Competenceby Gail Carriger is the third in the Custard Protocol series featuring Primrose, Rue, and all their crazy friends..
Accidentally abandoned!
All alone in Singapore, proper Miss Primrose Tunstell must steal helium to save her airship, the Spotted Custard, in a scheme involving a lovesick werecat and a fake fish tail.
GAIL’S DAILY DOSE
Your Moment of Parasol . . .
1912 via michaelmoonsbookshop-tumblr Midland Railway Co Country and Seaside Holidays Official Country and Seaside Apartments directory for 1912
You cry, the distress coloring your tone, tears in your eyes, lips trembling…
Why can’t I get the print book in the size I desire most?
or
Why is this book slightly bigger/smaller than this other book of yours?
I know honey, I’m a little anal too. I get your pain. I do.
Here have a handkerchief… Cuppa?
Feeling better?
OK, let me explain…
People have very strong opinions on books sizes and formats. We aren’t going to get into a debate about that here – no we aren’t. Instead, I am going to talk about about the very wide range of book sizes that there are in the world and why you can’t always get what you want. (Sing it with me!)
Would you like a sample?
Here is Soulless (and Etiquette & Espionage for scale) in a wide range of sizes. From Left to Right:
Hardcover USA
Trade Paperback large
Trade Paperback medium
Mass Market Paperback USA
Japanese wee
Shall I make it even more confusing?
A small sample of just trade paperback sizes
the leaning tower of Soulless
Yeah there are different hard covers sizes too. I know, right?
Honestly it’s a mess.
So that’s what the world of publishing is like. (You can carry that same level of illogical chaos into the business side of the industry too.)
Book sizes are further complicated by metric versus not metric. (For reasons of me being a former archaeologist, I tend to blog in metric.)
Different books sizes: USA Hardcover, USA trade paperback, UK b-format trade paperback
See above, that’s just the English language new releases!
Still with me?
The Custard Protocol books release to the USA in hardcover, then about six months after the USA trade paperback releases.
We aren’t going to talk about hard cover because I can’t control that. Or, more precisely, at the moment I don’t want to.
We aren’t going to talk about mass market. That’s my favorite size and my books don’t come out in it anymore. I’m a bitter sad resentful old bitty about it.
Instead we will talk…
TRADE PAPERBACK
USA Trade (non-standardized)
For Gail Carriger (that’s me), that size in the USA is:
20.85 cm X 13.80 cm
This is the exact same size of the Finishing School and Parasol Protectorate trade paperbacks. These are the ones that are still available new. So if you wanted all my novels in EXACTLY the same size, then you’d need the USA trade paperback size.
However…
In the UK the most common (although there is a wide range) trade paperback size is something called b-format.
B-Format (UK standard)
That size is:
19.80 cm X 12.60
These are all stupid measurements. It bugs the donkey’s butt out of me.
So B format is smaller than USA trade (for me).
Guess what else, I can’t print exactly that size myself for my self published projects.
ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Why?
When self publishing, especially in order to distribute as widely as possible and in as many different parts of the world, I’m much more limited in options similar to either of my USA or UK trade – that still allow me to cover costs. (I already make little to no money on print editions of my indie books, going custom is simply not an option.)
So I chose…
20.20 cm X 12.50 cm
That’s taller but about the same width as the UK’s B-format.
Why use that size?
Well that’s billed as 8 X 5 inches on most publishing platforms. It actually isn’t, it’s slightly smaller, but it’s good enough, and it’s easiest to work with. This size has been standardized as the smallest option for self pub, easily accessible, on both Ingram and Createspace. I prefer smaller books and I need to stay smaller for my novellas so I get some kind of spine to work with. (It needs to be thinker.)
So that’s what you get.
So yeah, If you’re upset that Competence for the UK is about 4 mm taller than Prudence and Imprudence. I tried, I really did. But at least this matches to my novellas. And the Custard Protocol series is interrupted by novellas, if you want to stack them that way on your shelf at least so all the later ones will match.
