(This is a mirror site of my webpage karenjcarlisle.com)

Monday, December 31, 2018

Don't hit yourself on the way out, 2018!


It’s been a… complicated 2018. 




There was  the good:


  • Aunt Enid was fun to write. It reminded me of many, many wonderful childhood memories

  • and I finally got hold of my great aunt’s lemon butter recipe!

  • I attended Melbourne Supanova for the first time…  Road trip! with three fellow authors, Matt, Kylie and Katie.

  • Just broke even for both Melbourne and Adelaide Supanova. (yeah!) 

  • I wrote my first song for an Aussie steampunk band, The Littmus Steampunk Band – The Gadgeteer – which was released on their CD, Left Foot Forward.

  • Had a short story published in the anthology, Deadsteam.

  • Our offspring graduated from high school. Huzzah! and is contemplating an art career. (buy her stuff, it’s fantastic!)

  • I got some fantastic book reviews

  • Met Gillian from Sydney steampunk band, Sideshow Annie, and met Pete and Kat from Unorthodox  Society for the Elucidation of Retro-Futurism

  • had social media posts liked by Tara Moss (my hero), Gail Carriger (another hero) and some other fave actors.

  • my Patreon page went live this year and I got my first Patreon supporters

  • I finished 95 projects this year (I was aiming for 99)

  • crocheted several items and learned new stitches

  • I completed 2.5 book trailers, and got to work with garden gnomes and met lovely staff at the Largs Pier Hotel.

  • did five author talks/workshops this year, including a parasol duelling demo.

  • attended some fun steampunk events with friends.

  • booked our holiday for next year. First one since 2008.


The bad:




  • officially diagnosed with PTSD, and high functioning anxiety, so could work on new techniques to help and not waste my time doing general therapies which have done nothing in the past five years. So, in the end, this was really a good thing.

  • still haven’t found that magic bullet to stop anxiety attacks.

  • too many panic attacks.

  • No gardening done this year due to 3 months of chronic bronchitis.

  • I’ve forgotten to keep my ‘thankful jar’ up-to-date and, as a result, have forgotten too many great little things that cheered me us this year.

  • discovered I’m allergic to another antibiotic.

  • Stephen Hawking died this year.

  • Quentin Kenihan died. (friend of my Dearheart’s)




and the ugly:


  • the fight with my insurance company continued. This has dragged me down, making it hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel… It’s been four years! Just last month the situation came to a head and – thank God – was resolved before I had to end up in court or appear on shady tv current affairs shows.

    So, that was good in the end, as well. I’m hoping I can start healing. Finally.



Personally, I’ll be glad to see the back of this year.


Good riddence, 2018!

and…


Hello, 2019.

Happy New Year everyone.

Let’s make it a good one!










Don't hit yourself on the way out, 2018!

Sunday, December 23, 2018

All I want for Christmas is Jólabókaflóð

Not long now. Christmas is almost here, and another year is ending.


I plan to try (yet again) to instigate the Icelandic tradition of Jólabókaflóð. (Jolabokaflod means Yule Book Flood) where you give gifts of books and read books and eat chocolate on Christmas Eve.


Why not join me?

Here’s my Christmas gift to you: 


The first ten readers can get their own ebook copy of Viola’s Christmas adventure, Tomorrow, When I Die.Here’s how to get your copy:



  1. Follow this LINK to Smashwords.

  2. Click to buy

  3. Use the  Coupon Code: ZZ69T

    (expires: Boxing Day: 26/12/18. Limit to first ten readers.)

  4. Choose your preferred format and download

  5. Fill your bowl with chocolate

  6. Snuggle up with Viola and her friends for a Christmas adventure.


Enjoy the holiday, relax with friends and, most of all, stay safe.

Merry Christmas to you all, and to all a good Jolabokaflod.



All I want for Christmas is Jólabókaflóð

Saturday, December 22, 2018

A Writerly Christmas: Gift ideas for the Writer in Your Life

It’s that time of the year. Yes. Already. Have you not noticed the endless piped music, the tinsel, the shopping trolleys overflowing with a months worth of shopping (and shops will be shut for less than one day!)


