Tagged Special Extras

Lovely Finishing School Group Cosplay by Natalie Gerber’s Sewing Class (Special Extras)

Posted by Gail Carriger

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I have made no bones over the fact, Gentle Reader, that I love cosplay.
I may have a contentions relationship with some other expressions of fan love, but never cospay.
I come out of cosplaying extensively as a girl. I enjoy the idea of putting a personal visual spin on characters without risk of trademark infringement, merely out of love.
I relish seeing the creativity, and I generally try to get photographs with people cosplaying my character should I meet them in person.

Group Finishing School Teachers Cosplay (photo by Talon Squires)

However, I rarely have the bandwidth to do dedicated blog posts here on the subject. This time is a bit different.
Natalie contacted me to tell me she was running a course with a group of young scholars (ages 14-18 various skill levels) on cosplay and they were doing my book. I was delighted. She also gave me permission to post about it so here we are!
Students were each given a copy of Etiquette & Espionage. They discussed the book, setting, and impact of social expectations (now and in the past). They had a lesson on Victorian fashions and steampunk. Then they each chose their favorite character and worked on character development and design sketches.
They used thrift stores, home depot and craft stores (lots of re-purposed tablecloths and sheets).
These amazing students did these outfits in seven days (or less). On the last day, the went for tea and a photo shoot.

Here’s Some Costumes in Detail

Teachers

MADEMOISELLE GERALDINE

Meme Geraldine Cosplay (photo by Talon Squires)

  • Is portrayed by the amazing teacher of this course, the lovely Natalie, who relayed to me all the images and the stories from behind the sewings!
  • One of the students challenged her to make a costume too. It was made in three days with student help.
  • The hat holds makeup brushes, a fork, spoon, and eyelash curler.

PROFESSOR BRAITHWOPE

Professor Braithwope Cosplay photo by Natlie Gerber

  • Based design off a line in E&E that mentions a crimson top hat.
  • Sewed the trousers from scratch!

PROFESSOR LEFOUX

Professor Lefoux Cosplay (photo by Robert Yeritsyan) 

  • Coat made from scratch!
  • Carries all the keys to the school on belt.

LADY LINETTE

Lady Linette Cosplay (photo by Robert Yeritsyan)

  • The corset got lots of love proving that there may be a little of Lord Akeldama in all of us.
  • Not pictured is “The Tassel Mobile” a scooter covered top to bottom in upholstery tassels.

Neither Teacher nor Student

PICKLEMAN

Vieve & Pickleman Cosplay (photo by Robert Yeritsyan)

  • The Pickleman’s hat was made using cardboard and fabric
  • Non-canon creative embellishment: The green epaulettes signify rank. Four loops means very high up.

VIEVE

Vieve Cosplay (photo by Talon Squires)

  • Coat and inside of the hat are filled with various tools.
  • Made an obstructor as well!

SOAP

Soap Cosplay (photo by Talon Squires)

  • There wasn’t a student in the class of African descent, but this young man is Korean and related to Soap.
  • Has a bag on his hip with a bottle of soap in it.

Natalie reported:

“When we arrived at tea, he sat by the fire place and would not move until invited to sit by Mademoiselle Geraldine herself. He also kept pocketing sandwiches and scones.”

Which just about broke my heart.

Students

MONIQUE

Monique Cosplay (photo by Talon Squires)

  • The skirt is hand-tufted and the burgundy lace is a subtle nod to vampire ties.
  • Non-canon creative embellishment: Epaulette is one only allowed to older girls, when she was demoted, her’s was removed. She stole it back and reattached (which is why it looks a little tattered).

PRESHEA

Preshea Cosplay (photo by Talon Squires)

  • The crinoline has 50 yards of tulle in it.
  • Bodice and skirt are hand-painted!

SIDHEAG

Sidheag Cosplay (photo by Talon Squires)

  • Has several silver details, in case one of the uncles loses control.
  • The epaulettes hide three wooden spikes.

SOPHRONIA

  • Made one dress out of two because Sophronia was always making over her sister’s dresses.
  • Straps down the front of the skirt can buckle and shorted it for climbing.

DIMITY

Dimity Cosplay (photo by Talon Squires)

  • Wanted to embrace a bold color palette.
  • Hat is affectionately called “The Panty Hat.” (Ordered a corset that wasn’t used. It arrived with a matching thong. The group had a lot of laughs about how Dmity would feel about having a thong. Ultimately, it got made it into a hat and some of the lace also went on the glasses

I have to say this last made me giggle. We used to do something called “iron chef cosplay” at conventions. It was usually:

Gail’s chums make a hat out of anything on this table (in the hotel room) using a hot glue gun, because Gail was an idiot and forgot her hat… again.


This tiny admirals hat was made using a BayCon program, a paper cup, a stapler, scraps of fabric, undies, a badge, and a hot glue gun. Over 25 years ago. It’s still in good working condition.

Gentle Reader, I do hope you enjoyed this particular post. I must say the ingenuity, enthusiasm, and skill of these students made me well up. And perhaps it was partly nostalgia for my early fangirl cosplay days.
I was about his age when I started. I wrote a book about students this age. And now students of that age are cosplaying my characters. It’s all very meta.
And rather wonderful.
I don’t know about you, Gentle Reader, but this kind of thing gives me hope.
Yours in sentiment,
Miss Gail
P.S. If you’re interested in more cosplay my characters, there is both an extensive wikia entry gallery and a Pinterest board.
  • Did you want more behind the scenes info? This stuff goes to my Chirrup members, because I love them bestest. Sign up here.
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OUT NOW!