Wait, what?
Written & in-world chronological reading order of my recent books should go something like:
Prudence (Custard Protocol Book 1)
Imprudence (Custard Protocol Book 2)
Romancing the Werewolf (Supernatural Society Novella)
Competence (Custard Protocol Book 3)
How to Marry a Werewolf (Claw & Courtship Novella)
Reticence (Custard Protocol Book 4)
More Claw & Courtship novellas possibly set before/during, or after Reticence.
Make sense?
No it doesn’t. But then again the fricken sizes of books makes no sense to me, why shouldn’t I pass along the pain?
Meanwhile over on 20 Minute Delay I tell a HORROR story about a Lyft experience and Piper and I go deep on how we get around on the ground, from Public Transport to the gig economy to Car Rentals.
Secondary Travel; How to get around Once you’ve arrived at your destination”
We also get into extended stay suites, how to stay safe while using ride-share services, stopping for cannolis in New York, and tracking progress when someone else drives. Piper talks about choosing between rental cars and ride-shares, positive car-service experiences and rental car apps. Listen to the podcast on our:
Competenceby Gail Carriger is the third in the Custard Protocol series featuring Primrose, Rue, and all their crazy friends..
Accidentally abandoned!
All alone in Singapore, proper Miss Primrose Tunstell must steal helium to save her airship, the Spotted Custard, in a scheme involving a lovesick werecat and a fake fish tail.
GAIL’S DAILY DOSE
Your Moment of Parasol . . .
Ensemble 1913 The Philadelphia Museum of Art _ OMG that dress!
Status: Developmental edit (third draft).
Contemporary m/m paranormal romance between a snarky mage and a gruff werewolf. Hella raunchy. Super dirty. Very very fun. Spin off of Marine Biology.
“Imprudence doesn’t, thankfully, read like a travelogue but there’s enough description to give a sense of place to each stop on the trek. This isn’t just the old time sets we’ve seen in movies, after all, this is a steampunk world of dirigibles and supernatural creatures.”
“I’m practically giddy writing about how much I loved the humor in this book. Imprudence just sparkles with wit throughout its pages, even in the midst of battle. Yes, battle!”
“All my favorite elements were still there, namely the preposterous humor and the main character’s unique brand of eccentricity which kept the story interesting. I love The Spotted Custard and all the people on board who have become Rue’s family, and I can’t get enough of her and her friends’ antics.”
“There was more romance in this book and we get to see so many more of the old characters, even some I wasn’t expecting and that was awesome. I’m really looking forward to seeing what the rest of the series has to offer.”
In other news, this fun video clip just came across my radar. It’s from Gaslight Gathering last year. For those who doubted either my dancing or my corset wearing abilities, here is a bit of both. The corset is a custom from Dark Garden.
That big fat grin on may face? Only happens when dancing.
{Gail’s monthly read along for Feb 2017 is Black Dog Blues by Rhys Ford.}
As a trade association representing more than 10,000 writers of romance fiction worldwide, Romance Writers of America (RWA) is deeply disappointed by the decision of the New York Times to change its best-seller criteria.
Romance authors, most of them women, have dominated the best-seller lists in mass market and e-books for years. To dismiss these authors and the millions of readers who buy their books is to ignore what “bestseller” truly means. Each year, consumers buy more than $1.3 billion worth of romance fiction. If the New York Times eliminates the mass market and e-book lists, they are proving that they are out of touch with what consumers actually buy. Further, the dismissal of two formats dominated by women can’t help but feel sexist.
RWA strongly urges the Times to reconsider its decision.
Book News:
Fan Art Ivy
Quote of the Day:
“My experience is that as soon as people are old enough to know better, they don’t know anything at all.”
I’m planning another Facebook Live, to say hello and chat on the release of Imprudence in trade. That will be next Tuesday, Feb 7, at 1pm Pacific time on my Facebook Author Page.
