The Story of Pavlov and Moose

I bring you the story of young Ensign Pavlov and her benefactor Moose. Pavlov always wanted to be an airship captain. She never had the money to go to the air force academy to learn how to fly. Frustrated as she watched her human counterparts flying the friendly skies, Pavlov gave up her quest to fly... That was until she met the devious pirate cat Moose. At first, being a pirate seemed immoral to innocent Pavlov but her undying love for rawhides, squeaky toys and cheese led her astray.

Being a pirate was a quick and easy way to get all she desired. She could sneak in the trash without retribution. The squirrels in the front yard were now fair game. Nothing was beyond her reach. As she learned the pirating way from mastermind Moose, she went on to conquer the no couch rule, the no begging rule and yes... even the no barking at strangers rule.

Leaving a trail of destroyed chew toys in her wake, the once innocent Pavlov had nothing else to conquer... Or did she? Her cat pirate mentor, Captain Moose the Grumpy stood in her way. She took to attacking him without warning. There was nothing Moose could do. She was in fact bigger than he was. She drove him from scratching the furniture and clawing his masters. The once powerful pirate cat was reduced to hiding atop appliances and dressers. While Pavlov clearly won the battle Moose plots to this day of how to regain his lost power. Today they live in an uneasy peace, always testing the other's boundaries. Who knows who will win, Captian Moose the Grumpy or Ensign Pavlov.

My steampunk novel, Thomas Riley, is now available through Echelon Press. Go here to learn more about the book:
www.sirthomasriley.com
Buy signed copies here:
http://thomasriley.bigcartel.com
or through Echelon:
www.echelonpress.com

Culture in Writing

Using different cultures in stories is one of my favorite parts about writing. As a writer, it makes the story exciting for me and therefore I hope you as well.

In my first novel, "Thomas Riley", the countries of West Canvia and Lemuria are at war. As you get into the story, and if you've ever visited Europe, you might notice that West Canvia bares a striking resemblance to The Netherlands and that Lemuria shares some traits with Germany. If you read the story, note what characters are drinking, what the buildings look like, their clothing, armaments and flags... There are little clues about the different cultures spread throughout the story.

To me, creating a mythos in writing is crucial to the story line. Being a huge fan of the TV series Lost has been inspirational in the deep and sometimes cryptic plot devises that I use. Who says you can't learn from television? I love the idea that a reader can look up a name, a place or a character and get additional hints on what the real meaning might be. This is of course geared toward the more hard core fans of anything, but to me it completes the story as well as gives the story limitless options and depth.

What inspires you to add other cultures in your writing? I want to hear what inspires you.

Nick Valentino wrote a Steampunk novel called Thomas Riley, which will be out on Echelon Press in October.
Check out the blog here.
Click here to enlist as a Canvian Sky Pirate and get free stuff.

The Star Trek Guide to World Peace

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of world peace is Star Trek. Yeah, no kidding. I think of this Utopian globalised planet where everyone gets along. Of course in Star Trek, you have to note that there are plenty of other beings that do not get along... But as a planet, Earth is a pretty peaceful place with no wars, global money, (Or is there money at all?) and a unified population that seems to agree on everything.

Ok, world peace will never be achieved quite like that. At least not everyone will agree on everything all of this time, but the ideas are sound and whether you know it or not, we're moving in that direction. Will we see it? Nope. But give it another few hundred years or so and I fully believe that we could have a pretty strong foundation for world peace. Just look how things have changed in the last few decades. The Internet connects the planet in light speed bringing communication and understanding where there was confusion, misinformation and fear before. The Euro is another example of countries agreeing to get along financially.

While there are plenty of arguments against global money, the Euro has strengthened Europe and is a sign of things to come. Think of it this way, the Euro unified Europe's money... so one nation has the same cash value as another. Think if that was in place for the last 200 years how many lives would have been spared and how many wars could have been prevented. Dare I say that a unified monetary system would probably have prevented World War II?

The attainable goal of world peace is something that doesn't just come from a song or a protest sign. This is something that everyone has to agree on. Everyone has to be on board and they have to realize that it isn't going to happen quickly. A lot of bitterness and centuries of anger have to subside or be forgiven, but it's like I always say, "Keep chipping away at it." Like Spock says, "Live long and Prosper."

My steampunk adventure novel, Thomas Riley, comes out in October on Echelon Press.
http://nickvalentino.blogspot.com

Goggles, Guns & Corsets. OH MY!

Hello, for those that don't know me, my name is Nick Valentino. Karen found me at the Southern California Writers Conference in San Diego and through a rather random chain of events, we began talking about a growing subculture of Science Fiction and my novel Thomas Riley. I am going to stroll off the beaten path of normal fashion to talk about a sub genre of fiction that has given birth to a new and so far underground fashion that is spinning cosplay on its head. Steampunk.

For those that don’t frequent pop culture cons such as Dragon Con, or The San Diego Comic Con, you may be unfamiliar to the newest subculture fashion frenzy. If so, picture masses of people in Victorian era clothing wandering the halls of some convention center or hotel ballroom decked out in top hats, elaborate filigreed goggles, and a host of copper plated backpacks decorated with everything from blue glowing orbs to giant hoses. No, I am not talking about someone that screwed up their Ghostbusters costume. The steampunk culture is based in fashion. The idea: embrace the intellectual, and look your best while you kick someone’s butt… all while possessing the most genteel of demeanors, of course.What exactly is steampunk you ask? The short and sweet of it is that it is an alternative history. So let’s say instead of electricity being discovered and exploited, that steam and alchemy became the internet boom of the 1800s. So everything is based around steam, gasses, and natural Earth products.

Men usually sport pinstriped dress jackets (extra points if it has tails). A linen shirt topped with a black or brown vest is normally paired with appropriate slacks. As for accessories, a top hat, monocle, wire framed glasses, and pocket watch finish off the outfit. The essential accessory to all steampunk wear, is goggles. In the world of dirigibles, sky pirates and floating rogue battleships, everyone must have goggles. Feel free to put them over your eyes while in action, but while in casual situations, most people have them on their heads.

Ladies, I am not leaving you out by any means. In fact you are the ones that get to wear the good stuff in this subculture. While the guys stay traditional and debonair, you have a little more freedom to express your Victorian inspired style savvy with an array of hats, corsets, wide bottomed dresses, fingerless gloves, ribbon wrapped pony tails, and boots galore. Always remember that the steampunk calling card is the goggles, so ladies, make sure that these are incorporated somehow in your outfit. You surely wouldn’t want to get caught having to fly out of some dangerous situation without them.

Well Nick, you ask, how am I going to wear any of this? I can’t go to a restaurant, club or even a party wearing goggles and a corset on the outside of my dress. On the contrary! Ok, you will be made mercilessly fun of if you show up at a party for some of this, but the way to bring this into real life is to use elements of it. Ladies, it doesn’t matter if you are 12 or 21, you like a nicely dressed guy right? And fellas, don’t you dare tell me that you don’t like a classy well dressed girl in say, some long pony tails and a pinstriped dress.

The trick is to take the elements of steampunk and apply what is appropriate for your social situation. If you are going to a party, ladies wear a nice but off the wall form fitting dress and some riding boots. Gents, put on a sport coat with some nice shoes (the ladies will notice your shoes) and maybe throw on a weathered linen shirt.

Just a few thoughts on the exploding steampunk world and a few ways that you can utilize it to look edgy but classy. Still not sure what I am talking about? Here are a few examples. Enjoy!