The Omega Objection San Andreas Shifters

Amazon | Kobo | B&N | iBooks
Direct from Gail

Can a gentle giant with a trampled heart
show a man who’s been running all his life that
sometimes there are monsters worth running towards?

UPCOMING SCRIBBLES

  • The 5th Gender (a Tinkered Stars sci-fi as G. L. Carriger).
  • Reticence, The 4th and final Custard Protocol book. August 6, 2019
  • Secret Project Ommm, October 2019 to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Soulless.
  • Need to know what Gail is writing right now? That’s in the Chirrup.

GAIL’S DAILY DOSE

Your Infusion of Cute . . .

PRIDE & PREJUDICE Covers Roundup

Your Tisane of Smart . . .

28 Of The Best Jobs for Book Lovers of All Shapes and Sizes

Your Writerly Tinctures . . .  

Top Ten Peeves of creative writing teachers

Book News:

Finishing School Fan Art by Willa

Quote of the Day:

Dressing Sophronia from the Corset Up (Finishing School Special Extras)

Posted by Gail Carriger

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Good day Fashionable Reader,

Today I’m posting all about what Sophronia was wearing under all those floofy dresses I describe in the Finishing School series. These books take place in the 1850s before the crinoline so the underpinnings are rather interesting.

For those of us who are obsessed with such things.

I hope you enjoy this, I had a lot of fun pulling it together.

A dress like this, worn as a daytime garment for classes:

1850s Ensemble  Nordiska Museet

 

Sophronia might also carry:

1850s Parasol  The Metropolitan Museum of Art

 

Or perhaps…

1867 Fan Souvenir de l’exposition universelle

Her first layer under that outfit:

Under the dress above, she’d be wearing something like this:

Accessory Set 1850s  The Metropolitan Museum of Art: a lace tuck or collar, and sleeve extensions.
Corset Cover  1864-1868  The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Stocking  1860  Les Arts Décoratifs
Shoes  1854-1860  The Metropolitan Museum of Art

There would also be gloves, of course.

The next Layer under that:

Underneath those we have…

 Corset  Roxy Ann Caplin, 1851  The Museum of London

1855-1865  The Metropolitan Museum of Art

 

Likely there would also be something like split drawers, but I couldn’t find a good image from this particular time period.

Note that there is no cage crinoline, it is introduced to England after the Finishing School series.

Similar foundation garments might go under Sophronia’s transformation gown.

The Transformation Gown

If she were going out visiting and paying calls she would wear this:

Robe à Transformation  1855  The Metropolitan Museum of Art2

 

With these over it:

Accessory Set  1850s  The Metropolitan Museum of Art

 

And for an evening ball, this version of the dress…

1855 Robe à Transformation  1855  The Metropolitan Museum of Art

 

With these in her hair:

1850 Headdress & Bouquet  Mid 19th Century   MFA

 

And this to ward off the chill:

Cape  1855  The Metropolitan Museum of Art

 

This post originally appeared on Retro Rack.

Yours in perpetual transformation,

Miss Gail

  • Want more sneak peeks, free goodies, gossip, behind the scenes info? This stuff goes to my Chirrup members, because I love them bestest. Sign up here.
  • Not into newsletters? Get only new releases by following Gail on Amazon or BookBub!

OUT NOW!

The Omega Objection San Andreas Shifters

Amazon | Kobo | B&N | iBooks
Direct from Gail

Can a gentle giant with a trampled heart
show a man who’s been running all his life that
sometimes there are monsters worth running towards?

UPCOMING SCRIBBLES

  • The 5th Gender (a Tinkered Stars sci-fi as G. L. Carriger).
  • Reticence, The 4th and final Custard Protocol book. August 6, 2019
  • Secret Project Ommm, October 2019 to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Soulless.
  • Need to know what Gail is writing right now? That’s in the Chirrup.

GAIL’S DAILY DOSE

Your Infusion of Cute . . .

Your Tisane of Smart . . .

Jane Austen’s Subtly Subversive Linguistics

Your Writerly Tinctures . . .  

10 Reasons Book Reviews Still Matter

Book News: 

Creating a Fantasy Map

Quote of the Day:

 

Your Moment of Gail

 

“I suspect it may be like the difference between a drinker and an alcoholic; the one merely reads books, the other needs books to make it through the day.”

(Interview with The Booklovers blog, September 2010)” ~ Gail Carriger

Questions about Gail’s Parasolverse? Wiki that sheez!

Waistcoats & Weaponry Breaking Down the Cover ~ Sophronia’s Fan (Special Extras)

Posted by Gail Carriger

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On the cover of Waistcoats & Weaponry, Gentle Reader, Sophronia is holding a fan.

I don’t interfere much with my cover art often or I try not too. I think Little Brown did a great job.

But for Waistcoats & Weaponry I really pushed the fan. I mean it’s key to the plot and Sophronia’s favorite.

I even went so far as to mail my fan to New York so it could be a prop in the photo shoot. I cannot tell you how delighted I am that they used it.

 Here I am with the actual fan at Anomaly Con a few years ago, sporting the fan.

You can see how they added in the blades with PhotoShop to Sophronia’s version? After all she is deadly and I’d never get a bladed fan through TSA.

Mine if from Brute Force Studios. (There is also a black version!)

