture, social issues, social classes, and general aesthetics of the Victorian Era, as is the case in The Aeronaut's Windlass. This alternate usually reflects either England or America during those years, though it doesn't have to — you could very well have steampunk in China, India, or anywhere else.
   Verdict: Inconclusive. If you stay on Earth, both sci-fi and fantasy have alternate history subgenres (of which steampunk could be a further subgenre). If you go to another world, that would seem to indicate fantasy . . . but you could make the argument that these other worlds are simply other planets or dimensions, which would be characteristic of sci-fi. 
2. Element: Focus on Improbable Science, Technology, and Gadgets. Steampunk may resemble the Victorian Era in many ways, but its technology is usually advanced in ways that the real Victorians only dreamed about. The degree depends on the story, but you shouldn't be surprised to find anything from a horseless carriage to airships to whole floating cities in a steampunk novel. And, of course, a lot of steampunk involves gadgets that would make James Bond jealous. Sometimes the science behind this tech is a major focus of the story; sometimes it's not — but the tech itself is almost always significant.
   Verdict: Sci-fi. The focus on technology is one of the main elements that I would say separates steampunk from gaslamp fantasy — a similar genre that's solidly in the fantasy side of the family due to its focus on magic over technology. (H.L. Burke's Spellsmith & Carver is a good example of this genre; though steampunk-esque tech is present and even plays a fairly significant role in the second book, the story is really interested in the magic of the world.) And I'd almost say that steampunk's love of tech is enough to put it solidly in sci-fi, except for one caveat . . .
3. Element: Alternative Power Sources. And I don't mean solar powered! Traditionally, the technology of steampunk is powered by steam, as the name suggests, along with a fair bit of clockwork. But, here's the thing: many steampunk authors are not particularly mechanically minded, and they like their technology in their stories to run a little smaller than steam power requires. So, they invent other types of power. Often, this alternate source is aether or another fictional element or compound. But sometimes, it's just straight-up magic used in a very scientific way.
   Verdict: Mostly sci-fi. Look, the steam power falls under the purview of sci-fi. Even aether and such can qualify as sci-fi; even if it's improbable that we wouldn't have discovered such an element or compound by now if it existed. But one cannot ignore the number of times that magic pops up in sci-fi books — and the fact that it's treated scientifically doesn't change the fact that fantasy is a solidly fantasy element.
4. Element: Scientists and Statesmen (Character Types). Just like any other genre, steampunk has its common character types. Obviously, you'll find a fair number of scientists and inventors — someone has to make all those gadgets we were just talking about. You have politicians, nobles, and other high-society folk, along with the requisite spies and assassins they employ against one another. And you've got street scoundrels, thieves, and occasional airship pirates to round things out and keep everything interesting (as if the assassins don't do that well enough on their own). Obviously, not every character in a steampunk novel will fit one of these types — but most do.
   Verdict: Inconclusive overall, though with slight sci-fi leanings. Many of these character types are common in both fantasy and sci-fi: you're as likely to find a spy, assassin, or thief in fantasy as you are in sci-fi these days, and nobles and high-society folk are more common in fantasy than they are in most science fiction (though there are some differences between fantasy nobles and steampunk nobles). Scientists and inventors, of course, are more sci-fi — in fantasy, the learned people tend to be more focused on history and literature. And airship pirates have cousins in both fantasy and sci-fi, but the sci-fi side of the family is definitely bigger.
5. Element: Localized Plots. As a general, steampunk plots aren't interested in world-domination plots or attempts to destroy the universe. There are exceptions, of course — The Invisible Library, for instance — but in general, steampunk stories focus on one person, one family, one city, or one country at most.
   Verdict: Inconclusive. Granted, fantasy is best known for epic, world-spanning quests — but there's a whole subgenre, low fantasy, that has localized plots as a major characteristic. And, really, many of the most famous sci-fi stories deal with plots as large and epic as you'd find in any fantasy novel. So, once again, steampunk resembles both of its possible parent genres.

So, where does steampunk fit? In some ways, it's best to take it on a case-by-case basis. Check what powers the world's technology, see what character types the story focuses on, and go from there. But if I had to characterize the genre as a whole, I'd put it under the crossover genre of science fantasy: a little too tech-focused to be straight-up fantasy; a little too fantastical to be hard-core sci-fi. And, y'know, that's not a bad thing. In many ways, science fantasy is the best of both worlds, a place where heroes carry both swords and cell phones and where magic and science exist side-by-side and even in cooperation with each other. It's a place where realism and wonder come together and make something beautiful.

That's my view, anyway. What about you? What do you think steampunk is? Please tell me in the comments! And don't forget to sign up for the blog tour!
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)

Want to read part of Mechanical Heart?

