QSFer Joshua Ian has a lesbian short story in a new steampunk anthology which includes some queer representation: “Steamed.”
Welcome to STEAMED! Featuring stories of romance, fantasy, and science fiction featuring the tinkerers, dreamers, and inventors of Steampunk.
A collection of eight amazing stories by some of today’s most talented and adored authors of Steampunk. It’s sure to get you Steamed.
Jennie L. Morris – Heirs of the Sky
New Albatross, Ester Grailings’ home, jets off the side of a mountain like a metal tumor. Her whole life spent in the air; she views the valley below between steel grates. To live on the ground is dangerous, the people immune to the Old Plague, but carriers of a disease capable of killing everyone in the sky cities.
An unfortunate accident, a tumble over the railing, and Ester finds herself injured and at the mercy of primitive Nomads. Her new friend Bram reveals details about the past and the sky cities. The truth weighs heavy on Ester’s conscious. Desperate to return home, Ester hails a dirigible airship as her last hope.
Bram, a curious young man by nature, seeks learning over agriculture. When Ester offers a trip on the airship with a promise to return home, he doesn’t hesitate. But the flight to New Albatross turns precarious, an attack by sky pirates may be the least of their worries.
T. Elizabeth Guthrie – The Salt Mines
Caelan and Issa, labeled as ‘borgs, have to work in the salt mines. Trapped during a cave in they are left to die along with their co-workers, but they manage to get themselves and everyone else out.
After alerting the townies to the safety issues at the mines, they decide to ‘storm the gates’ and take down a corrupt company. Tables are turned when the owner disappears. Where is he and what is he up to?
Casia Courtier – Through the Veil
In this steampunk Alice in Wonderland retelling, Elise Bennington embarks on a journey to find her fiance’ and return home. But the people in this dangerous world are deadly and she may need to save more than just the two of them.
Lorah Jaiyn – Trouble with the Mechanist’s Daughter
Calliope Cline’s whole world is turned upside when her father is killed in a horrible accident. Murdered, as she claims, by Nicholas Primrose, his new partner. Barrister Abraham Maycock is her trusted friend and guide in the turbulent waters that follow the death.
When true colors are shown, Cally’s entire livelihood is destroyed. She must decide who to trust and where to turn in order to make things right.
Joshua Ian – Barren Strawberry
The immortal woman is back. The woman of countless names. The woman who first taught Agnes to embrace magick has returned to London. And Agnes is determined to get repayment of the debt owed her. Long ago an act of magick left Agnes maimed and scarred.
Since that fateful day, for so many years she cannot count, she has thrown herself into her work, ignoring the calling within her, ignoring the dreams that have haunted her. Now she wants her former self restored, no matter the cost. She wants to be whole again. But as she comes to accept the truth about the dark secrets of magick, she realizes that the thing she may want most of all is revenge.
J. V. Stanley – Chasing Time
Kiera wasn’t one to waste time. No one in her society was, for that matter. She, like the others were destined to walk through the lines and life staring at a spot on the ground, unable to observe the world around them. There were no nights under the stars, no sunbathing on the beach, and no scenic drives admiring the change of colors on a crisp fall afternoon. After a boy caught her eye as she dared look up, Kiera and her brother, Catfish were forced to make a decision that would change the lives of those around them—by changing time. By chasing it’s source.
Vanessa Ross – Gear Reaper
Gear Reaper is the first in a series about Angels and Mages. This series mixes the two races in an action packed battle between sins and virtues. Join Emma as she embarks on the creation of the Coven of the Damned Academy.
While traveling the European Coven’s Emma Stowell receives a letter from her father that she needs to come to New York due to the fact that her mother and her are in danger. On board the ship she meets Azrael, an Angel sent to Earth with his brother Michael to start a new life. The night before they reach New York, Emma comes face to face with a wicked power. Having hidden on board, Emma’s power awakens with the help of Azrael.
