The Celestial Shadow Series
Last week I talked about doing something different. This week I reveal what I’m working on: the Celestial Shadow series!
This year, The Deeping Call will be released. It’s the first book in my Celestial Shadow steampunk series. (yay, alliteration!) This series is a marked change from my usual writing style and genre so I thought I’d discuss a few thoughts about it.
The most common question I get asked about this series is: ‘what is steampunk?’ My usual answer: ‘it’s complicated.’ Steampunk is a genre with few set rules, but one thing they tend to have in common is anachronism. In this instance, I like how Wikipedia defined something: An anachronism is a chronological inconsistency. Steampunk stories are generally set in the late 19th century and feature steam-powered versions of technology far past what was available to citizens of the 19th century. Cars, lighter-than-air air ships, Tesla-like inventions, etc., etc.
Celestial Shadow is actually closer to proto-steampunk: it’s set in the late 1700s, a hundred years before most steampunk stories. I definitely keep the anachronism theme going. The Deeping Call and its sequels contain many examples of late 18th century technology but there’s a budding advancement that speaks to a steampunk future coming down the line. There’s even more lurking beneath the surface but sorry, no spoilers here!
A second feature of the Celestial Shadow series is horror. That is very much a deviance for me because I’ve never written horror and it’s not something I generally read. The horror of Celestial Shadow is less ‘slasher’ and more ‘atmospheric.’ It’s inspired heavily by Edgar Allan Poe and the Cthulhu mythos of H. P. Lovecraft. There are forces at work in the universe of The Deeping Call that are beyond the characters’ understanding, e.g. powerful creatures and phenomena that cause insanity more often than not.
But don’t let that scare you off. My intent is not to frighten but rather to infuse the world with a brooding presence that hangs over everyone’s lives. This is a harsh world that breaks strong men and women down, but still there are a handful who will fight for the good of others.
That is something The Deeping Call shares with my other stories. No matter how bleak and horrible the world I create, there will always be characters who strive to do better, to be better. And just to make sure that the horror doesn’t take over too much, I’ve filled it with plenty of the off-beat humor I always sprinkle in my stories. Some of the humor is a little darker, but it fits the tone.
Celestial Shadow involved a lot of world-building and a complex back story that I’ve been working on for over a year. To make some of that back story and world-building available to my readers, I’ve decided to make a prequel short-story series entitled Emergence and release a new episode every month. And just to make this blog post extra-special, part one is now available! You can read Emergence Part One: The Mistake right here.
