Many of our members and writers suffer from the desire to write stuff down for others to enjoy.                                                                 Sponsored by

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Mat McCall

author of

The Dandelion Farmer  

Mat is an educationalist specialising in Adult Education, his a History and Archaeology Lecturer, Community artist, award winning Steampunk Artist and Artificer, bulldog fancier, philosophy teacher, occasional mentor and Fortean.

A sixty-year-old kid, who enjoys dressing up and doing silly things with silly people. Who has always had an abiding passion for Science Fiction and Fantasy, only equalled by his passion for Archaeology and History. He's a big fan of Philip K. Dick, William Gibson, Robert Aspin's “Thieves World,” and George Martin's “Game of Thrones.”

Mat decided to write ‘The Dandelion Farmer’ after a prolonged hiatus in writing his dark fantasy series ‘The Goddess of Sorrows.’  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Annis-Goddess-Sorrows-Mat-McCall/dp/B09L51V25M/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1691103534&sr=8-4

He aimed to write a Steampunked Science Fiction novel that was more Science Fiction than Steampunk whimsy.

Setting it on Mars and he draws on elements of Verne and Wells, but also Bradbury’s Martian Chronicles, Burroughs’ John Carter adventures, and a little touch of Lovecraft. This allowed him to build, not only an alternative history, but an entire new world, influanced heavily by Victorian 'scientific' ideas of what life on mars was.

He always felt that modern Steampunk literature, if you can call it that, has always been “fluffy.” Often playing to the audience with all the subtlety of a Carry On movie, nudge-nudge, wink-wink… and making virtually no contribution to Science Fiction as a genre. Nonetheless it is to the Godfathers (and Godmothers) of Science Fiction, the authors of the late 18^th and 19^th century that Steampunk owes its existence. Mat aimed to write something that he would be proud to see on a shelf next to those giants.

The Dandelion Farmer is an adventure over three books, “The Dandelion Farmer” being the first, with “The Hourglass Sea,”  being the second in the series.

Self-published through Amazon and Kindle, and Rogue Animal Books, it has received exceptional reviews, see also Goodreads. 

Website; https://thedandelionfarmer.weebly.com/the-dandelion-farmer.html

The Dandelion Farmer  https://rogueanimalshop.com/products/the-dandelion-farmer

The Hourglass Sea  https://rogueanimalshop.com/products/the-hourglass-sea?_pos=1&_sid=d6ee327da&_ss=r

Also available through Amazon.co.uk in paper back and Kindle.

Roz White

Author of

The Adventures of Lady Ghast

Roz White: part-time author and real-life Steampunker! (Also a Viking but that's another story). Inhabiting a remote fastness in the Far North (Inverness, Scotland), Roz is the author of over twenty published books on a number of subjects, but of primary interest here would be:

The Adventures of Lady Ghast: five long novels and counting! (at the time of writing, number six is in progress but might be a while). Driven from her husband's home following his mysterious death, Cora Ghast has no choice but to re-embrace the life she deserted on the occasion of her marriage and return to her father's side to assist in running probably the largest criminal organisation in the London of her day (and universe). Her adventures have so far taken her to Manchester, the depths of the Amazon (yes, there are dinosaurs in that one; how could there not be?), New Amsterdam and the darkest corners of northern Africa - and there are more adventures to come!

A newer venture (as in only one novel so far) are the Case-Files of Professor Prudence Weatherpenny. Having resigned her Chair in Academia (the reasons for which are obscure, and she'd like it kept that way, thank-you-very-much), the Professor now scrapes a living by investigating the bizarre, the strange and the downright weird - which as you might imagine, means she is busier than ever. With a varied and equally odd assortment of occasional companions and assistants, she looks destined for a good few books yet, and whilst the first is available, the second is slowly taking shape in the author's slightly grubby mind...

