Creating a Steampunk Brochure - Part 3 of Creating our Steampunk Group Promo Table

Forgive me, good people, for the long hiatus.  At long last, I'm back to posting.  Annoying how life interferes in what I really want to do.  Between work and running the local steampunk group, I'm not left with nearly enough time to make things and blog! 

When I realized I had time, I peeked at my drafts folder,and realized I still have two posts left to write regarding the promotional table for the local steampunk group, for Imaginarius Fantasticus, a local fantasy-oriented Christmas fair (which took place four months ago!).

So, here is Part Three: Creating a Brochure!

With a lovely brochure stand all ready (previous post), it was time to actually make the pamphlets to put in it.  Had I ever made a brochure before, you may ask?  Why, no, I hadn't.  This was yet another first. 

Opting to make my life easy as far as design went, I simply hit the Microsoft Office free template site, to search brochure designs and find the one I wanted.  These were my two top choices:

I loved both designs from a graphic standpoint, but I opted for the top template, as it offered me more writing space and image space, inside and out.  So, template selected, now it was time to write it up.  Simple, yes?

No.  This pamphlet was possibly (likely) going to be handed out to people who didn't have a clue what steampunk was.  And who certainly wouldn't have a clue who we were.  

So what did it need to say?   I asked myself, what would *I* want to see if I picked this up from a group table?  

It needed to clearly define who we were and what we did, and what people could expect if they got involved.  It needed to be welcoming.  It needed to define steampunk.  And it needed to do all this in a limited amount of space.  (And if you've seen the masses of controversy and bickering out there about the definition of steampunk, you can imagine that defining steampunk in what amounted to less than the back third of the pamphlet was a challenge.)  Oh, and of course, there had to be pictures, because people need pictures - otherwise, it's all dull dull dull.  And these needed to be pictures I had the rights to use, because I don't like the concept of being sued.

So firstly, I'll tackle, pictures.  Fortunately, the brochure design I selected is, in itself, visually pleasant and lively.  To enhance it and make a statement about our group, I decided to have two different friends who are computer graphics wizards (compared to me) to create two signature images for our group.  I'd had an idea regarding using the Gastown Steam Clock to represent us, so I had made a pencil sketch of it.  

Since my eyesight issues botched the transition from nice pencil sketch to the above messy line drawing, I sent it, and my original photo and gear template, to my friend David, who, after a few variations, came up with this for our group's exclusive use:

I also approached my friend S. Sebastien Smith, with the request of "can you do something with photoshop, the Vancouver skyline and a zeppelin", and for our exclusive use, he came up with a great aerial shot of Vancouver (admittedly circa 1930's-40's), with a zeppelin over Stanley Park / Coal Harbour, taken through the control-room window of an airship.

I also added images I use on Facebook for our regular events, including The Craft Meet image, cobbled together in GIMP, using photos of stuff made at our first craft meet.

It was also very important to me to acknowledge the one sponsor we have, Plush, the shop who so kindly donates their back workroom space to us for use for our craft meets.  So I contacted them, and they sent me an image to use.

Graphics sorted, now I had to describe who we were, what we did, and what folks could expect from us.  Now, keep in mind, at this point, I had only just realized we were a group.  Well, there wasn't even much of a "we" at this point - mostly me holding a couple of craft meets, two other active supportive people, and a couple of additional folks who had come to the two craft meets.  I thought I had just started a craft meet and created a sort of old-school bulletin board Facebook page.  Okay, so I had also just booked our first monthly coffee meet at this stage ... but that was mostly so the online bulletin board people could meet face to face and chat.

So defining my group, when I hadn't quite sussed I was a group ... involves all sorts of quandaries, including the emotional turmoil of "What the he££ do you mean I'm running a group?!"  However, I decided to focus on the more bulletin board aspects of what I'd started, and went with this as the intro to ourselves! 

We are an open group for all locals interested in Steampunk.  We strive to provide a place to share and encourage Steampunk and Steampunk-related activities, events & general information within Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, and in the nearby communities of Vancouver Island and Seattle. Our aim is to ensure that local steamy folks can find one another, and can select from a variety of fun steampunk things to do in our fabulous city and around the Pacific Northwest.

