2011 Steampunk Year in Review

Wow! What a year for steampunk in all its forms! On every front, interest and expression grew, more people heard about it, and more people participated.

 

Looking back through the news archives on Airship Ambassador, there were a lot of reasons to celebrate our community. Lots of new local groups got started around the world. Not all groups kept going after an initial burst of enthusiasm, but others flourished, and all of them gave people a chance to come together for fun, frivolity and friendship.

 

Similarly, there were a number of first year conventions, with attendance from several dozen to several hundred, and a number of other established conventions opted for a steampunk theme or at least a dedicated programming track. Some conventions became one time events, others are taking a break in 2012, and still others regrouped, reformed and renamed themselves to be a new event for next year. Steamcon celebrated it’s third consecutive year while Steampunk World’s Fair, World Steam Expo, and Teslacon, among others, celebrated their second year in the US, while Asylum, in Lincoln, England, UK, and Victoria Steam Expo in Canada also celebrated two years.

 

2012 is already promising to be even bigger on the convention circuit. Most conventions are back for another production, and several new ones are on the calendar. If one had the time and budget, there’s at least one convention every month, and some months have a convention every weekend. Who says steampunk is dead?

 

Speaking of that, some of the same sources tried to rally the troops to shout out loud and clear that steampunk had jumped the shark and was well and truly dead. Of course, they were proved wrong even as they tried to implore people to believe it. Recently, some people even sought to blame Justin Bieber for utterly destroying steampunk with his Santa Claus is Coming to Town video. Plenty of rebuttals to that claim, which indicates people are still passionate about their fandom and community.

 

Alternately, of course, there are those wanting to cash in on steampunk because it’s popular and they want to make a quick buck. Regretsy showcases things which are clearly not steampunk, Polyvore just listed some clothes as steampunk which might barely be said to have an influence but nothing more. I’ve gotten more than a few emails promoting everything under the sun with the ‘steampunk’ label attached to it. Blurbs talking about steampunk exercise, steampunk travel and even steampunk foods, none of which bore any resemblance to presentations we see at conventions and read in blogs like bartitsu, local locations, or Steampunk chef, Aaron Egan (who, by the way, made some incredibly tasty dishes during Teslacon II).

 

Back to the celebration, however, and we saw that steampunk found its way even further into mass media. There was the episode of Castle, an episode of CBS’ Sunday Morning, Sunday newspaper cartoons, and Halloween costumes.

 

The aesthetic found its way to several stage productions, and art exhibits like those at Penn State, Steampunk: Form and Design Exhibit, and Muzeo’s Steampunk: History Beyond Imagination. Shakespeare was particularly popular with productions of Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Tempest. Even Gilbert and Sullivan got the steampunk treatment with Ruddigore.

 

2011 was a banner year for steampunk books, stories and comics.

While Girl Genius moved into its tenth volume and won a third Hugo award, other comics joined the fray such as Lady Mechanika, Lady Sabre and the Pirates of the Ineffable Aether, and Shadowbinders. Joe Benitez won Steamcon III’s Airship Award in the Visual category for Lady Mechanika.

 

In serialized stories, we read the regular updates to Railroad, The Rather Prolific Adventures of Captain Henley and Mr. Prower, Scottie McKeel, and SteampunX.

 

It was an overflowing cornucopia of novels this year; certainly too many to list them all here. I really wish I could list them all because there were so many I enjoyed, and so many authors I enjoyed meeting. Among the releases from established steampunk authors were Gail Carriger’s Heartless, Cherie Priest’s Ganymede, and Scott Westerfeld’s Goliath.

 

There were also plenty of newcomers to the scene such as Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris with their award winning Phoenix Rising, Andrew Mayer with Falling Machine, and Theresa Meyers with The Hunter.

 

Anthologies were also popular this year, and provided a great way for people to get a taste for a wide range of stories and authors. The list includes Ghosts by Gaslight, edited by Nick Gevers and Jack Dann, Dreams of Steam II Brass and Bolts, edited by Allan Gilbreath and Kimberly Richardson, and SteamPowered II, edited by JoSelle Vanderhooft.

 

There is some traction happening on the movie front. While last year saw the short film, Nickel Children, this year brought us Aurora, from Australia, and the recent Hugo directed by Martin Scorsese. Also this year, came news of big screen adaptations for Boilerplate by Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett, and Boneshaker by Cherie Priest.

 

Steampunk in all its forms also grew around the world. There are new groups and conventions in South America, Europe, and Australia. There are amazing artists from Russia to Spain to Mexico. Airship Ambassador has received visitors from Djibouti, Malawi, Tunisia, and Uzbekistan, as well as over a hundred other countries.

 

At every turn, in every facet, the steampunk community is still growing and every day more people learn about it and join in the merriment. 2011 was a great year for us to celebrate, and here’s looking forward to 2012!

 

Interview with Andrew Mayer – Part 2

Welcome back for the conclusion to our interview with Andrew Mayer, author of The Falling Machine: The Society of Steam, Book One from Pyr.

Part 1 can be read here.

