Malon Edwards's Blog, page 4

I AM A STEAMFUNKATEER! Why I write and read Steamfunk

cover art by Marcellus Shane Jackson



Three years ago, I was all about steampunk. So was the entire science fiction/fantasy genre, it seemed. 



People were writing steampunk novels like they were going out of style. And they might have, had steampunk not become the movement it is. I talked a little about that here.



But as much as I liked steampunk back then, I wasn't ready to write steampunk short stories, yet. I had just barely wrapped my head around writing fantasy, which was a huge leap forward for me and my writing career.



I wrote my first short story when I was 11 years old. I'd always identified myself as a science fiction short story writer.  Writing fantasy felt so alien to me (yeah, I can be punny when I want). Sci-fi and cyberpunk were my comfort zones.



And then, a little over three years ago, Purple Zoe  said she was putting together a black fae anthology. I was intrigued. I'd never heard of black fae, let alone read a story with one as a character. 



To this day, I can't remember how it happened, but somehow I came up with an idea of a coal-dust faery  who granted the poor and downtrodden coal dust—the black gold that moved the gears of my steampunk world. 



Check that. Steamfunk world. 



Though the term hadn't been coined in 2009 (at least, I don't think it was), my short story was definitely steamfunk. Just look at my worldbuilding:



My protagonist, Bijou LaVoix, is a twelve-year-old Louisiana Creole girl who has just moved to Chicago with her mother. 



My coal-dust faery, Asha, is a beautiful shade of ebony. 



And nearly every child in my steamfunk world has some sort of steam-powered prosthetic or steam-powered enhancement because a polio epidemic has ravaged Chicago. Bijou has a steam clock heart. 



Writing "Bijou LaVoix and the Coal Dust Faery" was one of the most enjoyable writing experiences I had—in a long time. I'd taken a sub-genre I liked, flipped the script, and made it mine. 



My steamfunked Chicago reflected my heritage and my background: 



Like Bijou's mother, my mother was born in Mississippi  moved to Louisiana, and then migrated north to Chicago. Like Bijou, I was a latch-key kid. Like Bijou, I took public transit to school (not a steam locomotive, but look hard enough, and you'll find one in Chicago). And like Bijou, I also had a very small, core group of friends in elementary school.



So it made sense for me to submit a story to the Steamfunk! anthology.



Steamfunk is me. I am steamfunk.



I can't help but write it.





Here are some of the other contributors to the Steamfunk! anthology who share their experiences writing, reading and living steamfunk:






Milton Davis – Milton Davis is owner/publisher of MVmedia, LLC . As an author he specializes in science fiction and fantasy and is the author of Meji Book One, Meji Book Two and Changa’s Safari. Visit him: www.mvmediaatl.com  andwww.wagadu.ning.com .




Ray Dean – Growing up in Hawaii, Ray Dean had the opportunity to enjoy nearly every culture under the sun. The Steamfunk Anthology was an inspiration she couldn't pass up. Ray can be reached at http://www.raydean.net/.




Malon Edwards – Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Malon Edwards now lives in the Greater Toronto Area. Much of his speculative fiction features people of color and is set in his hometown. Malon can be reached ateastofmars.blogspot.com.




Valjeanne Jeffers – Valjeanne Jeffers is the author of Immortal, Immortal II: The Time of Legend, Immortal III: Stealer of Souls, The Switch II: Clockwork and Immortal IV: Collision of Worlds Visit her at http://www.facebook.com/l/GAQHync5dAQELhG-ZYioznHu4XdpmGVjPHLVMOi5sqNSNbg/valjeanne.wordpress.com and http://www.facebook.com/l/oAQGmdGxgAQEg4FxO57Ot1Tb-0vW-XEdGEjPA4IMSKsJxmQ/www.vjeffersandqveal.com




Rebecca M. Kyle – With a birthday on Friday 13, it's only natural that the author is fascinated with myths, legends, and oddities of all kinds. Ms. Kyle lives with her husband, four cats, and more rocks and books than she cares to count between the Smokies and Cumberland mountains. Visit her at http://bexboox13.blogspot.com/.