I added the following welcoming note: 

Everyone is welcome to join us, attend events, and participate, whether you’re a well-seasoned steampunk or are newly steam-curious.  Feel free to contact us, ask questions, offer suggestions, start discussions, and get involved! 

I then outlined the types of events we regularly hold, and moved on to the outside of the brochure, the outer part of the trifold, which is all your average walk-by is going to look at if they stop by.

I wanted to keep the front panel simple, taking advantage of the clean attractive design, so I just put our name in the title space, and was delighted when I came up with a catchphrase "motto" to fit the little bubble under the central space:  "Promoting Steampunk Locally".

For the back panel, I did my best to summarize steampunk in 2/3 of a panel, and concluded it with my favourite quote about steampunk, from author Cherie Priest:  "It is lots of fun.  If it isn't lots of fun, you're doing it wrong."

For the final third, which is what you see if you just turn back the front panel, I opted for answering the question most folks will ask themselves, "Why get in touch with us?".  My answer: 

Whether you’re interested in costuming, literature, alternative history, artwork, making things, dressing up for fun, or just want to meet and hanging out with folks with similar interests, we’re the people to get in touch with. 

To get feedback during the writing process, I showed various drafts to the other main two people in the group at various stages, in addition to a few other people whose opinion I valued, and a couple of people who knew absolutely zero about steampunk to see how they received it.  Their feedback was invaluable.  One thing I did learn in general in this creation process ... brevity and clarity are key.  Wordiness isn't always good, and don't be afraid of a little empty space.   If you want to see the final product, I have it as a Google document here: Vancouverites for Steampunk Brochure pdf 

The final step, of course, was having it printed.  Chagrined as I was to have to pay for printing out of my own pocket, I was highly motivated to find the cheapest printing option possible (but fast, since I had also taken the better part of a month to create the pamphlet!).  I strongly advise hunting around, and being open to buying more than you need immediately, as you definitely get a better rate buying more, AND by shopping around.  I was startled by the wide range of prices I was quoted.   I ended up buying a box of 250 unfolded, since that quantity got me the best rate without me having to buy a ton.  It also saves to fold your own, if you have time and handy friends.  

In addition to our pamphlets, I created basic black and white bookmark-sized slips with our name, steamclock graphic and contact information on one side, and a list of the next upcoming events over the next 3 months on the other wide.  I created these in Word, sized to cut four per letter-size sheet.  I printed these myself at virtually no cost.

Thank you for your patience, everyone.  I do hope these posts are helpful!

And I am delighted to be back to my blog.  One more post related to the group table display to follow, and then it's on to entirely new stuff!

Old and Blue

This seems to be my steampunk costuming theme ... using old (or scrap) things, and things blue.

But more on that later.  I just wanted to let folks know I'm still around and kicking, and I am resuming regular posting shortly.  Between work, life, running local stuff, and winter hibernation seeming particularly bad this year, I've been pretty inactive over the last few months.  But spring is, well, springing, and I'm back into sewing.  Yay!

The final 2 posts on the Imaginarius Fantasticus will be up very soon, and hot on those heels, will be posts regarding what I've been up to lately (read: the last week and a half).

And here's a visual teaser of what's to come, to leave with you!

Tangential Rant: the Reprehensible Actions of Trestle Press

Well, my good people, settle yourselves down with a cuppa and make yourselves comfortable.

I am pissed, and I need to rant.  Today's rant is not steampunk-specific ... it involves the spheres of authors, publishers, artists, and theft.  It involves professional responsibility, honesty, and integrity.  And the lack thereof on the part of one small e-publishing house, which has harmed several authors and artists, including one author whom I value as a friend and as a favoured author.

Previously, in this blog, I gave an early review to an up-and-coming piece of periodic fiction, The Sauder Diaries, which was being released episodically at that time, on Scribd.    In December, I was delighted to interview the author, Michel Vaillancourt, on the eve of the completed work's e-release on Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble's Nook, via a small publisher, Trestle Press.

O, Trestle Press.

The Logo under this barred circle belongs to Trestle Press, not me, and I will remove this image if asked.

