A World Gone Mad - Super Territories

In my steampunk series, The Blackburn Chronicles, a disaster fractures all of America, sends California into the ocean, and blocks off the north leaving the country in a shambles.

Powerful governors of the remaining states merged under giant electric Tesla Domes to create super territories. As a result, American rose from the quakes as The Peaceful Union, which was anything but peaceful.

Ruthless governors, created a new government. One with no central seat of power to avoid losing the President as they had in the Great Calamity. Each dome is like a separate country unto itself with its own specialty. Giant agri-factories grow what few kinds of vegetation that are left.

Some city-states control the coal factories that fuel the massive steam engines running the domes. Others house cities repaired with metal façades which house the precious remnants of culture, music, and art. The frozen territories of the north keep terrible secrets locked behind icy fortress walls.

All of this was so fun to imagine, but challenging to get across to readers. However, a wonderful artist sent me this map of the Thirteen City-States of the Peaceful Union bringing The Tremblers that much more to life for me.

If you're interested in finding out more, take a look at the free novellas which offer a peek at the dangerous world of The Blackburn Chronicles.

Waves of Fractured Ice - Trembler Weather Pt.3

I recently did an #AuthorAMA (Ask Me Anything) in which people posted some questions for me to answer.  One of the questions was about the strange and unpredictable weather in my steampunk novel series, The Blackburn Chronicles.

In the final book, the Chasm Walkers, the hero and heroine crash land in the northern territory that has been sent into a mini ice age as a result of the calamitous quakes that fracture all of north America.

They are trying to beat an ice storm that is bearing down on them. Slowed by the knee-deep snow and bitter cold, they hear what can only be described as a freight train full of glass crashing underwater.

It is ice stacking and it is barreling towards them at breakneck speed and threatening to cut off their route to the only shelter.

To truly appreciate the noise, watch a video of this amazing phenomenon...

Here is an excerpt from that scene:

Ashton stumbled up ahead and beyond him flashes of gold twinkled in the shifting light. The rumble grew to a roar, shaking the fragmented ground, the sound reverberating up my legs. A shroud of mists lifted revealing a massive wave of ice shards moving along the surface toward us.

Like countless pieces of broken glass, the thin fragments of surface ice shifted over one another, their edges catching the sun as they tumbled on the waves and wind over the ice, the sound like a train rumbling toward us. Ashton skidded to a stop, going down on his heels.

“What is that?” I gasped, flailing to reverse my stride, my boots squealing on the chunk of snow.
“Stacking,” Ashton shouted. “Back…back the other way!”

This was such an exciting scene to write! I had to get up and pace bit to calm down.  This crazy natural occurrence is extremely loud and can move quite fast. 

If you'd like to know more about the steampunk thrillers in my Blackburn Chronicles series or to sample the free novellas that set the whole adventure in motion, you can find them here.

The Blackburn Chronicles and Novellas

Thundersnow - Trembler Weather Pt. 2

I recently did an #AuthorAMA (Ask Me Anything) in which people posted some questions for me to answer. If you haven't taken part in one of these, they are a fun free-from cousin of an interview, but more interactive.

Anyway, one of the questions was about the strange and unpredictable weather in my steampunk novel, The Tremblers.

It takes place after a disaster set off  hidden fault-lines triggering a chain of calamitous quakes that fracture the continent and plunge Victorian America into a post apocalyptic nightmare.  It gets better...there's some kind of sickness sweeping the population that is turning people into monsters called the Tremblers.  All of this is happening whilst the climate goes haywire.

The weather is horrendous and deadly, but NOT made up. Thundersnow is an actual thing and was one of the freakiest weather phenomenon to research. The conditions have to be just right, but they do happen and its been caught on tape.

So in the middle of a snow storm, with all the white flakes blowing about obscuring your vision, the sky will start flashing and booming just to make things that much worse.

Now, imagine you're locked in a battle with monstrous knights while suspended on walkways swaying a mile above the ocean.  Awesome, right? I thought so too.

For a look at what Thundersnow looks and sounds like, take a peek at the video below...

It was such a rush to write that scene, but it was inspired by real weather that people live through all the time. As a Californian, where our weather is hot and a lot hotter, the idea of this type of storm just gives me shivers!

If you'd like to know more about my steampunk thriller, The Tremblers, now is a great time.

The entire series is on sale for under $3!

All 3 for $3

For a taste of the Blackburn Chronicles World, try the free novellas, Of Books and Blades, This Perilous Path, and new release, Riley's Rise, available here.

