Today I am so pleased to welcome J.L. Merrow to Joyfully Jay. J.L. has come to talk to us about her latest release, Counter Culture. She has also brought along a great giveaway. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!
But What Do Steampunks Do?
So you’ve got your top hat and your goggles, and you’ve managed to put together an outfit that looks vaguely Victorian from charity shop finds and/or steampunk traders. What’s the next step?
The short answer is, of course, go forth and Be Splendid.
However, as that’s not terribly informative, here’s a (tongue-in-cheek) list of a few activities steampunks tend to enjoy, or at least participate in:
- Being photographed
This is best done at a suitably vintage location, such as a Victorian pumping station or railway museum, where your outfit can be set off by heavy machinery and/or gothic architecture. Remember to wear something high-contrast to avoid fading into the brickwork when the result is inevitably made monochrome and/or sepia-tinted.
- Avoiding being photographed
While most ’togs are generally good eggs, there is a regrettable minority who are simply Not Splendid, taking photographs without permission and/or while the steampunk in question would prefer not to be snapped, such as while taking a lunch break, or mid outfit alteration. Hiding behind a fan or parasol, or simply turning one’s back, can help get the message across to overly intrusive ’togs that their attentions are not currently welcome.
- Changing in car parks
Have you ever tried to drive in a corset? Or take a train with a rocket pack affixed to your back? Not recommended. Also, after a long, hard day of Being Splendid, it can be quite a relief to divest oneself of the 97 useful items of equipment hanging from one’s person.
- Asking, Does My Bum Look Big in This (Bustle)?
The only acceptable answer, of course, is an enthusiastic “Yes!”
- Chanting “boots before corset”
Ladies’ maids being in regrettably short supply these days, it’s helpful to remember to don one’s footwear before fastening one’s stays, i.e. while bending in the middle is still possible.
- Drinking Gin
Look, not all of us like tea, okay? That’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it. 😉
- Playing Victorian parlour games
But that’s a whole ’nother blog post. 😉
***
Question: Do any of these activities sound appealing to you? If so, you may want to get yourself some goggles and/or a corset! 😉
Blurb
Customer service has never been this personal.
Robin Christopher, beleaguered retail worker, isn’t having an easy November. His boss is raising stress levels planning a Black Friday to end all Black Fridays, his family doesn’t understand him, and his best friend thinks his new crush is a hallucination brought on by watching too many episodes of Doctor Who.
Archie Levine dresses in Victorian style and divides his time between caring for his young son and creating weird and wacky steampunk gadgets from bits of old junk—when he’s not looking after his mum and trying to keep on good terms with his ex. The last thing he’s got time for is a relationship, but the flustered young man he met while disembowelling a fridge is proving very tempting.
When his mum’s social conscience is roused by a local store with a cavalier attitude to the homeless, former rough sleeper Archie shares her anger. Little does he know that Robin works for that same store. When Archie finds out he’s sleeping with the enemy, things could cut up very rough indeed.
Available now from Riptide Publishing!
Bio
JL Merrow is that rare beast, an English person who refuses to drink tea. She read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, where she learned many things, chief amongst which was that she never wanted to see the inside of a lab ever again.
She writes (mostly) contemporary gay romance and mysteries, and is frequently accused of humour. Two of her novels have won Rainbow Awards for Romantic Comedy (Slam!, 2013 and Spun!, 2017) and several of her books have been EPIC Awards finalists, including Muscling Through, Relief Valve (the Plumber’s Mate Mysteries) and To Love a Traitor.
JL Merrow is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, International Thriller Writers, Crime Writers Association, Verulam Writers and the UK GLBTQ Fiction Meet organising team.
Find JL Merrow online at: https://jlmerrow.com/, on Twitter as @jlmerrow, and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/jl.merrow
Giveaway
To celebrate this release, one lucky person will win a $10 gift card to Riptide. Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on November 9, 2019. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following along, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!
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I’d like the look of a corset without the restrictiveness of one.
jlshannon74 at gmail.com
Lol – wouldn’t we all! Although I’ve gradually come round to the idea that a smaller waist can be worth a little discomfort. 😉
I’m definitely on board with the Gin drinking! 🙂
jenndonald00 at gmail dot com
Cheers! 😀
I’m a low energy kind of person. While it sounds fun and looks great I don’t think I would muster enough energy for it. I think I’ll stay on the sidelines and watch others enjoy it =) Thank you for the post.
humhumbum AT yahoo DOT com
Just come for the gin! 😉
I love drinking gin! LOL, actually most of those sound fun, except maybe the corset making it impossible to bend. aahickman at hotmail dot com
Corsets are by no means compulsory. I have a few outfits with stretchy belts and/or waistcoats. 🙂
I must recognise I am fascinated by those steampunk outfits… In fact, in my last visit to London, I visited a couple of stands at Candem town which showed all those beautiful corset and luxurious skirts… But I would be the very one and only in my little town in Spain, and I hate to draw attention, so.. Here is to wishful thinking! 😉
Congrats on the new release Jamie!
toimuharta(at)hotmail(dot)com
You never know, there might be some events within travelling distance *crosses fingers for you*.
And thank you! 😀
Fabulous! (and don’t forget teapot racing and parasol duelling as well! lol) Can’t wait to read the book it looks and sounds so much fun! 😀
Lol – see Wednesday’s post for those: http://omgreads.com/counter-culture-by-j-l-merrow/
And thank you! 😀
I would love to try a corset but maybe not wear one for long.
Corsets do take a bit of getting used to! 🙂
I like reading steampunk, but I wouldn’t want to live it. A corset would drive me crazy. 🙂
aelnova@aol.com
Corsets are by no means compulsory. I have a few outfits with stretchy belts and/or waistcoats. ?
I like the boots before corset chant!! And the gin swilling sounds perfect!
Littlesuze @ hotmail.com
You’ll fit right in, then! 😉
What a fun post, thank you. I’m eager to read a future column on Victorian parlour games. Best wishes for the success of Counter Culture, JL!
Thank you! And you can find the parlour games here: http://omgreads.com/counter-culture-by-j-l-merrow/
I enjoy steampunk, but don’t know if I could commit to cosplaying properly. Of course, it’s the whole “wristwatch moment” aspect (a phrase I think Mike Myers coined, referring to ’60s movies where you could see a wristwatch on a character in a toga), where the incongruities coexist, that I like best!
Vitajex at aol dot com
That’s exactly what I like about steampunk – it’s not historical re-enactment, and there’s no pressure to get it exactly right, because there are an infinite number of right ways to be a steampunk. Creative anachronism FTW! 😀