Tag: Corsair and the Sky Pirates

Segilola Salami presents “an interview with Corsair” from the award-winning Corsair and the Sky Pirates

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As a writer or a reader, have you ever wanted to just talk to one of your favorite characters? Just the chance to sit and converse, not as part of the story but rather as something casual and informal to get to know them better. Well, I had the opportunity to do just that with Corsair, the infamous sky pirate captain from my award-winning steampunk historical fiction Corsair and the Sky Pirates thanks to Segilola Salami.

One of the many services she offers to independent authors is to post a one-on-one interview with a character from your book. This allowed me to further delve into the mind of my dashing yet mysterious sky pirate. You can read the whole interview HERE.

I’ve had the great opportunity to work with blogger, podcaster, and all around bookworm Segilola Salami over the past few years. She is a great supporter of independent authors like me, helping them talk about their books, WIPs, or just about their career as a writer and author. Check out the links below to see the range of services (both paid services and FREE) that she offers that might be suitable for your marketing needs:

BUSINESS SERVICES

  1. Click here to submit a guest post for FREE. I prefer educational posts that educate the reader. This service is suitable if you are trying to build links to your website.
  2. Click here now to book any content writing and online marketing services. I can write a press release for your business and distribute it. I can also write articles for your blog or your website copy.
  3. Click here to book your slot to appear as a guest on The Segilola Salami Show. I offer a range of marketing services to ensure that your appearance on my podcast gives you tangible results (depending on your needs).

AUTHOR SERVICES

  1. Click here to submit an interview featuring a character from your book of fiction for FREE. Honestly, I love reading interviews featuring the characters in a book and my blog followers do too. A link to your book page on Amazon will be included in the post
  2. Click here to submit an excerpt from your fiction or non-fiction book for FREE. I normally recommend about 300 – 500 words from your most engaging chapter to pique the interest of the reader. A link to your book page on Amazon will be included in the post

She also offers an email blast to her more than 6,000 subscribers to garner much needed book reviews to independently published authors. You can find out about all these services on her website or follow her on Facebook and Instagram to find out more about Segilola Salami! You can listen and subscribe to her podcasts on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

You can pick up your copy of Corsair and the Sky Pirates at Amazon and other booksellers. You can get a signed copy at my upcoming book signing events, McKay New and Used Books in Manassas, VA, on Saturday, April 29, and Barnes and Noble Potomac Yards in Alexandria, VA, on Sunday, April 30. I hope to see you there!

Mark Piggott is an award-winning independent author of several fantasy/steampunk novels and short stories. A 23-year U.S. Navy veteran, his stories will take you from the shores of eternal Avalon to a dystopian steampunk future and other worlds.

The Forever Avalon fantasy book series—including Forever Avalon, The Dark Tides, and The Outlander War—is available online at Amazon and other booksellers. His fantasy steampunk novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart, is available through Lulu and other booksellers.

Cross over The River of Souls in a fantasy novella and the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates from Curious Corvid Publishing. The Last Magus: Dragonfire and Steel and The Prometheus Engine: Book Four of the Forever Avalon Series, are coming soon. Stay tuned for more new fantastic stories from the imagination of Mark Piggott.

Corsair and the Sky Pirates wins Two BookFest Book Awards for Spring 2023

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The first awards for Corsair and the Sky Pirates have arrived! The BookFest Spring 2023 book awards recognized Corsair with two 2nd Place trophies—Fantasy – Gaslamp and Science Fiction – Steampunk. This is the first book awards for my steampunk historical fiction and its a great honor for me an Curious Corvid Publishing.

The BookFest Awards honors authors who create outstanding works of fiction and nonfiction. Books are judged in categories based on genre, theme, and aesthetics. Entries will be vetted by an initial team, then the final places will be determined by an elite team of experts in the literary and entertainment world.

Awards are assigned based on first, second, third and honorable mention, according to their score. This means that sometimes not every category has a first place, second and/or third place winner. If no books in that category rated appropriately, then no award was granted in that place. Likewise, several books sometimes tie for first place, second and third place. Much like getting a letter grade in school, sometimes there are more “A”s in the class because there are outstanding students who warrant that grade. Books are similar. Sometimes there are several outstanding books deserving of their place in The BookFest Awards.