It’s been a busy week – the rush to get everything done before Christmas holidays start: finishing up rewrites on chapter sixteen and getting it to my editor, cleaning house for the inevitible unexpected Christmas visitors, emergency dentist appointment for a broken filling (He goes on holidays tomorrow for two weeks. Talk about timing!) and last minute present shopping.


While I was window shopping I found a plethora of items that the writer (or reader) in your family might love to have…  Here’s just a few to consider:


Mugs: There’s so many to choose from (Redbubble and Cafepress)


   


or a gorgeous tea cup from T2


   


Then there’s Tshirts (from Redbubble or Teepublic)


   


Now we get into the serious stuff: Notebooks.

There are some gorgeous ones out there. Paperblanks make beautiful baroque inspired ones. You can find them online or some newsagents stock them (at least in Australia)

Diver’s notebooks are also a great idea for those of us who have ideas in the shower (I used mine all the time!)


  


And don’t forget pens… especially fountain pens… Check out this Windsor Prose Writing Setor a custom pen from Etsy.


Or just supply caffeine – coffee, tea or chocolate.  You can buy Haighs hamper bags in milk or dark chocolate.



If you still can’t find anything you think will suit, consider writing an honest book review on either Goodreads or Amazon and recommend your favourite book. That’d warm any author’s heart!


Merry Christmas


and stay safe everyone.










A Writerly Christmas: Gift ideas for the Writer in Your Life

Thursday, December 13, 2018

Latest Aunt Enid Review

Thanks to Tilly (my number one fan) for her comments on Instagram after she finished Aunt Enid: Protector Extraordinaire.



Book two should be out by the end of next year…









Latest Aunt Enid Review

The Little Things: Looking for one word.

A riveting plot is great, but it’s the characters that really make (or break) a story – their loves, their troubles, their journey make them complicated, interesting or (hopefully) lovable.


There are many wasy to create characters. Some writers compile a list of traits, likes, dislikes, quirks, even eye colour.  Others consult the I-Ching or astrology manuals for ready-made character profiles. Then there’s the ‘ask 20 questions’ method: answer questions as your character would, with anything from the existential (what is their role in the universe?) to the mundane (what is their favourite ice cream flavour?).


Like real-life humans, character backgrounds and experiences can shape their personality, ethics system/beliefs and emotional responses. Ultimately they shape the character’s goals.


All this background builds up the base of the ‘writing iceberg’ (1.) not just for the story and adds stability to the final characters and their place in each story.


I find one of the most interesting parts of writing is discovering various characters’ personalities  (especially the villians). My mantra for character creation is: each character thinks they are the hero of their own story (especially the villians!)


One of my current WIP villians has always been the side-kick, second to brilliant inventors and scientists. He’s hell-bent on being accepted into the Royal Society (2.) He’d do almost anything to achieve his goal: stealing invetions, research or allying himself with the nefarious Men in Grey (The Society), even willing to risk the consequences of betraying The Society.


His latest stolen invention becomes the focus for other characters in the story (whether they realise it or not).  He fled from Australia to London, changed his name and plotted his ascent to glory and fame.


But, for all the planning of a character and their background, there’s always a small detail not covered in the lists or the twenty questions.


Here’s my current dilemma:

Our villian gets angry and swears at his second-in-charge. Simply put in the first draft: ‘he cursed‘.  Now I’m in rewrites, I need to lock down the dialogue of the interaction. But which particular swear word shall I use?


First there’s the question of the story’s time period. 1883, London to be exact. I could use anything popular at the time; there’s some lovely Victorian era vocab – from mild to explicit.


Next there’s a question of not only his background, but also his emotional state. Think about it. If we are angry, we can say things we don’t mean or revert back to our native language or accent.


Our villian spent most of his life in Australia. Surely, he would revert to something more Australian and less English? Thus began an unexpected line of research. Two hours on the internet and still nothing. So much for a quick fix.


I could have given up and used words like botheration, blast or damnation – all good Victorian era curses. But I couldn’t. I had to be true to his character.


So I took a break and consulted my FB friends (many of who are widely read, professors, librarians,  or historical re-enactors) for references I could use to find a swear word used in 1883 (or nearabouts) Australia.