 

AA: Hearts of Smoke and Steam is the second book in the Society of Steam trilogy – what tantalizing things can you hint at for us? Anything about the third book which releases next month?

AM: Hearts of Smoke and Steam has a heaping helping of romance in it, and a few new characters.

The third book is shaping up to be about our choices vs. our philosophies. It’s an epic ending, and I’m I’ve just finished writing what I hope is the hardest part. Either way though, I know how it all comes together, now I just have to get there.

 

AA: Here’s the role model question – when my nieces and nephews read The Falling Machine, what would you like for them to learn from Sarah and her adventures to apply to their own lives?

AM: One thing about Sarah is that, in my mind at least, she’s fairly conservative. She’s not constantly fighting the system; she’s fighting to understand how to make it work. That gives her the strength to question the assumptions in her world, but she’s not just a reactionary.

But she’s also a genuinely passionate person. For her, being a superhero is a way to express herself creatively. I think you’ll see more of that in book 2.

 

AA: You are originally from New York. What research beyond your own experiences went into creating The Falling Machine world?

AM: Well as much as I could make it so, this is a story set in New York in 1880. I poured through histories and photos, spent time walking the Brooklyn Bridge, visited museums, and traveled to locations in the city.

I wanted to get to the point where I felt like I could live in that world and walk around in it, and luckily a lot of that New York is still standing, so it’s not that hard to travel back into the city’s past—if you know where to look.

 

AA: What elements did you include so readers could believe in and be immersed in The Falling Machine world? What did you want to specifically be part of the story?

AM: Well, there are lots of specifics in there, from tooth-brushing to the early electric lights. But ultimately you want that to all fall away. I tried to create a feel to that world that works, and I only bring up the details when I think they’ll add to that feel.

It’s also fun to get away from some of the modern ideas about design. Things were a bit more clunky back then because they wanted the structures to show the world how clever they were. We’ve moved in the opposite direction since then, and I think it makes a nice contrast.

 

AA: People continue to hear about The Falling Machine every day. How are those new readers finding you?

AM: Are they? I sure hope so. Interviews like this are a great help. Also twitter and Facebook have been kind to me. Cons are excellent as well. I also think a lot of people also picked up my book in the Border’s liquidation, so that’s something good coming out of something bad…

 

AA: Every author I’ve talked with has a different journey to seeing their works in print. What was your publishing experience like with Pyr?

AM: It’s been great. Lou is an amazing editor, and he and I get along really well.

Pyr has gotten the book out there, and I think the booth at DragonCon is really a high point, because you can reach so many people.
I love that con because so many of the people there are actively looking for new things to discover.

 

AA: There really are no shortcuts to being a successful writer. What are some of your own guidelines in writing to help ensure that your story is the best it can possibly be?

AM: I think that in the end, for me at least, the writing is the beginning of it. Words written create an opportunity for me to edit and polish my work. I’m constantly trying to do more in a first draft, but even so, every revision improves the work, and that’s exciting.

 

AA: Who are the people which have inspired you in some way to be a writer?

AM: I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was 11 years old, so it’s really the old school folks that inspired me: Asimov, Bradbury, Pohl, Bester, Moorcock, Gibson, Sterling, and all those 70s and 80s writers.

 

AA: Do you get to talk much with other writers and artists to compare notes, have constructive critique reviews, and brainstorm new ideas?

AM: I’m terrible about that part. I used to do a lot of it, but these days I tend to work in more of a vacuum until the true first draft is done. I’d like to share the work more, but ultimately it’s a question of time.

 

AA: What do you do to keep a balance between book writing, tours and conventions, and the rest of your life?

AM: I don’t. The last year has been totally unbalanced. It’s been the living equivalent of “drunken master kung fu”, where I just sort of lean into the moment and see where it’s going to take me. And unlike Jackie Chan, I don’t need to be drunk to make it work.

 

AA: How is Oakland, California, for writing? Does location matter for resources, access, publicity, etc

AM: I actually think the Bay Area is a terrible place to be a writer. Portland is a much better city for that because you can turn off the distractions. But those cities don’t work so well for my career as creative director.

Between the internet and airplanes I don’t think location matters much for finding an audience.

 

AA: If you weren’t an author, what else would you be doing now?

AM: Playing more games and watching more TV? Writing is a passion, so it’s not an either/or thing. I write because I can’t imagine not doing it.

 

AA: By day, you are a videogame designer and digital entertainment consultant and writing is your “other” job. What has that situation been for you and how has it helped/hindered writing a novel?

AM: There was a time when I was getting up at 5:30 in the morning to write before work. I’ve managed to create a better schedule than that now, but since writing takes a long time to become a job that can pay a living wage, it’s still somewhat extracurricular.

In a way it’s the opposite. Writing hinders everything else: work, relationships, entertainment. It’s truly a form of madness.

 

AA: Looking beyond steampunk, writing and working, what other interests fill your time?

AM: My every living moment is filled with either my work, my writing, my relationship, or managing my life. In the non-existent left-over time I do things like Yoga, meditation, and other practices that can keep me healthy and sane.

 

AA: Thank you so much for joining us for this interview, and best of continued success with your books and coast to coast traveling! Are there any final thoughts you would like to share with our readers?