“The goal in the judging process is to highlight books in niche or often unrecognized genres as well as books that sometimes can dominate top-level genres. At The BookFest, we feel it is important to give niche or often unrecognized genres a chance to shine, too.”

 Black Chateau Enterprise and Books That Make You bring you The BookFest

A brilliant inventor . . . A prolific writer . . . A chance meeting between Nikola Tesla and Jules Verne created a world you could never imagine. A world powered by steam generated not from coal or fuel but from a meteor fragment. Tesla discovered a comet named Uriel was raining pieces of these powerful meteorites across the globe whenever it passed near the Earth. That led to an Industrial Revolution years ahead of its time—a steampunk revolution—but even progress had a price. While the rich and powerful lived in luxury in this industrial new world, the everyday people groveled beneath the boot of their corporate masters.

One man brought hope to the people as he pursued Tesla’s dream. His exploits were legendary, his crew infamous, and his airship a vision of the future. Corsair and the Sky Pirates flew across the globe, carrying out deeds that spurred the imagination. The swashbuckling Corsair was as handsome as he was cool, calm, and calculating. His crew was a diverse assortment of renegades many authorities considered lowlifes and criminals. Still, they were all dedicated to Corsair’s mission, working with Tesla to end the corporate rule strangling the planet. They came from every corner of the globe . . . From the outback in Australia to the American Southwest and the rough streets of Harlem in New York City, across Europe, and to the Far East. The crew of the airship Galeru, so named for a mythical rainbow serpent, never faltered and never wavered.

You can pick up your copy of Corsair and the Sky Pirates at Amazon and other booksellers. You can get a signed copy at my upcoming book signing events, McKay New and Used Books in Manassas, VA, on Saturday, April 29, and Barnes and Noble Potomac Yards in Alexandria, VA, on Sunday, April 30. I hope to see you there!

Mark Piggott is an award-winning independent author of several fantasy/steampunk novels and short stories. A 23-year U.S. Navy veteran, his stories will take you from the shores of eternal Avalon to a dystopian steampunk future and other worlds.

The Forever Avalon fantasy book series—including Forever Avalon, The Dark Tides, and The Outlander War—is available online at Amazon and other booksellers. His fantasy steampunk novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart, is available through Lulu and other booksellers.

Cross over The River of Souls in a fantasy novella and the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates from Curious Corvid Publishing. The Last Magus: Dragonfire and Steel and The Prometheus Engine: Book Four of the Forever Avalon Series, are coming soon. Stay tuned for more new fantastic stories from the imagination of Mark Piggott.

Come out to the Tell-Tale Steampunk Festival this weekend for ravens, gears, and goggles

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I will be attending the Tell-Tale Steampunk Festival this weekend at the Delta Hotels Baltimore Hunt Valley, April 1-2. Tell-Tale Steampunk is Baltimore’s first Steampunk Convention. It is a weekend long event and will feature workshops, vendors, entertainment, music, and educational panels. This years theme is based on the writings of Baltimore’s own Edgar Allan Poe’s. Registration opens at 10:30am on Saturday and Sunday.

There will be workshops from a Cabinet of Curiosity, assorted leather work, steampunk hats, exquisite needlework, making your own tea blend, and more. Check out the full schedule of events for the weekend.

Fantasy Steampunk Author Mark Piggott at the Williamsburg Book Festival, February 2023

I will be there all my steampunk and fantasy books, including my new steampunk historical fiction Corsair and the Sky Pirates from Curious Corvid Publishing and my three-time award-winning steampunk fantasy The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart. I will be selling and signing my books, and let me announce here about a special I’ll be running—Buy TWO books, get one FREE! Look for me in my full steampunk regalia in the hallway just past the registration table near the main entrance. I’ll have some freebies with me so please stop by!

A brilliant inventor… A prolific writer… A chance meeting between Nikola Tesla and Jules Verne catapulted the world into a new kind of power. Using meteor fragments from a comet named Uriel, they created a world powered not by combustion but by steam. The incredible inventions that followed launched the world into an industrial revolution ahead of its time… a steampunk revolution.

While Tesla’s inventions were designed to ease people’s day-to-day burdens, Thomas Edison’s ERP Corporation used their power and influence to ensure people paid for their modern miracles. One man brought hope to the people as he pursued Tesla’s dream of invention for the everyday person. His exploits were legendary, his crew infamous, and his airship a vision of the future . . . Corsair and the Sky Pirates!