I know it’s not an ideal time for many of you but due to a conflagration of events, that’s when I can spare the hour. As always, I’m happy to answer any questions you may have. We must keep our fingers crossed that the office internet is up and running. Although, frankly, these days anything is better than the home net.
Story of living in the Bay Area, internet invariably sucks. The place of all things silicon related… except decent wireless.
Chirrup News Ketchup
For those of you who missed this month’s Chirrup (my newsletter) I talked about some fun stuff. Including but not limited to: becoming a workaholic loony slob, writers in their native environment, what I’m writing about in Competence the 3rd Custard Protocolbook (add it on Goodreads), and much more.
Audiobook News
In other news Romancing the Inventor audiobook seems to be doing well. Hard to tell so far, it’s a bit early, but thank you to everyone who has bought and downloaded. As ever, your reviews are very much appreciated, particularly on iTunes.
Romancing the Inventor Audiobook
{Gail’s monthly read along for Feb is Black Dog Blues by Rhys Ford.}
Alexandria 1882 landscape rebellion, personal collection
From Wikipedia: “Isma’il was succeeded by his eldest son Tewfik, who, unlike his younger brothers, had not been educated in Europe. Tewfik pursued a policy of closer relations with Britain and France but his authority was undermined in a rebellion led by his war minister, Arabi Pasha, in 1882. Arabi took advantage of violent riots in Alexandria to seize control of the government and temporarily depose Tewfik.”
Alexandria 1882, personal collection
“British naval forces shelled and captured Alexandria, and an expeditionary force under General Sir Garnet Wolseley was formed in England. The British army landed in Egypt soon afterwards, and defeated Arabi’s army in the Battle of Tel el-Kebir. Arabi was tried for treason and sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted to exile. After the revolt, the Egyptian army was reorganized on a British model and commanded by British officers.”
Victorians leaving Alexandria by steam ship, 1882, personal collection
Timeless
In Timeless, Alexia visits Alexandria, in April of 1876 when things are comparatively calm.
The eagle eye will notice that the background for the US cover is actually Cairo, where Alexia never goes in the book. Although I think I added a mention of her stopping over, just to explain away the cover. I’ve no idea what city is depicted in the background of the second omnibus.
Alexandria is all the way off to the left in this image. Cairo is the bottom tip.
Imprudence
Rue visits my version of steampunk Egypt in October of 1895 during the reign of Tewfik’s son, Abbas II.
Sudanese territory has been lost (as the British would think of it) to an Islamic state.
Shortly after Rue leaves in 1896 (Abbas II), a massive Anglo-Egyptian force, under “General Herbert Kitchener, began the reconquest of the Sudan.[12] The Mahdists were defeated in the battles of Abu Hamid and Atbara. The campaign was concluded with the Anglo-Egyptian victory of Omdurman, the Mahdist capital.”
At first I was going to take Rue back to Alexandria, partly so I could use Alexia to discuss how the city has changed in the past 20 years. But in Timeless I mention that Lord Maccon purchased property in Cairo for their retirement, well within the plague zone. So I switched Rue’s location to Cairo. Lost a bit of writing time there since I’d already done 2K on Alexandria in a new more steampunky form, but it worked much better for the plot line to be in Cairo, anyway.
I scrabbled about for any further Victorian perspectives on Cairo or the rest of Egypt between 1883 ~ 1895. But there appears to be no major issues of civil unrest and in this the British press seems akin to their modern counterparts, which is to say, not particularly interested if there is no blood involved.
I didn’t spend a great deal of time on it as, quite frankly, Rue doesn’t spend a great deal of time in the city. Although I hope you will notice I steampunked Cairo up especially as compared to Alexandria in Timeless. The march of technological advancement is strong with this one.
* second largest city in Egypt
* typical Mediterranean climate: extremely warm/humid days in summer, breezy and cool in the evenings, winter is chilly with rain and hail not uncommon, spring and autumn are best weather.