Hooray! Love the fans.

Godeys Sept 1872 Fan
1900 Folding Fan  China, early 20th century  The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

 

Do you want more on Sophronia and fans?

Yours in Fannish Glory,

Miss Gail

This post originally appeared in Retro Rack.

  • Want more sneak peeks, free goodies, gossip, behind the scenes info? This stuff goes to my Chirrup members, because I love them bestest. Sign up here.
  • Not into newsletters? Get only new releases by following Gail on Amazon or BookBub!

OUT NOW!

The Omega Objection San Andreas Shifters

Amazon | Kobo | B&N | iBooks
Direct from Gail

Can a gentle giant with a trampled heart
show a man who’s been running all his life that
sometimes there are monsters worth running towards?

UPCOMING SCRIBBLES

  • The 5th Gender (a Tinkered Stars sci-fi as G. L. Carriger).
  • Reticence, The 4th and final Custard Protocol book. August 6, 2019
  • Secret Project Ommm, October 2019 to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Soulless.
  • Need to know what Gail is writing right now? That’s in the Chirrup.

GAIL’S DAILY DOSE

Your Infusion of Cute . . .

Your Tisane of Smart . . .

Your Writerly Tinctures . . .  

Abbreviations We Use All The Time But Don’t Know The Meaning

Book News:

Your Moment of Gail

 

“I suspect it may be like the difference between a drinker and an alcoholic; the one merely reads books, the other needs books to make it through the day.”

(Interview with The Booklovers blog, September 2010)” ~ Gail Carriger

 

Questions about Gail’s Parasolverse? Wiki that sheez!

 

The Great Parasolverse Read Along ~ Waistcoats & Weaponry DVD Extras (Finishing School Special)

Posted by Gail Carriger

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The Great Parasolverse read along continues with Waistcoats & Weaponry the third Finishing School book…

2/4-2/17

Waistcoats & Weaponry 

released in November of 2014

Here are some fun blog posts and resources that tie to this book. I’m including research I did, plus chattering on the subject of designing the dress and bladed fan on the cover.

Blurb:

Sophronia, her best friend Dimity, sweet sootie Soap, and the charming Lord Felix Mersey hijack a suspiciously empty train to return their chum Sidheag to her werewolf pack in Scotland.

Waistcoats & Weaponry was a New York Times bestseller, long list nominee for the Teen Choice Book award (2014), nominated for a Locus award (2015), was one of Amazon’s “most anticipated” Fall Release in Science Fiction & Fantasy (2015), received a top honor on the YALSA Amazing Audiobooks List (2016), and won the Steampunk Chronicle’s Reader’s Choice Award (2015).

Writing Waistcoats & Weaponry

W&W was originally titled Deportment & Deceit, but my publisher decided they didn’t like that title. I’m not sure why. Possibly too long a first word? Wouldn’t type set nicely? Too hard for American audiences?

So we changed it. I very rarely fuss about such things.

Speaking of Titles

Every title in this series is made up of alliterative two words the first of which should call to mind something Victorian and mannerly (Etiquette, Curtsies, Deportment –> Waistcoats, Manners).

You can see how with that restriction, Waistcoats doesn’t quite fit (it’s an article of clothing but nothing really to do with polite society). However, it is apt to this book, as this is the one mostly centered on the boys. Or caused by boy issues.

The second word in the titles should be something spy or secretive (Espionage, Conspiracies, Deceit –> Weaponry, Mutiny).

Another fun cover tidbit, did you notice the model changed?

Yeah the second two books in the series have a different cover model.

I helped pick them both, actually. But the second one looks a bit more like I imagined Sophronia, although I genuinely like them both.

Few people seemed to notice or complain. In fact, I got more complaints about Donna changing during the course of the Parasol series, when, in fact that really is EXACTLY the same model on all five books.

Back to Waistcoats & Weaponry

I happen to be a particularly huge fan of this cover. Probably because I had the most influence over it. That’s MY FAN she’s holding, I asked for her hair to be up, for her dress be exactly as described in the book, and they listened!

Also I love love love the color. I’m a huge fan of greens and teals. So good.

You seem to agree with me as this is the most popular cover, by fan vote, in the FS series. Although I haven’t run this poll since the illustrated edition of Soulless, the most recent Custard Protocol books, or the novellas.

Perhaps we will do another cover vote sometime.

Things Pertaining to This Book

Here’s the sketch I did for Sophronia Masquerade dress that ends upon the cover of the book. I was very into Ombre at the time. You can take a Peek at Sophronia’s Dress Design Process over on Retro Rack.

Waistcoats & Weaponry partly came by its name because it is the book that deals with the boys and their histories, quandaries, and mistakes.

Or some boys.

Or the boy thread is key to the plot.

Because I get asked quite a bit, and they all never really appear in any of the books here the the list of Sophronia’s and her siblings:

Just a reminder there is merch for this series! Including this Team Soap shirt (which works on so many levels)… All the t-shirts in my merch shop can be changed in size, color, and shirt shape. So yes, you can get this of a man, or in blue, or as a hoodie, or…

Some more fashion for this book…

In Other News!

Recently I met a Picklewoman with a Bumbersnoot in Seattle…

I got very excited by the Bumbersnoot!

I do hope you enjoy Waistcoats & Weaponry! 

Yours in ombre,

Miss Gail

  • Want more sneak peeks, free goodies, gossip, behind the scenes info? This stuff goes to my Chirrup members, because I love them bestest. Sign up here.
  • Not into newsletters? Get only new releases by following Gail on Amazon or BookBub!

