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

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

DOC eBook/Paperback reward update


Hi everyone.


The Department of Curiosities is off to the printers. The paperback and eBook will be released on 22nd May, with eBooks available from Amazon near the end of May.


Supporter Rewards for the Adventurer Extraordinaire tier (and above) include an eBook copy of DOC. Time Traveller tier (and above) receive a paperback copy.


Both are available to paid supporters of these tiers from April onward, so make sure you have your pledges up to date.


And thank you for supporting an indie author.



Become a Patron!



DOC eBook/Paperback reward update

Sunday, April 28, 2019

Patreon May Live Chat Date


The May Live Chat with Conspirator ($5) and above tiers will be on Saturday 11th May from 11.30am – 1.30pm (Adelaide time, South Australia).



Don’t forget to log into Discord for the chat.

If you wish to join in on the chat and you’re not currently a supporter, you will need to pledge before 1st May, 2019.



Become a Patron!










Patreon May Live Chat Date

What's in a Name? Now Meet Phoebe Darqueling's Viola!

You’ve read about Viola Stewart, now read about her namesake, by Phoebe Darqueling.


Take it away, Phoebe:


Viola “Vi” Thorne has a complicated history, and she isn’t eager to share it with anyone. This is due in some part to her clandestine role during the War Between the States, but mostly because she feels conflicted about some of the choices she’s made.


Though Vi’s mother was a moderately successful stage actress, she rolled up her sleeves to help the less fortunate during the cholera epidemic in New York in 1849. Unfortunately for her 10-year-old daughter, her charity was not enough to keep her from contracting the illness and becoming another sad statistic. The exact nature of her father’s work remain a mystery to this day, but because it involved long periods of travel, Vi went to live in the Thorne family manor with her aunt Prudence after her mother’s death.


To Vi, Prudence was as far from a mother figure as one could get. The strange woman was often speaking to herself in a hushed voice when Vi entered the room, and her study in the attic was both tantalizing and totally off-limits. Prudence’s purview was the study of rituals and beliefs surrounding death from around the world, which hardly made for comforting bedtime stories. Over time, their relationship grew colder and more distant, so Vi left her aunt behind in Chicago when she was 17 and found her way back to New York and the siren song of the stage. (You can read Prudence’s side of the story in another character spotlight.)


Over the next decade, she only returned to Chicago twice – once to attend her father’s memorial service and once in the course of her work for the Union army. For like her mother, Vi felt called to help those in need; though in her case it was on the battlefield. During the course of her service, she met the love of her life, but as it went with so many young men during the war, he didn’t live to see the end. The news of his death was delivered by Peter Freeman, who later became her quite literal partner in crime.


Between her acting skills, uncanny physical prowess, and some lessons from Peter about cheating at cards, Vi was a force to be reckoned with when the pair headed south. The two were thick as thieves, and eventually found themselves in post-war New Orleans running a scam as a medium and her assistant. It was all a silly game, a way to snub her aunt along with the rest of the world – until the day she started to hear the dead whispering. Suddenly, Prudence’s strange behavior started to make sense, and Vi found herself at the mercy of a long line of ghosts with business to finish. Sure, sometimes it could be lucrative, such as when she got the dirt she needed to blackmail a former confederate colonel into marrying her. But most of the time, ghosts were mostly just a nuisance.


She’d intended to leave her sham marriage and split the spoils with Peter, but as their feelings deepened, she panicked. Vi had already lost so much, and the idea of losing someone else nearly broke her. So to protect him from her powers (and protect herself from her feelings), she left her partner behind. She never expected to see Peter again, but a few years later, she heard his voice again…



From No Rest for the Wicked by Phoebe Darqueling


“I wouldn’t recommend that.” The honeyed baritone voice came from somewhere at Vi’s back, but she found empty space when she turned.


Bonnie took in her furrowed brow as she stepped back. “What is it?”


“You didn’t hear that?”


They stood together in silence for a few moments, but the only sound that came was a muffled laugh from the saloon downstairs.


“No. I mean, I don’t think so,” whispered Bonnie. “But I don’t know what ‘that’ I was supposed to be hearing, do I?”


“Never mind,” Vi replied, raking her hand across her face. “Just forget I said anything.”


The disembodied voice snickered. “It really is that easy for you to forget me, isn’t it?” A pale figure stepped through her solid oak door as the voice rose behind her. His fashionable clothing was marred by slashes and burns, but his face wore a cocky grin. In life, his eyes had been a deep and penetrating brown. Now, as it was with all ghosts, death had turned them a bright, unbroken blue. The effect was so jarring it took Vi several heartbeats to believe the truth before her.


Bonnie regained her balance after her friend’s sudden turn and scuttled around to face her again. She placed a hand on her shoulder. “Vi, seriously. What’s happening? What do you see?”


Shock rendered her voice soft. “Peter?”


Find out what happens to Vi, Peter, and the rest of the characters in No Rest for the Wicked: Mistress of None Book 1 by Phoebe Darqueling. It’s available in print and ebook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the Black Rose Writing website.



Get more behind the scenes peeks into the story and its characters during the blog tour, now to May 19.


Like free books? Sure you do! Get your FREE COPY of The Steampunk Handbook when you sign up for Phoebe’s e-mail list. You can also catch up on Phoebe’s shenanigans on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.