Yesterday, Mr. Michel Vaillancourt had to ask Trestle Press to remove his book from sale, upon discovering that they had not obtained permission to use the artwork they selected for his book.  His discussion of this can be found on his blog, here.   As a result, I have also had to remove the contentious artwork from my interview.

In point of fact, all hell has broken out online, regarding Trestle's wholesale thieving of artwork for many of their titles, creating a virtual Trestlegate over the past 4 days, seemingly starting here.

If you google the phrase "Trestle Press art theft" you will be amazed at the number of links you will find.  Authors are leaving and complaining in droves, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here, either because they have found their artwork belongs to an artist who didn't give their permission (and in most cases I've seen online, they weren't even asked), or in solidarity with other authors, and not wanting to be tainted by the (at most generous) negligent actions of the publishing house (at worst, it's theft - clear, obvious, theft).

I'm writing this because this is hurting both authors (who now have to find other publishers, not a simple chore) and the artists.  It's hard enough to get a publisher these days, one should be able to trust them to perform their due diligence.

I wouldn't have thought it was rocket science.  I'm not a publisher, and even I know that it is NOT OKAY to freely snag someone else's artwork and use it to sell your own product.  If you are a publisher, you have a professional responsibility to your authors and to the artists whose work you use.  A publisher's job is to edit the author's work effectively, arrange cover art (if the author hasn't made their own arrangements), and in either case, ensure appropriate permissions are obtained.  If you can't reach the artist and gain their permission, it's not yours to use.  That's pretty simple.

I am also writing this because I want to tell people - don't deal with Trestle Press.  Don't publish your works through them - they have proven they can't be trusted.  If you do publish through them currently - check your artwork - it may be stolen; also, consider doing what other authors have done, and leave them in a show of solidarity with the artists and authors who have been harmed by Trestle's  Personally, I won't ever buy a book from them ever.

Finally, I am also writing this because I am personally pissed.  Michel Vaillancourt is also a friend, and I do not take it kindly when someone hurts my friends.

Creating a Display Board - Part 2 of Creating a Steampunk Group Promo Table

Welcome to Part Two of creating a promotional table for the local steampunk group, for Imaginarius Fantasticus, a local fantasy-oriented Christmas fair.

Once the brochure stand was 'punked out (previous post), it was time to move onto making a visual display.  A local merchant who was giving me moral support and ideas, suggested I use one of those old-school trifold science-fair cardboard displays.  This sounded like a great idea!  I could cover it with fabric, and attach photos and stuff to it, fabulous!  I think I maybe did a science fair display once, in elementary school, but I don't think I ever used one of these displays.  (It would have been taller than I was!)  Of course, it turned out to be a slightly more complicated affair than I had planned. 

I bought the board, brought it home, measured it, then headed out to look for a) fabric to cover the board, and b) modge-podge to attach the fabric.  I decided to get a pretty fabric for the front, and, realizing it would be potentially visible from behind (since it is a trifold) a plain fabric for the back to hide the messy glued-down back.  So my goals were pretty and cheap (since I was paying for all this entirely out of my own pocket)!

Well, I got the pretty (curse you quilting cotton).  And at least the backing fabric was cheap, as I grabbed it from the bargain table.  With measurements in hand, I carefully ordered enough fabric to cover the board, with a few inches to spare for safety.

Well, my measurements were technically correct.  The fabric would cover the board.  Sideways.  This is where I learned that you have to rethink things if it's a patterned fabric with a distinct up and down (did I mention I'm new to a lot of this?).  When I laid it out the correct direction, it looked like this ...

Whoops.  More than long enough, but not wide enough.  Quick last minute measurements demonstrated that I would have to cut the pieces for each section of the trifold, and I did NOT have enough to cover the whole front, without tons of patching.  I could cover the centre portion entirely, and part of the sides.  So I decided to go with equal partial coverage for both sides, and patch in a different fabric at the top, for "subheadings".  Sometimes you just have to work with your stupid mistakes.

After much modge-podging on the edges and folding edges over, and trying to make the edges at the inner folds as straight and smooth as possible, it looked like this.

I realized my board was now rather fragile, as the fabric edges and glue in the folds meant that, at this early stage, it already was incapable of folding shut completely.  I foresee a storage nightmare looming in my future. 