OUT NOW!

The Omega Objection San Andreas Shifters

Amazon | Kobo | B&N | iBooks
Direct from Gail

Can a gentle giant with a trampled heart
show a man who’s been running all his life that
sometimes there are monsters worth running towards?

UPCOMING SCRIBBLES

  • The 5th Gender (a Tinkered Stars sci-fi as G. L. Carriger).
  • Reticence, The 4th and final Custard Protocol book. August 6, 2019
  • Secret Project Ommm, October 2019 to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Soulless.
  • Need to know what Gail is writing right now? That’s in the Chirrup.

GAIL’S DAILY DOSE

Your Infusion of Cute . . .

Preshea & Monique in an 1850s fashion plate

Your Tisane of Smart . . .

Your Writerly Tinctures . . .  

Knowing Right and Wrong — Fun with Copyright

Book News:

Right now my store is having a 40% off t-shirts sale with Promo Code: ZFEBLOVEZAZZ You can customize the color, size, and style of any shirt in my shop. (Of course you can, whatcha take me for?)

Quote of the Day:

Questions about Gail’s Parasolverse? Wiki that sheez!

Curtsies & Conspiracies DVD Extras (Finishing School Special)

Posted by Gail Carriger

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Curtsies & Conspiracies released in

November of 2013

Here are some fun blog posts and resources that tie to this book. Research I did, chattering and amusement on the subject of brain farts and other issues.

A conspiracy is afoot – one with dire implications for both supernaturals and humans.

Curtsies & Conspiracies was a New York Times Bestseller and received a top honor on the YALSA Amazing Audiobooks List (2015). 

This book got the highest I have ever been in one of the main NYT lists (only the manga has gone higher) and that was in hard cover children’s at #5. It released the same year as Etiquette & Espionage.

“Carriger’s second steampunk adventures exceeds the first…the fun, again, is in watching ever-practical Sophronia sneak and scheme her way into sometimes dangerous, sometimes riotously funny, situations…. We repeat: This witty, light-hearted series is not to be missed.”

~ Booklist, starred review

Writing Curtsies & Conspiracies

I ended up having to do a brain map of all the conspiracies in this book.

This is not normally how I work.

Until I had Scrivener in my life I tended to work with 3×5 cards (see Waistcoats & Weaponry entry coming up).

As an aside the original order of the books was also going to be alphabetical by title, which meant this one would have been the first book.

  1. Curtsies & Conspiracies
  2. Deportment & Deceit
  3. Etiquette & Espionage
  4. Manners & Mutiny 

I wanted to do this so I could keep them straight in my head because I was having problems with The Parasol Protectorate. (Now I picture the cover of each PP book and so know the setting, and thus remember which book is which.)

However, when I pitched the series they decided right away they wanted Etiquette & Espionage to be the first book. Not sure why.

They also embossed the cover of E&E and C&C but not the other two in this series. $ concerns, I’m pretty sure.

Things Pertaining to This Book

Research and Other Fun Behind the Scenes Tidbits

It was this book that spawned the music video! I blog all about it including how it came into existence, my suspicions as to its effectiveness, behind the scenes photos of the models and actors, and THE LYRICS.

Chapter by Chapter says,

“Curtsies & Conspiracies was everything I expected it to be: Just like the novel that came before it but better. Way better.” 

I hope you enjoy this second installment in the Finishing School series. It was bear to write, that’s for certain, but it all came out good in the end.

Or did it?

Yours in infamy,

Miss Gail

  • Did you want more behind the scenes info? This stuff goes to my Chirrup members, because I love them bestest. Sign up here.
  • Not into newsletters? Get only new releases by following Gail on Amazon or BookBub!

OUT NOW!

The Omega Objection San Andreas Shifters

Amazon | Kobo | B&N | iBooks
Direct from Gail

Love Bytes says:

“The pages just flew by as I go deeper and deeper into the plot, and stopping was very much out of the question once things started to get going. These werewolves could have been very boring (I mean, what is this, the 800th werewolf book I’ve read?) but I loved Carriger’s various takes on the shifters and their culture. It was not exactly all new, but it was just different enough to make me always want to know just that little bit more about them. I think that readers who enjoyed this series so far and going to end up really liking this one, and if they are anything like me, they are going to be clamoring for the next book.”

UPCOMING SCRIBBLES

  • The 5th Gender (a Tinkered Stars sci-fi as G. L. Carriger). No links as yet…
  • Reticence, The 4th and final Custard Protocol book. August 6, 2019
  • Secret Project Ommm, October 2019 to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Soulless.
  • Need to know what Gail is writing right now? That’s in the Chirrup.

GAIL’S DAILY DOSE

Your Infusion of Cute . . .

Your Tisane of Smart . . .

Getting Dressed for a Dickensian Christmas (1853)

Your Writerly Tinctures . . .  

People Who Constantly Point Out Grammar Mistakes Are Pretty Much Jerks, Scientists Find

Book News:

Quote of the Day:

“Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There’s plenty of movement, but you never know if it’s going to be forward, backwards, or sideways.”

~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Questions about Gail’s Parasolverse? Wiki that sheez!

If Etiquette & Espionage Were Illustrated by Silvana Bevilacqua (Finishing School Special Extras)

Posted by Gail Carriger

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Dearest Gentle Reader,

I am truly blessed to have some amazing fan art out there. But it’s rare for a professional artist to get inspired by my work.