And they didn’t disappoint. The best suggestions were:



  • Green’s dictionary of Slang (online) . This is now one of my bookmarked research sites. You can search for words with country of origin, word type (noun, adverb, exclamation) and year. It provides the date, origin, reference (play, book, movie and page reference). It’s fantastic!

  • Singer of the Bush by Banjo Patterson (book). This is a compilation of his work, many from a colloquial Australian point of view. I’ve got this book via the local library and am hoping it may provide time and geographical-relevant words I can use. Though this may be twenty years later than I want.



I have a backup plan if I can’t find an appropriate word: consult the local library’s resident historian and see if he can chase up some references for me…


All this for one word. But an important one. It will highlight not only the character’s background, but show the cracks in the facade he has created to hide his true identity.


So, now it’s back to the research books so I can continue with rewrites.


Footnotes:



  1. The iceberg theory of writing (Ernest Hemmingway). “If it is any use to know it, I always try to write on the principle of the iceberg. There is seven-eighths of it underwater for every part that shows…”

    https://english101490.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/hemingways-iceberg-principle.pdf

  2. The Royal Society is a fellowship of eminent scientists. It first met in 1660 and was known as ‘The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge’ (1663) .  The Royal Society has published papers by Isaac Newton and Benjamin Franklin,  approved Charles Babbage’s Difference Engine and documented the eruption of Krakatoa and many other scientific achievments.

    https://royalsociety.org/



The Little Things: Looking for one word.

Monday, December 3, 2018

I just posted exclusive ‘writing room redo update’ posts to my #Patreon supporters. If you want to find out more, I always welcome new supporters.



Become a Patron!










Friday, November 30, 2018

12 Days of Christmas Book Buying Event

Good morning, Dear Reader.


If you’re looking for a new book for Jolabokaflod (‘Yule book flood“: the Icelandic Christmas Eve tradition of reading books and eating chocolate), check out the ‘12 days of Christmas book buying‘ FB public event.


You can join as a reader:

Readers can create posts from December 1st. List your preferred reading interests and price range. Authors will reply with their book suggestions and links. The reader commits to 1 purchase per day for the 12 days of the event.


Or you can join as an Indie Author:

Authors are welcome to suggest their books on a reader’s post if your books meet the criteria of the reader’s post.


And there are prizes as well. Many indie authors are donating copies of their books.

Watch out during the event for your chance to win an ebook copy of ‘Aunt Enid: Protector Extraordinaire’ (any format via Smashwords).










12 Days of Christmas Book Buying Event

Patreon Update

I’ve just shared a blog post preview with my patrons.












Patreon Update

Monday, November 26, 2018

Monday, November 19, 2018

#thankyou patrons


Thank you to my patrons for your support. And a big shout out to William J. Jackson Suzie Eisfelder and Narrelle Harris who were my first patrons.



With your help I bought new book posters for events and amassed my gnome army for the Aunt Enid booktrailer. Thank you! #ThankYouPatrons











#thankyou patrons

Sunday, November 11, 2018

Adelaide Supanova Round Up

It’s done.  And I’m still exhausted and regathering spoons for this month’s challenge: NaNoWriMo.  Wish me luck. You can follow my progress on my NaNo page.


I tweaked my new table presentation, based on Steampunk Festival. My new posters were perfect in the larger space.




For those who couldn’t attend Adelaide Supanova, here’s the event video (yep, costume, artist alley and indie author centric).



Writing


The ‘Create your own steampunk world or persona’ talk was well attended and I answered more steampunk and writing questions afterwards. Thanks to everyone who took time out from the guest program to hear about steampunk, world building and creating your own steampunk persona.



On Sunday I joined fellow Adelaide indie authors, Katie Fraser, Matt Pike and Kylie Leane to chat about how we write and the sliding scale of plotting versus pantsing…



Costumes:


I actually had time to work on some quick costumes this year. Saturday I wore my Missy (Doctor Who). I made the hat, the skirt and detachable collar. The shirt was re-jigged from an opshop find.



Sunday was a quick version of the 13th Doctor. I made the skirt and the bum bag (fanny pack for those who don’t know what a bum bag is) added a transfer to the t-shirt. My darling hubby bought me the sonic for my birthday.



I’ll be creating maker videos/costume diaries of both outfits, and posting them after NaNo. So, stay tuned.