Carole McDonnell – is a writer of Christian, supernatural, and ethnic stories. Her writings appear in various anthologies, including So Long Been Dreaming: Postcolonialism in Science Fiction, edited by Nalo Hopkinson; Jigsaw Nation; and Life Spices from Seasoned Sistahs: Writings by Mature Women of Color among others. Her reviews appear in print and at various online sites. Her novels are the Christian speculative fiction, Wind Follower, and The Constant Tower. Her Bible study is called: Seeds of Bible Study.   Her website is http://carolemcdonnell.blogspot.com/.




Balogun Ojetade – Author of the bestselling “Afrikan Martial Arts: Discovering the Warrior Within” (non-fiction), “Moses: The Chronicles of Harriet Tubman” (Steamfunk); “Once Upon A Time in Afrika” (Sword and Soul); “Redeemer” (Urban Fantasy) and the film, “A Single Link” and “Rite of Passage”. Finally, he is Co-Author of “Ki-Khanga: The Anthology” and Co-Editor of “Steamfunk!” Visit him:http://chroniclesofharriet.com/.




Hannibal Tabu – is a writer, a storyteller, and by god, a fan. He has written the novels, “The Crown: Ascenscion” and “Faraway” and the upcoming scifi political thriller “Rogue Nation”. He is currently the co-owner and editor-in-chief of Black geek website Komplicated at the Good Men Project, and uses his Operative Network website (www.operative.net) to publish his poetry, market what he's doing, rant at the world and emit strangled cries for help.




Geoffrey Thorne – Geoffrey Thorne has written a lot of stuff in a lot of venues and will be writing more in more. It's his distinct pleasure to take part in another of these groundbreaking anthologies. Thanks for letting me roll with you folks. For more (and God knows why you'd want more) check out http://www.geoffreythorne.com/.

Steamfunk! Anthology - Table of Contents

cover art by Marcellus Shane

Yesterday, I mentioned the Steamfunk! anthology has been released, and I'm part of a week-long (give or take) blog tour discussing the anthology and the newly coined sub-genre.

Below is the Table of Contents for the anthology (which includes my story, "Mud Holes and Mississippi Mules"), with links to the contributors' pages. Check out their pages and what they have to say about steamfunk.

I assure you there will be diverse and interesting discussions going on.  

Steamfunk! Anthology - Table of Contents:

Ronald T. Jones  – Benjamin’s Freedom Magic

Malon Edwards – Mud Holes and Mississippi Mules

Hannibal Tabu – The Sharp Knife of a Short Life

P. Djeli Clark – Men in Black

Geoffrey Thorne – The Tunnel at the End of Light

Ray Dean – A Will of Iron

Kochava Greene – The Refuge

Carole McDonnell – Oh, Western Wind

Rebecca McFarland Kyle – Once a Spider

Josh Reynolds – The Lion Hunters

Melvin Carter – Tough Night in Tommyville

Valjeanne Jeffers – The Switch

Balogun Ojetade – Rite of Passage: Blood and Iron

Milton Davis – The Delivery

The STEAMFUNK ANTHOLOGY: What – and Why – It Is

cover art by Marcellus Shane

On February 20, two of the hardest working independent editors in the business - Milton Davis and Balogun Ojetade - released the Steamfunk! anthology under Milton's MVmedia Publishing. 



I'm pleased to say my short story, "Mudholes and Mississippi Mules", is included in the table of contents.



Now, some of you may be asking yourselves, 'What exactly is steamfunk? I've never heard of that.' Well, before we define it, let's start with steampunk. 



 For many, steampunk is an idea, a movement, a political statement, a lifestyle, a style of dress, or a way of life. Wikipedia, that venerable source of information we know and love, defines steampunk as:  

"a sub-genre of science fiction that typically features steam-powered machinery, especially in a setting inspired by industrialized Western civilization during the 19th century. Therefore, steampunk works are often set in an alternate history of the 19th century's British Victorian era or American "Wild West", in a post-apocalyptic future during which steam power has regained mainstream use, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power." 

No matter how you view or define steampunk, this sub-genre of speculative fiction has definitely transcended literature these past few years. 