 

 

You can check it out in this collection on Pinterest or on the Wikia.

 

 

When professional artist Silvana contacted me about her drawings of Etiquette & Espionage I had no idea it would be such a treat.

 

Sopronia & the tea trolley from Gail Carriger’s Etiquette & Espionage drawn by Silvana Bevilacqua

 

I was truly awed, she has a prodigious talent that reminds me of one of my favorite books. And her portrayal of Sophronia and family is such fun.

 

The mechanical from Gail Carriger’s Etiquette & Espionage drawn by Silvana Bevilacqua

 

For those of you who don’t follower her on Instagram (and why not?) here’s some of what she drew for the fist chapter of my book…

 

Eliza the main from Gail Carriger’s Etiquette & Espionage drawn by Silvana Bevilacqua

 

 

Before you ask yes I did ask my publisher if they would consider hiring her for an illustrated edition but they declined.

Sigh.

 

Monique in disguise from Gail Carriger’s Etiquette & Espionage drawn by Silvana Bevilacqua

 

Her website is here, please go check it out and if you are in the market to hire and illustrator, she is also an incredibly nice person…

 

Mrs Barnicalegoose wearing the trifle from Gail Carriger’s Etiquette & Espionage drawn by Silvana Bevilacqua

Mrs Temmineck from Gail Carriger’s Etiquette & Espionage drawn by Silvana Bevilacqua

 

Silvana’s work reminds me so much of a favorite illustrated chapter book of mine, The Ordinary Princess by MM Kaye (also illustrated by Kaye).

 

MM Kaye’s fairy

 

I do hope you enjoyed this little peek into art work with me!

Your’s in artistic failure herself,

Miss Gail

P.S. If you are in the Seattle Area come day hi on Friday!

  • Did you want sneak peeks as to what Gail is writing next? This stuff goes to my Chirrup members, because I love them bestest. Sign up here.
  • Not into newsletters? Get only new releases by following Gail on Amazon or BookBub!

OUT NOW!

The Omega Objection San Andreas Shifters

Amazon | Kobo | B&N | iBooks
Direct from Gail

Rally the Readers says:

“With The Omega Objection, the series settles into its groove quite nicely, giving Isaac and Tank plenty of time in the spotlight while still checking in with familiar faces. I’m looking forward to reading about every member of this pack; perhaps the pack could add to its numbers so the series can continue for a good long while.”

UPCOMING SCRIBBLES

  • The 5th Gender (a Tinkered Stars sci-fi as G. L. Carriger). No links as yet…
  • Reticence, The 4th and final Custard Protocol book. August 6, 2019
  • Secret Project Ommm, October 2019 to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Soulless.
  • Need to know what Gail is writing right now? That’s in the Chirrup.

GAIL’S DAILY DOSE

Your Infusion of Cute . . .

A ‘male’ octopus surprised its keepers with a cloud of 10,000 babies

Your Tisane of Smart . . .

Your Writerly Tinctures . . .  

The 7 Deadly Sins of Editors (According to Novelists)

Book News:

Quote of the Day:

“That job just wasn’t for me. I really need to work with beings who understand object permanence.”

~ Overheard in Borderlands Books, from their awesome occasional blog

Questions about Gail’s Parasolverse? Wiki that sheez!

The Teachers at Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing School (Special Extras)

Posted by Gail Carriger

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Here’s some fun behind the scene stuff from developing the teachers at Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing School…

First of all here is the lay out of the school:

You can download the full size schematic for free from this page on my website.

THE TEACHERS!

 

I hope you enjoyed this extra matter on the subject of fantastical professors in floating schools!

Yours in no-longer-professing-herself,

Miss Gail

  • Did you want more behind the scenes info? This stuff goes to my Chirrup members, because I love them bestest. Sign up here.
  • Not into newsletters? Get only new releases by following Gail on Amazon or BookBub!

OUT NOW!

The Omega Objection San Andreas Shifters

Amazon | Kobo | B&N | iBooks
Direct from Gail

Can a gentle giant with a trampled heart
show a man who’s been running all his life that
sometimes there are monsters worth running towards?

UPCOMING SCRIBBLES

  • The 5th Gender (a Tinkered Stars sci-fi as G. L. Carriger). No links as yet…
  • Reticence, The 4th and final Custard Protocol book. August 6, 2019
  • Secret Project Ommm, October 2019 to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Soulless.
  • Need to know what Gail is writing right now? That’s in the Chirrup.

GAIL’S DAILY DOSE

Your Infusion of Cute . . .

Your Tisane of Smart . . .

The Origin of the Romance Novel Clinch Covers

Your Writerly Tinctures . . .

Is Listening to a Book the Same Thing as Reading It?

Book News:

Quote of the Day:

“Have you _been_ to Worcester? Have you _seen_ Turtle Boy?”

~ Overheard in Borderlands Books, from their awesome occasional blog

Questions about Gail’s Parasolverse? Wiki that sheez!

Getting Cozy with Gail Carriger, A Very British Concept (World Building Special Extras)

Posted by Gail Carriger

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Gentle Reader, something unexpected for you today. A proper article.

As we move along collectively rereading my books, I wanted to muse a bit on the idea of cozy. I think it’s endemic to all my writing, but particularly the Parasolverse.