There were some fantastic costume creations over the weekend… Here are just a few:


        


This year was a little slow compared to previous years (though better on Sunday when the con organisers finally opened the adjoining doors between the two sections of the event), even though I was right next to the Comic Book Guests. Not sure what it was, but other Artist Alley participants mooted the same comments.


Thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hello, and to those who purchased a book (or two). And a big shout out to Tilly and Tara, my number one crazy (their words, not mine) fans. You make my day every time you pop by! (We were so busy chatting I forgot to get a photo of you both on the weekend.)


Most importantly: thank God the aircon was working this year!



Adelaide Supanova Round Up

Wednesday, November 7, 2018

Patreon Update

This week my Patreon supporters received



  • a behind the scenes photos from my recent Aunt Enid #booktrailer shoot,

  • #Supanovaconvention video,

  • two writing talk videos and

  • a preview of next weekends blog post.


Why not join them?











Patreon Update

Sunday, November 4, 2018

The Department of Curiosities Trailer

Hello from Adelaide Supanova. Visitors to the Artist Alley would have seen the new book trailer for ‘The Department of Curiosities’.  Now it’s your turn!



The Department of Curiosities is the second series set in Karen J Carlisle’s alternate steampunk world.  DOC is a steampunk tale of adventure, a heroine, mad scientists, traitors and secrets.

All for the good of the Empire.


This series is a lighter set adventures, set in the early 1880s.


Pre-order your copy this weekend.

Just find me in the Artist Alley.


 



The Department of Curiosities Trailer

Thursday, November 1, 2018

Sunday, October 28, 2018

Making Booktrailer Props: Walking Stick

Here’s some more behind the scenes for the making of the Aunt Enid booktrailer…


“There was a knock on the door. Enid’s silver walking stick glinted in the umbrella stand. She quietly placed the rolling pin on the hall table and snatched up her trusty stick. No one gets past Enid Turner!”



And the new quote card for social media: Feel free to share!


and another one for FB banners.




Making Booktrailer Props: Walking Stick

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Aunt Enid: Protector Extraordinaire

Daemons, fairies, magic: it’s all real!


The Otherworld is bleeding through cracks into our world. And Adelaide is ground zero.


Aunt Enid is just your average seventy-something year old. She loves to cook, is a regular at bingo and spends hours in her garden, talking to her army of garden gnomes and fussing over the colour of her hydrangeas…

and a Protector Extraordinaire.



Buy Your Copy Now!



Aunt Enid: Protector Extraordinaire

Sunday, October 21, 2018

Where to find me at Adelaide Supanova.

Hot off the press!


Adelaide Supanova Floorplan.

I’m just inside the doors, next to the Comic Book Supastars.


And both my talks are at the Imagineers and Gamers Stage… just a little further on. Just follow the arrows.











Where to find me at Adelaide Supanova.

Meet Aunt Enid at Supanova Adelaide

It’s almost here!


Adelaide Supanova  is early this year – weekend of 3rd-4th November. And Aunt Enid wants to meet you.


Over the next two weeks I’ll be launching new social media teasers and the first booktrailer teaser for my latest book, ‘Aunt Enid: Protector Extraordinaire’.



Come find me in Artist Alley. I’ll have Aunt Enid paperbacks, hot off the presses, as well as ‘You and whose army?’ mugs, badges and t-shirts. (As well as all three Viola Stewart books, MIG and Viola mugs)


I’ll also be posting some of the maker videos (making props for the booktrailer)…

Here’s the first one: Gathering a Gnome Army.



For those who can’t attend Supanova Adelaide

click here to find out where to buy ‘Aunt Enid’

(within Australia)


or

Check out where to buy if you

live outside Australia



Meet Aunt Enid at Supanova Adelaide

Friday, October 19, 2018

Snuggle up with Viola for Halloween

Looking for something to read this Halloween?


The Adventures of Viola Stewart  series has it all:

murder

mummies

mystery

madness

magic and illusion

and Jack the Ripper…



 










Snuggle up with Viola for Halloween

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Supanova Update!

Dear Reader, I’ve got some news. I’ve been accepted by Supanova  – two talks!


This year I’m doing TWO talks at this year’s Adelaide Supanova. If you’re in Adelaide for Supanova come and hear about steampunk and writing methods (I’m a pantser-plotter).


