Success at the 2016 Brass Screw Confederacy

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Brass Screw Confederacy, a steampunk-themed festival in the picturesque town of Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. This was my second year attending the three-day event, although this time I spent most of my time in the Bazaar of the Bizarre at the Clockwork Dragon vendor table rather than wandering around town. Still, I got to see some wonderful costumes and did get out a little to give two presentations and an author reading.

My first presentation was called the Roots of Steampunk, focusing on the influence of Victorian Era technology and literature on modern steampunk. There were a lot of people in the audience that were new to this intriguing sub-genre, and I was glad to hear that my presentation served as a useful introduction to the weird and wonderful goings-on around them. My second presentation, Writing Steampunk, outlined some of the unique challenges and benefits of setting your story in a work of steam and clockwork. I also discussed what specific things a dedicated fan would expect to see in a story claiming to be steampunk, which many of the attending writers were very grateful for.

Here I am dressed as Keltin Moore
at the Clockwork Dragon table

As much fun as it was to give my presentations, I found my greatest success at the Clockwork Dragon vendor table. Joined by fellow authors Nikki McCormack and Lee French, we talked with dozens of terrific people, answering questions and trying to help them find a book that they would love. We had a great time, and by Sunday we had completely sold out of The Beast Hunter. This was a milestone for me, and while I was sorry for those people who arrived too late to receive a copy, it was definitely a problem that any author would be happy to have.

While I wish I had been able to attend more of the festivities and events, I enjoyed my time in Port Townsend and look forward to returning the the Brass Screw again next year. If you'd like to see my presentations or purchase one of my books (including The Beast Hunter) I'll be at Westercon in Portland July 1-4.