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.

Speculative Faith & LoreHaven Magazine

Speculative Faith is the sister site to the Christian fantasy publication,  Lore Haven magazine. I had the opportunity to write a guest post on What Fantasy Is Telling Us About Faith and I hope you pop on over to check it out.

Speculative Faith Blog has so many great articles on movies, books, and fantasy in general. It is a beautiful site and the magazine is filled to the brim with interviews, reviews, articles, and more.

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!

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

Airships, Calamities, & Giveaways!

Stop by the Speculative Fiction Cantina for a fun radio interview where we talk secret societies, global catastrophe, and air ship 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

Can't wait for the contest to end? Download two FREE NOVELLAS that take you into the dangerous world of The Tremblers. 

Deadly Reasons

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

When concieving the world of The Tremblers, I wanted the aesthetic of a steampunk world, but for me, there had to be practical reason for all of the gears and sprockets. Cogs and brass for fashion's sake only didn't match with my vision for the series.

There had to be a reason for someone to don mechanical devices and articulated lens goggles. So, I created The Great Calamity. A continent-wide disaster that set off a chain of earthqukes fracturing North America.  It is what changed the world of Charlotte Blackburn forever.  Her world no longer felt safe and the fashion and architecture of the post disaster era reflected that.

Deadly vapors from the burning chasms called for face masks or filters when leaving the safety of the Tesla Domes. From glass face plates to leather nose and mouth covers, the citizens of the new Peaceful Union were familiar with every kind of breathing apparatus.

Corsets now had gum rubber lining to minimize shocks from the static energy created by the massive electric Tesla Dome that caged a rebuilt Manhattan. The outer bodice of gowns bore the aluminum metal links of chainmail; another measure of protection against possible flying debris in the event of another quake.

In Outer City, the floating sky settlement, the wild boom town citizens wore leather lined with armour. Assistive devices like mechanical braces to strengthen injured arms, hands, and legs were common in the sky harbors. Being so high in the sky, the sun required the use of tinted goggles and additional filters. Many citizens bore hidden weapons tucked into the ribbon of a top hat or disguised as jewlery.  

One of my favorite wardrobe research pojects was the bedouin inspired wraps and tunics worn by the Wind Reaper clans. Exeedingly hot with poisonous sandstorms, the brutal conditions of the Wasteland called for a different kind of clothing. Reapers lived on humongous walking fortresses that roamed the constantly shifting dunes and required more ease of movement and protection from the airborn embers that smoldered on the winds.

The most classic treatment of clothes in The Blackburn Chronicles is the uniform of the those belonging to The Order of the Sword and Scroll. Crimson cloaks and armor breastplates worn by the knights harken back to the centuries old origin of the powerful society. Ashton Wells, spy for the Order, favors a knight's blade over the more modern tracer gun.  

Charlotte Blackburn, the heroin of the series goes through a tremendous transformation from debutante to dissenter and later...to the Dark Wrath.  Her ice-blue ball gown signifies the wealth and priveledge she enjoyed before Ashton Wells enters her life. As she becomes Blackburn's Daughter leader of the rebel group, Defiance, she dons the leather and linen of the sky dwellers up in Outer City. And finally, as she comes into her own as a warrior, her dark cloak, arm guards, and electrified baton transform her into the weapon she had become.

The world of The Tremblers, the first book in my YA steampunk series, The Blackkburn Chronicles, was so much fun to write. I can't wait to share the epic story with you!

+raquel byrnes

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!

Unexpected Adventures

Got to FINALLY meet fellow COTT alumni and Tosca Lee at SCCWC

I was in the midst of a very hot, very busy summer of writing and editing. I cannot believe I survived it, quite frankly. I had no time for play...at least, that is what I told myself.  

Deadlines loomed. Social media called to me. I had all but barricaded myself in my office to get my work done. However, in an attempt to keep the creative juices going, I went to the Southern California Christian Writer's Conference's inaugural event this past July. 

Held at the beautiful Biola University, I had an absolute blast!  I opted to stay in the dorms and eat in the cafeteria because, why wouldn't I? Not only did I get to chat with fellow book lovers, I had the pleasure of meeting some of my own favorite authors.  It was a total out-of-the-blue opportunity and I was so glad I took it.

The best part was the workshop on Writing Fight Scenes in which we acted out specific fist fights with each other while a Krav Maga guy encouraged us how to 'be more aggressive.' I can't tell you how funny a room full of writers looks practicing assault. We are sort of an awkward group. An unexpected bit of adventure...and I loved it!


Book News!

I am so excited to announce that The Tremblers is on pre-order on Amazon! 

