I’ve always been a tactile person. I like physical books—their smell, their feel, their look. But one day my critique partner, Patricia Simpson (www.PatriciaSimpson.com), showed up at my house with a steampunk novella. She planned to enter it in a contest that Carina Press was running.
I’d heard of Carina Press, of course. The e-arm of Harlequin. The digital imprint. The people for whom no book was too long or too short. Too fat or too thin. Too racy, cozy, dark, bright, or just plain wacky. Carina, I’d heard, would publish vampires, witches, warrior princesses, and squirrels. CIA agents, FBI agents, press agents, and insurance agents. County cops, city cops, state cops, and demon worshippers. Angels, devils, and kitchen goddesses. If you had a story the editors at Carina Press loved, they wanted it.
“This is brilliant,” I said to Patricia. “I love it. Send it in. I wish I could write like that.”
“Don’t be silly,” Patricia scoffed. “Of course, you can write like that. Just do it.”
The contest deadline was three days away, and I didn’t know what steampunk was. But trying to finish a story under the gun had a lot of appeal. I’ve never participated in NaNoWriMo. But LoNoWriWend (Local November Writing Weekend) with me as the only participant seemed like fun.
I had an idea and I wrote furiously, late into night. I had steam. And I had punks. When I got to the end, five minutes before the deadline, I sent it in.
“Nice try,” the editors at Carina wrote back. (I’m paraphrasing here.) “You didn’t win the contest. Just because you have steam and you have punks doesn’t mean you have steampunk. But we liked it. We’ll publish it anyway.”
Well, blow my gasket and call me Victoria! I was in seventh heaven. Zero Gravity Outcasts came out at the end of April, and I’m as pleased with her as if a steam-powered rocket ship had transported me to the moon. Getting her launched was my first experience with digital publishing, and my entire relationship with Carina from beginning to end was fantastic.
To celebrate, my mom bought me a Kindle. I love it. Just don’t ask me if I’ll ever crack a paper book again.
Giveaway: One lucky winner will win a copy of Zero Gravity Outcasts. Leave a common on this post along with your email address by 7:00pm on June 26th to enter.
Blurb:
Minka Shokat only needs two things in life: her fourth-generation Wayfarer spaceship, and two best friends and crewmates by her side. Anjali and Tex were the only people to stand by her after she was falsely branded a traitor and kicked out of Central Command five years ago.
Since then, Minka has kept as far from Command as the galaxy will allow. Working with her friends on their own terms beats flying warships any day. But keeping her junker of a ship flying takes money–money that Minka and her crew don’t have. As a last resort, she reluctantly accepts a job transporting cargo for Central Command.
Then she finds out what her “cargo” is: the very general who ruined her reputation and currently needs Minka to deliver him safely to a peace conference. Now Minka and her biggest rival must work together to fight off space pirates, commandos and rebels who are determined to stop their mission–or be blown out of the skies for good.
Excerpt:
“What part of no don’t you understand?” Minka planted her hands on her hips. This was the best reason to be out of Central Command. She didn’t have to take irresponsible orders from the likes of Reyne Jallomy, even if he was a major.“The part that doesn’t apply to me. Stop wasting time, Shokat. The hagiographic simulator is fixed. Are you ready to fly or not? Put us on. Take something else off if you have to. But I’m not listening to any more of your crap.”“And I’m not listening to any more of yours. Go back to Central Command. Fly your cargo yourself. I won’t risk my ship and my crew with an unauthorized flight for you. So get out of here.” She turned to the ship.Jallomy clenched his jaw. “Stop right there,” he said, his voice low and lethal. “You do not have a bargaining position here.”Minka glanced back. He brandished a personal weapon at them, and she realized that she hadn’t even known he was carrying. She must be losing it.“The other shoe, Anjali,” she said, struggling to control her anger and fear. And where was her weapon when she needed it? Locked in their business drawer, that’s where.“What I was just saying. Give them an inch, and they goose-step all over you.”The major looked at her coldly, his weapon leveled at Minka’s chest. “So, we have a deal.”“I can’t believe I ever slept with you.” She took the wrench she was still holding and hurled it toward the far wall. It missed the major’s head by inches and smashed into the metal bulkhead, leaving a dent and falling to the floor with a clatter.The major stared at Minka in fury and disbelief.“Oops,” Minka said. “Slipped.”Anjali closed her eyes.Minka, her back straight, her chin up, looked into the major’s eyes.A shadow crossed the threshold and went directly into the small storeroom to the right.“Minka, come see, you would not believe the shuttle that’s outside! It must be for a general at least, if not for the Imperial Potentate himself,” a man’s voice said with a laugh. “Anjali, sweetikins, I found those weird, I don’t know, substances you wanted, and the magnetic gloves, but I could not find the oxygen reduction catalyst at the junkyard, so I just broke down and ordered one. I’m sorry. Take it out of my next paycheck.”Tex was back. The gang was all here.Tex had been moving around putting things away as he talked; they could hear doors open and cupboards close. Now he entered the hangar space.“So what’s going on? Why’s everybody so quiet? Well, hello, tall, dark and awesome.”The major looked at the slim man who’d come to stand next to Minka and who paid no attention whatsoever to the weapon pointed at her.Minka turned to the newcomer. “Tex, this is Major Reyne Jallomy, who will be accompanying some Central Command cargo to Keltainen once we figure out what has to come off the ship to accommodate his ridiculous, outrageous and unethical, if not illegal, demands. Major, this is Tex Arcana, our ace mechanic.”Tex waggled his fingers at the major. “Fantastic! Three’s company, four’s a party.”“Tex!”Anjali shrieked, now taking a good look at him. “You’re wearing my boots!”Minka looked down. Even in the dim and dusty light of the dingy hangar in late afternoon, the fringed, pink boots on Tex’s feet glowed like a seventeenth-century sunset.“Oh my God,” the major said, shouldering his weapon.“Girlfriend! We’ll have such a good time!” Tex said, beaming.
BIO
Kay Keppler likes to write happy endings, because an unhappy outcome is what the newspaper is for. She lives in northern California where she writes and edits fiction and nonfiction.
Click here to learn more about Kay.
I love your story of the steampunk contest. Congratulations! You managed to do something great in only three days, that's amazing! "Zero Gravity Outcasts" sounds like a funny read, thank you for the excerpt.
aurore.linnea (at) gmail (dot) com
squirrels. *snort* I love Carina and yes, they do have a variety, don't they?
So you wrote ZGO in 3 days? Wow – that's pretty impressive.
Thanks for participating in DFRAT, Kay, we're glad you're here. 🙂
That's a great story! And this sounds like my kind of read, so I'm in. 🙂
hilcia (@) impressionsofareader.com
Thank you, Tracy and Kay!
This sounds good. I absolutely love strong women characters and an HEA is a must for me, too. 🙂
Please enter me in the drawing for your book.
Thanks,
Donna
donnafisk@bellsouth.net
I loved the show Firefly. This book seems to have some of the same themes. Thanks for the giveaway! jepebATverizonDOTnet
Hi Everyone,
Kay loved all the comments on the post SO much that she wanted me to give you ALL the gift of her book…so you've all won! I'll get that out to you asap.
Congratulations!
Thank you, Kay! Thanks, Tracy! 😀
Thank you so much! What a great way to brighten up my day.
Fabulous!
Hugs,
Donna