Here’s the details:


Supanova Adelaide. Wayville Showgrounds

2-4th November


Talk #1:


Sat 3rd Nov @ 2.30pm – Imagineer’s and Gaming Stage

Creating Your Own Steampunk World or Persona

(on writing/ costuming steampunk)


Use existing history and places to create your own unique steampunk world, or you can design your own from scratch. I’ll discuss steampunk tropes and the use of gadgets, as well as various steampunk sub-genres, how to include magic and the supernatural and how to incorporate ‘punk’ in your world and stories.

I’ll also explore character types, their interaction in their new steampunk world and how the process can be used to create steampunk costume personas.

This panel will be of interest to those who are steampunk-curious, interested in writing steampunk stories or creating steampunk comics, and to costumers/cosplayers interested in creating their own unique steampunk persona.



Talk #2:


Sun 4th Nov @ 4.00pm – Imagineer’s and Gaming Stage

Indie Author talk

with fellow Adelaide spec fic authors, Katie Fraser, Kylie Leane and Matt Pike  (on plotting and pantsing).


A group of Independent Authors will present a panel on the different ways they write their novels. There are generally two approaches to writing a novel, ‘plotting’ where you outline the plot and scenes before starting to write or ‘pantsing’ (from flying by the seat of your pants) where authors start writing and see where it goes from there…


I’ll also be in Artist Alley all weekend.



Supanova Update!

Sunday, October 14, 2018

Liptember - Raising Awareness for Women's Mental Health

If you follow me on instagram or twitter (or FB) you would have seen my (almost) daily Liptember posts.


What is Liptember, you ask?  Liptember is a campaign raising funds and awareness for women’s mental health during the month of September.  To support the fundraising campaign you could either buy lipsticks from various chemists around Australia, or donate to people who had joined up for the cause. My ‘donation page’ is/was: https://www.liptember.com.au/karen-carlisle  (I think you can still donate, if you wish).


Funds raised during Liptember are donated to the Centre of Women’s Mental Health, Lifeline, Batyr, RUOK?, The Jean Hailes Foundation and The Pretty Foundation.



Thanks to my supporters, I raised $80 for Liptember this year.



During September, I wore a different Liptember lipstick each day, and shared a little about my constant struggles with anxiety and PTSD.



On a bad day, it can be hard to face the outside world. As an author, I attend events (like Supanova in just a few weeks). I love chatting to people, but large crowds, shopping centres – even parties – are sources of anxiety.  I am immensely uncomfortable in public.  Before I do talks, my hands sweat, I shake, my heart races.  But this is the life I have chosen. (and there are no life and death consequences)…


So, this project wasn’t just for Liptember. It was for me too.


Each photo took me out of my comfort zone. Selfies are personal, revealing. You know those dreams where you are standing naked in front of the class? That is how I felt each day. But I kept going. Because I’m tired of feeling anxious all the time, of the fear, the pain and the dread. It was a self-inflicted desensitisation therapy.


This week has been particularly hard. It’s been hard to get out of bed over the past month. Then I struggle to write. I’ve tried to concentrate on visuals and physio visits to help reduce pain (anxiety seems to focus as muscle, back pain and migraine). October-November always looms as the month I feel forced to do annual paperwork for my old job. There’s this constant feeling of doom and gloom and the world’s going to end type stuff.


For over six years (more like ten, really), I’ve tried to show a strong, to hide most of my struggles from the world. Who needs to read about that crap, right? And now look where it’s got me. Ongoing insurance battles are just making it all worse. Sucking any enthusiasm I struggle to muster. Just when I glimpse a possible light at the end of the tunnel, they drag me back into the darkness.


Liptember wriggled me out of the shell. Mental health needs to be talked about. It can be uncomfortable. It can be scary. But we can’t hide it any more. Too many of us are suffering in silence.

All I can say is thank God for my hubby, my writing, my art, my family and friends….

and chocolate.

Lots of chocolate.



Liptember - Raising Awareness for Women's Mental Health

Sunday, October 7, 2018

The Dark Side of Steampunk

Welcome to my guest blogger this week, Bryce Raffle, editor of the  dreadpunk anthology, Deadsteam, which contains my penny dreadful inspired short story, The Case of the Murderous Migraine. 