I write other things as well, and they're all to be found on my Amazon page, which is here:

Lady Ghast Adventures

The Affair of the Flickering Gentlemen: From the Case-Files of Professor Prudence Weatherpenny

Actually, I do have another Amazon page, where my pseudonym H.A. Douglas lives; she writes grittily and well-regarded novels set in the Viking Age:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/H-A-Douglas/e/B07CC4GQSX?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_14&qid=1691001007&sr=8-14

I was initially attracted to Steampunk out there in the Real World as it offered the chance to be inventive, creative and downright silly at times, and I love it hugely! Does it influence my writings? Do bears wear top-hats in the woods? 

Steven C. Davis

Creator of 

‘The Sælvatici'

Steven C. Davis describes themselves as a word witch. He has created the ‘Sælvatici’ and the ‘Less than Human’ worlds amongst others. There have been two recitations of the Sælvatici Dark Ritual (taken from ‘Lore of the Sælvatici’ at the Raising Steam Festivals of 2022 and 2023. He has also written the Mother Hode play which was performed by Joanna Swan at Raising Steam 2023 and at Stroud Steampunk 2023. The Sælvatici is a multi-media retelling of the Robin Hood myth cycle through a folk-horror perspective. It incorporates audio dramas, a theme song, videos, books, artwork, short stories and more. To get a feel for it, check out: review 1 or review 2.

The  ‘Less than Human’ series runs to six books at the moment, with the seventh planned for publication in early 2024. It tells the tale of Natalayiana Harewood, a Were-Squirrel in a world where Were are known about; indeed, there is legislation to protect them, but no one has come out as a Were. It is paranormal romance without the paranormal; romance but gritty and visceral, using that world as an opportunity to draw parallels with our current times. You can read a review of the first novel here.

Steven is the Creative Director of Tenebrous Texts, the Raising Steam festival, one half of ‘Poetic Malevolence’ with Laura Jane Round; an author, a performance poet, a playwright, an empire builder, a chocolate cake maker, and is occasionally considered driven. He feels malevolent joy frequently and deliciously."

In case of broken links:

Nimue Brown

Author and Co-creator of the 

Hopeless Maine Project

Nimue Brown writes for the Hopeless, Maine project and has a number of other books to her name. Her most overtly steampunk novel is Intelligent Designing for Amateurs, published by Top Hat.

When not making stuff up, Nimue is an enthusiastic crafter, a scummy goblin, viola player for Jessica Law, an avid reader, wanderer and daydreamer. She has a growing reputation for getting people to do stuff they were not expecting to do – something she takes considerable pride in. Not least that whole business with The Drag Kings in Yellow. Very much at the filthy urchin end of steampunk, here for the monsters, the misfits, the outcasts and of course the outlaws.

She co-wrote Letters Between Gentlemen with Professor Elemental and writes comedy folk horror songs for The Ominous Folk of Hopeless, Maine. When not being overtly steampunk, she writes Pagan non-fiction and other speculative fiction, including the entirely ridiculous Wherefore series.

You can find her self-published work (poetry, fiction, non-fiction) in her ko-fi shop - https://ko-fi.com/O4O3AI4T/shop

Hopeless, Maine is over here - https://hopeless-maine.co.uk/

Pagan content is over here - https://druidlife.wordpress.com/

There are bits of fiction (including three series of Wherefore) on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/NimueBrown

CHARLES A CORNELL

author of 

The Most Peculiar Tales

CHARLES A CORNELL lives in a small village in rural Lincolnshire, England with his wife and a ginger tabby. When Charles isn’t trying to survive the chaos of everyday life, he’s dreaming up speculative fiction ranging from the mysterious to the macabre, sometimes blending science fiction with fantasy and alternative history. He’s a regular contributor to podcasts, seminars and conferences, and conducts webinars and workshops on his specialty, retro-punk fiction (Steampunk, Dieselpunk).

Websites: www.SteampunkNovels.com , www.Cornell-SciFi.com

His collection of paranormal steampunk stories called The Most Peculiar Tales is set in the Steampunk Britannia of 1872. Each story is available for Kindle separately, or in eBook and print as an anthology.

