Welcome Beth Ciotta!

Today I'm delighted to welcome talented author Beth Ciotta, who has written in several romance genres and is looking forward to her first steampunk novel coming out in 2012... but I'll let her tell you about that herself! Welcome, Beth!

Old Worlds, New Wonders

Hello.  My name is Beth Ciotta and I’m a creative spaz.

My publishing history, although under the ‘Romance’ umbrella, is all over the map.  Paranormal, Historical, Contemporary, and in the near future, Steampunk.  There are those who would question the wisdom of subgenre hopping when trying to build (and maintain) a career in publishing.  Indeed it does make it more challenging to grow a devoted readership and perhaps slows the rate of one’s success. (Depending, of course, on how one defines success.)  But even though I know this logically, I can’t ignore the voices in my head or the concepts that come out of nowhere and refuse to fade away.  One such concept started with a title.

The Glorious Victorious Darcys.

 I knew two things.  It was a trilogy based on three siblings—The Darcys.  It would take place in Victorian, England, but with a high-tech, adventure element.  I filed that bit away and a couple of

years later when it came time to pitch new ideas to my publisher, I expanded on the Darcy concept and pitched it along with ideas for a paranormal and two contemporaries.    

I was told The Darcys sounded like Steampunk, something they weren’t looking for.  It wasn’t the first time I’d heard the word Steampunk associated with one of my story ideas, still it surprised me.  Did I even know what Steampunk was?  After a bit of research, I realized I’d been a great fan of Steampunk for years, although my obsession was rooted in movies.  Here are just a few of the films that charmed, mesmerized, and inspired me.

·         Great Race

·         League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

·         Prestige

·         Sherlock Holmes

·         Sleepy Hollow

·         20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

·         Stardust

·         Time Machine

·         Van Helsing

I was also a longtime fan of the original Wild, Wild West TV series as well as the cult classics, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr, and, the oh-so-brilliant brainchild of Joss Whedon’s—Firefly.   

Oh, the fantastical gadgets and gizmos, the edgy fashion, the cool lingo, colorful characters, and, yes, airships!

My passion for The Glorious Victorious Darcys burned strong, even though I knew it was a quirky premise that might never find a home.  Several months ago, while pitching various projects, on a whim I proposed The Darcys to NAL (Penguin).  Between you and me (and okay, the world!), here’s the pitch for the overall trilogy.

1887 (An alternate version of Europe, peppered with anachronistic gadgets and gizmos and futuristic dirigibles.)

In celebration of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, an anonymous benefactor promises fame and fortune to the first man or woman who discovers and donates a technological ‘invention’ of historical significance to her majesty’s British Museum in honor of her beloved deceased husband, Prince Albert.

Lord Jules Darcy, Lord Simon Darcy, and unbeknownst to them, their sister, Lady Amelia Darcy set off in search of three different ‘lost’ legendary inventions. Whilst on their quest, all three fall prey to a sizzling romance and forever love.  In the end, one sibling will bring glory to the British Empire, another scandal, while the third becomes an unwitting accomplice in a plot to assassinate the Queen. Will love or technology save the day?  Will the Darcys prevail or perish? Passion and adventure abound in these humorous steampunk-ish tales.

NAL’s enthusiasm for the project blew my mind!  Before I knew it, we’d gone to contract. (Special thanks to my new editor and champion, Jhanteigh Kupihea!)  This within days of signing with St. Martins Press for a new contemporary series, The Cupcake Club.  I didn’t plan the dual sale, I swear. Once again I find myself writing in two different worlds and all I can say is—lucky me! An opportunity to explore multiple passions.  A chance to spread my wings in Steampunk and soar! The launch book for The Glorious Victorious Darcys is loosely slated for release late 2012.  Meanwhile, please visit the GVD Steamblog for steampunkery tomfoolery and publishing updates.  http://bethciotta2.blogspot.com/

By the way, the first book features, Amelia Darcy. I’ll leave you with visual ‘essence’ of her along with her character profile.

Age: 20
Nationality: British
Parents: Lord Reginald and Lady Anne Darcy
Siblings: Older twin brothers, Jules and Simon
Passions: Air Ships, Aeronautics, Reading, Leonardo da Vinci
Goals: To own and pilot an air ship. See the world.
Trivia: Determined to live life on her own terms, Amelia has rejected six marriage proposals and has successfully distanced herself from 'society'. Her best friend, Leo, is an 'enhanced' falcon.