I added the cheap backing fabric, cutting it in one piece just slightly larger than the cardboard, and modgepodging it first at the side edges, then, after folding and standing up the board, figured out where to attach it along the top of the side panels and at the sides of the middle panel, leaving the surplus fabric on either side of the folds, so it could stand freely bent, without problems (see ... covered.  And no, I did NOT iron the fabric before I applied it).

Now to deal with those gaping holes on the front.  Fortunately, my friend who was working on the table cloth (which will be posted in a separate post) had leftover pieces of the lovely dark brown taffeta she bought to make a boxpleat.  She gave me those, and I modge-podged away.  It was looking pretty good so far.

Next step was to add some trim to define the panels.  I selected a brown narrow grosgrain to separate the panels (set to the inner sides of the folds, so it wouldn't get warped on the bend), and a sequined trim (another remnant from the tablecloth construction), to enhance the border between the brown taffeta-like top pieces and the patterned blue and brown.  Modgepodge worked fine to attach the grosgrain.  Unfortunately, not so much for the sequined trim - it wouldn't remotely stick.  It just made a mess, and the glue damaged the taffeta, giving me this dark hard mess:

I panicked, and freaked.  This was hideous.  I made myself a cup of tea, let the glue dry fully, decided the sequin trim would mostly cover the dark blotch, and decided it was time to resort to the hot-glue gun.  Which I had been avoiding because, well, I always seem to end up with strands of hot-glue everywhere.  And finger burns.  Good news, the hot-glue gun worked a treat, and the sequin trim pretty much hid the dark mess.

Next, I covered the header piece, that stabilized the stand, with more of the brown taffeta.

This was looking good.  Kind of a valance thing going on there.  Nice.  And then I thought ... hey ... tassel fringe!

And voila, that was the perfect design touch for the board.  Now for the actual display!

I made a heading of our group name, using Word, a copperplate font, my colour printer, legal-size paper, scissors, and the joys of laminating.

I decided to create three different display sections: "What IS Steampunk?", to give a visual answer to that inevitable question, "Local Event Photos" to show what we do, and "Yes Virginia, You CAN Steampunk Christmas", to fit the theme of the craft fair we were going to be at.  Images for the display were printed on my colour printer, and I laminated some for durability (tho gave up doing that because of eventual cost).  My original plan had been to glue the images to the board, but I decided they should be removeable, to make the display more useful in the longterm, so I attached all images and headings to the board with small gold-tone safety pins.  Which is not as easy as it sounds, and I had sore fingers by the time I was done!

Steampunking Christmas involved me googling "Steampunk Christmas and sorting through the images I found til I got this:

For event photos, I pulled some shots from local steampunk events, including events we've hosted, events before this group started, and photos from Steamcon.

For a visual definition of steampunk, I hunted online for images that conveyed steampunk to me, searching for a variety of images of costumes, technology, gadgets, etcetera.

I also added a few small objects for extra dimension, including a vintage glass button, and a pendant I made myself out of bits and pieces.

To reinforce the Vancouver theme, I also added an art piece that was a collaboration between myself and another steampunk local, David (the Gastown clock and gear image below) and a photoshop delight I asked my friend, S. Sebastian Smith, to create for me (the vintage aerial shot of Vancouver, with airships!).

 So, when you added it all together, this was the final visual display I made.

And here it is set up on our table, from two different angles.

And the great thing is, now we have a display for Vancouverites for Steampunk, which we can use over and over again.  I just have to figure out how to store the darn thing, since it doesn't fold up with the fabric on it, and it's huge when laid flat.  Perhaps I should sweep under my bed and store it under there in a massive garbage bag.

On Strike in Protest of SOPA

I'm not web-savvy enough to figure out how to black out my blog to support the anti-SOPA strike (and blogger didn't provide a handy tool to make it easy, as apparently wordpress did).  So, in lieu of an actual site closure, I have posted this poster instead.