Bryce is also a fellow steampunk and long-time member of Scribblers Den (an international steampunk writers forum). Take it away, Bryce.


The Dark Side of Steampunk


Initially, when I came up with the concept for the DeadSteam anthology, I had it in mind that I wanted to showcase the dark, supernatural side of steampunk.


Steampunk is a reimagining of the Victorian era from a modern day perspective, with a lens squarely pointed at the technology: the brass and copper, the engines running on coal and steam. But while the technology of Queen Victoria’s era fascinated me, I began to see other inspiration in that time period beyond the technology. Victorian literature was one source of inspiration. In particular, I began looking at the Victorian penny dreadful.


The cheap, sensational literature of the era, known as penny dreadfuls, were sold for a penny per issue. The stories were released in weekly parts, and often portrayed supernatural entities, such as ghosts, ghouls, and, of course, vampires.


A Feast of Blood, or Varney the Vampire, by James Malcolm Rymer (and/or Thomas Preskett Prest—penny dreadfuls were often written anonymously, and Varney was variously attributed to both Prest and Rymer), was a perennial favourite, running at a whopping total length of nearly 667,000 words. Varney introduced many of the common vampire tropes still common today, most notably the sharpened fangs now associated with the undead creatures.


“The figure turns half round, and the light falls upon its face. It is perfectly white—perfectly bloodless. The eyes look like polished tin; the lips are drawn back, and the principal feature next to those dreadful eyes is the teeth—the fearful looking teeth—projecting like those of some wild animal, hideously, glaringly white, and fang-like. It approaches the bed with a strange, gliding movement. It clashes together the long nails that literally appear to hang from the finger ends. No sound comes from its lips.

– James Malcolm Rymer, Thomas Preskett Prest Varney the Vampire


Penny Dreadfuls, otherwise known as penny bloods, also portrayed the deeds of criminals, such as the Resurrection Man portrayed in The Mysteries of London.


The stories often drew from gothic literature for their inspiration, and were often reprints of popular gothic novels, such as The Castle of Otranto. The dark and stormy nights, therefore, were not far where penny dreadfuls were concerned.


I began to see in penny dreadfuls an inspiration for a steampunk anthology with more of those dark, supernatural elements that you’d expect in a penny dreadful but not necessarily in your average steampunk story. I wanted to show a bit less of the science and gadgets and machinery and a lot more of the Victorian Gothic.


This was before I stumbled across dreadpunk.


What is dreadpunk?


Dreadpunk is an emerging genre founded by Derek “The Dreadpope” Tatum, who on his website dreadpunk.com, describes the genre as the “‘costume drama’ of the macabre.”


“I coined the term ‘dreadpunk’ in early 2015. At the time, there appeared to be a resurgence of interest in the Gothic; most notably, Penny Dreadful was on Showtime and Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak was scheduled for release later that year.” – Derek Tatum, (dreadpunk.com)


I reached out to Tatum for further info on the dreadpunk movement, and he was kind enough to get back to me, describing the movement as “gothic horror with modern storytelling techniques.” Hammer Horror, he said, makes a good comparison, “since that was an attempt to bring ‘period’ horror up to the era it was made.”


Besides Hammer, he also referenced Corman’s Poe flicks, Burton’s Sleepy Hollow, Ravenloft, Coppola’s Dracula, Castlevania, and of course (Showtime’s) Penny Dreadful.


Exactly the sort of thing I had in mind for the DeadSteam anthology.


I began to envision DeadSteam as a dreadpunk anthology, although I did encourage steampunk authors to submit their stories, with the caveat that they should be more in the vein of Edgar Allan Poe and Mary Shelley and less in the realm of Jules Verne and HG Wells. In other words, less science fiction and more of the trappings of gothic horror and penny dreadfuls.



Thus emerged DeadSteam.


Each of the stories owes some credit to the writers of penny dreadfuls, who introduced us to fang-bearing vampires like Sir Francis Varney, resurrection men who dredge the dead up from their rest to sell to anatomists, and ghosts haunting the halls of gothic manors on dark, foggy nights.


Pre-orders are available now in hardcover, paperback, and ebook.


