2015-06-28

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Shovel the coal and stoke the boilers as nine steam punk authors

explore islands of mystery and adventure across the seven seas.

The Clockwork Seer by Katherine Cowley: On an island of oddities, a young clairvoyant

struggles for normalcy, but deadly automatons have other plans.

Sindisiwe by Scott E. Tarbet: A slave girl in Zanzibar escapes a beating when

a stranger in the marketplace proves her past is more than just a fairy tale.

Stand and Deliver by TC Phillips: Neither shackles, slave labor, nor the island’s

deadliest inhabitants will prevent these brothers from meting out justice to

their father’s murderers.

Island Walker by C. R. Simper: Kit digs her treasures out of trash heaps, but the

theft of her invention leads to discoveries money can’t buy.

A Mind Prone to Wander by Danielle E. Shipley: Beyond a locked door lies Rowan Charles’

death or his sanity, and the survival or extinction of his people.

Curio Cay by Sarah E. Seeley: The future of humanity rests in the hands of

three time-traveling scientists battling biomechanical creatures in the

Jurassic past.

The Mysterious Island of

Chester Morrison by Kin Law: Dodging her chaperone,

a debutante stumbles into adventure and romance at the World’s Fair.

Revolutionary by John M. Olsen: A dirigible captain goes down with his ship, and

wakes to find himself a captive of a sky-dwelling civilization.

The Steel Inside by Gail B. Williams: Darkness lurks in Sarah’s forgotten past, kept

hidden by those who claim to be her devoted husband and loyal servants.

Purchace your copy here:

Amazon Kindle USA: http://www.amazon.com/Steel-Bone-Nine-Steampunk-Adventures-ebook/dp/B00YQRAIIC

Amazon Kindle UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Steel-Bone-Nine-Steampunk-Adventures-ebook/dp/B00YQRAIIC

Katherine Cowley

Katherine Cowley wrote her first story at the age of five, a

retelling of the Icarus myth titled “The Turtle That Got Too Close to the Sun.” She

has worked as a documentary film producer, a radio producer, and a college

professor. She now devotes herself to writing steampunk, fantasy, and science

fiction. Cowley’s short stories and essays have been published and won awards

in the Locutorium, the BYU Studies

Personal Essay Contest, the Meeting of the Myths, Four Centuries of Mormon

Stories, and the Mormon Lit Blitz. You can also read her stories online at katherinecowley.com.

Katherine loves European chocolate, the history of science, and

steampunk fashion. She has lived in the United States, Brazil, and Finland, and

currently resides in Arizona with her husband and two daughters.

Website

| Twitter

| Pinterest

| Goodreads

http://www.katherinecowley.com/

http://www.katherinecowley.com/

https://twitter.com/kathycowley

https://www.facebook.com/kathycowley

http://www.pinterest.com/kathycowley/

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1100427-kathy-cowley

Scott E. Tarbet

Scott E. Tarbet writes what fires his imagination: the broad

umbrella of speculative fiction. He is especially intrigued by how human beings

react to and interact with science, technology, and other magics.

Educator, chef, professional opera singer, and Steampunk craftsman,

with a long list of short stories and other works to his credit, he makes his

home in the splendor of the Utah mountains with his wife and best friend,

Jewels.

Website

|

Facebook | Twitter | Google + | Amazon | Goodreads | LinkedIn |

Pinterest

scotttarbet.timp.net

scotttarbet.timp.net

https://twitter.com/setarbet

https://www.facebook.com/starbet

http://www.pinterest.com/scotttarbet/

https://plus.google.com/u/0/103022248044977989570/about

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/scott-tarbet/b/568/543

http://www.amazon.com/Scott-E.-Tarbet/e/B00FXSTPY6/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7337001.Scott_E_Tarbet

http://about.me/starbet

TC Phillips

TC Phillips hails from tropical central Queensland in Australia,

where he currently lives with his loving wife, three young children, a spoilt

cat, and an overactive imagination. An avid reader from a young age, he has

held a long-standing attraction for the written word and is excited to make his

own contributions to the vibrant and ever shifting world of storytelling.

Holding degrees in both Theatre Studies and Education, he is also currently

completing his Master of Arts (writing) through Swinburne University of

Technology.