If I were to be asked for a defining description of all my writing, I would say, comfort read. But put it into one word, and that word is…

Cozy

The concept of cozy may be the most iconic thing I can think of to represent British culture. Or at least the part that my works tap into. Yes there’s the Queen, and Ascot, and Oxford and so forth, but I’m going purely philosophical here and delving into the nature of culture itself. Small town or city, north or south, there is one thing that they do better in Britain than anywhere else in the world (apart from tea):

Get Cozy

You can picture it in your head…

The small thatched cottage on the edge of the moor, puffing smoke out its little chimney, a tilted sign at the garden path that reads “Duck’s Bottom.” At the door there will be a little shoe brush shaped like a hedgehog upon which to wipe your rubber boots and just inside a pot for your umbrella.

Once the door has closed, you notice that the place smells like baking bread. You can hear the lilting hum of conversation, a querulous rise and fall, so musical when compared to our loud American flatness. And soon enough someone comes toward you with a welcoming smile, flour on their apron, and says, “Oh, it’s you. Come in, come in. Cuppa?”

High Street, Exeter, Devon, England, ca. 1895

Cozy as a national concept takes many forms…

  • Cozy is the way everything is smaller over in the UK: Cars, bath tubs, doorways. Except tissues, they’re huge.
  • Cozy is the fact that odds are, if you enter a used bookstore some cat will sidle over to collect a pet taxation, or, if it’s sunny, coil in the window amongst dusty book jackets in an obliging sunbeam.
  • Cozy is the patchwork quilts on the beds or the fact that you can order your gingerbread with a dollop of warm custard spilled over it.
  • Cozy is inherent in the names of things: Winnie the Pooh (a children’s book character), loo (the bathroom), babblers (a kind of bird).

Even the food is cozy, designed for well padded comfort, nothing to stress about, nothing too hot or too spicy or too good for you: spotted dick, clotted cream, Christmas pud, digestive biscuits, Cornish pasties, crumpets, bubble and squeak, rumbledethumps.

Being truly British, however, means one has to suffer for this concept in order to appreciate it.

In the South of England, where I spent much of my youth, I would often see parades of macintoshed wanderers striding the green landscape enduring a near-constraint drizzle.

“Mighty fine day, isn’t it?”

Some had a scruffy dog or two, others sported binoculars and a keen interest in birds (Birds are called Twitchers over there – how awesome is that?), but most are just out for a stroll.

I don’t know about you, but here in California no one would EVER go for a walk in the rain. The very idea! But I believe this is tied to the fact that these damp adventurers know that upon returning home there will be a cheery little fire, a fat cat on the knee, and perhaps a hot toddy.

I think one the best literary depictions of this side of Britishness is the Hobbit villages in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.

As Tolkien implies, we would all be better off if we could have more cozy in our lives, that slow lazy pace, that genuine appreciation for comfort. There is simple functional pleasure to be derived from a tea cozy or fuzzy slippers.

There is such joy to be had in curling up in a big soft sweater with a great book and a cup of tea.

Cozy is not just a concept, it is a state of mind.

Yours,

Practicing being better at cozy,

Miss Gail

  • Want more behind the scenes philosophy? This stuff goes to my Chirrup members, because I love them bestest. Sign up here.
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The Omega Objection San Andreas Shifters

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Can a gentle giant with a trampled heart
show a man who’s been running all his life that
sometimes there are monsters worth running towards?

UPCOMING SCRIBBLES

  • The 5th Gender (a Tinkered Stars sci-fi as G. L. Carriger). No links as yet…
  • Reticence, The 4th and final Custard Protocol book. August 6, 2019
  • Secret Project Ommm, October 2019 to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Soulless.
  • Need to know what Gail is writing right now? That’s in the Chirrup.

GAIL’S DAILY DOSE

Your Moment of Parasol . . .

One more kiss – Painting by Italo Nunes-Vais, (1880)

Your Infusion of Cute . . .

Lilliput the Cat Versus the Paper Bag

Lilli is a small tuxedo cat and inspiration for Gail’s character Footnote in her Custard Protocol series.

Your Tisane of Smart . . .

On the Care and Feeding of Your Favorite Blogger

Your Writerly Tinctures . . .  

Book News:

Quote of the Day:

Questions about Gail’s Parasolverse? Wiki that sheez!

Etiquette & Espionage DVD Extras (Finishing School Special)

Posted by Gail Carriger

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Etiquette & Espionage released in

February of 2013

Here are some fun blog posts and resources that tie to this book, Gentle Reader. Research I conducted plus chattering and amusement on the subject of this series and moving into the world of YA.

This story features Sophronia who is recruited to a finishing school for spies located in a dirigible. There, young ladies of quality are taught to finish everything – and everyone – as needed.

The Japanese Translation (NOT a manga).

Etiquette & Espionage came out in 2013 and was a New York Times and Locus bestseller, was nominated for the Sakura Medal (Japan – 2015) and a Goodreads Choice Award (2013), made YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults list (2014), the ALA’s Notable Books for Children List (2014), top 10 YALSA’s Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults List (2014), and won the Prix Elbakin Award (France- 2014).

Original advert

Writing Etiquette & Espionage

This is the first book I wrote intentionally for a Young Adult market. It is not, however, my first YA book. I have a number of others in my proverbial trunk, unpublished.

Here I talk about why I made the switch to YA, how I changed my writing style and approach, and other thoughts from the writer perspective.

Things Pertaining to This Book

Research & Other Fun Behind the Scenes Tidbits

Other Extras

Here’s a guide on what to do when you’re highjacked by flywaymen.