Today Imprudence, my latest novel and the second in the Custard Protocol series released into the world.
Thus, I am off on tour. I will try to check in online when I can, but I will be mostly on the move for the next two weeks! Please do come out and see me if you can, I love meeting people, and I don’t bite, I swear. Well, unless you happen to look exactly like treacle tart.
July 22, 4 pm | Comic-Con International Imprudence book tour stop #4A. Facebook event. Gail will be at SDCC signing at 4 pm at the Orbit booth #1116 in exhibitor hall.
Romancing the Inventor ~ A Supernatural Society Novella Status: Developmental edit. Cover reveal and release date to come.
LBGT romance featuring a parlormaid bent on seducing a certain cross-dressing inventor who is too brokenhearted to notice. Or is she?
Romancing the Werewolf ~ A Supernatural Society Novella Status: Outline.
LBGT reunion romance featuring your favorite reluctant werewolf dandy, the return of a certain quietly efficient Beta, and a very unexpected gift.
Dual Reads says of Imprudence:
“Surprisingly, my favourite thing about this series (aside from the humour which is spot on) is actually Prim and Rue’s friendship. They are such a supportive pair and their conversations, when casual, are hilarious and when serious are just perfect and everything a friendship should be.”
Curiosity Killed the Bookworm says of Imprudence:
“Whilst it took a while to get into the first Custard Protocol book, I fell straight into Imprudence and I warmed so much more to the characters.”
“Our Homes in 1883 estimated that the average person needed 22 gallons of water a day, divided up as:
Domestic usage, excluding laundry 9 gallons
WCs 5 gallons
Baths, one a week 5 gallons
Washing clothes 3 gallons”
~ The Victorian House by Judith Flanders
(According to USGS.gov the average water use per person per day in the US is 80-100 gallons.)
“Milk is the great difficulty in travelling tea-making. It cannot always be easily obtained, and milk carried about with one in a bottle does not long retain its freshness in hot weather. Some people do not object to the condensed or Swiss milk one buys in small tins. It has the advantage of being extremely portable, but I must confess, personally, to finding its effect detestable in tea or coffee.”
You may be a big fan of my books, Gentle Reader, or you my be a new reader (waves).
In either case here are a few exciting for-the-fans special things to look out for in Imprudence.
Spot the Following?
French lessons.
The unbirth of a particularly important ghost.
More about Alessandro Tarabotti’s sordid past.
Lord Akeldama’s real name.
Yeah. So there!
Want more behind the scenes sneak peeks? Join the Chirrup
Imprudence ~ Custard Protocol Book the Second
Rue and the crew of the Spotted Custard return from India with revelations that shake the foundations of England’s scientific community. Queen Victoria is not amused, the vampires are tetchy, and something is wrong with the local werewolf pack. To top it all off, Rue’s best friend Primrose keeps getting engaged to the most unacceptable military types.
Rue has family problems as well. Her vampire father is angry, her werewolf father is crazy, and her obstreperous mother is both. Worst of all, Rue’s beginning to suspect what they really are… is frightened.
Hello, Gentle Reader, below I answer some frequently asked questions about Imprudence.
Will we get the Audiobook at the same time as the print and ebook?
Did you get it at the same time for Prudence? If yes, then mostly likely yes for Imprudence. If no (waves at the UK) then you are stuck waiting just like last time. I’m given to understand that this is an Audible UK issue.
Will the book/ebook/audiobook release at the same time in the UK, Aus, or other English Language Territory?
Freaked out by the yellow cover, were you? Rest assured I intend to write more Custard Protocol. Right now I have two more books planned and there is a possibility of one or two after that. However, you will not be getting one next year, 2017. I took a break this year to deal with family, medical, and business stuff which means there is nothing in production for next year. Thus CP3 will have a 2018 release.
Is the Custard Protocol series adult or YA?
Adult. New Adult if you must.
