CommuniTea Steampunk Weekend.

Three days of steampunk fun and community, and I’m exhausted!

I caught up with some old friends, and made new ones. The event was run via Zoom and Discord. I’m not great with tech, so I loved this combo. I just had to click on the posted Zoom links, and it was easy to find the Discord forums for each topic. There were two video/audio panels, which were easy to use as well.

Each day had a different teacup and assortment of pins

Day 1:

After my laptop crashed, I decamped to Dearheart’s laptop for the weekend, with lots of tea, for:

• Libations with the Literati – social hour centring on writers and publishing.


• Bottling Lightning – with amazing steampunk artists: James Ng, Joe Phillips, Talia Lopez, and Maya Preisler


• David Lee Summers (a astronomer in real life) chatted about Mars and our history.


• Cog Match game – (fill in the blanks) I got to play and even managed some matches!


• Intoxicating Historicals. Kat Martin regaled us with historical tales (as a result, I’ve bought several more research books on 19thC health)

 

Day 2:

So many panels I have to wait to watch in youTube replay…

• more music


• compliment duelling


• Victorian dating during the pandemic in the wee hours (US time).


• And Discord video chats into the wee hours…

I was honoured to be asked by Madame Askew to be a guest for ‘Pressing the Ink: Self and Indie Pub Adventures’. I was joined by Catherine Lundoff, Joyce Chng, Danielle Ackley-McPahil (who co wrote Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn), Robert Dahlen (Tales Of Peavley Manor), and Nicole Givens Kurtz.

  

Day 3:

• Sadly, I missed the Time Travel Baking, with Gail Carriger as a guest (3.30 am ACST), but caught up with Ms Carriger for The Valve Gag: A Discussion in Steampunk Comedy.


• The day finished up with Discord live sketches by Audra Balion, and a chat about Arduinos (electronics), and other tech add-ons for costume. (I’ll have to wrap my head around it all.)

I’ve had a ball, immersing in steampunk, costumes, writing, art, cooking, history, and more, in a safe, inclusive environment, with amazing, accepting people. I’m going into hibernation for a few days to recover.

 

Pros/Cons:

Cons:

Due to timezone differences, I couldn’t attend panels between 1.30am and 8.30am Adelaide time.

The Discord video panels couldn’t be recorded.

Pros:

Fortunately the Zoom panels were recorded (and the indie panel I was on, was changed to Zoom and got recorded!)

You will be able to (eventually) see some of the fun on Madame’s youTube channel.

Patrons received a sneak peek of this post on 12th April.

CommuniTea Steampunk Weekend.

New items for sale at Comic & Toy Fair

Join me 26th April at this year’s Adelaide Comic & Toy Fair. I’ll have all my books available – steampunk adventure, steampunk mysteries, and cosy fantasy mystery!

There’s also Doctor Jack and Aunt Enid garden gnome tees, Kraken and book-related mugs.

And I’ll have new items – for the first time at this event:

• new tshirt design for the upcoming A Fey Tale book


• bee lapel pins (Aunt Enid)


• Ripper Strikes again (Doctor Jack)


• kraken in a tea cup (’cause, Krakens and tea are cool!)

New items for sale at Comic & Toy Fair

But, wait. There's another April Event!

Like Victorian mysteries, steampunk or fantasy?

I’m resurfacing into the real world, for my first live event (vaccinations and lockdowns permitting) in just under two weeks time!  I’m back, with my books, mugs, badges and tshirts, including – for the first time at an event: my new A Fey Tale t-shirt, book-related metal lapel pins, and something new for those who prefer eBooks.

You can find me at the Adelaide Comic and Toy Fair, on 26th April. This year they’re at a new venue at at St Clair Rec Centre, 109 Woodville Rd, Woodville, between 9.30am – 3.30pm.

But, wait. There's another April Event!

More steampunk adventures

Enjoying the CommuniTea steampunk weekend? Of course, we are!

Join me and my fellow indie steampunk authors, Sunday 11.30am (ACST) on the CommuniTea Discord channel.

