Steampunk Hands Around the World 2018

Welcome to a very special blog post! It's time for the annual Steampunk Hands Around the World blogathan, courtesy of Airship Ambassador. This year has a road trip theme. Steampunk might seem obscure to many people who are unfamiliar with it, but it's an international subculture and genre. I'm from Southern California and we have a lot of steampunk events. For those of you who enjoy traveling, come over here some time! I met many people who a quite friendly, creative, and hospitable at these events. Meeting people is a great way to learn more about the steampunk subculture. I would also like to attend some conventions and festivals outside of California. You can take a look at my picks further down in the post. 

California is a really big state and we have events all over the place. If you're planning to visit Southern California, I recommend the Iron Horse Family Steampunk Carnivale in Perris, Riverside Dickens Festival, Gaslight Gathering in San Diego, Wild West Steam Fest in Santa Ana, Gaslight Expo in San Diego, Oxnard Steampunk Fest, and San Diego Maker Faire. Most of these events are in San Diego county and the Inland Empire. I'm less familiar with the conventions in Northern California, but the Clockwork Alchemy and Edwardian Ball are a notable events in San Francisco. 

​A lot of Comic Cons and similar events also have pretty good steampunk representation. Most of the events in my area are Comic Cons or general sci-fi festivals. I'm planning to attend several events this year, including the Long Beach Comic Expo, WonderCon in Anaheim, and the Long Beach Comic Con among others. They're really fun and I run into a lot of familiar faces at these conventions. 

Dennis Hanon, aka Doc Synchronous and vendor for the Gaslight Gathering at the Long Beach Comic Con 2017

Holly Rosing, author of the Boston Metaphysical Society comics at WonderCon 2017

Shannon Hoage, steampunk maker and owner of Gears & Roebuck at the Long Beach Comic Expo 2017

Me and the Star Wars Steampunk Universe cosplay group at the Wild West Steam Fest 2017

I'm planning to attend steampunk festivals outside of California too. It would be fun to visit the Wild Wild West Steampunk Convention in Tucson, Arizona. My sister and I have relatives near the Tucson area. It would be a great opportunity to hang out with family and attend a great steampunk convention. I'm also really curious about the Steamposium in Seattle, Washington. The Steamposium always has an awesome group of steampunk guests and it's still on the West Coast. I haven't attended the Steampunk World's Fair either. It's the largest steampunk festival in the world and I'm sure it will be a lot of fun. Hopefully, I can check off one of these events in the near future. 

​I'm going to conclude this post with a special announcement. One of my fellow steampunk authors, Michelle Lowe, is releasing her second book in the Legacy series. It's a steampunk fantasy adventure and here's a short synopsis. 

“Britain’s infamous thief, Pierce Landcross, has returned to face justice. Along the way, he learns that his long-lost parents are being held in Newgate Prison. To save them, Pierce must first escape himself and then come up with a strategy.
But nothing goes as plan, and Pierce finds himself in yet another adventure as well as a mystery he never anticipated.
A small fortune has been left to the Landcross family and to collect it is to follow a series of clues. Pierce sets out on his quest to retrieve this inheritance—but he won’t be going alone. Joining him is a beautiful and adventurous young woman named Taisia Kuzentsov. Danger, however, isn’t too far away. Tailing them is a bounty hunter with his eyes on the hidden money and the reward offered for Pierce.
With every clue Pierce and Taisia find, they uncover untold secrets about the family and soon learn there is more to the journey than initially believed.”

​If you're planning to take any steampunk road trips, bring a couple books. Conventions are fun, but everybody gets tired at the end of the day. There is plenty of awesome steampunk literature and it might be relaxing to read while you're chilling by the pool or curling up for bed. Don't forget that my third book, The Post-Apocalyptic Society: A Nelson and Hyde Domination, is coming out later this year.

​I want to thank Airship Ambassador for hosting Steampunk Hands Around the World. Take a look at his website to read more posts in this blogathon. What would be your ideal steampunk road trip? Tell me about it in the comment section. Thanks for visiting and come back next week for my film review of Black Panther. Enjoy the rest of your week.  

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