Fire and Terrible Beauty - Trembler Weather Pt.1

Elena Pleskevich

We don't have weather where I live. The southern California desert where I make my home and write my books has two modes. Hot and much hotter. That's it. I tell you this to explain my fascination with weather and natural phenomenon that is unusual. I try to incorporate the things of this world that I find strange and lovely in my writing.

When I was creating my Gothic mysteries, I used the soggy, gray weather of Noble Island to create isolation, even danger. The storms became antagonists unto themselves and it was great fun.

Now for my new steampunk series, the Blackburn Chronicles, I was able to truly play with all that mother nature had to offer. First with the calamitous quakes that fractured an entire nation to the terrible beauty of ignited gas seams that burn in brilliant colors. They light up the night and sand skimming craft use them to navigate the dark wasteland much like sailors avoided shores with the real thing.

Mount Chimaera, located in Olympos National Park in Turkey, is a flame that has burned for almost 2,000 years. Methane seeps through the vents in the rocks. It is quite stunning and a popular attraction. There are actually quite a few natural  'eternal flames' around the world. Here is a list of just a few of them.

I based the constantly burning seams of the Tremblers wasteland on these eternal fires. Beautiful, unpredictable, and deadly these flames from the center of a fractured world evokes a sense of ominous fascination for me. It was the perfect backdrop for an epic race against time and overwhelming forces.

To find out more about The Tremblers and Charlotte's battle to survive this chaotic world, check out my author page.

Next up...Blackened Skies and Ash

Special Announcement and Live Interview

#AnchorChest

If you're as obsessed with subscription boxes as I am...I'm talking about you, IPSY! Then you are going to love this!

I am so blessed to be a part of the Four Anchors book box where the Tremblers is featured in the #AnchorChest for the month of February!

They've even included an exclusive signed letter from me to you which I hope will inspire. Not to mention a ton of other fun swag!

Check out the amazing site and sign up for your own #anchorchest subscription!

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Today I am doing a LIVE interview over at The Write Stuff with Parker Cole! I met her at a writing conference this past summer and she is such a hoot. I'm going to drop by to talk about monsters, mechanica, and mayhem...you know, the fruit of my writing labor.

Stop by to call in and chat...its going live at 4pm Pacific time.  Hope to see you there!

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Multi-Author Giveaway Extravaganza

On another note, be on the lookout for my newsletter where you can take part in a humongous Multi-Author giveaway.  This event is sponsored by SciFi Roundtable and Art of the Arcane and promises to be amazing! There will be so many free reads and prizes. I can't wait!

If you haven't already, be sure to sign up to receive my author newsletter for details on how to take part. You don't want to miss out on this super fun event!

Charlotte's Battle Rages On in Wind Reapers + Giveaway!

Available Now

It has been so exciting sharing the world of the Blackburn Chronicles with you! I've had such a great time hearing what all of you think about Charlotte and her spy, Ashton, and their dangerous destiny with the Order of the Sword and Scroll.  And Charlotte is just getting started! 

I'm giving away a copy of the first book in the series...the one that set the calamity in motion,  The Tremblers. Enter via the rafflecopter below.

Continue her fight with the Wind Reapers...

Charlotte Blackburn—Hero, hunted, the unwitting symbol of a dark rebellion—she thwarted the deadly intent of the treacherous Order of the Sword and Scroll, but at a shattering cost. Now, she fights to survive among a tribe of fierce Wind Reapers who troll the wasteland aboard massive metal walkers. But a new storm is brewing and Charlotte is once again the linchpin in a deadly plan.

Sebastian Riley has one goal: Help the citizens of his floating Outer City to survive the Ashen Croup, a terrible affliction that drowns victims in their own lungs. But help comes in the form of the infamous Lady Blackburn, a woman wanted for treason who is determined to run headlong into destruction to prevent a coming war—even if it means reaching out to those who want her dead.

Pursued by the shadowy Order and hunted by the furious Reaper clan, Riley and Charlotte brave the monstrous hordes of decaying Tremblers and the terrors of the Wasteland to stop the bloodshed and secure a mysterious calculating engine—a device that can bring about the destruction of an entire nation.

With brutal forces gathering against the unsuspecting citizens inside the Tesla domes, a vicious scientist intent on capturing Charlotte for his experiments, and the whole of the country in deadly peril, one of them must make a sacrifice too terrible to comprehend.