Thank you, Bryce, for introducing us to dreadpunk.


Photos supplied by Bryce Raffle.


The Dark Side of Steampunk

Sunday, September 30, 2018

Sept-October Patreon Post is Live


Here’s what my supporters get:Sept – October Rewards and Bonuses:


All Patreon supporters (Aether Tech ($1 tier)+:



  • discussion post about Aunt Enid relaunch and

  • reschedule of ‘The Department of Curiosities’ publication date.


Cogs in the Machine ($3 tier)+:



  • Maker Video Diaries of custom-made props and final gnome army rallying for upcoming book trailer.

  • sneak peek at new Aunt Enid promo/social media quote cards


Conspirators ($5 tier)+ get



  • access to a free digital download of the new song, The Gadgeteer.

  • Live Chat (via Discord) Sat 13th October @ 11.30 am – 1.30 pm (Adelaide, South Australia time) Ask me questions or just chat.


New Adventurer Extraordinaire ($10 tier)+ get:



  • eBook copy of Aunt Enid:Protector Extraordinaire.


If you love steampunk stories and music (or want to hear something new), want to get exclusives and sneak peek videos and photos, and background info or just want to chat/ask questions, then sign up to support me!



Become a Patron!










Sept-October Patreon Post is Live

Monday, September 24, 2018

First Review of Deadsteam

I’m excited! Deadsteam has its first review posted on Goodreads – and my short, The Case of the Murderous Migraine, got mentioned as a favourite!

What a reading delight!! …This dreadpunk (steampunk horror) anthology is a perfect way to get in the Halloween mood. These story’s are reminiscent of classic penny dreadfuls and gothic horror. 

I especially loved the tales where vampires were the focus. Like Anthony in Red by Jen Ponce and The Case of the Murderous Migraine by Karen J. Carlisle. I haven’t read gothic vampire tales in a while and forgot how much I enjoy those tales. ”

–  Bedelya (clockwork.bookdragon) Moreno-Roth’s Reviews

You can read the full review here on Goodreads.



Buy you copy from

Book Depository, Amazon, Amazon.com.au,

Smashwords or Kobo

Also available in hardcover.









First Review of Deadsteam

Monday, September 17, 2018

Reader Beware: 'Deadsteam' is Coming.



Do you like the more dread end of steampunk? Gaslamp? A touch of horror? Then this anthology is right up your dark, fog-drenched cobblestone alley!


“Reader beware: to open this tome is to invite dread into your heart. Every page you turn will bring you closer to something wicked. And when the dead begin to rise from the steaming pits of hell, only then will you discover that it is already too late. Your life is forfeit.”


‘Deadsteam’ features an introduction by Leanna Renee Hieber, author of the Eterna Files and Strangely Beautiful saga. DeadSteam plays host to the scintillating writing of David Lee Summers (Owl Dance, The Brazen Shark), Jen Ponce (The Bazaar, Demon’s Cradle), Wendy Nikel (The Continuum), Karen J Carlisle (The Adventures of Viola Stewart), Jonah Buck (Carrion Safari), and more…


With seventeen chilling tales of dreadpunk, gaslamp, and dark steampunk, DeadSteam will leave you tearing at the pages, desperate for more. For within these pages, the dead rise from their graves to haunt the London Underground, witches whisper their incantations to the wind, a sisterhood of bitten necks hunts fog-drenched alleyways lit only by gaslight, and only one thing is certain: that dread will follow you until you turn that final page.And that sinking feeling in the pit of your chest? That fear that something is following you, watching you, hunting you? It is not for nothing. Look over your shoulder, dear reader. Watch behind you. Listen to the whispers in the darkness.But know this…it is all inevitable.

(Will be available in paperback, eBook and hardcover).






The official release date isOctober 1st, 2018.



Until then… check out the book trailer.



You can also view it here on Vimeo.




Find out more about the authors, with interviews on the Deadsteam Blog.  

Deadsteam features my gaslamp story, The Case of the Murderous Migraine. You can read my interview on September 28th. 




Find out more about Deadsteam at: http://deadsteam.wordpress.com/

and

Pre-order you copy at:

https://deadsteam.wordpress.com/pre-order/



Reader Beware: 'Deadsteam' is Coming.