Thank you,

The Steam Wench

Steampunking a Brochure Display: Part 1 of Creating a Steampunk Group Promo Table

As I mentioned in a previous post, one day, I suddenly realized I was running a local steampunk group.  I had also just been invited to have a promotional table for steampunk at a local fantasy-oriented Christmas Craft Fair, the Imaginarius Fantasticus.  It took me about a week to realize, whoops, I need to do more than just show up in costume with a smile, and talk to people.  They were going to give me a table, and I was going to be there for two 7-hour days.  I needed a display.  I needed promotional literature.  I needed something to PUT the promotional literature in.  Yikes.

I decided to create a brochure, (which took forever to write, and I will discuss that in a later post).  Then I had to think about a display for the brochure.

Fortunately for me, I had picked up a small cabinet at a Salvation Army store over the summer.  It was a small Bombay Company piece, with some dings, and was a bit busted.

I remembered it, and pulled it out.  I decided not to worry about the dings.  Now it just needed some tricking out to steampunk it.

Firstly, I tackled the front.  I simply unscrewed the small brass knobs, centred small gears over the holes, and rescrewed the knobs back on, which nicely held the gears in place.  

When closed, it looked like this:

Next, since the cabinet would mostly be open while on display, was to trick out the inside.

I decided to use vintage photographs, which I bought in an antique shop in Quebec City, to decorate the inside of the two doors.  So that I wouldn't damage the images by permanently affixing them, I used old pocketwatch faces as fasteners.  I made small pencil marks on the inside of the door noting the watchface placement, where I wanted the photo to be, and where the glue would have to go to provide a "pocket" for the photo.  I then used E6000 adhesive, spread on both the pocketwatch faces and the door, to affix them.  I held each one firmly in place, let them dry, and then carefully tucked the vintage photos into the non-glued portion.    On one side, I decided to add a key decoration, from a scrapbooking set.

The final step was to fill the cabinet and set it up at the event.  Pamphlets (and candy canes for children - and adults - who asked nicely) went in the back section, postcards for our sponsors, Plush (a local shop which sells crafts and allow us to use their back workroom for our craft meets) went into the next section down (with a hidden piece of styrofoam tucked on the bottom so they were placed well), and then I placed our business cards, my cards for the Steam Wench's Salon, and themed Christmas freebies of gift tags with Victorian & Edwardian images.  Here is an image of it all set up, with some decorative holly, at the Faire.

And, voila, a lovely cabinet to display steampunk brochures and business cards, and whatever other handouts and literature suit our next event. 

Author Interview - Michel Vaillancourt of The Sauder Diaries

I cast my mind back to almost a year ago, when I reviewed a piece of addictive serial steampunk fiction, entitled The Sauder Diaries, that was being written and delivered episodically on Scribd, by Michel Vaillancourt.  

Now, just 11 months later, I am delighted to announce that The Sauder Diaries: By Any Other Name, by Michel Vaillancourt, has not only been accepted for publication by Trestle Press, but is being released in ebook format on Monday, December 19th (paper book to follow early in 2012).  (Amended July 2012:  After the fiasco with the original thieving publisher, the book is now published by Avenger Press Services and has finally been released for Kindle and in trade paperback on Amazon.com). Needless to say, well, I'm excited, as this was an engaging piece of airship pirate steampunk fiction.

In preparation for the release of his debut novel on Monday, I decided to interview Michel Vaillancourt.  (Proper full novel review to follow, once I've had the pleasure of the reading the whole thing all of a piece.)  Please find below our interview, held late at night, from West Coast to East, Friday December 16. 

Hi Michel, thanks for agreeing to this interview regarding your about-to-released Sauder Diaries.

It's my pleasure.  I'm really enjoying this whole new world of being interviewed as an author.

Let's get right to it.

Sure thing!

First of all, to start, how would you summarize the Sauder Diaries (sans spoilers)?

It's a Steampunk-themed pirate adventure romance.  The core story is about a young man who breaks out of the shell of his own making and realizes there is a bigger world around him.

The main character, Hans Sauder, is on his way to university on an airship when he gets shanghaied by infamous pirates.  He eventually winds up traveling with the pirates all over Europe and beyond as part of the crew.

His life gets complicated when the woman in charge of the gunner-marines decides she's attracted to him.  Things get even more complicated when the ship he is on undertakes a dangerous mission into the territory of the Russian Empire.

