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The Feast of Fools

How's the summer (or winter for my friends from the southern hemisphere)? I'm clawing my way back into the blogging habit now that my day jobs are over for a while.

Now we're into July, I'm a little late in telling you about 'Southern Steam: Tales from Port Reprieve', which is available from Amazon.


My fellow steampunk authors at the Scribblers' Den and I have gotten together for our third anthology. This one is set around the world of Port Reprieve, the  brainchild of fellow anthology author and the founder of the Scribblers' Den, Jack Tyler, is a fictional port in the southern US.

The content is as follows:
Stars and Bars by Steve Moore
The Stench Street Revs by William J. Jackson
Hoodwinked by N. O. A. Rawle
The Aeronaut by Bryce Raffle
Sea Story by Jack Tyler

Now this was quite a difficult challenge for me as I have never had the good fortune to visit the southern States, so I thought about what I knew best about this area and something that I could tie in with experience I already had, that way I would make my story more believable. Carnival or the Mardi Gras of New Orleans was the straw I found myself clutching.

I have long been a fan of carnival and have participated in many parades from my first in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, to more recently here in Greece more as a spectator. With a little research I managed to tie in Greek traditions with American ones, added a little horror, suspense and a good dollop of Steampunk and, low and behold, 'Hoodwinked' was born!

'Hoodwinked' tells the story of Vera Portmandritou who ventures into the New World after her Aunt Mara's death. Within minutes of stepping onto the quay, she is greeted by a mysterious stranger who offers her a ride. Now I'm sure mama warned you about taking lifts with strangers, so you can imagine that there are a lot of unpleasant surprises in store. One of the best things about carnival is of course the masquerading. Vera takes part in all of this and is introduced to the tableau vivant, a concept that was new to me too and one I should like to see for real one day. (Do click this link if you want to see what inspired the ending to my story, you are in for an amazing show, although it my not be to everyone's liking!)

Once again all proceeds from the sales of this anthology will go to charity - the Red Cross - so not only are you getting a great read, but you are also doing a little bit to help your fellow human beings! What are you waiting for? Click on the links below to purchase your (very reasonably priced) copy today!

Southern Steam in the UK
Southern Steam in the USA

What have I been reading?
The Halloween Party by Agatha Christie

What have I been making?
Southern Red Velvet Cake

What have I been watching?
The Mule

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