A big thank you to Phoebe for sharing part of her book blog tour and allowing me to share mine as well.


Photos (c) 2019 Phoebe Darqueling.


 










What's in a Name? Now Meet Phoebe Darqueling's Viola!

What makes a villian tick?

The villian always considers themselves the hero of the story…



Read both sides of the story: The Department of Curiosities is a multi-point of view story.

Visit www.karenjcarlisle.com/shop

to find out where to get your copy

after 22nd May.



What makes a villian tick?

Saturday, April 27, 2019

Meet Tillie Meriwether.

A new series needs a new heroine.


Meet Tillie Meriwether on Phoebe Daquerling’s blog. Phoebe is currently in Germany, but usually posts  early Eastern Time (USA) – so there’s more timeshift shennanigans (The post should be live approx 8.00pm today, Adelaide time).


Phoebe is a steampunk author (and contemporary romance author under her pen name, M E Anders) , blogger and writes for Steampunk Journal.



Photo: courtesy Phoebe Daquerling.


She is currently in the middle of her own book blog tour for her latest book, No Rest for the Wicked. 


Grab a cup of tea,  stick around and read Phoebe’s post HERE on her blog.


Phoebe will also be featuring the full Department of Curiosities book trailer on The Steampunk Journal on April 30th (US Eastern time).



Next stop for my blog tour

30th April:Book trailer to be featured on The Steampunk Journal

3rd May: On fellow Aussie steampunk author, Felicity Banks’, blog.



Meet Tillie Meriwether.

All Hail the Gadgeteer!

What is one thing that steampunk stories have? Gadgets!


In the Department of Curiosties they are known as ‘mechanicals.’ And the Queen is determined to control them all – for the good of the Empire, of course.  The Department of Curiosities was created to for that purpose.


On this stop in my blog tour,  you get a glimpse into some of the series background and themes.


Fellow steampunk, Stephanie Kato’s  interest in post-apocalyptic and dystopian books and video games led to her penning her first series of novels,  Nelson and Hyde Revolution.


Stephanie interviews me on her blog,  Looking toward the Future. The post should go live late Friday 26th (Southern California time – that’s today Adelaide time).photo: courtesy of Stephanie Kato


Next stop:Next stop: 27th April – (Germany) Phoebe Daquerling. Learn more about our heroine Tillie Meriwether.

30th April: Book trailer to be featured on The Steampunk Journal.



All Hail the Gadgeteer!

Monday, April 22, 2019

April Aether Egg Event

Not enough chocolate?


There’s more treats to find at the  Aether Egg event on the  Blake and Wight blog. 

(Should be live 22nd April,  9.30 pm (Australian time) or 12 noon (ish) (GMT).


Penny is a supporter of authors,  especially Steampunk fiction, LGBTQIA+ fiction and Romani fiction.



Next stop26th April:   Fellow steampunk, Stephanie Kato  interviews me on her Looking toward the Future blog.



April Aether Egg Event

Sunday, April 21, 2019

The Department of Curiosities is Coming!


The Department of Curiosities

will be available as Paperback and eBook

from online stores from 22nd May, 2019.

For those in Australia, you can buy

direct from the author.


Visit my webstore for details on where to buy.


 


Don’t forget to join in on the book blog tour. Next up 22nd April (23rd April in Australia). Get your Aether Egg event treats at the Blake and Wight blog .



The Department of Curiosities is Coming!

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

A Quintette of Questions

My book blog tour for The Department of Curiosities begins today, with an interview by fellow Aussie writer, Narrelle M Harris. Narrelle is a Melbourne writer of crime, horror, fantasy, romance and erotica. Her 30+ novels and short stories have been published in Australia, US and the UK.


You can read the interview HERE on Narrelle’s blog: Mortal Words.


Photo: courtesy of Narrelle M Harris.


Next stop: 22nd April for some special treats for Blake and Wight’s annual Aether Egg Event.



A Quintette of Questions

Sunday, April 14, 2019

The Department of Curiosities Book Blog Tour Schedule


Some of you may be asking ‘what’s a book blog tour?’

A group of generous bloggers, authors and steampunks have allowed me to share their online space for a post celebrating my new book, The Department of Curiosities. I get to talk about characters, answer interview questions, talk about my writing processes and share some special treats with you.  I get to travel (virtually) around the world!

 


How do you participate?

Just mark the dates in your diary – and visit the blog link on the date.


Here is the current schedule for the upcoming book blog tour.



Please feel free to share the blog posts and repost the media cards and pictures for the media blitz between 14th April and 22nd May.



A big thank you to the authors and bloggers who have allowed me to share their space during the tour. 




The Department of Curiosities Book Blog Tour Schedule

Join the Adventure.

Release date: 22nd May, 2019.


For information on how to

pre-order your paperback copy

(to Australian addresses)

CLICK HERE


(last day to order: 27th April, 2019)




Join the Adventure.

Sunday, April 7, 2019

Supporter Shout Out

A big shout out to my Patreon supporter, Kellie Kininmont.

You’re not just a Cog in the Machine – you are awesome!



#patreon #supporter #shoutout










Supporter Shout Out