What people are saying about Wind Reapers:

"This book is a non-stop adventure led by Charlotte, Tesla, and Riley. Technology can only do so much in the face of "blood storms" and a desert veined with fissures releasing searing gas and lava. Outside the dome there are a new set of obstacles and Charlotte doesn't know who she can trust. Having followed Charlotte's journey from naive girl to the point she is at at the start of this book, a competent and somewhat Machiavellian champion for what she perceives as right, this story follows her continued evolution. What struck me the most about this was that the author made the bad guys very real, not archetypal villains. I understood and sympathized with their motivation as well as I understood Charlotte's. This made the right and wrong of the matter very much a gray area. It was thoughtful and threatening, ruthless and emotional. I cried (when a book makes me cry, it has won me over) and cheered and gasped... I couldn't put it down. Wind Reapers is a heartrending adventure that full of hope and fear, a story that challenged me and made me question my own values."


~ Spocktastic Reviews

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Travel Tales & Goodies!

Today I am over at Tanya's Travel Topics to discuss the inspiration behind the bustling sky settlement of Outer City in my YA Steampunk thriller, The Tremblers!

Stop by to say hello, leave a comment, and don't forget to sign up for the chance to win a free, signed copy of The Tremblers below!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Tremblers

by Raquel Byrnes

Giveaway ends January 31, 2018.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Cant wait to win? How about TWO FREE NOVELLAS? Discover the secrets that set in motion the incredible adventures of The Blackburn Chronicles with two FREE READS!

Guest Post and Giveaway!

Hop over to Shannon Vannater's blog, for a fun interview where we talk secrets, catastrophe, and Mice King battles.

And don't forget to enter the GoodReads giveaway below for a chance to win a signed copy of The Tremblers!

Charlotte Blackburn—Beautiful, intelligent, a gifted tinkerer—lives in a cloistered world of wealth and privilege beneath the Electric Tesla Dome that shields survivors of The Great Calamity. But when her father is abducted, and a strange sickness starts transforming men into vicious monsters, she discovers that technology is no protection at all.

Ashton Wells has a dire mission: Secure Colonel Blackburn and deliver his research to The Order of the Sword and Scroll. But the plan goes awry, and he is left with nothing but the colonel's daughter who has a target on her back and is willing stop at nothing to rescue her father—including handing over to the enemy the only means to stop the monstrous plague.

Branded as traitors, Ashton and Charlotte brave the treacherous floating sky ports of Outer City to hunt down the elusive inventor, Nikola Tesla—the only person able to activate the strange device that harbors the secret to their salvation. 

With the government closing in, a rebellion brewing in the streets, and terrifying Tremblers attacking the innocent, the two must work together to stop their fragile world from crumbling once more into destruction.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

     

The Tremblers

by Raquel Byrnes

Giveaway ends January 31, 2018.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Space Trash - Interview & Giveaway

Stop by J.C. Steel's blog, Space Trash, for a fun interview on his Galaxy of Authors series!where we talk secrets, catastrophe, and Mice King battles.

And don't forget to enter the GoodReads giveaway below for a chance to win a signed copy of The Tremblers!

Charlotte Blackburn—Beautiful, intelligent, a gifted tinkerer—lives in a cloistered world of wealth and privilege beneath the Electric Tesla Dome that shields survivors of The Great Calamity. But when her father is abducted, and a strange sickness starts transforming men into vicious monsters, she discovers that technology is no protection at all.

Ashton Wells has a dire mission: Secure Colonel Blackburn and deliver his research to The Order of the Sword and Scroll. But the plan goes awry, and he is left with nothing but the colonel's daughter who has a target on her back and is willing stop at nothing to rescue her father—including handing over to the enemy the only means to stop the monstrous plague.

Branded as traitors, Ashton and Charlotte brave the treacherous floating sky ports of Outer City to hunt down the elusive inventor, Nikola Tesla—the only person able to activate the strange device that harbors the secret to their salvation. 

With the government closing in, a rebellion brewing in the streets, and terrifying Tremblers attacking the innocent, the two must work together to stop their fragile world from crumbling once more into destruction.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Tremblers

by Raquel Byrnes

Giveaway ends January 31, 2018.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Weapons of Light & Power

"A soldier leaned out the window, taking aim at Charlotte. A frisson of energy pulsed from the weapon, barely missing her. She screamed, flailing. 

Ashton flipped the rocket ignition on the power cycle and the force of the thrust slammed him against the seat as he shot skyward toward the roof. Pulling his tracer gun, he fired blindly at the building. The soldier dove for the floor." ~Ashton Wells, The Tremblers

Kraken Killer by Clothed Eye

Creating the weapons for my YA Steampunk novel, The Tremblers took me on a fascinating path. The invention of destructive devices was vexing and addicting all at once.