Website

|

Facebook | Twitter |

Amazon

www.cobblestonescribe.com

https://twitter.com/T_C_Phillips

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTCPhillips

https://www.facebook.com/tc.phillips.980

http://www.amazon.com/TC-Phillips

C. R. Simper

C. R. Simper is an Arizona native who graduated from Arizona State

University with a degree in Purchasing and Logistics Management. She married

another Arizona native in 1991 and is now the stay-at-home mom of three

daughters and one son.

Simper has written in multiple genres over the past three decades.

She has found that writing maintains a sense of order in her life. Her first

published story, “The Journey of Inspector Roux” appeared in Terra Mechanica: a

Steampunk Anthology (2014), another Xchyler publication.

Other hobbies that she enjoys are playing volleyball, genealogical

research, and indexing obituaries. She is a member of the American Night Writers Association (ANWA).

Facebook | Twitter | Google + | LinkedIn | Goodreads | Pinterest

https://twitter.com/crsimper

https://www.facebook.com/chanda.simper

https://www.pinterest.com/crsimper/

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/c-r-simper/94/b14/b69

Danielle E.

Shipley

Danielle E. Shipley’s first novelettes told the everyday

misadventures of wacky kids like herself. Or so she thought. Unbeknownst to

them all, half of her characters were actually closeted elves, dwarves,

fairies, or some combination thereof. When it all came to light, Danielle did

the sensible thing: packed up and moved to Fantasy Land, where daily rent is

the low, low price of her heart, soul, blood, sweat, tears, firstborn child,

sanity, and words; lots of them.

Shipley has also been known to spend short bursts of time in the

real-life Chicago area with the parents who home-schooled her and the two

little sisters who keep her humble. When she’s not living the highs and lows of

writing, publishing, and all that authorial jazz, she’s probably blogging about

it at EverOnWord.wordpress.com.

This is her third appearance in a Xchyler anthology, following the

paranormal “Two Spoons” in Legends

and Lore, and “Reality As We Know It” in fantasy collection The Toll of Another Bell. Other

publications include Inspired (a

novel), and a series of fairy-tale retelling mash-ups, The Wilderhark Tales.

Website
|

Blog | Facebook | Twitter
| Goodreads

www.deshipley.com

www.everonword.wordpress.com

https://twitter.com/DEShipley

https://www.facebook.com/Danielle.E.Shipley.Author

https://www.facebook.com/danielle.e.shipley

https://www.pinterest.com/DEShipleyYo/?z=1

http://www.amazon.com/Danielle-E.-Shipley/e/B00HG4A0N0

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7021985.Danielle_E_Shipley

Sarah E. Seeley

Through two wonderful mentored research experiences, Sarah E. Seeley

had the opportunity to work with dead sauropods and ancient odonates while

acquiring her undergraduate degree in geology from Brigham Young University.

She hopes to study more dead things in the future and contribute to scientific

discussions about what makes life on Earth so amazing. In the meantime, she

explores the bright side of being human by writing dark fiction.

Seeley’s independently published works include Maladaptive Bind and Blood

Oath: An Orc Love Story. Sarah’s short story “Peradventure”

appears in Xchyler Publishing’s Legends

and Lore: An Anthology of Mythic Proportions. Another short story,

“Driveless,” appears in Leading

Edge Magazine Issue #66. You can learn more about Sarah on her writing blog

at www.SlithersOfThought.com

Website

| Facebook

| Twitter

| Amazon

| Goodreads

www.slithersofthought.com

http://twitter.com/SarahESeeley

https://www.facebook.com/authorsaraheseeley

http://www.amazon.com/author/sarahseeley

http://www.goodreads.com/SarahESeeley

Kin Law

Living in the bustle of NYC, Kin is constantly reminded he is a

child of two worlds. Originally from Hong Kong, he’s traveled both

geographically and socially, working in many professions including movie

projection and line cooking. He has degrees in Media and Culinary Arts, and a

great love of Philosophy. As for fiction, his favorite authors are Douglas

Adams, Hemmingway, and Chuck Pahlaniuk.

Today, Kin is a culinary copywriter, intent on furthering his

novelist career. He loves his fiancée, his cat Zoe, Scotch, bacon and coffee.

Addressing himself in the third person makes him chuckle.

Website
| Twitter

| Amazon | About.me

John M. Olsen

John M. Olsen has been creating things his whole life through a

mixture of technical and creative processes, whether building family, stories,

art, software, woodworking or anything else. He has dreams of becoming a

Renaissance man and loves to learn new things to add to his store of randomly

accessible information (otherwise known as irrelevant trivia). Writing is one

of his loves, inspired by having read most of his father’s extensive fantasy

and science fiction collection in his teen years.