Corsair and the Sky Pirates from Curious Corvid Publishing

The Tell-Tale Steampunk Festival was the brainchild of Kolleen Kilduff (Design by Night Accessories) and Donna McClaren (The Baroness). These two wonderfully talented woman are working together to create a different kind of steampunk event that focuses on the guests being more actively involved within the event itself. This would include more make/take style workshops, physical show/tell panels, active participation games & entertainment (including new mini events with teas in mind). If you have any questions, you can reach them by emailing: info@telltalesteampunk.com.

Mark Piggott is an award-winning independent author of several fantasy/steampunk novels and short stories. A 23-year U.S. Navy veteran, his stories will take you from the shores of eternal Avalon to a dystopian steampunk future and other worlds.

The Forever Avalon fantasy book series—including Forever Avalon, The Dark Tides, and The Outlander War—is available online at Amazon and other booksellers. His fantasy steampunk novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart, is available through Lulu and other booksellers.

Cross over The River of Souls in a fantasy novella and the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates from Curious Corvid Publishing. The Last Magus: Dragonfire and Steel and The Prometheus Engine: Book Four of the Forever Avalon Series, are coming soon. Stay tuned for more new fantastic stories from the imagination of Mark Piggott.

My interview on The Gary Gulluh Radio Show

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I was honored to be interviewed on The Gary Gulluh Radio Show via It’s Gorgeous Radio tonight. Gary was a great host, totally down to earth and such a joy to talk to. We talked about my life growing up, my naval career, and my work as a writer-editor, and my books as an independent author.

We talked about the pitfalls of self-publishing, what inspires me as a writer, my favorite authors, and even got into it about how Hollywood remakes old movies and television shows instead of tapping into the unlimited potential of independent authors.

Gary has a foothold in the entertainment industry and understands the ups and downs of bringing new material to life. I have to admit, he was very interested in learning more about steampunk through my books The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart and Corsair and the Sky Pirates. I even got to read an excerpt of Corsair on the show. Click on the link below to watch the show in its entirety. Don’t miss the opening segment with actor Keith Gaffney and his new movie, “Say Less” coming out on April 2.

I gave Gary signed copies of all my books to thank him for inviting me to his show. I highly recommend subscribing to the channel on YouTube and Facebook to keep up on future episodes.

Mark Piggott is an award-winning independent author of several fantasy/steampunk novels and short stories. A 23-year U.S. Navy veteran, his stories will take you from the shores of eternal Avalon to a dystopian steampunk future and other worlds.

The Forever Avalon fantasy book series—including Forever Avalon, The Dark Tides, and The Outlander War—is available online at Amazon and other booksellers. His fantasy steampunk novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart, is available through Lulu and other booksellers.

Cross over The River of Souls in a fantasy novella and the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates from Curious Corvid Publishing. The Last Magus: Dragonfire and Steel and The Prometheus Engine: Book Four of the Forever Avalon Series, are coming soon. Stay tuned for more new fantastic stories from the imagination of Mark Piggott.

Updated: Check out the dates for the 2023 “Corsair and the Sky Pirates” book tour

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With the launch of Corsair and the Sky Pirates on January 31, the official book tour is underway. We kicked it off at the Williamsburg Book Festival, February 4, and now more dates have been added. Over the next few months, I will be taking my steampunk historical fiction to a variety of venues, from steampunk festivals to book stores and book festivals. There will be plenty of opportunities for you to pick up a signed copy. They include:

2nd Sundays Williamsburg Art & Music Festival on Sunday, March 12 and May 14, from 11am to 5pm on North Boundary Street in historic Williamsburg, Va. You can stroll the streets of Colonial Williamsburg and take in unique arts, handcrafts and live music in a fun, family friendly atmosphere. Visit 2ndSundayswilliamsburg.com for more information.

Tell-Tale Steampunk Festival on April 1-2 at the Delta Hotels Baltimore Hunt Valley, Baltimore, MD. Tell-Tale Steampunk is Baltimore’s first Steampunk Convention. It is a weekend long event and will feature workshops, vendors, entertainment, music, and educational panels. This years theme is based on the writings of Baltimore’s own Edgar Allan Poe’s. Tickets and information are available at telltalesteampunk.com.