Weapons of light -- Tracer Guns are the weapon of choice for the soldiers of the Peaceful Union. Powerful blasters that syphon the glowing purple energy from the massive Tesla Domes caging the city-states are feared by the average citizen. Constantly realibrating to the dome's pulse, they are outlawed to everyone but the soldiers of the government.

Charlotte's sketchess

Charlotte is a tinkerer and inventor. The daughter of a renowned soldier and chemist, her weapons needed finesse. I designed the metal spheres of her Shrieking Vilolet grenade to cluster together like a flower. Its shrill screech disables her enemies while a curtain of magenta gas shields her escape.

The outlaws and Lawmen of Outer city favor guns and pistols of the old world. Sheriff Sebastia Riley's revolver helped him to rise to power among the pirates and pioneers of the sky settlement. 

Another daunting tool as the lightning stick. Capable of lashing whips of energy. Used by the ruthless Lawmen of the floating ports, Charlotte learns of its devastating effects while trying to flee with Ashton. 

Photo:
Encyclopedia of Balloons

However, it is the power and might of the Peaceful Union Aero Squad that strikes fear into the heart of every citizen. Their searing lamps and concussion bombs send rioters scrambling. Creating airship battles and desgining the infamous rebel ship, The Stygian, was great fun!


Myself the daughter of a military man, I grew up visiting airshows and sitting at the controls of massive machines of war.  I wanted to bring that fascination and awe to the Blackburn Chronicles.

To celebrate the release of the Tremblers, I am giving away 2 Free Novellas that take you into the mysterious beginnings of the entire series!


For a peek at more dangerous weapons and ships of Charlotte's world, take a peek at my Young Adult Steamunk novel, The Tremblers, available for pre-order!

+Raquel Byrnes

Memories and Mechanica

Dark Sky by Beglib

"Whipping rotors stirred the air and vibrated through me. Security aero craft hovered overhead, the bulbous silhouettes of their blimps dark against the sky. Dirigible pilots trained powerful lamp beams down on the road, the lights sweeping to and fro. Above it all, behind the clouds, nearly touching the stars, the Tesla Dome’s protective grid glowed purple against the inky night." 

~Charlotte Blackburn, The Tremblers

The steampunk world of The Blackburn Chronicles is a dangerous place. Its tales are those of dark heroes, fantastic devices, and unbreakable love. 

In book one of the YA series, The Tremblers, 1885 America is vastly different from the one you and I read about in our history classes. 

A Great Calamity has fractured the whole of America toppling the government and killing millions across the entire nation. From the embers rose The Peaceful Union, with its symbol of the dark phoenix that promises protection and order from the chaos and death outside the city-states.

Charlotte blackburn, is a daughter of this new society that huddles beneath the massive churning steamworks of the electric Tesla Domes.


The thought of a city caged with an electric grid was so fantastic. And yet, it was not unheard of. 

Creating the carefully cloistered city-states was an idea that began several years ago when I read about a proposed project to dome the city of Houston, Texas. 

The Victorian Era in America was era of technology on the cusp of unimaginable innovation. Captains of invention moved our nation forward in communication, electrical advancements, and mechanical might. Steam devices and railroad steel dominated.

Now imagine all those great minds pushed by a panicked populace to invent and create at breakneck speed. Not for the expansion of knowledge, but for survival. A population rocked by massive disaster would advance differently.

Charlotte's story takes placee in a vastly reimanged history. Massive machines to clear rubble churn in the cracked roads of Manhattan. Rebuilt landmarks sparkle with metal facades and ornate decoration. Steam-powered carriages and power cycles roar along the avenues. And yet, outside this electrical marvel, the wasteland teems with poison vapors, sand storms, and bright flaming chasms. 

What might force a debutante to flee from this safe place?  Charlotte Blackburn is beautiful, intelligent, and a gifted tinkerer who lives in a cloistered world of wealth and privilege. But when her father is abducted, and a strange sickness starts transforming men into vicious monsters, she discovers that technology is no protection at all.

I can't wait to share with you more of Charlotte's dangerous world! From the monstrous Wind Reapers to the strange creatures of the deep, the Blackburn Chronicles will take you on a journey you won't forget.

If you like alternative history, sweeping adventure, and fantatic devices, check out my upcoming Young Adult Steampunk novel, The Tremblers.

For a sneak peak at the dangerous world of The Tremblers, here are 2 Free Novella Downloads...

+raquel byrnes

A Dangerous Place

The steampunk world of the Blackburn Chronicles is a dangerous place. Its tales are those of dark heroes, fantastic devices, and unbreakable love.