Google 'steampunk', and you'll find numerous links for steampunk clothing and jewelry (especially on Etsy), steampunk societies (both real world and virtual), and, of course, steampunk literature.



What you won't find much of is people of color.



That's where steamfunk comes in.



But you say, 'Wait. What about the movie Wild Wild West? It has Will Smith, Selma Hayek, and that huge steam-powered spider. And if you google steampunk and click through far enough, you'll find some dapper brothers wearing bowler hats and vests and some fine sister wearing corsets and riding boots.' 



And you're right. 



But steampunk literature often marginalizes or overlooks people of color. We aren't the main characters. The nuances of our societies aren't depicted in detail, if at all. In short, we're noticeably absent.



Which is why the Steamfunk! anthology was created.



Wikipedia won't give you a steamfunk definition, but Balogun defines it as:

"...as a person, style of dress or subgenre of fiction that seeks to bring together elements of blaxploitation films and merge it with that of Steampunk fiction...a philosophy or style of writing that combines the African and/or African American culture and approach to life with that of the steampunk philosophy and/or steampunk fiction."

And that's a good, solid start for this new movement. 



Below are some the writers with stories in the Steamfunk! anthology. Over the next week or so, they will also discuss on their blogs the anthology, what steamfunk is, and what steamfunk means to them. 



Check them out for more insight into steamfunk and their own work. 












Milton Davis – Milton Davis is owner/publisher of MVmedia, LLC . As an author he specializes in science fiction and fantasy and is the author of Meji Book One, Meji Book Two and Changa’s Safari. Visit him: www.mvmediaatl.com  andwww.wagadu.ning.com .




Ray Dean – Growing up in Hawaii, Ray Dean had the opportunity to enjoy nearly every culture under the sun. The Steamfunk Anthology was an inspiration she couldn't pass up. Ray can be reached at http://www.raydean.net/.




Malon Edwards – Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Malon Edwards now lives in the Greater Toronto Area. Much of his speculative fiction features people of color and is set in his hometown. Malon can be reached ateastofmars.blogspot.com.




Valjeanne Jeffers – Valjeanne Jeffers is the author of Immortal, Immortal II: The Time of Legend, Immortal III: Stealer of Souls, The Switch II: Clockwork and Immortal IV: Collision of Worlds Visit her at http://www.facebook.com/l/GAQHync5dAQELhG-ZYioznHu4XdpmGVjPHLVMOi5sqNSNbg/valjeanne.wordpress.com and http://www.facebook.com/l/oAQGmdGxgAQEg4FxO57Ot1Tb-0vW-XEdGEjPA4IMSKsJxmQ/www.vjeffersandqveal.com




Rebecca M. Kyle – With a birthday on Friday 13, it's only natural that the author is fascinated with myths, legends, and oddities of all kinds. Ms. Kyle lives with her husband, four cats, and more rocks and books than she cares to count between the Smokies and Cumberland mountains. Visit her at http://bexboox13.blogspot.com/.




Carole McDonnell – is a writer of Christian, supernatural, and ethnic stories. Her writings appear in various anthologies, including So Long Been Dreaming: Postcolonialism in Science Fiction, edited by Nalo Hopkinson; Jigsaw Nation; and Life Spices from Seasoned Sistahs: Writings by Mature Women of Color among others. Her reviews appear in print and at various online sites. Her novels are the Christian speculative fiction, Wind Follower, and The Constant Tower. Her Bible study is called: Seeds of Bible Study.   Her website is http://carolemcdonnell.blogspot.com/.




Balogun Ojetade – Author of the bestselling “Afrikan Martial Arts: Discovering the Warrior Within” (non-fiction), “Moses: The Chronicles of Harriet Tubman” (Steamfunk); “Once Upon A Time in Afrika” (Sword and Soul); “Redeemer” (Urban Fantasy) and the film, “A Single Link” and “Rite of Passage”. Finally, he is Co-Author of “Ki-Khanga: The Anthology” and Co-Editor of “Steamfunk!” Visit him:http://chroniclesofharriet.com/.