Link: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07HFFQ3B3/

About The Most Peculiar Tales:

Come with me my friends, back to a time that never was, to places familiar in many ways but so peculiar in others. To a land of hope and despair, whisked by the beat of the Great Mechanization. To the cobbles of a city pumped with steam and brazen with intrigue. To a nation lost in time, imperilled by spectres from another dimension.

From the pomp of The Imperial Quarter to the slums of Pritchard’s Green, from the furnaces and ironworks of The Barrens to The Theatre Macabre, your journey will be well guided by those whose curiosity probes the foundation of our psyche and whose skills are the craft of the bizarre. Join Professor Atticus Carr and his assistant Jeremiah Boone on six amazing adventures as they unravel metaphysical mysteries, battle deranged scientists and diabolical daemons, and travel through the aether.

His dieselpunk work, DragonFly is a retro-futuristic collision of science fiction and fantasy with a generous dash of alternative history.

About DragonFly:

Link: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00IPU44N6/

In 1942, an unlikely heroine changes the course of history. RAF pilot Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Somerset is re-assigned to Enysfarne, a mysterious base off the coast of Cornwall. Fate places her inside the cockpit of the most revolutionary aircraft ever invented, the DragonFly, a remarkable fighter-bomber powered by quadra-hydrogen, an aircraft that carries the hopes of Britain on its blue and silver wings.

Charles's science fiction short stories and novellas have appeared in the anthologies, The Prometheus Saga, Return To Earth, The Masters Reimagined, The Light Fantastic, and In Shadows Written. His Prometheus Saga science fiction stories Crystal Night and The Orchid Man both won Royal Palm Gold Medals for Short Fiction from the Florida Writers Association. 

Raven Dane

Hi!   My name is Raven Dane, a traditionally published writer of dark fantasy, alternative history, science fiction, horror and best of all steampunk novels and short stories. 

    Way back in 2008, I had never heard of steampunk. I was a guest author at a huge fantasy event in the Netherlands where among the fairies, demons and aliens, were people dressed in a fantastical Victorian inspired clothing complete with gadgets, ray guns and one marvellous angel with huge retractable metal wings. I fell totally in love with their aesthetic. 

    Later in 2010, I was at a big Eastercon fantasy event in London with a steampunk theme, including a steampunk ball with splendidly attired people of all ages.  I realised how much I wanted to be a part of this, somehow. Up In my lonely hotel room that night I began writing Cyrus Darian and the Technomicron. 

     This found an enthusiastic publisher who happily also brought out a sequel Cyrus Darian and the Ghastly Horde. (Which like today, I always type Ghastly Horse at first. Being an equestrian all my life, I have certainly met a few of those!)   To my delight and astonishment, the first Cyrus novel won best Steampunk Novel of 2011, up against a short list of two novels by Jonathan Green and one by Cherie Priest.  Best of all it was voted for by the people I love so much, the steampunk community that has always warmly embraced diversity and being splendid in dress and behaviour.  

     My steampunk literary adventure continued with a third novel, Cyrus Darian and the Wicked Wraith and a collection of Victorian and steampunk short stories Absinthe and Arsenic.  All these  steampunk books are with Telos Publishing now.   I also brought out a spooky novella The Bane of Bailgate in celebration of ten years of the Weekend at the Asylum. 

In the pipe line, I have a new Cyrus book set in a dystopic future which he caused and a supernatural fantasy set in his Victorian London,  

      Ongoing poor health has prevented me from attending my favourite occasion, the Weekend at the Asylum in Lincoln and other events since the pandemic.  But I am determined to get back into the joyful fray ASAP. Steampunk is my happy place and Steampunks are my favourite people.  

Stephen Palmer

Stephen Palmer's steampunk novels take the reader into intricate, beautifully rendered worlds, with captivating characters and page-turning plots. Featuring front covers by steampunk art's very own Tom Brown, the Factory Girl trilogy and the Conjurer Girl trilogy will enthral, intrigue and haunt the reader.