      

Did I mention all of my stories, no matter the subgenre, feature humor, adventure, and sexy romance? 

So, when did you first fall in love with Steampunk?  Let’s talk favorite genre movies!  Comment for a chance to win a copy of The Steampunk Bible: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Imaginary Airships, Corsets and Goggles, Mad Scientists, and Strange Literature by Jeff VanderMeer and S. J. Chambers.  A neo-vintage gem!

Curious about my creative spaz efforts? Visit www.bethciotta.com

Special thanks to Marie for the invite to the party. What fun!

Today Beth is giving away a copy of The Steampunk Bible to one lucky winner who answers her questions above, or comments on her post in some other way. Sorry, this contest is limited to US residents. The contest will close at midnight tonight and the winner will be announced tomorrow on this thread. 

Steamy Nights...

Since I find steampunk such a fascinating genre, I suppose it isn't surprising I tried my hand at a story of my own.   It began life as three serial novellas, but in the end was published with all three stories together in one ebook. Steamy Nights is a rather naughty steampunk romance with Changeling Press. Here's the blurb and an opening excerpt, set in Victorian Edinburgh.


STEAMY NIGHTS
By MARIE TREANOR
Available now from Changeling Press

Love, lust, and revenge, woven through the twisted chaos of time…

Fighting for her life in Edinburgh's dark, dangerous streets, Miri stabs the wrong man -- and ends up in his arms, sparking a sequence of events that alters history, with catastrophic consequences.

Wrongfully exiled from his own dimension, Caratacus is determined to find a way home. But that's going to be difficult using only nineteenth century steam technology -- even more difficult when distracted by the sort of steam he creates with Miri!

Before he can go home, he has to set things right. That means hunting down a Jack the Ripper copycat, preventing Robert Louis Stevenson from becoming an engineer, and helping a brutal, game-playing civilization protect itself from cannibals -- all without destroying the intense but fragile love he's found with Miri.

After that, reversing time should be easy.

*

        Tonight, “Auld Reekie” lived up to its name.

        Miri shivered in the dank mist that clung to her hair and clothes and almost entirely obliterated the dismal street ahead. She wondered if she should risk approaching the one faint glow in the dark -- which had to be the World’s End pub -- and find some warmth.

        The trouble was, you got better trade through discretion. Men were warier of paying for their pleasures in front of friends. And God knew she needed customers tonight. Billie would be furious if she didn’t bring in some money. She really didn’t want to give him an excuse to rage, or to sell her on, not now with all this going on…

        And as her unquiet stomach reminded her, another day without food would leave her weak and open to illness.

        Miri drew her thin, shabby shawl more closely around her, and shifted from one foot to another in a vain attempt to prevent the damp seeping through the holes in her ancient boots.

        She thought she heard something -- a shuffling sound muffled by the thick, smoke-laden fog. It came from behind her, at the steep steps leading down to the least savory part of the city. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled, forcing her into motion.

        She took a few hurried steps forward, nearer the pub’s welcoming glow, careful to keep hold of the small, sharp scissors in her pocket.

        $How are customers meant to see me in this pea-soup?$ she wondered miserably. $Why are none of them on the street yet?$

        Because they’re all safe and cozy in the pubs, gossiping with delicious shivers, no doubt, about the disappearing girls. Like Jeanie.

        Her empty stomach twisted. The loss of her friend and mentor was huge. She missed her companionship, her laughter, her sheer practical good-sense. She hated to imagine what had happened to Jeanie and to the others… This was Edinburgh’s old town -- rank, filthy, smoky, riddled with dark passages and grim corners where murder could be done without interruption…

        Three men loomed out of the mist, almost on top of her. Startled, she fell back with a silent gasp of terror.

I've lost Meljean!

Sorry, everyone. I have to apologise for the mix-up! As you know, I was expecting Meljean Brook to join us today, but something seems to have gone drastically wrong with our communications, and now we don't seem able to reach each other! Obviously, I'm hoping this is a temporary problem, and that Meljean will be able to join us later in the week, but I'll keep you informed!

In the mean time, the very talented Beth Ciotta will definitely be joining us tomorrow, so don;t miss her!

Marie

Welcome to the Steampunk Party!

