Victoria Janssen's Blog, page 86

Steampunk Worldbuilding Questions

I'm in the early stages of creating a world in which a steampunk Western can take place. Here are some of the questions I'm asking myself. Some of them I answered promptly; some of them I'm still pondering.1. Alternate history or alternate world fantasy? How close will my world be to the "real" world? Is geography the same as in the real world?2. Overall mood: is it utopic, dystopic, or

My New Steampunk Project

It's been an eventful couple of weeks for me.For the last few months I've been working on a sequel to my World War One werewolf novel, but my next published novel for Spice will be a different project instead: a steampunk Western. The tentative release date is spring/summer 2012.I don't have a title yet, but I do have characters! The men include a Native American scientist who's also a bit of

WWI Wheels

French soldiers with a bicycle.A bicycle ambulance.Belgian soldiers on motorcycles.

Novelists, Inc. Guest Post

I'm a guest poster today at the Novelists, Inc. Blog on "I Like Being Reviewed. Really."Please drop by and check it out!

Wilfrid Wilson Gibson, "Hill-born"

Hill-bornI sometimes wonder if it's really true I ever knew Another life Than this unending strife With unseen enemies in lowland mud;And wonder if my blood Thrilled ever to the tune Of clean winds blowing through an April noon Mile after sunny mile On the green ridges of the Windy Gile.--Wilfrid Wilson Gibson

Music Linkgasm

And now for something completely different!I thought I'd share a few of my favorite MP3 music blogs. It was hard, but I limited myself to five.1. The Hype Machine is a blog aggregator - it's a great place to find links to a huge range of music blogs.2. Motel de Moka has long been one of my favorite music blogs. Posts are organized into playlists, usually by mood or theme. The bloggers choose

Writing for Women, Writing for Men

I read about a workshop at the RWA Conference whose topic, I think, was writing for women versus writing for men. I didn't attend, so the actual title didn't stick in my mind. However, it sparked thoughts, and I of course had to pour those thoughts into a blog post. With a hot picture of Josephine Baker wearing a top hat.I write for women. At least I think I do. The line that publishes my

IASPR Call for Proposals

Just in case anyone out there is interested!A Call For Proposals for The Third Annual International Conference on Popular Romance:Can't Buy Me Love?Sex, Money, Power, and RomanceNew York CityJune 26-28, 2011The International Association for the Study of Popular Romance (IASPR) is seeking proposals for innovative panels, papers, roundtables, discussion groups, and multi-media presentations that

I'm a Naughty Guest Today

I'm a guest today at The Naughty Girls Next Door, with my thoughts on "Selling the Unusual Historical."Drop by and say hello! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic.

Pirate Linkgasm

Before I wrote The Duke and the Pirate Queen, I didn't realize quite how many websites existed about pirates, especially pirates from the 1600s through around 1720, particularly in the Caribbean. That's the most common idea most people have of pirates, based on movies and novels such as Treasure Island.Because I was writing a fantasy, I was able to use a mixture of ideas about "classic" pirates