Look, I know some bookstores keep putting Custard Protocol books in YA (if you are at your favorite indie looking for it, try that section) but while Prudence may have passed I doubt Imprudence will. All I have to say to bookstores and libraries is: if you don’t mind your teens getting a SERIOUS education then by all means, shelve it in YA. But you might want to put it into the right section with this book. The gloves, literally and figuratively, are most certainly off!
Can I get a signed copy?
Yes. Here are your options:
You can come meet me on tour and I will sign and dedicate anything you like (including biceps, teapots, and parasols).
Basically, you can usually order ANY of my books signed from Borderlands, they will ship overseas. They are my local indie and we have a relationship. 888.893.4008 or email ([email protected]) If you call before Weds 07/13 I can also personalize it for you.
Will we see Custard Protocol characters in your novellas?
Not as such.
The inevitable: What about Lyall & Biffy?
OK. So the second Supernatural Society Novella will deal with both them and the doings in London afterImprudence. It’s one of the reasons I’ve been holding off on that novella, Imprudence has to release first and you all need to be caught up. It’s not yet written so I make no promises on a release date, and that’s why it’s not up on the website. But I intend to try to write it when I get back from tour.
What are you working on right now?
An utterly ridiculous, totally raunchy, passion project that is so off brand I’m not sure it will ever see the light of day. If it does, it’ll come with hella warnings, a super sexy cover, and likely a G. Carriger by line. (Yeah, I busted out hella.) If I finish it, I’m most likely to poll the newsletter regarding its fate. So pay attention to the Chirrup if you’re intrigued. But for now, I’m keeping a tight lid on this one. It’s… risky, and filthy, and adorable. But oh my god so much fun!
Soon as I’m back from tour, I switch to the Biffy Lyall reunion. Gotta do some reading first. Of my own books. I know, right? Bah!
And here’s some other stuff I can’t really talk about much here in this blog, but which people may want to read about:
Rue and the crew of the Spotted Custard return from India with revelations that shake the foundations of England’s scientific community. Queen Victoria is not amused, the vampires are tetchy, and something is wrong with the local werewolf pack. To top it all off, Rue’s best friend Primrose keeps getting engaged to the most unacceptable military types.
Rue has family problems as well. Her vampire father is angry, her werewolf father is crazy, and her obstreperous mother is both. Worst of all, Rue’s beginning to suspect what they really are… is frightened.
GAIL’S DAILY DOSE
Your Moment of Parasol . . .
Walking dress, 1878-80, Naples, Italy. via shewhoworshipscarlin Walking dress in two pieces (jacket and skirt) in gros effect violet taffetas, Sartoria Madame Grazini, Naples, 1878-1880 ca.
Primrose is particularly good at her job of ship’s purser (and chief of supplies) aboard the Spotted Custard.
One of Primrose’s jobs consists of stocking the medicine cabinet on board the Spotted Custard. Alexia in the Parasol Protectorate series is rather infamous for insisting that either vinegar or bicarbonate of soda could solve all of life’s ills, however her daughter is a bit more (shall we say) prudent on these matters.
Via the Smithsonian’s Pinterest Board
I’ve listed the items as the Victorians might have. [In brackets is the use or perceived use and/or more modern term.] I hope it goes without saying that this is in no way a suggested medical selection for modern times. However, this is the internet, so I’m saying it.
A Household Medicine Cabinet 1870s ~ 1900
Powdered ipecacuanha [induce vomiting]
Purgative powder [laxative]
Sulphate of quinine [malaria treatment]
Chlorodyne [chloroform and morphine tincture] & laudanum [opiate in alcohol, often sherry]
Now don’t even get me started on Victorian cosmetics.
Advertisement for Fould’s arsenic complexion wafers by H B Fould in New York, 1901. (Photo by Jay Paull_Getty Images)
{Gail’s monthly read along for July 2016 is Poison or Protect by Gail Carriger.}
Imprudence ~ Custard Protocol Book the Second
Rue and the crew of the Spotted Custard return from India with revelations that shake the foundations of England’s scientific community. Queen Victoria is not amused, the vampires are tetchy, and something is wrong with the local werewolf pack. To top it all off, Rue’s best friend Primrose keeps getting engaged to the most unacceptable military types.