Ocean Renaissance 2023 on April 14-16 at the Carousel Oceanfront Hotel in Ocean City, Md. Steampunk, pirates, and mermaids converge with over 70 artisans and makers collected from all over the country during our many travels will converge to provide some of the most beautiful and unique handmade goods , clothing, accessories, art, and much more. Tickets and information are available at Tides and Tempest Ocean Renaissance.

Founded in 1745, the Moravian Book Shop is the oldest bookstore in America and home to the Moravian University student bookstore. I’ll be doing a book signing on Saturday, June 3, from 1pm to 3pm with both Corsair and the Sky Pirates and The River of Souls from Curious Corvid Publishing.

Awesome-Con in Washington, D.C., is the big summer convention in the nation’s capital, June 16-18. Awesome-Con is a celebration of geek culture, bringing over 70,000 fans together with their favorite stars from across comics, movies, television, toys, games, and more! You can find me on Author’s Lane during the three day epic weekend.

I also want to add that I’ll be at Books-A-Million at Potomac Mills, Woodbridge, VA, on Saturday, March 4, from 12pm-3pm. This will be my first Northern Virginia event. I will have more dates to follow if any additional events come to light, including additional 2nd Sundays Williamsburg over the spring and summer. More to follow so stay tuned!

Mark Piggott is an award-winning independent author of several fantasy/steampunk novels and short stories. A 23-year U.S. Navy veteran, his stories will take you from the shores of eternal Avalon to a dystopian steampunk future and other worlds.

The Forever Avalon fantasy book series—including Forever Avalon, The Dark Tides, and The Outlander War—is available online at Amazon and other booksellers. His fantasy steampunk novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart, is available through Lulu and other booksellers.

Cross over The River of Souls in a fantasy novella and the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates from Curious Corvid Publishing. The Last Magus: Dragonfire and Steel and The Prometheus Engine: Book Four of the Forever Avalon Series, are coming soon. Stay tuned for more new fantastic stories from the imagination of Mark Piggott.

Corsair and the Sky Pirates takes to the skies January 31 from Curious Corvid Publishing

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Corsair and the Sky Pirates is available for preorder on Amazon before its January 31 release.

It’s official! Corsair and the Sky Pirates, a steampunk historical fiction from award-winning author Mark Piggott and Curious Corvid Publishing, launches January 31! You can preorder your copy NOW at Amazon and reserve your spot in this amazing adventure! Plus, check out the AMAZING book cover by Mark Alexander McClish! Talk about steampunk pirate airship, he nailed my vision! Not only is he a talented artist but an award-winning author too!

What if history took a detour and our industrial revolution had a few more gears and steam powered machines? A few more alternative contraptions? A few more . . . pirates?

A brilliant inventor . . . A prolific writer. . . A chance meeting between Nikola Tesla and Jules Verne created a world powered by steam generated, not from any fuel, but a meteor fragment. A comet named Uriel rained pieces of these powerful meteorites across the globe. That led to an industrial revolution years ahead of its time—a steampunk revolution. 

While Tesla made his inventions to ease people’s day-to-day burden, Thomas Edison’s ERP Corporation used their power and influence to ensure people paid for their modern miracles. 

One man brought hope to the people as he pursued Tesla’s dream. His exploits were legendary, his crew infamous, and his airship a vision of the future . . . Corsair and the Sky Pirates!

If you enjoy a historical fantasy novel that addresses hard topics in a fresh and interesting way, this might just be the read for you. Award winning author Mark Piggott takes on corporate greed, racism, and climate change while highlighting lesser known African American historical figures like Bessie Coleman, a brilliant woman pilot who dominated the skies prior to Amelia Earhart!

Ravven White, Founder, Curious Corvid Publishing

And the reviews from early readers are already adding to the buzz surrounding Corsair and the Sky Pirates!

“What I found most interesting was the way a corporation had such major control over so many people and the aspects of their lives. It had a direct connection to what is currently happening in our world. Piggott’s minor characters are just as well developed and essential to the story as the main characters and make for an incredible 4-D environment for the reader. The blending of historical facts with modern ideas from the characters was seamless.”