AM: If you’re driven to write, do it! If you’re driven to read, I hope that you’ll check out my books. I plan on writing a lot more of them.

 

Thanks, everyone, for reading our interview with Andrew Mayer. Until next time, read more on his website andrewpmayer.com and for the Society of Steam societyofsteam.com .

Interview with Andrew Mayer – Part 1

This week we are talking with Andrew Mayer, author of The Falling Machine: The Society of Steam, Book One from Pyr.

 

Airship Ambassador: Hi Andrew, welcome to Airship Ambassador! You’ve been very busy, and popular, after the release of The Falling Machine.

Andrew Mayer: It’s been an exciting few months, and the second book will be out in late November!

 

AA: The Falling Machine is about steampunk superheroes that live in 1880′s New York City. What can you share with us about the characters and their adventures?

AM: The lead character is a young woman named Sarah Stanton. Her father is a powerful hero named the Industrialist (who has a smoking top hat!). He’s a member of the Society of Paragons; New York’s greatest team of gentlemen adventurers.

 

Sarah has wanted to be a superhero ever since she was a child, although obviously that’s an impossibility for a woman of society in 1880. Tragic circumstances conspire to make her dreams come true, and she finds herself forced into a terrifying adventure when her mentor (Sir Dennis Darby, the leader of the Paragons), is killed in front of her on the top of the (unfinished) Brooklyn Bridge.

 

She soon finds herself at the center of conspiracy that most of the Paragons either refuse to acknowledge, or may actually be a part of. Helping her to uncover the mystery is a mechanical man created by Sir Dennis called the Automaton.

 

The first book is a bit of a mystery story, with characters crawling around secret passages and the like, but there are also some major battles, burning mansions, and some good old fashioned Father/Daughter drama

 

AA: What were some of your thoughts and goals in creating the tensions between Sarah and her father? Aside from the dramatic story telling, were there themes or concepts you wanted to explore?

AM: I think that there are big differences between friendship and family. Sarah is caught between those worlds, both in her own relationship with her father, and his relationship with Darby and his fellow Paragons.

 

It’s also about loyalty and honesty, and the conflicts that come when you’re trapped between youth and adulthood. That’s something that I think a lot of superhero stories explore—metaphorically at lest.

 

AA: In writing this book, what were your guidelines and definitions for steampunk and how are those expressed throughout the story, the characters and their actions?

AM: Well, I think I have it easy, since I set the book in a (slightly) alternate Victorian era.

 

But honestly, a big part of Steampunk to me is the maker movement, and I wanted to get some of that feeling in there.

 

I’ve spent some time around artists who sculpt metal, and I really wanted to capture the essence of a certain kind of artistic madness that I believe is a big part of what drives the creative aspects of steampunk. I felt that it was something that hadn’t been adequately expressed in the fiction.

 

Making it a superhero story was a good way to showcase a lot of these larger than life personalities.

 

AA: In previous interviews you mentioned that your experience with comic books and Burning Man helped spark the idea of your steampunk superheroes. What was the driving motivation for writing The Falling Machine? Why a steampunk world?

AM: I think it helped that steampunk has continued to tap into the zeitgeist of our times over the last half decade, and that’s helped to keep it fresh and fun.

 

It was also the story I started that I discovered I could keep writing, and initially that came as much a surprise to me as to anyone.

 

AA: Comic books were one of my major interests growing up, and beyond, honestly. Some stories were over the top, some were wild and wacky, but overall, I think they showed what life could be like, and there were creative ways at looking at the world, one’s life, and the obstacles we face. How did comic book elements, as well as facets of your own life, the reality and the dreams, make their way into The Falling Machine?

AM: Comics work best for me when they match the ridiculous with the sublime. That’s why I think Jack Kirby has ended up being the patron saint of the modern comics. His style is all action and reaction, and really set the tone for the next generation to come along and deconstruct his storytelling.

 

I got to interview the man before he died, and that had a huge impact on me. Kirby was struggling to create a truly epic mythology through the medium of comics, and in a lot of ways he succeeded. He certainly created the cosmic back story for both Marvel and DC.

 

But I think life is always going to be more complex than you often see in comics no matter how gritty they get. That’s one of the limitations of the medium, because it’s so visual. It is far more external and action oriented than written fiction, which can really move around inside the character’s heads. Movies can do both, but there recent love affair with comics have pushed films deep into the territory of external storytelling.

 

AA: What kind of back story is there for The Falling Machine which didn’t make it into the final book?

AM: Well, there are two more books to go, so you’re going to find out a lot more about the world and the characters as we go along.

 

But the story starts with the end of an era for the Paragons, so you don’t get to see a lot of those characters in their prime. I’m going to write a prequel novella next year that covers some of that territory.

 

I’m also seeing a lot of people making assumptions about the story and the motivations of the characters that may seem to come from a very different place by the time they get through the end of book three.

 

 

We’ll pick up with the conclusion to our interview with Andrew Mayer next time. Until then, read more on his website andrewpmayer.com and for the Society of Steam societyofsteam.com .