People tell me Will Smith said this, but I don’t know for sure. Frankly, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I sure as shootin’ believe it. And I remember… I remember every little thing as if it happened only yesterday…. (Sing it, Brother MEAT!).
So now, in a moment of calm, the moments before the rush and rage of the upcoming convention, the whirl of what I hope will be the BEST launch of a Steampunk children’s book ever, I want to remember the people who have ALWAYS been in the struggle with me, and especially because they believed in me and my Steampunk writing. You can see the H.M.E. BLURBS down below, and I will remember those who gave a bit of their time to blurb or review…. I will never forget.
But first: Tony, baby. Love you. Trish, my muse of all work. Mom. Dad. Librarians both. Thanks for having STACKS of books and magazines around. All. Over. The place. William Kevin Petty for having the talent of an artist with the mentality of a soldier. Theresa Curtis – THE BOMB DIGITY and in a hurry, too. YOU got the job done. Bambi and Sam, who take the kids off my hands so I can get some things done. Phil, for thinking MYLAR, not CLUNKER. The Gang at Three Blind Mice – who let me park my butt at the bar and write for hours on end, and expecially to C.J. who had the coffee waiting for me even before I stepped through the door and kept it hot and full. Priceless. Dan Dougherty, I can no longer live without your counsel, especially about being Amazonian; Dan Carroll: same. Our biggest fan – Penelope Dreadfulle. Kev’s mom for catching and pitching the packages. Barry Reese – who STILL does original cataloging. David Tyburg and Alexander Stadler of The Extraordinary Contraptions. Valentine Wolfe. Al Gore for inventing the internet. Broad Universe for being the best decision I ever made as a writer. Kathryn Hinds and Arthur, too. Patti – who came back from the dead. V. Q. Talloolah . Bill-Bill.Fett. SPC. Gretchen. Jah. Diana. OM Grey, Airship Archon. Kevin Steil and Airship Embassy. Captain Robert. Parliament & Wake. The Steampunk societies in Portland, Seattle, New York, Louisiana, Kansas City, Chicago, and throughout the interwebs. I will never forget.
A special Thanks YOU! to Cindy MacLeod and William, who have ALWAYS given me the feeling that I am Queen of the Steam-geeks from the day they met me. I will never forget.
The eternal backers who have supported me all along: The Texas, Ohio, Oklahoma, Mississippi families. Christy Seelye-King, Bragg MacMorrichai, Baron Karl, Barbara Barth and the rest of the Gwinnett County Writers Guild, Chris Horne and the Crossroads Writers Conference, Kora, Rachael, Doreen, Aloysius, Christine, Eric, Whisper, Amy, Whitney, Jeri, Darrin, Jessica, Laura, Lynn, Anthony, Roger, Tracy, Mike, Kate, Beth, Jason, Katrina, Bridie, Missy, Hal, Lori, Rhonda, Austin, Pam, Rocky, Zoe, Heather, Mary, Ashley, Neil, Matt, Hugh, Paige, Sarah and so many more that I just don’t have time to type. I will never forget.
Finally, thanks to those who took the time to review and blurb:
“The illustrations are adorable!” ~ Beyond Victoriana Blog
“I did enjoy Steamduck. A wonderful whimsical story so real you might feel a little seasick. But in a good way.” Jenny ~The Bloggess
“St John Murphy Alexander marches the young reader through the excitement of exploration and duty, and lulls us with the tender familiarity of a comforting bedtime routine. The story is curious and intrepid, yet ready to be tucked in for a good night’s sleep.” ~ Nancy Overbury, Overbury Ink.
“St. John Murphy Alexander, “Her Majesty’s Explorer,” is literature’s most charming mechanical man since L. Frank Baum’s Tin Man.” ~ Jim Barnes Independent Publisher Magazine.
“I just finished reading Her Majesty’s explorer to Chloe (9 years old) and Isabella (just 6). They both loved it, and both wished they could have their very own Steamduck.” Captain Robert of Abney Park.
“Utterly charming” ~M.K. Hobson, Steampunk Novelist
“This is the perfect childhood book for steampunk parents to introduce their children to the steampunk subculture. I use that term loosely. Steampunk has managed to increasingly wedge its way into popular culture and this book drives that opening wider and opens it to the youngest of readers.” John Iwasz, ComicBooked.com
“My synapses have always fired for a bot in uniform…” ~ S. J. Chambers, co-author of The Steampunk Bible
“Three cheers for Her Majesty’s Explorer!” ~ Leisel Hindmann, Steampunk Blogger
“A story that is sweet and dreamy-a perfect bedtime story and a great introduction for children to Steampunk.” ~ Benito, Corral, Betwixt Book Reviews.
“Absolutely charming. It is the Dr. Seuss of Steampunk, and… I LOVED it.” ~ DJ Doctor Q, The Artifice Club and The Steampunk Chronicle.
I will never forget what you all have done for me.
It’s like Tolkein said – and the SCA improved on – I hear, and shall not forget that which is freely given – Fealty with love….” and maybe you know the rest.
THE LINKS:
The Launch Page: http://www.facebook.com/events/347525985265865/
The Her Majesty’s Explorer Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/HerMajestysExplorer
The blog:https://coalcitysteam.wordpress.com/
The Video Book trailer: http://youtu.be/kHb3Wpe3F2o
The Tease Read by Captain Robert of Abney Park:http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=2931604900935
So my friend David said, “I totally got suckered into the 4-for-3. If you’re gonna get 2, you might as well get 3 to get the free shipping. And if you pay for 3, you might as well get 4-for-3! Well done, Emilie!” Like I planned that? Well, just that first part. The “if you get two you might as well get three and the free shipping… The 4th was Jeff Bezos’s little gift to you and me. And I tell you what – it’s really a deal.
It’s been a wild day – and WOW… We hit a few Amazon lists… It’s amazing what a few hours we had! So, at some point during the day we landed in these rankings:
Whereas the number of baskets of laundry at my place is reaching critical mass -in fact, I think the load of reds is starting to rally for equal rights – the number of books in my possession is… ZERO. This is what is known in the warehouse biz as “just in time” stocking. What I call it is maddeningly uncertain. The books are supposed to be delivered on Thursday…. or perhaps FRIDAY! And that’s jsut SOME of the books I ordered – just the first 50 of the hundreds I wanted to have on hand. (These are just MY books – for personal appearances, otherwise known as the ones I bought wholesale. The Amazon folks have ALL the books they need – so no worries there – they are ALREADY set for launch day on Tuesday). Now, arriving on Friday is a bit of a problem, because…
Coal City Steam 