Jennie Rosenblum, Jennie Reads

Mark your calendar to be the first to pick up a SIGNED copy of Corsair and the Sky Pirates at my first events of 2023 . . . The Williamsburg Book Festival in Williamsburg, VA, on February 4 and the Tell-Tale Steampunk Convention in Baltimore, MD, on April 1-2. I’m excited for this book release and I hope you’ll joining me on this steampunk adventure!

Mark Piggott is an award-winning independent author of several fantasy/steampunk novels and short stories. A 23-year U.S. Navy veteran, his stories will take you from the shores of eternal Avalon to a dystopian steampunk future and other worlds.

The Forever Avalon fantasy book series—including Forever Avalon, The Dark Tides, and The Outlander War—is available online at Amazon and other booksellers. His fantasy steampunk novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart, is available through Lulu and other booksellers.

Cross over The River of Souls in my first fantasy novella from Curious Corvid Publishing and the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates, coming in January 2023. The Last Magus: Dragonfire and Steel and The Prometheus Engine: Book Four of the Forever Avalon Series, are coming soon. Stay tuned for more new fantastic stories from the imagination of Mark Piggott.

Update on Corsair and the Sky Pirates includes great interior art and events lined up for 2023

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As December counts down to Christmas followed by the end of 2022, I am looking forward to kicking off 2023 with the launch of my next book from Curious Corvid Publishing, Corsair and the Sky Pirates. My steampunk historical fiction is the first of its kind, for me anyway, that’s taken me more than four years to see published.

This all began as a short story for a steampunk writing contest through Crystal Peake Publishing. I was one of the contest winners, but writing it got the “gears” turning that I could take my short story and turn it into a full blown novel. So, from that humble beginning, Corsair and this brave new steampunk world came to life.

It was one of the more intense writing experiences I’ve had, and a lot tougher than a fantasy story. In fantasy, you can make things up as you go along. There are no real boundaries when it comes to world building, characters, etc. That’s not the same for a historical fiction. In research alone, I had to delve into multiple different languages, cultures, locations and actual historical figures. Yes, I took some creative and historical license with them, but I still wanted a semblance of accuracy. I spoke with friends and fellow writers on topics from Native American culture, aboriginal slang words, and socially acceptable language between the 1900s and today.

You see, I wanted to use my book to talk about corporate greed, environmental responsibility, racism and inequality in the world today. Since it was set in the early 1900s, I could use that to my advantage as there was a hotbed of issues from that era, especially racism. So, I made the sky pirate crew quite diverse—a African-American engineer, a half-Asian first officer, an aboriginal pilot, and a Native American medic. That led to encounters with people who had a lower opinion of them. This of course, led me to demonstrate the strength of diversity in our own humanity, and I hope I did that. At the same time, I wanted to make sure I didn’t write anything that might offend someone.

For example, in that time period, people would use the “N” word frequently, but I am not comfortable with that. So, I tried to find other means of expressing their indifference. It’s not easy when your trying to show the ugliness of racism while at the same time showing how we can overcome it through strength, unity, and perseverance. I hope I did the various people and their race, culture, and creed justice in my writing.

While the cover is in progress (reveal coming soon) I did want to show off the great interior art by my friend Dennis Saputra (@elangkarosingo on Instagram). He is a talented artist from Indonesia. We were introduced through a mutual friend and I have used his work for many of my books. He did a great job in imagining the Galeru, Corsair’s airship, for my title page. He also did the chapter art as well. Dennis is a wonderful artist and I love his work as well as supporting him in his artistic pursuits.

I hope to have some early reviews for you as I have already sent out my steampunk novel to some ARC readers for a test read. I am waiting with baited breath to hear what they have to say, although I can disclose that the editor (Corbeaux Editorial Services if you’re looking for a great editor to work with) thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the story as whole. Hey, if you don’t impress your editor, then you need to pack it up for a rewrite. In the meantime, I will be announcing the cover reveal shortly, hopefully it’ll be an early Christmas gift for all of us.

And I’ll be kicking off 2023 to debut Corsair and the Sky Pirates at the Williamsburg Book Festival, February 4, at the Stryker Center in Williamsburg, VA, followed by my first steampunk event of 2023, the Telltale Steampunk Festival, April 1-2, in Baltimore, MD, with more steampunk festivals to be added to my calendar of events as they come in. Stay tuned for more “gears and goggles” in 2023!