Researching the concepts for the world, the characters, the mechanica technolgy, and the sweeping adventure all took me down unexpected paths. Charlotte's adventure takes her from under the protective electric Tesla Domes that cage her entire city to wild frontier towns above the clouds, the fiery wasteland deserts, and even the depths of the roiling sea.  World building for this series was always on the epic scale.

Photo:Altair Mikoto

Charlotte, on the run from the shadowy Order of the Sword and Scroll with the mysterious spy, Ashton Wells, flees via air ship to the floating settlement of Outer City.

The last frontier of the broken world of the Blackburn Chronicles, the sky territory is home to outlaws and pioneers. Lawmen keep the peace at the bustling ports where every kind of fantastic air ship and hodge-podge dirigible brings those who seek their fortune.

Inspiration for the wild-west settlement of floating buildings and countless air ships gathered around a central market came from my fascination with Asian cuisine and the water markets of the far east.

I drew ideas from places like the Mekong Delta floating markets where hundreds gather from along the coast to sell fruit, meat, teas, whatever a customer may need. Lunch pontoons with pots of bubbling soups bob alongside motor boats selling strong coffee or perhaps the occassional chicken.

Photo: Vladimir Tkalčić

I wanted to create that chaotic, lively market where customers link their motor rafts together and toss goods back and forth overhead. The frenetic port where Charlotte first encounters what is outside the fortified city life she knew was teeming with sights and smells and dangerous individuals.

It was the perfect setting for harrowing air battles and deadly chases amonst the fragile beauty of the clouds. Air ships, dirigibles, personal balloon craft all strung together in a dangling city above the fractured nation of the Peaceful Union.

Photo: Angelina Early

Among the drifters and outlaws in floating frontier Charlotte encounters fellow tinkerers, dangerous privateers, and Port Rodale's Sheriff Sebastian Riley, the man who tamed the wild sky settlement with a crooked smile and a revolver.

Looking to the wild west for that unpredictable frontier feel, Outer City's sheriff is a throwback to the iconic lawmen of the old boom towns. From his long dark duster jacket to the mechanical hand that sparks in the rain, Sheriff Riley is a true mix of steampunk mechanica and old west charm.

Outer City is just one of the fantastical places found in the world of The Blackburn Chronicles. I can'twait to show you more!

To celebrate the release, I'm giving away 2 free novellas that take you deep into the world of The Tremblers and gives a sneak peek of what's to come! You can find them here... Blackburn Chronicles Free Reads.

If you like epic stories with adventure, romance, and danger...check out, The Tremblers coming in 2018.

+RaquelByrnes

Your Free Goodies Are Here!

I have some goodies for all of you!  The website for the entire Blackburn Chronicles series is now live! And to celebrate, I have FREE downloads available in anticipation of my upcoming release...

Free Downloads

Two Free Novellas - How did the mysterious spy Ashton rise from a beggar child on the streets to the most feared knight of the Order of the Sword and Scroll? What tragedy pushed docile nursemaid, Lizzie Frances to become the violent leader of the rebel group Defiance? What unfathomable secret drove the celebrated scientist Nikola Tesla to risk his life to destroy his own invention?

Of Books and Blades

In this prequel to The Tremblers, we learn of the shadowy Order of the Sword and Scroll, and one boy who will do anything to keep from returning to a life of hunger and fear on the streets.

This Perilous Path

In the years leading up to The Tremblers, the life of those in service was brutal. When the one bright spot in her otherwise dreary existence is unexpectedly and viciously extinguished, it sets Lizzie Frances on a path straight to the heart of the rebellion.

And don't forget to check out The Tremblers on pre-order now.

Charlotte Blackburn—Beautiful, intelligent, a gifted tinkerer—lives in a cloistered world of wealth and privilege beneath the Electric Tesla Dome that shields survivors of The Great Calamity. But when her father is abducted, and a strange sickness starts transforming men into vicious monsters, she discovers that technology is no protection at all.

Ashton Wells has a dire mission: Secure Colonel Blackburn and deliver his research to The Order of the Sword and Scroll. But the plan goes awry, and he is left with nothing but the colonel's daughter who has a target on her back and is willing stop at nothing to rescue her father—including handing over to the enemy the only means to stop the monstrous plague.

Branded as traitors, Ashton and Charlotte brave the treacherous floating sky ports of Outer City to hunt down the elusive inventor, Nikola Tesla—the only person able to activate the strange device that harbors the secret to their salvation. 

With the government closing in, a rebellion brewing in the streets, and terrifying Tremblers attacking the innocent, the two must work together to stop their fragile world from crumbling once more into destruction.

I'm so excited about sharing Charlotte's world with all of you!