Hey'a, everyone! Guess what: Blood in the Snow releases exactly one week from today! Are you all ready? (Spoiler alert: I'm not ready. If anyone has a spare time turner, can I borrow it?) Currently, I'm running around trying to get everything ready for the blog tour, which means that normal content for this week is out the window. Instead, I decided to share some of Mechanical Heart, the other project I'm currently working on.

Mechanical Heart, Chapter One

Her heart beat on, as it always did.

Breen lay on the smooth wooden floor, eyes shut, waiting as her bones knit back together. The crystal in her chest burned with an almost unbearable heat as it fed magical energy into her body. Yet the clockwork of her heart pumped on unperturbedly.

She’d fallen. Again. That seemed to be happening more and more lately. She wondered how many stories it had been this time. Just one? Two? Three?

The heat from the crystal slowly faded as the last fractures healed. Breen tested her fingers, toes, arms, legs, almost hoping that something wouldn’t work. Perhaps if she were broken enough, Madame Gottling would have to take her somewhere other than the clock tower. But, no, all her limbs seemed functional once again.

With a sigh, she opened her eyes, sat up, and gathered the tools that had scattered from her belt. A glance up answered her earlier question: she’d fallen two stories this time. Not so bad, all things considered. She still remembered the time she’d fallen down four of the clock tower’s ten stories — more accurately, she remembered the pain after she’d fallen. Her injuries had healed in a mere fifteen minutes, but the pain hadn’t receded enough for her to move for another two hours.

Today, however, the pain was already half-gone, and there was nothing to stop her from continuing her work. Breen headed for the nearest flight of narrow iron stairs and climbed up, passing weights and counterweights and massive gears set with sparkling gems. Everything shone bronze or copper or, in the case of the gems, various shades of red, blue, and clear. Of course it shone — she had to clean it all while she checked for wear and breakage. As if magic could wear down. But this tower couldn’t stop any more than her heartbeat could.

The clock struck two just as she reached the second-to-top level where she’d been working. She couldn’t hear the tolling bells anymore. She couldn’t hear much of anything anymore. But the sound made the floor vibrate beneath her feet and up through her bones, and all the gems on the gears flashed like sudden stars, and Breen stood still and savored the moment.

Then the gems faded, and the tower stilled, and she had to go back to work. Breen stepped off the wooden walkway and straddled a long beam of grey steel. She slid herself along, carefully not looking down. She wasn’t afraid of heights, of course. But looking down was always how she fell.

She reached the spot where she’d been before her most recent tumble, locked her legs around the beam, and grabbed her polishing cloth from where it had snagged on the tooth of a gear. Then she inspected the nearest gears one by one and inch by inch, wiping away dust and dirt, occasionally scraping away specks of corrosion, checking for any signs of serious damage.

Eventually, Breen worked her way through the rest of that level and the two above. The final level brought her all the way to the very top of the tower, behind the great glass clock faces. She carefully checked and cleaned the smaller gears and the massive rods that turned the clock hands, then tucked her tools back in her belt and slowly relaxed. Madame Gottling would come tonight, but not until dark.

Free for the moment, Breen undid her toolbelt and dropped it to the floor. Then she climbed into the curve of the western clock face’s frame and curled up, resting her head against the wood. From here, she could stare out and watch the whole city spread out below her.

Years ago, when she’d first been brought to the clock tower, she’d feared to do this. They had warned her that she must never let herself be seen. That anyone who found her would call her a monstrosity and an abomination. But people never seemed to look up, and with the height and the afternoon sun glinting off the clock face, Breen doubted anyone would notice her.

She, however, noticed them.

Here, high above almost every other building in the city, she sat and watched life go by. The streets bustled with boxy black carriages, most horse-drawn, others horseless and puffing steam from pipes attached to the backs of the passenger boxes. On the sidewalks, men in black and brown suits and ladies in bright dresses hurried and strolled. Smoke flowed in ribbons and streamers above them and around the tower, pulled from the chimneys of homes and factories alike.

Over the slums and factory districts across the river, the smoke hung black and heavy as a bank of thunderclouds. But Breen only looked that way when she wanted to convince herself that her life wasn’t so bad. “You could be down there,” she’d tell herself, “slaving in a factory or mill from dawn to dusk like you used to, choked by smoke and never seeing the sky. At least here you have the view and you’re filling your family’s pockets instead of draining them.” Yet, despite her best efforts, she could never quite convince herself that she was truly lucky to be here.

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What do you think? Are you intrigued? If you're interested, I'm currently looking for beta-readers for Mechanical Heart. Fill out the form here to sign up. (I'll make an official announcement of this later, but for now, y'all get first dibs.)
Thanks for reading! See you next week for the tour!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)