I'm thrilled to welcome everyone to the steampunk party this week! As you know, we have fabulous guests of honour who'll be joining us throughout the week: later today, Meljean Brook will be here; on Tuesday, we welcome Beth Ciotta, on Wednesday, Gail Carriger, on Thursday Kady Cross and on Friday Theresa Meyers. They'll be talking about all things steampunk and giving us glimpses into their latest stories.

So what is steampunk? Basically, it's a sub genre of science fiction involving alternative or anachronistic steam technology, an alternative history or time travel. But it's so much more than that! It's an atmosphere, an attitude, and each author/creator brings their own unique perspective to this. Steampunk worlds are often chaotic or bleak, the characters rebellious, underworld or misfits; but one of the things I love about it is the sheer "differentness", the freedom of imagination involved. To some people, it's more than a book genre, it's a way of life, involving fashion, furniture, art etc.

So, to start the party, let's hear what first drew you to this fascinating genre? Was it a particular book or film, a fashion accessory or news item? Or is the genre completely new to you? What would you most like to know about it? Surely someone here will be able to answer :).

For me, the first steampunk story I read was Dru Pagliosotti's amazing "Clockwork Heart", now, sadly out of print. I loved it and was hooked. What about you? Let's talk steampunk!

Marie

Gearing Up for Steampunk!

Only four days to go until the steampunk theme party begins! Look out your corsets and goggles, crank up the old steam-driven computer and get ready to join us for a fabulous week of steampunk romance with some of the genre's finest authors!

On Monday 25th, Meljean Brook is our guest of honour,
On Tuesday 26th, Beth Ciotta,
Wednesday 27th, Gail Carriger,
Thursday 28th, Kady Cross, and
Friday 29th, Theresa Meyers.

Please note the bad news, that Ciar Cullen will be unable to join us after all, due to pressing family matters. We wish her all the best. But the good news is, that Kady Cross has very kindly stepped in at the last minute, and I'm thrilled to have her at the party!

Hope to see you on Monday and all next week! Steampunk chat, excerpts and prizes - REALLY looking forward to this party - it should be a blast!

Summer Contest Winner, and Other News

Well, I'm back from a wonderful three weeks in Turkey, relaxed and refreshed and ready to rock! (Or at least I was before this nasty little stomach bug hit me - grr). So, first item on the agenda, the winner of the Summer Contest is...

 TAMSYN!

Congratulations, Tamsyn. I have your email address, so I'll ask Changeling Press to send you the books direct. Many thanks to everyone who entered!

Other news... I was delighted to discover that the cover of Blood on Silk came in a strong second in its category in the Cover Cafe's annual contest! You can read some of the lovely comments here: http://www.covercafe.com/contest/2010/TIC-res10.html.

And its sequel, Blood Sin, just received a fabulous Five Tombstone review from Bitten by Books!

Reviewer Jennifer said, among other things: "The fantastic sequel to Blood on Silk... every bit as good as the first...
I truly cannot get enough of the lead vampire of the series, Saloman...
"This is truly an amazing series... some of the best vampire fiction on the market right now. I hope that there will be plenty more of these books, because I will be reading every one." 
You can read the full review here: http://www.bittenbybooks.com/38575/blood-sin-by-marie-treanor/.

And finally, hope you're looking forward the Steampunk Party here on the blog 25th to 29th July! Should be a wonderful event!

Summer Contest!

Just before I head off to the sun for two weeks, I'm going to post the promised summer contest :).

But first, I want to tell you about the Dead Man's Party over at The Romance Studio from 24th - 26th June. It's celebrating the undead, and obviously I'm obviously all in favour of that :). I also plan to be there if I can make my internet connection work from Turkey :).

You can join the party here: http://theromancestudio.com/party/.

I'm also celebrating the release of Demon's Kiss with a slightly belated cyberlaunch party at Author Island on 26th June (again, internet connection willing!). http://www.cyberlaunchparty.blogspot.com/. Hope to see you there!

And so to the contest!

Is there an exotic location you'd particularly like to read about as the setting for a story? Either an old favourite or one you've never come across but would like to? Comment below to tell us where it is and what the attraction is!

The contest will close at midnight on 12th July, and I'll pick a winner at random from all the comments received. The prize will be two of my short, hot summer ebooks: ESCAPE: Devilish Fantasy and Heat Stroke: Cool Pool.


Good luck!
Marie