Starting an epic battle of good and evil, Emma knows she must start a school to help other Mages like her to take down a power just beginning to rise. Know one knows when they will strike, but they do know they have wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing.
While traveling the European Coven’s Emma Stowell receives a letter from her father that she needs to come to New York due to the fact that her mother and her are in danger. On board the ship she meets Azrael, an Angel sent to Earth with his brother Michael to start a new life. The night before they reach New York, Emma comes face to face with a wicked power. Having hidden on board, Emma’s power awakens with the help of Azrael.
Starting an epic battle of good and evil, Emma knows she must start a school to help other Mages like her to take down a power just beginning to rise. Know one knows when they will strike, but they do know they have wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing.
Kendra Moreno – Gears of Winter
Skadi preferred the snowy tops of her mountains to the glittering mechanics of Asgardian life, but she never could avoid the reaches of Odin and his all-seeing eye. When the Allfather orders her to Midgard to track down Loki and Thor, the threat of Ragnarӧk on the horizon, she begrudgingly sets off on her task.
The only problem, the two gods don’t want to be caught and something far more sinister is in London. Not only are there steam-powered machines on the streets, but creatures lurk waiting for a chance to strike.
Can Skadi convince Thor and Loki to return to Asgard before it’s too late, or will they all drown beneath the coming dark storm?
Ragnarӧk is coming. . .
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Excerpt
From Barren Strawberry, by Joshua Ian
The gears churned and whorled.
It was a wall of gears.
Made of metal and porcelain and glass.
All around her.
Agnes was surrounded, completely enclosed, by a circular wall of gears that kept turning.
Looking up, she saw no ceiling, no end to the churning cylinder that surrounded. It just went up, up, until it faded into darkness. She wanted desperately to escape. She jumped up, trying to gain purchase on the center of a large gear, in the jutting metal round that anchored its axis. But the motion was too great and it threatened to take her arms and mangle them. She pushed back as her dress caught in the mechanism and ripped, the torn length of material chewed into shreds. She fell and suddenly the floor gave out beneath her.
She was falling through a tunnel of gears.
Until she landed, hard, on the back of a clockwork horse. She flung herself over and wrapped her legs around it as it tore down a city street, sparks flying from the cobblestones. The horse came to an abrupt halt. Standing before them in the street was Amalia from the house. The young woman was surrounded by clockwork horses just like the one Agnes rode. Steam poured from their nostrils and Agnes knew that they meant to run Amalia down. She cried out in protest.
Then Amalia was gone and Agnes stood in her place.
The horses were all around her in the street, their eyes glaring at her, flashing, their crystals shimmering a rainbow of colors. They lowered their heads, and pushed forward, ready to charge, to trample her.
She felt a rumble as the cobblestones beneath her feet began to crack along the seams. Water seeped up from under the pavement – dirty, foul-smelling water, rusty and heavy with minerals and the funk of earth. The water rushed in and eddied around her, building up, up, swirling until it was like a vortex.
At that moment, she was certain she would drown.
Her arms flailed as she tossed about for something, anything, to grab onto; to pull herself up from the violent whirlpool.
The water overtook her.
Agnes woke from her dream.
Author Bios
Jennie L. Morris
As a self-proclaimed Anglophile and research geek, it’s no wonder Jennie L. Morris writes Romance and Historical Fiction with a flair for realism. Her love for learning led her to obtain degrees in Anthropology and Biology, which she often relies on during her writing process. Coming from NE Ohio, and raised on a small beef cattle farm, life was anything but ordinary growing up.
Jennie now resides in rural Kentucky, among the bluegrass and dazzling horse farms, with her amazing husband and their boxer Archie. When she isn’t reading or writing, she is feeding her tea obsession or perfume addiction, letting the scents and flavors fuel her creative fires.
T. Elizabeth Guthrie
T. Elizabeth Guthrie is the mother of two beautiful grown daughters, BamMaw (grandma) to two handsome young grandsons and one beautiful new granddaughter. She’s happily married to her best friend and works alongside him building their own line of live edge furniture. Look them up at Phunky Junk Alley.