What made you pick this moment in history (well, in alternate history) for your novel?

Really, I was reverse engineering a justification for airship piracy.  How does airship piracy work?  You can't have it without the economics to support it.  There is no point in stealing something unless you can sell it or trade it.  So who are they selling it to?  What made air travel more practical than land travel such as trains?

I needed a point in time that represented a major war in Europe that pre-dated the "core" of the Victorian Era.  For airship piracy to work, Europe had to be in a condition that meant that railroads and canals were unusable.  So, the Russian War, aka the Crimean War, was the event in history I was looking for.  From there, I started working forward in time to choose my year and date.

And why pirates?

The full explanation is on my blog, Split Horizons.  The short version is that I was listening to Abney Park's "Airship Pirates", and one line made me think, what sort of lunatic swings on a leather thong at 15000 feet in the air?"  And I wanted to answer the question, "who are the sort of people that live in a world where airship pirates are possible?"  

Originally, the Sauder Diaries was released as episodic fiction, on Scribd, as each portion was written.  In an ideal world, where any form of published work is available (and will of course provide a living), which is your preference ... releasing a solid novel, or the Victorian style of serial fiction, released chapter by chapter, as Dickens etc did?

Absolutely serial fiction.  In fact, if the fans would go for it, I'd love to release the second book that way.  Every week, release another chapter on a subscription arrangement or something.

However, I know authors who have tried this route and in this world, no one wants to buy at a buck a chapter. 

The Sauder Diaries contains some very strong, very independent female characters.  Was this a deliberate choice on your part, and why?

Absolutely.  One of the most iconic moments in the adventures of the Victorian Era is Henry Morton Stanley’s popular quotation, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”.  In the real world, that question could not have been delivered by a woman of the era.  But what about a world where it could?  What an interesting place that would be!

One of the things that the Victorian Era served as was a kind of watershed for the Suffrage Movement.  To me, to be true to "Steampunk" as I see it, you pretty much need a female lead or supporting character to be ahead of the curve;  already be out there, doing the sort of things that the women of the time rallying in the streets could only dream about.

I also have a pet peeve about what I call the "Dry Ice Heroine" ... "Strong and frosty, strong and frosty, whoops here comes the hero / hunk, she melts."  I refuse to write that character, unless she's clearly a plot device.

And your female characters don't do that?

Absolutely not.  They may have moments of vulnerability, they might get scared or worried, but when the chips are down, they're as dependable as the men they work and live alongside.

What makes them different?

They're all women living in a men's world, and they've earned their equality, and they'll be damned if they'll be treated any different.  They work as hard, they fight as hard, they risk as hard.

What was the process, or motivation, that embarked you on your voyage to write the Diaries?

It's a complex answer.  Mostly, it was a goal-driven process for me;  I had never done this sort of a project before.  I had done short stories and serial fan-fic, but never a novel.  So, it was a matter of setting a goal -- write a chapter and publish it -- and then do it.  Rinse and repeat.  Then I had a novel.  So, set the next set of goals:  Get a Facebook community page.  Get a publisher.  Get the book out there.  Get people talking about it.  Start working on the next book.  One goal at time, achieve it, celebrate it, and aim for the next thing.

Has writing a novel been in your head for a while?  Or was this a new idea that just overtook you?

It is actually something I had wanted to do since my late teens or early 20's. I just had not found the right combination of life circumstances and story to have it happen.

Is there a character in The Sauder Diaries you have had more trouble writing than others?  If so, what was the challenge or difficulty?

The two female lead characters, Arrieta and Annika.  I'm not a woman, and so I can't claim to really understand what they think and what they hold important.  So, I did research;  I'm a lucky fella that knows a lot of attractive professional women that are also good friends.  They were willing to answer questions about how they thought and what they felt.  So, in a certain way, Arrieta is one group of women I know, and Annika is another.

Alternately, was there a character who came to you particularly easily?  If so, in what way?

Michael O'Raedy, known as Captain Blackheart.  He was the easiest to write, as I've known a lot of captains, and people in the real world who work in leadership and command. I've gotten to talk with them and learn about what they do, what they handle, and what they don't show.

