He can repair anything…except her heart
Tell
us a bit about Steam Tinker: a Buffalo Steampunk Adventure. This is the story of my master and employer, Lionel
Pike, who is the greatest maker and restorer of Steam Units in the city of Buffalo.
He operates a shop salvaging, rebuilding and creating steam-powered automatons.
As one of those rebuilt automatons, I am proud and honored to work alongside
him._
How
did it come about that you became Lionel’s assistant? Most automatons in our city do not have a choice of
what tasks they perform. Those tasks are invariably assigned by those for whom
they work, or those who own them. Being mechanicals, my kind are usually given
the very worst of jobs, those that are heavy, dirty, or highly dangerous and
unpleasant. Those that humans do not wish to perform.
After Master Lionel rebuilt me from a
heap of scrap left out at the curb, I remained in his workshop. Being a very
old unit with a persistent squeak in one wheel—Master Lionel has not been able
to chase that squeak no matter how he has tried—I was not considered readily
resaleable. Remaining in the workshop, I picked up knowledge from watching
Master Lionel work, and became what he likes to call a Competent Assistant.
Knowing
what you know now, if you had it to do over again, would you stick with being a
steam tinker’s assistant or do something different? I would absolutely remain Master Lionel’s assistant. I
consider it a great and almost sacred vocation. And over the years I have been
with him, we have done so much good work. You see, I am not the only steam unit
Master Lionel has reclaimed from scrap. It is the old units that fascinate him.
Those that have served their masters and their families unfailingly for years
without reward until—well, until they do fail at last. Then, repairs being so
difficult and costly, we are often put out for pickup by the scrap dealers and replaced
with newer units.
What
is your biggest fear? Shut down. It
is the greatest fear of myself and every other steam unit in the city of
Buffalo. Do you not see? That is why Lionel Pike is a hero. He sees value in us
that others do not see. Why, is he not even now rebuilding a unit for Miss
Sophia Gregory, one called Verna, that Miss Gregory considers her best
friend? And is he not engaged in building a gladiator unit from all
reclaimed parts, to enter in the upcoming automaton fight club contest?
Who
is your favorite fictional character and why? I am sorry, interviewer. What is a fictional
character? Is it anything like the mechanical intelligence that has been
implanted in me?
What
is the best piece of advice you ever received? Always keep your water topped up and never, never run
out of coal.
Excellent advice, Mordred.
Thank you. Now we would like to speak with Laura, your creator.
Which writer or
character[s], from either books or movies, [or both] have had a major impact on
your writing? Oh my goodness, such a
question! There are far too many influences to name. I think every character I’ve
ever read has influenced me in small ways. I believe we, as humans (and perhaps
as automatons) are made up of all our experiences. Everything we see, hear, and
encounter changes and adds to us. For me, that includes my reading from an
early age.
With regard to research,
where did you start for this novel? Did that lead you down different paths,
thereby changing the original concept? Since
this is book number eight in my Buffalo Steampunk Adventures Series, it sprang
very much from the research I’d done for the previous stories. There was a lot
of meticulous research necessary for this project from its inception, from
studying maps of Victorian Buffalo, New York, to finding out what businesses
were in the city at that time. Though this is very much a made-up world in a
Buffalo that never really existed, it has real bones and I wanted to get that
right.
Tell us a bit about your
publisher. I have been publishing
with The Wild Rose Press for over ten years and feel fortunate to have found
them. They have given me the very great gift of allowing me to follow my muse
which, quite obviously, sometimes leads me in some strange directions. I’ve
written everything from Historical Romance to Rom Com for them and I’m grateful
they’ve hung in there with me. For new writers, they often have submission
calls for series that are ongoing. It’s a great way to break into print. The turn-around
process from submission to publication, for me, is generally about one year.
What are you reading right
now? I am currently reading The
Emerald Fairy and the Dragon Knight by Jennifer Ivy Walker.
What's next for you? As usual, I’m busy working on several things at the
same time! There’s another Buffalo Steampunk Adventure coming down the pipeline.
My next release will be a novella for The Wild Rose Press’s Jelly Beans and
Spring Things series, called White Hares and Midnight Dares.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000002632317
Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Laura-Strickland/e/B001KHSACW/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/760146.Laura_Strickland
Twitter: Laura Strickland Author @LauraSt05038951
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurastricklandauthor/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aauK5ob3zI
To purchase Steam Tinker,
go to:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Steam-Tinker-Buffalo-Steampunk-Adventures-ebook/dp/B0918YGJ1L/ref=sr_1_1
Amazon Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/Steam-Tinker-Buffalo-Steampunk-Adventures-ebook/dp/B0918YGJ1L/ref=sr_1_1
Barnes & Noble:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/steam-tinker-laura-strickland/1139175186?ean=2940162279433
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/steam-tinker
iTunes:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/steam-tinker/id1561492946
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