Mark Piggott is an award-winning independent author of several fantasy/steampunk novels and short stories. A 23-year U.S. Navy veteran, his stories will take you from the shores of eternal Avalon to a dystopian steampunk future and other worlds.

The Forever Avalon fantasy book series—including Forever Avalon, The Dark Tides, and The Outlander War—is available online at Amazon and other booksellers. His fantasy steampunk novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart, is available through Lulu and other booksellers.

Cross over The River of Souls in my first fantasy novella from Curious Corvid Publishing. Coming in 2023 from Curious Corvid—the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates, and The Last Magus: Dragonfire and Steel. Stay tuned for more new fantastic stories from the imagination of Mark Piggott.

One question I get a lot . . . What is Steampunk?

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One question I get at a lot at all the events I attend is “What is Steampunk?” It is a defined genre but to me, it’s much more than that. There are two definitions of steampunk. One states, “a genre of science fiction that has a historical setting and typically features steam-powered machinery rather than advanced technology” while the others says, “a style of design and fashion that combines historical elements with anachronistic technological features inspired by science fiction.”

I always consider Jules Verne and H.G. Wells the godfathers of the steampunk genre. The created a modern view of technology using 19th century views. We steampunk authors use their influence to create our wild and fantastic visions bringing the future into the past.

Steamboy (2004) Japanese animated film

To me, one of the best movies to understand steampunk is the 2004 anime classic Steamboy. “England of the 1860s receives a technological remake in this animated adventure. Ray Steam is a brilliant young inventor who follows in the footsteps of his father, Eddie, and his grandfather, Lloyd Steam. After his grandfather sends him a mysterious mechanical ball that contains revolutionary power, Ray finds his world turning upside down. It seems a lot of people want that power, and not all of them have good intentions.” It has an all star cast (Anna Paquin, Alfred Molina, and Sir Patrick Stewart) and a cast of historical characters including Robert Louis Stevenson, the inventor of the steam engine. This movie is quintessential steampunk in every aspect of the vision it presents. There is also anime like Arcane on Netflix and The Mortal Engines movie are great examples of steampunk.

Airships, trains, mechanical beings powered by steam are the vision of tomorrow to a steampunk enthusiast. Goggles, backpacks, Victorian-era corsets with top hats and long coats are all part of the unique style of steampunk. It can be seen at conventions and festivals around the world and in books, television, and movies. Gears, open mechanics, copper pipes, leather, and Edison bulbs all represent the idea of fashion when it comes to steampunk.

A Clockwork Heart by Dennis Saputra

Although most things considered steampunk revolves around steam power, I also like to include it in magic-powered machines. In my novel The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart, I combined magic with machines in this futuristic dystopia. This includes trains running on Magius engines, automail armor, and a clockwork heart. I also did a little of this in my novella The River of Souls, where I created a land cycle powered by an engine that pulled in ether from the air for fuel. Magic and machines are a fun way to take the steampunk genre in a new direction. Technology has a way of migrating into fantasy stories of one caliber or another. I would also include a bit of alchemy mixed in to make it even more interesting to include it in fantasy story writing.

However, steampunk is primarily a historical fiction genre, and my next novel explores into just that realm. Corsair and the Sky Pirates is coming out in January 2023 from Curious Corvid Publishing. Imagine if Jules Verne and Nikola Tesla met and collaborated. What kind of world would come from it? That’s the premise of my new steampunk historical fiction as the war between Tesla and Thomas Edison takes to the skies. Corsair and his sky pirates believe in Tesla’s vision for the future—a world where the people are free to use technology without bowing to their corporate masters in ERP (Edison Röntgen Parsons). Edison has plans for world domination and its up to Corsair and his merry band to discover the secrets of the master inventor. Take to the skies on the airship Galeru, from the ancient ruins of Egypt to the English Channel, the New York City skyline and the American Southwest.

You can find steampunk at various junctures around the world. If you want to dine in steampunk style, try The Edison restaurant in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Or if your travelling internationally, The Abyss Pub in Italy was inspired by the Kraken, or visit the Les Machines de l’Île Nantes, which is in the city of Nantes, France is an amazing artistic and creative steampunk wonderful. Mechanical animals roam, which is in the city of Nantes, France, is an amazing artistic and creative steampunk wonder as mechanical animals roam the streets. Here in the USA, there are plenty of steampunk festivals to catch your interest. Maybe I’ll see you there.