Read Along Questions!

  1. Who is your favorite character from these books?

  2. Who’s story arc do you enjoy the most?

  3. Who surprised you?

  4. What was the most shocking reveal from this first book?

  5. Any cross over characters surprises? Who were you shocked to see show up and who did you want to see but didn’t?

You can find a full series summation and discussion, plus Gail plays Would You Rather Finishing School style on the Fiction Hangover podcast. Prefer iTunes?

I hope you enjoyed this starter pack and if you are new to the Finishing School Series… WELCOME!

Yours in not-so-secret,

Miss Gail

Did you want more behind the scenes info? This stuff goes to my Chirrup members, because I love them bestest. Sign up here.

Here’s the read along schedule made pretty for the UK folks (reverse dates).

Not into newsletters? Get only new releases by following Gail on Amazon or BookBub!

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The Omega Objection San Andreas Shifters

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Twirling Book Princess says:

“Eeeeeeeee! This was just too perfect, too sweet, to wonderful. Featuring Tank, a werewolf we have seen before in the earlier books, and a new guy, Isaac, also a werewolf (but not out of the werewolf closet as I would call it). These two will get together and melt your heart away with cute moments, sweet scenes. But that isn’t the only thing that you will see in this book.”

UPCOMING SCRIBBLES

  • The 5th Gender (a Tinkered Stars sci-fi as G. L. Carriger). No links as yet…
  • Reticence, The 4th and final Custard Protocol book. August 6, 2019
  • Secret Project Ommm, October 2019 to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Soulless.
  • Need to know what Gail is writing right now? That’s in the Chirrup.

GAIL’S DAILY DOSE

Your Infusion of Cute . . .

Tea Dueling at SWFL SteamCon

Your Tisane of Smart . . .

The Best Queer Books of 2018

Your Writerly Tinctures . . .  

The Susan: The Story of an Archetype, and Why We Need Her

Book News:

Gaslight Expo Gail Carriger GOH Announcement

Also…

Merch from this book!

My editor, Kate, got her nails done to match my book during release

Quote of the Day:

“It’s reminiscent of seaweed, old ashtrays, used bandaids, and a head-butt. . . . Y’know, subtle.”

~ Overheard in Borderlands Books, from their awesome occasional blog

Questions about Gail’s Parasolverse? Wiki that sheez!

The Curious Case DVD Extras & Alessandro Tarabotti (Parasol Protectorate Special)

Posted by Gail Carriger

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The Curious Case short story released in…

March of 2012, online

I don’t have many blog posts on this one. It’s just a short story featuring Alexia’s crafty father, Alessandro Tarabotti, in his assassin for the Templars days. It also showcases mummies, werewolves, and well-preserved felines and is the first hint I gave my readers that there were OTHER kinds of shape shifters.

(TO SAY NOTHING OF THE  MUMMY THAT WAS AND THE CAT IN THE JAR)

Alessandro Tarabotti and his valet, Floote, are on a mission in Egypt when they encounter visiting tourists and the situation turns to mummies. What is Alessandro’s real mission and will his Aunt Archangelica approve of his treatment of her cat?

If you have ever wondered about Alexia’s father, this will give you a glimpse into his adventures, character, and romantic interests.

This is the only installment of its kind, I had always planned to write more snippets of Alessandro’s life. Perhaps I still will.

Tumblr eatingfireflies fan art for Alessandro Tarabotti

Things Pertaining to This Story

This was not the story’s original cover. You can read all about my cover art experience the first time around in this blog post.

I switched away from drawn art because none of my other covers are like that and I wanted to stay on brand. Also I discovered Evan Butterfield‘s shoot of his model Vincent and fell in love. I actually own the rights to Vincent’s whole gallery, just in case I want to write more Alessandro I have the same cover model ready to go.

Spotted this shot in Paris

Sneaky Gail Is Sneaky

  • Is there a hint about Alessandro meeting Lyall in this story?
  • Who did Floote fight it Scotland, and might it account for his latter tendencies towards shooting a certain someone?
  • Remember the name Phinkerlington… it’s going to show up again, a long ways down the line.

Super special giveaway in this weekend’s Chirrup…

Only 10 of these miss-printed UK editions of Waistcoats & Weaponry exist in the world, and you will have the opportunity to win one of them.

Yours in spinal misspellings,

Miss Gail

  • Did you want more behind the scenes info? This stuff goes to my Chirrup members, because I love them bestest. Sign up here.
  • Not into newsletters? Get only new releases by following Gail on Amazon or BookBub!

OUT NOW!

The Omega Objection San Andreas Shifters

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Direct from Gail

Joyfully Jay says:

“Carriger manages to give these guys a lot of layers and depth, while still giving the story some lightness and fun.”

UPCOMING SCRIBBLES

  • The 5th Gender (a Tinkered Stars sci-fi as G. L. Carriger). No links as yet…
  • Reticence, The 4th and final Custard Protocol book. August 6, 2019
  • Secret Project Ommm, October 2019 to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Soulless.
  • Need to know what Gail is writing right now? That’s in the Chirrup.

GAIL’S DAILY DOSE

Your Infusion of Cute . . .

My current favorite teacup.

Your Tisane of Smart . . .

Rare Footage of Octopus vs. Pufferfish Battle

Your Writerly Tinctures . . .  

