After Edward takes his first bite of scone followed by a sip of tea, he settles down to read the newspaper properly.
He is drawn to an article at the bottom right side of the page...
by Eden Unger Bowditch
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It was the amazing Steve Parke (who did the cover art for my book) who told me about the movement. “Your book is totally Steampunk!” he said.
The funny thing is that I have always been totally into the Steampunk thing—but until The Young Inventors Guild entered my brain, I didn’t know what it was! Really! Okay, so The Atomic Weight of Secrets is a story that takes place at the turn of the last century, and there are a bunch of brilliant inventors. How could I have missed it?
Well, for one, I’ve been living in Egypt. Steampunk, as a movement, has not made it over there, but anyone looking for amazing stuff from the late nineteenth century would have a field day. In shops, you can find old Smith Corona typewriters and Victrolas and cool walking sticks, all the detritus of bygone adventurers who left their goods behind when they traveled elsewhere or died trying.
The Atomic Weight of Secrets is the introduction to the world of the Young Inventors Guild, and I am so glad it has found a home where it belongs. So many people were critical, since there are no magic wands or flying broomsticks (not that I have anything against either!). The magic of invention, they thought, was too different and too strange. It almost felt like a lost cause to try to bring to life the power behind the concept.
The brilliance of Steampunk is that it captures the birth of a modern era while embracing the elegance of a bygone age. As I work, full steam, on Book Two of the Young Inventors Guild trilogy, I can feel the pleasure of knowing that the story has a home within this visionary and wonderfully enthusiastic community.
So that’s how I first discovered Steampunk. How did you?
What does it mean to you?
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Guest post created for SteamBoyz event by Eden Unger Bowditch, author of The Atomic Weight of Secrets
© 2011. All rights reserved.
by Eden Unger Bowditch
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or The Arrival of the Mysterious Men in Black
-The Young Inventors Guild
by Eden Unger Bowditch
* earn an extra point for the giveaway by answering one of Eden's questions:
How did you first discover Steampunk?
What does Steampunk mean to you?
* image source newspaper advert