Rue has family problems as well. Her vampire father is angry, her werewolf father is crazy, and her obstreperous mother is both. Worst of all, Rue’s beginning to suspect what they really are… is frightened.
GAIL’S DAILY DOSE
Your Moment of Parasol . . .
1895 via @AngelaKCouch Twitter Parasol, design c.1895-1900
One of the best things about being an author, Gentle Reader, is all the odd things I end up having to look up.
Here’s a non-spoiler window into some of the things I had to research, investigate, or cogitate while working on Imprudence, as well as a few writer-beast revelations.
Book People Imprudence Display
Weird Goings On
Mid 1850’s Fern Fad:
“Women collected and classified ferns, the cultivated and bred ferns, the made outdoor ferneries, the dried, pressed, mounted and framed ferns. They made splatter pictures of them.”
Quarrel is a wonderful word, and seemingly quite British sounding.
Queen Victoria had some pretty kicking mourning gowns after Albert died. But she doesn’t seem to be particularly fond of the normally ubiquitous crape. Perhaps she wore it early on and then went towards light mourning, keeping with black silks and velvets but trimming in lace and fringe and such? Anyway, this lead me down a mourning dress rabbit hole.
Introducing: Rue’s best day dress. Since the second book is set in October 1895 the dress is ahead of its time, but you know me, I am weak in the face of polka dots.
1897-1898 The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Incidentally, I keep track of Rue & Prim’s various dresses by storing the images by chapter for each book. (When I am using actual historic pictures.) Otherwise outfits are concocted based on descriptions out of the big blue book of Victorian dress AKA English Women’s Clothing in the Nineteenth Century: A Comprehensive Guide. I use this book so much that, having noticed it is also available as an ebook, I bought it again, so as to have it with me when on the move. I’m a sucker.
Games for Spoo & Virgil
blind-man’s-buff
hide-and-seak
puss in the corner
tick-tack-to
leap-frog
The discovery of oxygen. I think there is a word for when multiple scientists discover the same important thing at (basically) the same time in disconnected locals (Kuhn would mutter something about dominant paradigms and the structure of scientific revolutions but that’s neither here nor there, unless you’re an entomologist, in which case it’s both) but I can’t remember what that word is.
On the horrid atmosphere in Victorian London. R. John Simon, London’s first medical officer, noted in Paris the
“transparance of air, the comparative brightness of all colour, the visibility of distant objects, the cleanliness of faces and buildings, instead of our opaque atmosphere, deadened colours, obscured distance, smutted faces and black architecture.”
Red Currant Clafoutis ~ right look and feel with the red currents gloating in the custard, spotted & custard and red like the ladybug balloon. But perhaps not British sounding enough? Then again Rue is an explorer and world traveler.
Eccles Cake + Custard ~ very British name, just confusing enough to be exotic to American readers, Rue does adore puff pastry, but the currents are not really floating in a spotty manner, and the custard is in sauce form, more as Americans would think of pudding.
Spotted Dick ~ later on in history than Rue, this boiled/steamed pudding is associated with schoolboys, perhaps a little crass in terminology even for our intrepid heroine, however sounds like an STD, also not a custard but served with a custard sauce.
GAIL’S DAILY DOSE
Your Moment of Parasol . . .
Toilettes for Summer May 1898 Delineator Canadian Museum of History
Book News: Sam Wachter of Cherry Blossoms and Maple Syrup says: “Prudence was totally worth waiting for, given all the hiccups before its release. It’s as sassy as the Parasol Protectorate series, but still has it’s own distinctive voice and sense of humour.”
Quote of the Day:
“She looked as if she had been poured into her clothes and had forgotten to say “when”. ”