Hannibal Tabu – is a writer, a storyteller, and by god, a fan. He has written the novels, “The Crown: Ascenscion” and “Faraway” and the upcoming scifi political thriller “Rogue Nation”. He is currently the co-owner and editor-in-chief of Black geek website Komplicated at the Good Men Project, and uses his Operative Network website (www.operative.net) to publish his poetry, market what he's doing, rant at the world and emit strangled cries for help.




Geoffrey Thorne – Geoffrey Thorne has written a lot of stuff in a lot of venues and will be writing more in more. It's his distinct pleasure to take part in another of these groundbreaking anthologies. Thanks for letting me roll with you folks. For more (and God knows why you'd want more) check out http://www.geoffreythorne.com/.

Be Still, My Ticking Steam Clock Heart

This is very cool. 



I haven't really thought much about how my character Bijou LaVoix's steam clock heart would look. 



But it probably would look something like this.



*source: respiringsteam.tumblr.com

Listen to the Sun Sing

courtesy of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

This is one of the coolest things I've ever heard.



And not just because I wrote a story about a solar prominence who has come to Earth and is worshipped as a god.



 It's an audio of how a solar eruption sounds on Earth. As io9 suggests, listen to it with headphones on. 



It's a pretty cool experience.

Four in the Morning Gets Talked Up Real Nice

The Four in the Morning anthology, which includes stories from Ed Erdelac, Lincoln Crisler and Tim Marquitz, gets a nice write up by Nila White over at SFFWorld as part of their fantasy/horror 2012 review. 

You have to scroll down to the bottom of the page for the review, but here are some of Nila's kind words for my novelette, Half Dark, which is part of the anthology: 

"Each story presented is deserving of praise, but Half Dark by Malon Edwards really blew me away. The story has a language and rhythm all of its own that surprised me at every turn and sway of our heroine. What can I say? She and Mr. Edwards captured my heart and I look forward to more stories set in the dark, ethereal world of Half Dark. Check it out."



I agree. You should check it out.

Happy Anniversary, My Lovely Wife

Eleven years ago in Japan, I met this beautiful, spunky Canadian girl at a Christmas party I'd gone to on a whim. She'd been dragged to it by her American roommate. We talked, we laughed, we liked each other. 

As the beautiful, spunky girl was leaving the party, we exchanged numbers, and she told me she would call me the next week because she had tickets to a New Year's Eve party at a bar in Tokyo, called Sugar High. Days went by, but she didn't call.

Being me, I wasn't really surprised by this. But I did have another option. I'd met a cute Australian teacher at one of the branches of the English school I taught at, and she and her friend were going to watch the fireworks in Yokohama Bay. I could come along if I wanted.

I didn't want to.

I wanted to spend New Year's with the beautiful, spunky girl (who was also an English teacher), so I took a deep breath and gave her a call. She swore up and down that she had been planning to call me. I didn't believe her, but it didn't matter. We made plans to go for dinner at Elephant Cafe before meeting her American roommate and their other friends to go to Sugar High.

The beautiful, spunky girl and I didn't think the dinner was a date, but our friends told us it damn sure seemed like one. On the two-hour slow train ride from Mito (where I lived) to Tokyo that night, I told myself not to expect anything. Just have fun--enjoy dinner, have a few drinks, dance a little, and go back home when all was said and done.

And that's what happened (though, it was a bit more fun for the beautiful, spunky girl when my lips started twitching during dinner from the anaphylactic reaction the shrimp was giving me).

But I didn't die at dinner and we managed to enjoy it, and then we had more drinks than we could count at Sugar High, where we danced all night. When midnight struck, we kissed. It was nice and innocent.

Afterward, we went out for curry and naan to burn a little time before the first trains of the morning started running again. It had been the perfect night. But the beautiful, spunky girl and I were about to part ways. It hadn't been a date. Just a night of fun with some new and old friends.

And then, the beautiful, spunky girl's American roommate, Sara, pulls me aside as we make our way to the train station, and said, "You should come home with us. You can sleep in the living room."

Being me, I politely declined. But Sara insisted. She wouldn't take no for an answer. It was as if she knew what would happen that night. I certainly didn't.