She started writing when she was young after the passing of her mother. She said it was and still is a great way to escape to other places real and imaginary. She writes all genre’s but her favorite to write are the same as the ones she loves to read, horror, science fiction and romance.
She currently has four paranormal romances published, Irish Love, Scottish Love, Chocolate Peanut Butter Delight and Mated by Prophecy.
She also loves to create fantasy jewelry and has a whole line of pieces that are inspired by the stories she publishes and ones she wants to publish someday.
J.V. Stanley
J. V. Stanley is an award-winning, hybrid, multi-genre author and holds a BA in English and Communication. Her debut novel, “Faces In Still Waters” and poetry collection, “Chasing The Red” won second and first place in the 2016 Summer Indie Book Awards hosted by Metamorph Publishing. J. V. Stanley has the heart of a poet who revels in human emotion and connection while channeling that into her writing. She strives to fully immerse her readers into her worlds. Her work can be seen in various formats including her blog, articles, columns, and editorials. Some of her publication credits include the anthologies “Siren’s Lullaby” by Enchanted Anthologies, “Forest Of The Dark” by Enchanted Anthologies “Campfire Tales” by Crazy Ink, “Devious Ingenues” by Perfectly Poisoned Anthologies and several others. She is also an IDPA Nationally Ranked Pistol Competitor-thus making her a warrior poet. She currently lives in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with her daughter (who is also a writer) and her son and spends a copious amount of time drinking over-sugared coffee while daydreaming on her keyboard.
Joshua Ian
Joshua Ian can easily be captured by a witty turn of phrase or a low-bottomed electronic bassline. If you manage to combine the two, then you have his heart forever. He lives in New York City and writes mostly historical, speculative, and sci-fi/fantasy fiction but he does love a good mystery. He watches too many movies, eats too much dark chocolate, and falls into way too many Wikipedia rabbit holes– but it’s all in the name of research (or so he tells himself). His short stories have appeared in Twist in Time Magazine, Coffin Bell Journal, Chaleur Magazine, Enchanted Conversation eZine, and the 5th Annual Queer Sci Fi Fiction Anthology ‘Impact.’ His first book-length collection of steampunk & gaslight fantasy stories entitled ‘Through the Spindle’ will be publishing in late 2019. He recently published the novelette ‘The Harvest Moon,’ the first in his Darkly Enchanted Romance series.
Casia Courtier
When Casia isn’t perfecting a new story, she is rubbing elbows with great literary minds and soaking up their advice for her blog. She has been published in numerous anthologies and will soon have a full length novel(la) of her own. She enjoys dabbling in different genres, spending time with her family, and computer design.
Lorah Jaiyn
Lorah Jaiyn focused on her writing career after a nasty case of empty nest syndrome, followed by the dreaded absent-Gramma disorder due to her son-in-law’s Air Force career. One novel, many anthologies, and several novellas later, she still hasn’t figured out her favorite genre. Her projects range from horror to romance, with a little fantasy thrown in for good measure.
Lorah lives in North Central Florida and enjoys exploring the great outdoors and creating with polymer clay. She fosters baby squirrels when needed and credits her Jack Russell as both her muse and biggest distraction, with a close second being her Hallmark Channel addiction.
Vanessa Ross
Vanessa Ross is a service dog trainer, writer, mother, and wife. Her passion is aiding others that have fallen on hard times. She comes from a military family and loves her country. She started out as an avid reader because she was told she would not succeed as a reader due to having severe dyslexia. Vanessa refuses to let her disabilities stop her and read 550 books the first year. Then she was told she could not write because she has dysgraphia, she had a new goal. She has published multiple books, in the paranormal romance and mythology genre.
Kendra Moreno
Kendra lives in Texas where the summers are scorching, and the iced tea is straight sugar. When she isn’t writing, she likes to go on real life adventures with her husband and son and hopes to one day scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef.