Airship Ambassador Interview #100, Part Two

Welcome back for Part Two of Interview #100. Here are the second half of the answers to the first question.

Read Part One here. Current Involvement, Part one

 

What is your current involvement in steampunk today?

Evan Butterfield: I’m continuing to explore the darker end of steampunk–most of the “characters” I create with my models are somehow the disturbed and mentally twisted products of a society sort of soaked in dirty fog and mysterious, rarified aethers (oddly enough, the alternative reality I’ve created in my head is most definitely not one I would very much like to live in).

James Ng: I’m working on my own steampunk project, Imperial Steam & Light. I’ve spent the last 3 months working with an author for a script for a comic book, we have the first 5 chapters ~250pages drafted. But there is alot more work to be done, character design to refine, story plotholes to fix etc. It has been an amazing ride, I am so excited to share this with everyone soon. Especially the Steampunk community that supported me through out the years.

Gail Carriger: I just returned from the Gaslight Gathering and San Diego, a great little steampunk event, and my last for this year. Next year, I’ll be returning to the Steampunk Worlds Fair in New Jersey in May, just after having visited Alaska for their Steampunk Symposium. It’ll be a very steampunk spring for me.

In writing, I’m still plugging away. My steampunk universe has now been officially dubbed the Parasolverse. Right now I have one ongoing novel series with Orbit, the Custard Protocol series. I’ll be writing the third one in that series next year with an eye to release in 2018, but nothing concrete.

Meanwhile, I’ve started two new series in the Parasolverse, which I’m self publishing. The Delightfully Deadly novellas, which are romances featuring lady spies. And the Supernatural Society novellas, which all feature LBGTQ characters. I’m using these to build bridges between steampunk, urban fantasy, romance, and other genres. For example, the first Delightfully Deadly novella, Poison or Protect, played on the idea of a spy thriller meets Regency house party. The first Supernatural Society novella, Romancing the Inventor, has an Upstairs Downstairs feel to it (being told from the perspective of an upstairs maid in a vampire hive).

Richard Preston: Hi Kevin! It’s a real honor to be invited to participate in your event here on Airship Ambassador. Currently I am continuing my Chronicles of the Pneumatic Zeppelin steampunk adventure series, a project which you have so kindly supported from the very beginning. Book 4 will be arriving sometime in 2017. I’m also attending some local steampunk conventions, including the brand new SCV Comic Con last month and the Oxnard Steamfest coming up this weekend (Oct 15,16). I was more involved with the bigger cons previously (San Diego Comic Con, as an attendee) and the great Anomalycon in Denver (not big, but very steampunk).

Diana Pho: Steampunk has helped me expand my personal and professional goals and my creative vision in a lot of ways, though in other ways I’m not as active in steampunk as I used to be.  I don’t perform as my steampunk persona as often anymore, and the number of steampunk conventions I attend has also been more selective. due to my schedule. Beyond Victoriana is still one of the best long-term projects I’ve done thus far, but I also know that I can’t commit to the same schedule as I had when it started in 2009. Still, I’m pretty happy that it has been recognized as an influential resource and source of inspiration in the community.

Mike Perschon: I’m currently writing a book called Steampunk FAQ for Applause, which is an imprint of the Hal Leonard company (the sheet music people!). For the record, that’s why I hardly ever blog any more. When the book is done, I’ll get back to blogging.

 

Join us tomorrow for answers to the next question in Part Three of Interview #100!

 

Thanks to everyone who has participated:

Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine, read the first interview here.

Evan Butterfield, read the first interview here.

Gail Carriger, read the first interview here.

Jaymee Goh, read the first interview here.

James Ng, read the first interview here.

Mike Perschon, read the first interview here.

Diana Pho, read the first interview here.

Richard Preston, read the first interview here.

Lev AC Rosen, read the first interview here.

Arthur Slade, read the first interview here.

Nick Valentino, read the first interview here.

Jean-Christophe Valtat, read the first interview here.

 

Thanks for all of your support and encouragement!