Devil is in the Details…

By Vanessa Barger

Details, as we all know, are important. Especially in books where you’re building a new world. Steampunk, for example. Steampunk is all about the details. Have you ever looked up the word steampunk? The things people make are amazing. And they are put together with an eye for every inch of the keyboard, mouse, flashlight or goggles.

Otherwise, it’d just be a brass painted flashlight.

So many steampunk stories, though, are based around the gadgets. Its about the world building too. Think about it. If our world ran on steam powered everything, what would work differently? What would look different? Your car would run on water and coal. How would that change the sound? The exhaust?

I think it’s the stories that include the stuff that seems meaningless which are the best. You get immersed in the world without even realizing it sometimes.

And since I’ve talked about steampunk, what is your favorite “steampunked” item you’ve seen?

Remember, one commenter can win a copy of my novel, Steaming

My name is Cornelius Latimer, and I have fallen in love. 

The object of my affection isn’t tall and blonde with all the right curves.  It isn’t even human.  My love belches steam and breathes fire.  My world runs on steam and hard metal, and I am a master of both.  My Uncle, Rufus Harrison, has funded my expeditions.  He’s gifted me with a lab containing all the parts and space I could possibly need.  For weeks I have been toiling over my journals, crafting my biggest and best creation yet.  It’s heady, this feeling of power.  But I made a fatal error.  I told a friend about my machine.  And now someone who should not know, does.  I should tear everything apart, but I can’t.

Love does strange things to people.

Escapism or Not?

Buy Slack Tide HERE

by Vanessa Barger

Hello! Thanks to Decadent for letting me crash the blog today!  I’m asking you all something particular this time – whether you want to be entertained while you read, or entertained and made to think.  Don’t know what I mean? Well, think about it like a movie. There are some awesome movies out there – A Beautiful Mind, The Pursuit of Happyness, etc. They’re great movies. You laugh, you cry, and you come out on occasion feeling emotional and maybe even a little drained.

I must admit, these are the movies I see once and generally never watch again. There are times when I want a movie that challenges me. But honestly? Not very often. I, like many of you, work in a job where there is enough “reality” every day. When I read a book or see a movie, I want to be entertained. I want something funny, that draws me in and makes me care. If it makes me think without making me realize it, great!

I think that’s a challenge sometimes. It’s harder to write a book where the message is in there, but the readers aren’t aware until the end. Being heavy handed about it is sometimes easier, especially when you’ve warned your readers on the blurb that it’s coming. But which do you prefer? Are there times when you sit down and want an emotional, dramatic read? Are you looking for a more light-hearted approach?

I always try to make sure I write my books with some underlying themes and enough drama to capture everyone’s attention. Do I ever dream of writing the next great dramatic novel? Sure, sometimes. But if a reader comes away happy with what they read, that’s more than enough for me.

What are some of your favorite “light” reads? What about your more serious favorites? Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of one of my books at Decadent Publishing. Don’t forget to leave your email address so I can contact you!

Love Triangles

by Vanessa Barger

I have an important question for you, the readers. As a writer, and someone who loves a good romance, I have to wonder, has the sudden trend in young adult fiction bothered you? (No, I’m not talking about sparkly vampires) I mean the Love Triangle. Every time I pick up a YA book now, 9 times out of 10, there’s a love triangle. Personally, I’m kind of over them.

Usually it’s between the “good guy” who’s not really good and the “bad boy” who’s not all bad. Or some variation thereof. However, mostly, it kind-of makes the heroine look weak and wishy-washy. Like she can’t even make up her own mind. What’s so wrong with picking one and sticking with it? You can have an awesome story just by picking someone that maybe you aren’t supposed to. Or maybe because she picked the wrong one.

I’m not saying a triangle can’t work. I’m just saying that anymore, unless it’s awesome, I quit reading. Or don’t even start, if I’m honest.

What about you?  Love them? Hate them?

Vanessa Barger's STEAMING playlist...

Hello! Like most writers, I have a playlist for every book, sometimes for emotions and scenes as well. Today, I wanted to share the top fifteen songs on my playlist for Steaming!

The Only Exception – Paramore

Walking in the Air – Chloe Agnew

The Tudors Main Title Theme – Trevor Morris

Herr Drosselmyer’s Doll – Abney Park

Black Spider – Sunday Driver

Draconian Countdown – Rasputina

The Moon’s A Harsh Mistress – Celtic Woman

Opheilac – Emilie Autumn

Truly Scrumptious – Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Throwing the Coins – Sense and Sensibility Soundtrack

Alejate – Josh Groban

Never Let Go – Josh Groban

Rio Bravo – CKY

Somewhere Only We Know – Keane

Diary of Jane – Breaking Benjamin

Hopefully you can picture some places in the novel where these would line up. The actual playlist is quite a bit longer, but at the risk of boring you, I took the first fifteen selections and went with those.

I love making playlists (probably too much) because they help get me “in the mood” for writing. The right song can make or break a scene. Sometimes, I have to put a couple of songs in their own playlist and loop them until a scene is finished so my concentration isn’t broken. 

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the music and the book!

Just the Facts Friday...

with Vanessa Barger

Hello!  It's my turn to crash the Friday blog with seven things you didn’t know about me.  Hopefully I can keep you entertained without totally embarrassing myself….

I am a pushover and my cat uses it to her full advantage. She knows that if she looks at me with those big brown eyes she will get whatever she wants. It is constantly making me the source of much amusement for the less gullible family members.

My friends think I need a 12 step program for traveling.  At least, when it comes to churches. When I went to London several years ago with a college roommate, after two days, I was finally given a limit on the number of churches I could visit a day. I got two, and then I had to visit a pub for every church after that. I’m not sure if that was a punishment or not!

I have been trying to teach myself Gaelic. This is not going well, as you can imagine. I’m horrible at pronunciations, even in French in high school I could read it, but speaking was another matter.

I believe the only way to eat boglogna is with ketchup. This distresses my current roommate quite a lot, as she had a bad experience with a bologna sandwich and the Beach Boys when she was in elementary school. The story you’re imagining is probably more entertaining than the reality.

Sometimes, when I’ve had little sleep and I’m watching TV I get the urge to sit upside down on the couch. When I used to do it in college, my roommates used to throw gummy bears at my mouth. Now the cat just looks at me strangly, and then demands I quit being ridiculous.

I recently bought a digital recorder to use in the car, because story ideas and snippets are forever coming up when I can’t write them down. However, I feel ridiculous speaking to it, and blush profusely when I play it back later. I have yet to use it to transcribe a story because of this.

I have an addiction to blank journals. I love the way they look and smell, but they also make me deathly afraid! Those blank pages are scary! I actually have to sit down and make myself write on those first few pages, or they just get stuck on a shelf for me to look at and then forget about. When I went through and cleaned up the bookcases in my “junk room” I found three or four where I had only written in the first few pages! My goal is to fill them over the course of the year and not buy more until then…. But it such a hard temptation to resist!

I hope some of this was entertaining, and you learned a few interesting things! Thanks for stopping by!