As we got back to Sara and the beautiful, spunky girl's apartment, I started to settle into the tiny living room/kitchen. But Sara, the matchmaker she is, said it was too cold out there, I should sleep in the beautiful, spunky girl's room, and then produced an extra futon.

I didn't decline this time.

And me and the beautiful, spunky girl--Anne--have been together ever since. We liked each other so much, we got married the following year on Christmas Eve.

And now, ten years later, my beautiful, spunky wife, I'm so glad I called you.

I love you, and I look forward to another ten years with you.

Happy Anniversary.

Lest They Drink and Forget the Law - Electric Spec

Electric Spec cover art

The latest issue (and last one of the year) for Electric Spec is now live and features my short story "Lest They Drink and Forget the Law."



Give it a read and let me know what you think, whether you like it or not. Seriously.



I can't get better as a writer if people don't tell me the bad, along with the good. And don't pull any punches, neither. 



I can take it. I wear my big boy pants every day. 







Electric Spec Table of Contents:



Lest They Drink and Forget the Law - Malon Edwards

Wolfshead - L. Young

Ximena - D.L. Young

A Magician's Silver - Jesse Knifley



Special Feature: 



Author Interview - Rebecca E. Taylor (David E. Hughes)



Editor's Corner:



The Last Car in Town - Lesley L. Smith

Had the Bun

Wish I had this Chelsea bun

I posted this more than a year ago over at An American WhereWolf in Canada, my alter ego website. 



That was where I was supposed to post things about Canada that tripped me out. 



You see how that's going.



Anyway, it held true then to the American WhereWolf, and it still holds true to him, er me, today:



Canada is one tripped out place.



Happy Halloween!






*************************************
If you’re Canadian, you know what the title means. If you’re an American from the South Side of Chicago, you look at your Canadian wife like she’s got lobsters in her head when she uses that Canadian slang for the first time in the nine years you’ve known her.

A few nights ago, as my wife and I were getting ready for bed, she looked at the track pants she had on and said, “These pants have had the bun.”

The look on my face must have said I thought she truly did have lobsters in her head (which I’m convinced is more Canadian slang) because my wife started laughing hysterically. She was actually doubled over, holding her stomach, red in the face and unable to catch her breath.

You would have thought I was the one with weird sayings coming out of my mouth.

After my wife wiped the tears from her eyes and caught her breath, she told me to google “had the bun.” Turns out, Canadians and Commonwealthers say it all the time.

It even has an Urban Dictionary definition: “Canadian expression similar to ‘had the biscuit’, meaning something that is used up, beyond further use, or broken beyond repair or use.”

And here’s the Urban Dictionary use it in a sentence:

“My Chevy’s so old, it’s had the bun, so I have to get rid of it.”

More googling found you can interchange “had the biscuit” with “had the bun.”

My wife says she’s also heard UKers say both phrases. I say Canada is very much a foreign country sometimes.

Another Fading Light Review

Kick ass cover by Jessy Lucero

It looks like the Fading Light anthology, edited by the Exquisite Marquis Tim Marquitz and includes my short story, "Blessed Be the Shadowchildren,  is racking up the favorable reviews. 



Michael R. Collins  starts his review with a tangential mention of his last review of After: Nineteen Stories of Apocalypse and Dystopia, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling: 



"Tim Marquitz tackles this intriguing possibility in Fading Light: An Anthology of the Monstrous. Physically as impressive as After, particularly thanks to evocative cover art by Jesse Lucero, Marquitz’s anthology incorporates thirty tales of the end … the bitter end, in nearly every possible definition of bitter. The tales are linked, however, by a common image, indicated by the title, Fading Light."



But then, further on, Collins gives a brief mention of my story:


"Or possibly, just possibly, the sun itself has lost something so essential to its being that it has already begun to dim when the story opens. Malon Edward[s's] story “Blessed Be the Shadowchildren” considers that possibility in a tale of tortured love, celestial kidnapping, and blackest revenge."   


I think that's a good description of the story. 


Check out the review, which is well-written and in-depth. If you see what you like, buy a copy of the anthology. It comes in Kindle and paperback.