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Mark Piggott is an award-winning independent author of several fantasy/steampunk novels and short stories. A 23-year U.S. Navy veteran, his stories will take you from the shores of eternal Avalon to a dystopian steampunk future and other worlds.

The Forever Avalon fantasy book series—including Forever Avalon, The Dark Tides, and The Outlander War—is available online at Amazon and other booksellers. His fantasy steampunk novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart, is available through Lulu and other booksellers.

Get ready for The River of Souls fantasy novella from Curious Corvid Publishing. Coming in 2023 from Curious Corvid—the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates, and The Last Magus: Dragonfire and Steel. Stay tuned for more new fantastic stories from the imagination of Mark Piggott.

Something happened on the way to publishing…

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So, got some bad news last week, something entirely unexpected. I was excited at the prospect of my first full-on steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates, being published this year by Revolutionary Press. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen anymore. In an email I received, Revolutionary Press decided, “Our previous focus has been more oriented towards for-profit purposes, and this is a goal that we no longer find sustainable. Effectively, we are shuttering all for-profit operations. Unfortunately, we cannot continue work on your book concerning the previous contract.”

The original cover of Forever Avalon from 2009, published by James A. Rock Publishing.

So, what’s an independent author to do now? This is not the first time this has happened to me. In 2009, I signed with James A. Rock Publishing to publish my first book, Forever Avalon. It was a small publishing house, originally from Rockville, Md., until they moved to Florence, S.C. It was a “vanity publisher,” but I didn’t know any better as a new author. Things were fine until, unfortunately, the publisher passed away. His wife tried to continue with the business but to no avail. They closed down, and my book was no longer available for sale. So, I took my manuscript, reformatted it, got a new cover and interior art, and republished it via Amazon. It was easy to do and get it back on the market. It even allowed me to keep the ISBN and reviews from the first publication. I still have James A. Rock listed as the publisher on the inside page of the book to honor his memory and remind me of who gave me my first chance at being a published author. That’s something I learned from my time in the U.S. Navy . . . Remember where you came from!

So the question is, now what? What do I do? Do I try to get another publisher to pick up Corsair, or do I go it alone and self-publish? Fortunately, to quote the great John “Hannibal” King of the A-Team . . . “I love it when a plan comes together!” And by a plan, I mean a murder of crows circling overhead, picking at the carcass of my former publisher to feast on the bones and bring the dead back to life.

Sorry for that graphic description, but you’ll soon understand the reason for my over-the-top metaphor. My current publisher, Curious Corvid Publishing, is a gothic press based in Ohio. They took me under their wing (literally) after picking up a novella I wrote, The River of Souls, that will be published in August 2022. And, as our CEO and publisher Ravven White said at our first meeting, “I am your publisher now.” There was no doubt what I would do, and when I talked to them about it, Ravven never hesitated. She said they would gladly add it to their calendar for publication.

That’s what I love about finally being with a publisher. I still consider myself an independent author, and I always will be. The difference is that, even though Curious Corvid is a small publisher, they are still a publisher. My books will be available in everything from online bookstores to “brick-and-mortar” stores. They are just getting their footing and having tons of success to build on with many talented authors and poets. I am grateful to be a part of that future. I will build on it with novels like Corsair and the Sky Pirates, the next installment of The Last Magus series, Dragonfire and Steel, and the fourth book in the Forever Avalon series, The Prometheus Engine. These, along with any other crazy stories that pop into my head, will be coming your way through Curious Corvid Publishing.

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Mark Piggott is an independent author of the Forever Avalon fantasy book series and other fantasy/steampunk novels and short stories. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon and as an audiobook from Audible and iTunes. The Dark Tides: Book 2 of the Forever Avalon Series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from iUniverse Publishing and at Amazon, and other booksellers. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from Austin Macauley Publishing, and at Amazon and other booksellers. His latest fantasy novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart is available through Lulu and other booksellers.

Get ready for The River of Souls fantasy novella, coming soon from Curious Corvid Publishing along with the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates. The Prometheus Engine: Book 4 of the Forever Avalon Series and The Last Magus: Dragonfire and Steel are future installments of my current fantasy book series, coming soon.

How far have we gone to ban Dr. Seuss?