Want to read some of my books, but prefer adventure rather than mysteries? Try my steampunk tale of adventure, a heroine, mad scientists, traitors and secrets. All for the good of the Empire.

The Department of Curiosities is available in paperback and eBook.

BUY NOW

More steampunk adventures

The Illusioneer - final adventures in Adventures of Viola Stewart

Viola Stewart is back, with old friends and new. Together, they meet mysterious strangers, ingenious scientists and nefarious anarchists as they pit wits against the Men in Grey’s latest plans of Empire domination.

Seeing is believing… or is it?

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[#ImageDescription: 3D covers of ‘The Illusioneer & Other Tales’ paperback, and the two eBooks, ‘From the Depths’ and ‘Tomorrow, When I Die’. Background: internal stone arched architecture and filigreed wrought iron gates.

Text: Viola returns for a third set of adventures. Viola needs a holiday. The Grand Tour of Europe leads to a chance meeting in Paris, where she is lured into the world of illusionists. link to buy at bottom: https://karenjcarlisle.com/shop/ ]

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#TheIllusioneer #KarenJCarlisle #steampunk #steampunkMystery #gaslamp #buyBooks #CommuniTea #BooksOfInstagram #ViolaStewartMysteries

The Illusioneer - final adventures in Adventures of Viola Stewart

Eye of the Beholder - 2nd Viola Stewart Journal

Viola is detectiving again, chasing secret societies and nefarious plots. With Doctor Henry Collins at her side, Viola runs foul of mummies and a murder mystery with a twist.

Is she cursed? Is she going slowly insane? Or has she stumbled into yet another plot of the infamous Men in Grey – a secret society set on taking over the Empire?

With the threat of Bedlam looming over her, she must solve the mystery before it is too late.

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[#ImageDescription: 3D covers of Eye of the Beholder & Other Tales paperback, and the two eBooks, ‘Three More Shorts’ and ‘Eye of the Beholder’ novella. Background: shadow of Annubis against a carved wall.

Text: as above, with link to buy at bottom: https://karenjcarlisle.com/shop/ ]

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#EyeOfTheBeholder #KarenJCarlisle #steampunk #steampunkMystery #gaslamp #buyBooks #CommuniTea #BooksOfInstagram

Eye of the Beholder - 2nd Viola Stewart Journal

Doctor Jack & Other Tales...

What if Jack the Ripper was being controlled by a secret society, as part of their nefarious plans to take over The Empire?

Viola Stewart is a widowed optician with a penchant for detectiving.

When her husband died, she had no wish to wear mourning for the rest of her days. Defying convention, she follows her passion for detectiving and stumbles upon a secret Society of Men in Grey. But peril lurks in the gaslit streets.

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[#imagedescription: 3D covers of Doctor Jack & Other Tales paperback, and the two eBooks, ‘Three Short Tales’ and ‘Doctor Jack’ novella. Background is the map of the East End of London where Jack the Ripper stalked. Text in red: Someone is stalking the women of London.

White text: Join Viola Steward and her good friend, Doctor Henry Collins, in a series of Victorian steampunk mysteries.

BUY NOW

 

Doctor Jack & Other Tales...

CommuniTea steampunk online this weekend!

Join me and fellow indie authors for ‘Pressing the Ink Yourself: Self and Indy Pub Adventures’ – Saturday, April 10th 7:00 PM PDT (Sunday April 11th 11:30 AM ACST) on the Discord channel.

There’s 50+ guests, 50 hours programming, a charity raffle, Fri and Sat concerts, magic show, on Zoom and via Discord. Hosted by the Tea Scouts, Temporal Entourage, Tuscon steampunk society, and Madame Askew and the Grand Arbiter.

For a full guest list (including me!) – CLICK HERE

For information on the charity raffle CLICK HERE.

General registration for the free panels, discord, and social events closes on Wednesday at 5pm PDT/8pm EST: https://madame-askew.ticketleap.com

CommuniTea steampunk online this weekend!