And speaking of unexpected fun...I have been working on a surprise for you guys...To celebrate the launch of the first book in the Blackburn Chronicles, my publisher is releasing Three Free Novellas!  I hope you enjoy them!

Of Books and Blades, Ashton's story of how he became a spy for The Order of the Sword and Scroll.

This Perilous Path, tells of Lizzie's rise from nursemaid to leader of the violent rebel group, Defiance.

A Dream of Darkness, Tesla's tale of the strange device that set in motion the dangerous events of The Tremblers.


Recommended Reads and Fun Stuff

This fall we see the release of so many hotly anticipated installments in quite a few of our favorite series. From Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare to Mari Lu's Warcross, the offerings this fall are amazing.

All I need at this point is a cozy cardigan, some coffee, and a quiet crevasse in which to binge read.

This October is the Gaslight Steampunk Expo in San Diego!  This is year they will be having an Escape Room, Grand Ball, and an Ice Cream Social.  Yes Please!

I am so close to buying a corset just so that I can go and take part in all the fun!  Wish me luck!


Until Next Time

I would love to hear about your summer or what you plan to do this fall. With school starting, holidays just around the corner, and work responsibilities nipping at our heels, what unexpected adventures do you see yourself taking? 

Welcome To Disaster

So I've been playing around with gifs and ended up doing this fun collage about my upcoming YA Steampunk, The Tremblers over on my Tumblr. I have to say...it was a lot of work, but such a blast!

I figured out how to add text to gifs so I put some of the quotes from my first book on various scenes that hint at the story...

Trying to capture the danger and awe of a world crumbling into disaster was challenging and really got my creative juices flowing!

What sort of non-writing creative outlets do you turn to when you're seeking that imagination pick-me-up?

Until next time...

Speculative Fiction Radio Show

Anyone interested in talking books? Evan over at Writestream Radio is looking for authors for a couple of fall dates...

The Speculative Fiction Cantina: your weekly hypodermic injection of science fiction, fantasy, horror, alternate history, steampunk, cyberpunk, and things weird and wonderful in the world of books and writers. We ask authors the hard questions. You'll hear from writers who bend the rules and drive the narrative.  Join S. Evan Townsend on this journey over the rainbow and through the looking glass. And remember to take the red pill.

The Speculative Fiction Cantina is an internet radio program on the Writestream Radio Network that airs every Friday at 6:00 P.M. Eastern.  It last approximately an hour. The format is I have two writers on to interview. Also, the writers are asked to do a 5-8 minute live reading out of one of their works. We look for speculative fiction writers (scifi, fantasy (and all its subgenres), horror, alt history, steampunk, cyberpunk, dieselpunk, etc.). It’s very conversational and, I hope, fun.

Evan can be contacted through this page: http://sevantownsend.com/contact-us/

Feelings and Frappuccinos

Here's the truth of it. I am happy alone in the dark with my keyboard and some coffee. That is my comfort zone. I live mostly in my head with my characters and that's alright. My hubby gets it. He entices me with Frappuccinos and we work it out.

However, as an author, I paradoxically long to connect with others through what I'm reading or writing or watching. Talking about books or movies...that is so energizing for me!  I wish I could just have a monthly coffee house meeting with all of you! 

Alas, you are all spread throughout our little blue marble. So its a struggle to really reach out and connect with other lovers of books, avid wordsmiths, book dragons...if you will.                                                                           

Recently, I finished a steampunk, zombie, romance trilogy. Yes...I said that right. It seemed like such a natural transition after writing my Gothic romance books.  There is a lot of crossover between the two genres on an emotional level.

It occurred to me that some of you might have experienced an unexpected crossover into a genre you might not normally read.  Did a friend get so jazzed about a book you just had to read it?  What led to your little reading digression...and did it stick?

I used to be just romantic suspense and then I saw The Woman In Black, a movie of the Gothic mystery persuasion.  I loved it so much that I sought out similar movies and books...totally addicted now. Sound familiar or are you a die hard fan of your chosen flavor of storytelling?  

Writing steampunk this time around was so exciting for me!  The alternative history crowd is such a great community of artists, inventors, seamstresses, and of course, authors.  The TeslaCon and other conferences are definitely a draw. Who doesn't love cool weapons and luxurious materials? 

The journey from concept to completion for these novels continues to be a wild ride!

Click to learn more...

I'd love to share with you the raucous ride our heroine, Charlotte Blackburn takes in the series. From debutante to dissenter, some heroes are born ladies.  I will be hosting some launch parties and what not when the first book releases in January BUT...

I will have some free goodies for all of you in a few weeks!  I've written three novellas to introduce book one of The Blackburn Chronicles, The Tremblers! They will be available for download soon. Ill keep you posted!

+RaquelByrnes