Barnes & Noble On Its Way Out

Book News:

Wicked Wallflowers Club interviews Gail Carriger

Quote of the Day:

“Everything in the world is about sex except sex. Sex is about power.”

~ Oscar Wilde

Questions about Gail’s Parasolverse? Wiki that sheez!

Finishing School Special Extras Lessons ~ How to Defend Yourself Against Vampires, Werewolves, Flywaymen & More!

Posted by Gail Carriger

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Here are some lessons from Finishing School in gif form!

Lesson #1

Lesson #3

Interesting he’s how Silvana drew ’em…

Lesson #5

Lesson #8

Lesson # 12

Where are the rest of the Lessons?

Well you have to read the books to find out.

How to Defend Yourself Against a Vampire

How to Defend Yourself Against a Werewolf

I hope You enjoyed seeing this gifs all collected together in one post. Little Brown, my publisher, put them together for me so you have them to thank for them. Such fun.

With Tumbler going the way of the dodo I’m not sure I will get anything like this again in my career as an author, so I am glad they happened when they did.

Your’s in giffy glory,

Miss Gail

A moment of extras…

A Fun Question From Goodreads…

ClitLit Podcast asked me (with regard to the Finishing School series)

I appreciate how you’ve flipped the traditional “cat and mouse” narrative, turning the natural predator from pursuer to prey. What inspired you to write about “unladylike” ladies in a restrictive society owning their autonomy and individuality? Your heroines are charming because of those qualities, and much of your character development seems focused on that aspect. 

Ooo, what a complicated question. Well I’m very interested in activating the beats of a Heroine’s Journey (as opposed to a Hero’s) and that, by it’s very nature, flips some of these narrative expectations in terms of the perception of autonomy/individuality.

I also very much like to play with social, cultural, and reader expectations (but in a nice way). I guess you might call it my version of parody. (It helps that I write comedy.) It’s a way to get a twist in without having to sacrifice plot. In other words, if I do “unexpected” with character, I can still have my happy endings and my loving friendships and my representation. In fact everything (and everyone) becomes more accepting because of their own abnormal quirks. I want to give the disenfranchised (and the geeky and the timid and the bullied and the silly and the queer) self-actualization, and possibility, and hope.

I might make a case that all authors are manipulative and Machiavellian. I like to believe I am particularly wicked about it, but doing it for good not evil.

  • Did you want the gossip as to why my publisher does what they do? This stuff goes to my Chirrup members, because I love them bestest. Sign up here.
  • Not into newsletters? Get only new releases by following Gail on Amazon or BookBub!

OUT NOW!

The Omega Objection San Andreas Shifters

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Direct from Gail

The Novel Approach says:

“These guys are snarky and charming, fully realized characters, Marvin is an adorable whirling dervish of darling, and Tank and Isaac finding their places within the pack all added up to a delightful and sometimes intense read.”

UPCOMING SCRIBBLES

  • The 5th Gender (a Tinkered Stars sci-fi as G. L. Carriger). No links as yet…
  • Reticence, The 4th and final Custard Protocol book. August 6, 2019
  • Secret Project Ommm, October 2019 to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Soulless.
  • Need to know what Gail is writing right now? That’s in the Chirrup.

GAIL’S DAILY DOSE

Your Infusion of Cute . . .

Octopus Happens Upon Soap Dish and Decides to Make It His New Home

Your Tisane of Smart . . .

What’s the Most Dangerous Food of All Time?

Your Writerly Tinctures . . .  

‘Axe the reading tax’: book industry demands end to VAT on ebooks

Book News:

15 Bookish Things That Millennials Have Ruined

Quote of the Day:

“I am SURE that cheese should not be flammable.”

~ Overheard in Borderlands Books, from their awesome occasional blog

Questions about Gail’s Parasolverse? Wiki that sheez!

Gail Carriger Shows Off Her Parasol Collection (Special Extras Video)

Posted by Gail Carriger

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Oh, did you think my love of the humble parasol was all a ruse?

Certainly not, Gentle Reader.

Here is my proof!

In this short video I talk about nothing but parasols!

Mentioned in this video…

Hope you enjoyed this peek behind the scenes!

Yours in shaded glory,

Miss Gail

OUT NOW!

The Omega Objection San Andreas Shifters

Amazon | Kobo | B&N | iBooks
Direct from Gail

Can a gentle giant with a trampled heart
show a man who’s been running all his life that
sometimes there are monsters worth running towards?

UPCOMING SCRIBBLES

  • The 5th Gender (a Tinkered Stars sci-fi under the G. L. Carriger pen name). No links as yet, wait for it…
  • Reticence, The 4th and final Custard Protocol book. August 2019
  • Secret Project Ommm, coming October 2019 to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Soulless.
  • Need to know more about what Gail is writing right now? That’s in the Chirrup.

GAIL’S DAILY DOSE

Your Infusion of Cute . . .

Harpers Bazar New York Sat June 13 1891

Your Tisane of Smart . . .

A Snapshot of Bette Davis’s Divorce–“She Read Too Much,” Says Husband

Your Writerly Tinctures . . .  

Thoughts About Fantasy from Write On Right On

Book News:

Sophronia Balcony Teslacon Fan Art

Quote of the Day:

“I’ve become that guy who buys his underwear on EBay.”
“You haven’t hit rock bottom until you buy it on Craigslist.”

~ Overheard in Borderlands Books, from their awesome occasional blog

Questions about Gail’s Parasolverse? Wiki that sheez!

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