Airship Ambassador Interview #100, Part Three

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

Read Part One here. Current Involvement, Part one

Read Part Two here. Current Involvement, Part two

 

What opportunities, steampunk or not, have come your way because of your involvement and work in steampunk?

 

Lev AC Rosen: I got to read and talk about Ada Byron at the New York Victorian Society’s Ada Lovelace day, which was excellent.  Apparently, the depiction of Ada in All Men of Genius has been written about in various essays and books, which is awesome.  I didn’t realize I was so academic.

Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine: We have received more invitations for works in anthologies, both in the United States and overseas, on account of our work in the Ministry. We were also approached to have our universe turned into a FATE-Core roleplaying game, The Ministry Initiative by Galileo Games.

Finally, we were featured VIP guests alongside NYT Bestseller Gail Carriger at Reconnaissance, the official Science Fiction convention of New Zealand; and VIP guests of Steampunk H.Q., the modern art-hands on museum in Steampunk Oamaru, New Zealand.

Arthur Slade: Well, I continue to publish books with a variety of publishers and my latest book, Flickers, came out in May (2016). The Hunchback Assignments was my first series of books to find international acclaim and that opened the door for me to work with several publishers in other countries. The series also brought my work to the attention of two film companies, who I’m working with right now to develop the series into a movie. I will admit that I have a background role. I’m not a script writer and wanted the pros to handle that.

Jaymee Goh: Hrm, most of my opportunities have come from being very vocal on social media. Definitely The Sea Is Ours is a result of the publisher liking what I do in steampunk. I’ve also been able to present at conferences and met some very excellent people, and been invited to present at conventions, too. My paper on mad science in steampunk at the International Conference of the Fantastic in the Arts, for example, led to a reading invitation. I’m also editing this year’s WisCon Chronicles, an anthology series which records and explores the ongoing discourses happening at WisCon, a feminist science fiction convention in Madison, WI. Vintage Tomorrows, a documentary on steampunk that interviewed me, was just released.

But I’ve also been invited as a guest to conventions which have led me to meet people I never would have met otherwise. My first GearCon in Portland put me in the immediate vicinity of James Carrott and the Vintage Tomorrows film crew, and about 5 years after, the documentary is now on Netflix.

Jean-Christophe Valtat: It has been a boon for my books, giving them an audience able to relate to what I was doing, however strange it was.

Nick Valentino: There are too many to name. I’ve found a new group of friends, even some I consider family from nearly every state in the country and in Canada. When I went on the year long book tour for Thomas Riley, I met more amazing people than I could ever have imagined. (Including my wife) In meeting those people, I have gotten connected with literally hundreds of awesome opportunities. I’ve been a part of 4 steampunk anthologies, been in an issue of Steampunk Magazine, done hundreds of panels, been a guest or guest of honor at conferences all across the country and gotten the opportunity to tour Canada with my books. I was part of NAIBA (New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association in Atlantic City. I’ve been able to be a part of Book Festivals from San Diego to Maryland. All of this because I decided to write a “niche” steampunk book and get involved with the fandom, the culture, and the people. I now have the most creative and wonderful friends all over the place and it’s something I wouldn’t trade from the world.

The biggest thing to come from writing this book and getting involved with Steampunk, is the fact that I met my wife at The World Steam Expo in Dearborn Michigan. That changed my life in the most amazing ways. I’m a better person than I used to be because of that one conference. Literally, I owe the community of steampunk everything just for that chance encounter.

Evan Butterfield: My steampunk shoots have gotten me connected with professional models, and I’ve worked with a number of them on steampunk- and non-steampunk-related shoots.

 

Join us tomorrow for the second half of answers to this question in Part Four 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!