Is there anything in The Sauder Diaries that surprised even you, when writing it?

Two things.  The first was the good Doctor Koblinski. He was supposed to be essentially a one scene character who was irrelevant to the long-term plot. The fans, however, were enamored with him and insisted he had to stick around.  I had tremendous feedback at the release of Chapter One that everyone loved his wit and clear common-sense.  So, the Doctor is around to stay.

They second thing that surprised me was how often I cried writing my first book.  I found that when I was writing the Sauder Diaries, I intentionally went places with my writing I'd never gone before, in terms of inspiring big emotion in the reader.  There are parts that I can't read aloud without choking up.  Both Book 1 and the in-progress Book 2.

Is there any little tidbit, which I'm not covering with the questions I've asked so far, that you'd like to share with us about the novel, or your process?  This is your opportunity to answer a question you want to answer, that you haven't been asked yet.

Don't tell me this isn't Steampunk.  It might not be your Steampunk, but that's okay.  This is my take on Steampunk.  It is what I see the fans and advocates at Cons, concerts and meets talking about as cool.  This is a book for Steampunks, written by a new member of the Steampunk movement.

As well, I'd like to stay that to me, the word Steampunk is composed of two words:  "Steam" and "Punk". 

"Steam" is the temporal reference marker;  the Age of Steam which firmly brackets the Victorian Era.  There is so much factual and pop-cultural imagery in that period that it is astonishing.  On land, at sea, and in the air,  History was happening and the world was changing like never before.

"Punk" is the conceptualization of social ideologies that are mostly concerned with individual freedom and anti-establishment views.  It's about freedom, it's about walking counter-class or caste, it's about doing things that would scandalize the "main stream culture" of the day.

So, that's part of what this story is about.  Underneath the pirates, airships and clockworks is a story with themes that take at least passing looks at the social norms of the day.  The treatment of servants, class-based poverty, the perception of women as objects or property, and Calvanist morals...  there is a lot to run at angles to here.

On a slightly off-book bent ... Steampunk:  what draws you to it?  And do you think it has to have a nailed down definition ?

Something I heard Phil Foglio say at Steamcon was that "Steampunk fiction is about when technology can save humanity.  It isn't the problem, it is the solution."

I agree with that.  Steampunk fiction is, to me at least, inherently hopeful.  It is about people doing incredibly cool things at a point in time when when no one knew what the boundaries were and they seemed to be on the brink of revolutionizing the world.  Everything was within the realm of possibility; everything was within reach.  The right man (or woman) with the right perseverance and the right science at the right place could change the world for the better.  That's pretty empowering.

In "The Sauder Diaries", being a pirate is as much about freedom as anything else. It is an inherently hopeful act; taking ownership of their own futures by their own actions and associations.  Maybe it isn't very nice, but I'll leave that for the moralists.  The pirates in this world are inherently the rebels and underdogs.  They are living outside the physical, social and moral walls of the setting. 

So you're more on the Jules Verne "optimist" camp of Victorian science fiction, then H.G. Wells "pessimist" camp (note for readers, the opposites are excellently described here.

That's one way of looking at it, yes.  

To me the best way to define Steampunk is by inclusion.  I prefer to be inclusive; it's all Steampunk, unless we all agree that it isn't.

Oh man, that's probably going to produce comment.   Yay!  I love it when the conversation gets exciting.

Thank you very much, Michel, for taking the time out late tonight for this interview, and congratulations on your debut novel!  I very much look forward to having it in my hot little hands, and even more to reading future work from you.

Dec 20/12 UPDATE:  If you're keen to get your hands on this book (and I do highly recommend it!) the ebook is now available for purchase online at Amazon's Kindle store here.

Feb 2/12 UPDATE:  Due to reprehensible actions on behalf of the small publisher, Trestle Press (stealing artwork from multiple sources and artists without permission, and presenting them to the authors as legitimate), Michel Vaillancourt, along with numerous other authors, has had to remove his book from sale at present.  You can see his blog entry on this situation here.

July 2012 UPDATE:  After the above fiasco, the book is happily now available again!  Published by Avenger Press Services and available on Amazon.com for Kindle and in trade paperback.