He builds high-end simulation software, and has contributed chapters

to several books on computer graphics and game design, as well as publishing

fiction in multiple genres.

He lives in Utah with his wife and five children, some of whom are

old enough to have moved out and back in. Together they have also raised three

nieces and a nephew, and are minions of their benevolent cat overlord.

Blog

| Facebook

| Twitter

| LinkedIn

| Amazon

| Goodreads | About.me

http://johnmolsen.blogspot.com/

https://twitter.com/john_m_olsen

https://www.facebook.com/JohnsWritingStuff

https://www.facebook.com/JohnMarkOlsen

http://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmolsen

http://amazon.com/author/johnmolsen

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7567002.John_M_Olsen

http://about.me/john_m_olsen

Gail B. Williams

Gail Williams lives in her own private dungeon populated with all

the weird and the wonderful she can imagine. Some of it’s very weird, and the

odd bits and pieces are a bit wonderful. With a vivid imagination fuelled by a

near death experience at the age of three, there was really no other choice for

Gail than to write, something she’s been doing for as long as she can remember.

She’s tried not doing it, but it never works for long, her brain gets itchy if

she hasn’t written anything for a couple of days. Gail is English by birth, but

lives in Swansea, Wales, married a Welshman and they have two fantastic

children. They live with the world’s most imperious and demanding cat. An asset

management specialist by day, a freelance editor and keen writer of an evening

and weekend, she really needs to learn to sleep. To find out more see www.gailbwilliams.com

Website

| Blog

| Facebook | Twitter

| LinkedIn | Amazon | Goodreads

www.gailbwilliams.com

https://thewriteroute.wordpress.com/

https://twitter.com/GailBWilliams

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gail-Williams-Author/261748000603425

https://www.facebook.com/gail.williams.3745

https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=78298391

http://www.amazon.com/Gail-Williams/e/B00CX3TIHS

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7047260.Gail_Williams

James Ng

James Ng

(pronounced Ing) was born in Hong Kong, where he spent most of his childhood

drawing monsters and robots, making his own elaborate cardboard toys, and

playing soccer. Ever since, he has been on the move between Hong Kong,

Vancouver, Chicago and New York. His travels have greatly influenced him,

allowing him to combine Eastern and Western cultures in his artwork.

Currently James is enjoying the freedom of being a freelance concept

artist and illustrator. After a sunny summer in Vancouver, and traveling to

London, and then to New York for an award show and exhibition, he is back in

his home of Hong Kong to continue his career.

http://www.jamesngart.com/index.html

Context:

Sindisiwe

has defied not only her twin stepsisters, but their older brothers as well. Now

she flees their retribution.

Excerpt:

Sindi

twisted this way and that through the colorful awnings and hangings and

displays that choked the narrow lane between the looming homes and shops, and

was quickly out of sight of the Trading Company. Vendors and beggars called to

her and caught at her as she ran, but she paid no heed. She dodged blankets

spread with mangos, bananas, and paupaus, skirted stalls with glistening

skewers of charcoal-roasted seafood, brightly colored bolts of cloth, and a

bewildering assortment of household goods.

Glancing

frequently over her shoulder, she turned down the alley of coppersmiths, with

its displays of pots and pans that hung like some strange, shining fruit. Her

ears were battered by the din of clanging hammers, and she coughed at the

hanging pall of smoke from the smithy fires. She hurried through the alley of

leather smiths, the foul stench of the tanneries assaulting her senses.

Far

behind, she heard her name shouted. Jabari had found her. How in the name of

all that was holy? She turned again, abruptly, into a tiny alley, even narrower

than the others. These shops displayed women’s clothing of a dozen cultures.

Quickly she ducked into a shop that displayed proper Muslim garb, and hurtled

directly into the arms of a large, matronly woman.

“Child,

what is it? Slow down.”

“Please!

Help me! He’ll kill me!”

The

woman did not hesitate. Faster than Sindi would have believed possible, she

whipped a full black burka from its hanger, unlike anything Mwamba’s family

would ever wear, and flipped it deftly over the girl’s head. It fell cascading

all the way to the floor. Sindi found herself hooded, looking out at the world

through a black mesh screen.

“Slouch,”

the woman hissed. “Don’t look so tall.

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