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Banned' Dr. Seuss Books Delisted on eBay After Selling for Thousands
The six Dr. Seuss books that will no longer be published by Dr. Seuss Enterprises, including And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, If I Ran the Zoo, McElligot’s Pool, On Beyond Zebra!, Scrambled Eggs Super!, and The Cat’s Quizzer.

I have spoken here often about free speech and the First Amendment. As a writer, I am a firm believer in this sacred institution. I stand by the adage that “I may not agree with what you say but I will defend your right to say it.” That said, have we (as a country and a society) gone over the edge with political correctness that we are banning Dr. Seuss?

I grew up reading Dr. Seuss, watching the TV specials, the movies, etc. His books have been an institution and a focal point in children’s literature. And yet, we are examining everything to the point of lunacy for political, racial, and social content, forcing it from our lives.

Like any parent, the first books I bought, read, and gave to my children were Dr. Seuss. We didn’t look at it through the lens of political correctness, we looked at it as an easy way to teach our kids about the environment (The Lorax) or counting and colors (One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish) or even behaving themselves while having fun (The Cat in the Hat). Are we also going to erase all the movies and TV specials based around Dr. Seuss?

I applaud the New York Public Library (NYPL) who took a stand against this audacity, saying, “As public libraries do not censor material, the very few copies we have of the six Dr. Seuss titles in question will remain in circulation until they are no longer in acceptable condition,’’ the NYPL said in a statement. “At that point, we will not be able to replace them, as the books are out of print. So, eventually, they will no longer be available to borrow.” This is the cost of our political correctness.

I think we are continuing to have this conversation on sensitivity in literature, especially anything written in the early 20th century. Is some of it insensitive to race and culture? Absolutely. They, like any form of entertainment of that time period, is a product of that time. It needs to be looked at through that spectrum, not the lens of today’s “cancel culture” who think anything and everything that is racially or socially insensitive needs to be eliminated. Remember these words:

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it…”

George Santayana, Spanish philosopher

We cannot simply erase the past, thinking it will create a better future. If we don’t learn from that history, we will just make those same mistakes all over again. Why can’t we just look at something and appreciate it for the sentiment and not outright cancel it?

Sorry for the rant, but back to Dr. Seuss… I understand some of the imagery in “If I Ran the Zoo” and “And to think I Saw It on Mulberry Street” are racially insensitive. We didn’t have such a world view when Theodore Geisel wrote and drew these books. The imagery is what it is, but to ban the books outright is, well, fascist. It’s the same thing that Adolph Hitler and the Nazi’s did to books written by Jews or that didn’t portray the Aryan image as they wanted it. So now, we’re doing it to anything that the “PC Police” say is insensitive to whatever race, religion, or creed.

We don’t need to ban books. We need to look at them through the lens of the time they were written, understand why they were written, so that we can have a conversation and learn what not to write or how to act. How can we understand the evil of racial injustice without “To Kill a Mockingbird” or the plight of runaway slaves without “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and yet these books are being banned because of “racially insensitive language.” Do we ban rap music that uses the same language? No, and we shouldn’t so why ban books?

You can’t write a story about the south or any history without using somewhat bad language. I found myself in such a conundrum while writing my latest novel, Corsair and the Sky Pirates. The novel is a steampunk historical fiction set in the late 1800s, early 1900s. I have a very diverse group of characters, and the language back then was not PC. I will not use the “N-word” or anything like that, but I wanted to convey the repugnance of the villains in how they treat people. How do I do that without using such foul language? These are the issues that writers face today, because we want to reach our audience without jeopardizing our relationship with them.

So please, can we stop banning books! If it’s not your cup of tea, don’t buy it, read it, watch it or listen to it. If you want to understand what effect banning books has on society, read “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury, “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak, “1984” by George Orwell, or “V for Vendetta” by Alan Moore. Then maybe, you’ll understand why we shouldn’t do it.

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Mark Piggott is the author of the Forever Avalon fantasy book series. Forever Avalon is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook at Amazon. The Dark Tides: Book 2 of the Forever Avalon Series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from iUniverse Publishing and at Amazon, and other booksellers. The Outlander War, Book Three of the Forever Avalon series is available for purchase as a paperback/ebook from Austin Macauley Publishing, and at Amazon and other booksellers.