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Steampunk is an old genre that has been around since K. W. Jeter coined the phrase to describe his novel Morlock Night. Since then the genre has recognized that Jules Vern, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, and the like were writing steampunk long ago. The years pass and the cog turns slowly at first until today we find that Steampunk is not only a genre but a movement. I find myself enamored with the aesthetics of this genre and love the feel of writing between the pages of history and fantasy.
Steampunk is not real history but an alternative history which gives me carte blanche in my own little world. In the Steel Roots series I have taken parts of real history and turned and twisted it into my own world. My America is carried on the backs of the poor and surrounded by a wall imprisoning the society in its lack of influence by other cultures. Of course initially America was born from immigrants but after a while they became complacent in their stifled surroundings and created a ridged culture of classes.
To do this sort of writing I first drafted the plot outline and basic story points. Then I researched history, inventions, people, slang and just about everything I could to blend into the story organically. I used real places and train routes and studied the regions so I can be accurate in my descriptions. Then I closed my eyes and became AB’Gale Steel and took on the adventure with her as it happened.
Writing in this manner I find myself more creative and free to follow the path as it comes naturally. I did not forget that I am not alone in this adventure and hid clever little pearls throughout the story for my readers. You might read something and think okay that’s nice but what does it have to do with the story? Then in the next book you find out what that little tidbit of knowledge means and why I put it there.
I discovered that trains are very useful tools especially in this series. Not only are steam engines very Steampunk but they are also a fantastic means of transportation for my characters and help move the story along. Train hopping is another useful tool in writing this series because the characters are able to meet people they probably never would have met. The trains also hide secrets of the System that the characters find out.
One of the more interesting parts of my research for Rails West was the affect a tornado has on a train. I watched several You Tube videos of people on trains when they are hit by gusts of wind or a tornado. I saw some wild videos of close calls and can only imagine how lucky the people felt when they survived the ordeal. I envisioned how one would survive such an ordeal in a steam train. I had fun writing that part of the story.
Another thing that I do which helps my writing is talk to people. I have had numerous conversations with train engineers, yard workers and the like. Though I have never met an actual Hobo, I did read an old series of books by “the famous hobo” A. No. 1. These books have amazing stories written from way back in the day and give accurate accounts of hobo life. I highly recommend them for a good read. As for my characters who are on the road to a revolution, I wish them luck and hope my readers enjoy the ride.
Thank you
J L Mulvihill
www.jlmulvihill.com
Saving the world one story at a time
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About the author: A California native born in Hollywood, J.L. Mulvihill has made Mississippi her home for the past seventeen years. Her debut novel was the young adult title The Lost Daughter of Easa, an engaging fantasy novel bordering on science-fiction with a dash of Steampunk, published through Dark Oak Press in 2011. The sequel to this novel is presently in the works.
Her Most recent novel, The Boxcar Baby of the Steel Roots series, was released in July 2013 through Seventh Star Press. Steel Roots is a young adult series based in the Steampunk genre and engages the reader into a train hopping heart stopping adventure across America. Book 2, Crossings released December of 2014.
She is also the co-editor of Southern Haunts; The Spirits That Walk Among Us which includes a short story of her own called Bath 10, and a fictional thriller involving a real haunted place. Her poem, The Demon of the Old Natchez Trace, debuts in Southern Haunts part 2, Devils in the Darkness.
J.L. also has several short fiction pieces in publication, is very active with the writing community, and is the events coordinator for the Mississippi Chapter of Imagicopter known as the Magnolia-Tower. She is also a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), Gulf Coast Writers Association (GCWA), The Mississippi Writers Guild (MWG), as well as the Clinton Ink-Slingers Writing Group.
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Author Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mulvijen/
Twitter: @JLMulvihill
Official sites:
