Ten Questions With Elizabeth Darvill

I first met Elizabeth at The World Steam Expo in Dearborn Michigan. She lit up the room with her enthusiasm and excitement for steampunk, so naturally we hit it off pretty quickly. It wasn't until I got home that I realized how amazing her writing was and how much this young lady has going for her. Not only is she one of the hardest working writers I've met but she's literally breaking the mold when it comes to success and promise. Don't believe me? Well, I thought you need to see for yourself in a little interview with Elizabeth.



So first off we need to talk about the fabulous Harlequin book deal news. Please let us know all about it. Release dates? How did it come about? Can you give us any teasers?

Well, I just got a two book contract with Harlequin for their Spice Brief line. They are erotic steampunk/paranormal novellas and they are really fun and hot! They will be releasing back to back in 2011 and have I mentioned how excited I am?

A funny story, when I got “the call” my apartment building decided to test the fire alarm…while I was on the phone…..

Here is a little blurb for my first book – Steam Heat

What does a half succubus, a scientist and a feisty female steam engineer have in common? Not a lot. Until, they are thrown together in a race against time to re-power the dying crystal that purifies the earth’s air. Suddenly it is up to Angel, Nick and Jezebel to save the world. The only way to supply the energy needed to power the crystal, is to find out exactly what makes a half succubus tick……


While we’re on the subject of new releases, what else do you have coming out? More teasers are welcome.

On July 15th my steampunk romance novella, Love in a Time of Steam releases in e-book format and later this year it will be part of the Love Like Clockwork print anthology. On August 15th I have a paranormal romance The Depths of Passion, releases in e-book and will follow shortly in a print anthology. October 18th I have a full-length paranormal romance, Bound by Blood releasing in e-book from Lyrical Press. I have some more exciting stuff to announce coming soon!




I know you’re very busy with well, everything. So what’s a day in the life of Elizabeth Darvill like?

Are you sure you really want to know?? *grin* Well, my day starts at the ass crack of dawn and involves lots and lots and lots of coffee. I try to pry my eyes open and check my e-mail, if you receive an e-mail from me that sound like I got into the rum early…chances are I wasn’t really awake when I wrote it. Once I start on my second pot of coffee I write out my to-do list – get scared and hide it in the back of my day planner. At this point I attempt to write something that sounds like I know what I am doing, this works about 20% of the time. After a few hours of writing new material, I will give into the lure of facebook and stop in and post random things of no relevance. It is now time for another pot of coffee – then it is onto blog posts and other random business, promotions, etc. If I have edits to do, I would probably work on those until I get so tired, or deranged I start to frighten myself…at this point I retire…with rum….

How do you write? Do you need silence? Do you write to music? Tell us a little about your process.

I am too random for a process…I have a half ass plan for everything and just barrel into it. I listen to music if I remember to turn it on. Usually I have a notebook I’ve scribbled notes in that even I can’t read, my laptop that is stupid and randomly turns off and loses portions of my work, which results in much cursing on my part and coffee. Oh yeah and a pen that I end up sticking in my pony tail and forgetting I put it there, which result in more cursing and searching until I realize it is in my hair. At which point I feel stupid and get back to work!

How do you find a balance with writing and promoting your books?

What is this balance you speak of? I try to get my word count in and get anything important out of the way and then move onto promotion, for the daily stuff. Other then that I just try to work around conferences and things. Promotion is important, but I have to remind myself that if I don’t have any new books to promote I am going to run out of work eventually.

While we’re at it, what conferences, book fests, etc will you be attending around the country?

July 2-4 InCONfluence/Indianapolis, IN
July 28-31 RWA National Romance Writers Conference/Orlando, FL
August 13-16 Ghosts of the Old West/Park City, UT
August 27-29 ConTEXT/Columbus, OH
September 3-6 DragonCon/Atlanta, GA
September 16-19 Authors After Dark/Secaucus, NJ
October 1-3 Emerald City Writers Conference/Seattle, WA
October 7-8 AlbaCon/Albany, NY
October 9-10 ComiCon, NY
November 5-7 TeslaCon/Madison, WI
November 19-21 SteamCon/Seattle, WA


What’s been your favorite Con and why?

It would have to be a tie between Steamcon 2009 and Heather Graham’s Writers for New Orleans. They were both marvelous and I had a fabulous time! Specifically, I loved Steamcon for the amazing gathering of steampunkers, the gorgeous costumes and the splendid way it was all put together! I am so looking forward to Steamcon this year! And I loved Heather Graham’s conference for its laid-back schedule and discussion friendly panels and because it was in New Orleans! I love that place!

What’s the craziest thing that’s happened to you at a signing or Con?

At one conference, during the book signing, we had a man running around, wearing a bathrobe….wearing only a bathrobe….don’t ask how I know for sure…I try to repress that memory…..

What do you do in your spare time? What are some of your hobbies?

Hobbies? I am supposed to have those? I play World of Warcraft when I have time, I sew my own steampunk clothing(but this is for more economic reasons, then enjoyment), I love movies, obviously I read a lot and well….lets see….I probably shouldn’t mention that one, or that one…so yeah, that’s it!

I know you have a passion for romance so if not steampunk, what would you write next? Would you go to romance? Are there other genres that tickle your fancy?

Honestly I was a paranormal lover first, especially the vampires(biting is hot), steampunk came after, so now I happily blend them together. If I couldn’t do steampunk, it would be paranormal, if I couldn’t do paranormal either, it would probably be writing instruction for assembling furniture, those can be quite erotic!

We want to hear more! Please let the readers know about your website, where they can get your books, your facebook and Twitter… what anything else you may want to say.

Well, first I want to say THANK YOU! For letting me ramble here! Also ask me a question, any question and I will answer it. I will randomly select one commenter to receive a fun promo pack from me! You can find me in many places in Interland. My website – www.elizabethdarvill.com,
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elizabeth-Darvill/236401638796?ref=mf
Twitter – http://twitter.com/lizdarvill

Now I will pimp my up-coming release Love in a Time of Steam! It releases on July 15th and at 0.99 you can’t resist! Even better—you can pre-order your copy now! http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-loveinatimeofsteam-441897-143.html



Love in a Time of Steam – Blurb

Ashlyn hasn’t seen Gray her former lover in five long years. Not since the day he believed her to be a traitor to the military cause they both served.
Now as the volatile nature of their planet is reaching a fevered pitch, and the war over water to run their steam-powered technology is threatening all beings, she must face him once more.

Despite her intense hatred towards Gray, Ashlyn can’t let the father of her child be murdered by General Dagnus, the leader of the opposing army. Risking her life, Ashlyn lays everything on the line to save the man that betrayed her once. As they work together to survive, will they be able to rekindle the passion they once shared?

Printers Row Chicago IL

The chance to go to historic Printers Row in Chicago to sell books is an opportunity that no one should pass up. Thousands of eager readers crowd Dearborn Street and Polk Street looking for the freshest and most exciting books on the market. This was a no brainer for me. When I heard that Echelon Press was going to have a tent again, I'm pretty sure I was first on the list to go. The flight from Nashville is a joke. It's really short and just over an hour flying time. (Sure beats 8 hours in the car.) Everything is time or money right?

Upon arrival, we checked in to the room and headed straight for Pizzeria Uno, the place where deep dish pizza was invented. I don;t mean this is something that they just claim to get customers, this is actually the place where the first official deep dish was created... ever. Needless to say it was awesome. Something to be considered though was that it took us an hour to walk just under a mile as Chicago was celebrating their Stanley Cup victory with a parade attended by two million people. I'm not making that up either. The cool thing about being in the city where the Stanley cup was won just days earlier was that every building had something pro-Blackhawks on the facade. A flag, posters, banners, murals... it was almost shameful if your business or building didn't have something supporting the team displayed.



That evening we enjoyed a wonderful meal at Dale Levitski(of Bravo's Top Chef fame)retaraunt Sprout. Ok, it's a little pricey but you can't expect to get a meal like that for nothing. 3 courses of wonder and bliss. Not to mention the top notch "old style" drinks. (I had two Avaiations)


So the next day the book fest started. Cool weather and very cloudy skies threatened to ruin everything but it held off for quite some time. The Echelon Press tent was packed. Sixteen authors crowded in to sell their stories and meet new readers. It may seem intimidating from a reader's point of view but there's something special about the Echelon authors. They're always having fun so the mood is lightened and I really think that radiates from the booth. That night we all had dinner at Tratoria down the street. It's always awesome when you get a group, a crew... a family if you will, in one location. I know wit's a bad picture but here's part of the Echelon Crew literally singing and signing in the rain.


Sunday was gangbusters (no Chicago pun intended). The crowd was twice as big and even more eager to buy books. It's always so cool when people want their picture with you. It's kind of strange but awesome at the same time. I always wonder where those pictures go... Anyone? If you have pictures from an event, I'd love to have them! Oh, I forgot to mention that I did two signings at The Old Towne Books and Tea table on Dearborn Street. The owners are nothing short of amazing, kind and a blast to hang out with. If you're in Chicago, you must stop by their store.
Here's Joe and I picking the winner of steampunk goggles from PHFactor.


At the end of the day, we were beat. Happy but beat. We cleaned the booth (Big props to those that stuck around until the end to clean up. Not only does that show respect to the publisher but it's also paying your dues no matter how long you've been doing it.)and we headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest. I was able to run out and get an amazing (proper use of the word) Chicago dog. Dude, this was the best hot dog I've ever had hands down.

The next day we found an hour to walk the Magnificent Mile and bolt to the airport before we had to leave. Still amazed at all the hockey stuff around town.


So this coming weekend I'll be signing at The Towne Mall at The Almost Famous Book Faire in Elizabethtown Kentucky. (Just south of Louisville.) I have a surprise helper... well, you know who she is if you read this blog but it should make for a fun afternoon. It starts at High noon and ends at 7PM. See you soon!

Oh hey, if you are on Facebook. Find me HERE

Scaling Mountains & Dodging Rock Slides

Printers Row Chicago
This weekend I'll be signing in Chicago, IL (as if there's really another Chicago)at the Chicago Tribune Printers Row Lit Festival. For the majority of the time I'll be at the Echelon Press tent, which is TENT FF. So come see me. This will be the biggest book festival all year and I'm quite excited to be a part of it. I'll also be guest signing at The Olde Town Books table TABLE #176 on Saturday from Noon-2:00 and Sunday 4:00-6:00.

The Almost Famous Book Faire
For those located in a more central area of America, next week, June 19th, I'll be signing at The Almost Famous Book Faire in Elizabethtown KY. The Faire is located in the Towne Mall from Noon-7:00PM. The extra fun part about this is I'll be assisted by Miss Kentucky 2010, Kindra Clark. So come see us. We promise it'll be fun.

The Kindle
Kindle sales are going pretty well. But as always pretty well is never good enough. So I'll take a brief moment to direct you to the Thomas Riley Amazon Kindle site. It only costs $2.99 so if you have a Kindle check this out. Thomas Riley Kindle Page

The Nook
Yep, It's available for the Barnes & Noble Nook as well. I've only met one person with a Nook before but they seem pretty darn nifty. So if you have a Nook, I'd like to hear from you and see what you think. While you're at it tell me how Thomas Riley looks on it. Thomas Riley Nook Page

Twitter Contest
Copy and paste the Tweet below into your Twitter or Facebook status. Two winners will be chosen by a random number generator when the contest ends on Thursday June 10 11:59PM. First prize wins a pair of Swiss Airship Goggles generously supplied by the lovely ladies at Frenzy Universe. Frenzy Universe is a great place to shop for quality and unique steampunk/Victorian clothes, accessories and goodies on the web and judging by the buzz about them at The World Steam Expo, they were definitely one of the busiest booths at the Conference. Second Prize wins a $10 gift card from Amazon.com.

Copy and paste the following line into your Twitter or Facebook:
RT @SirThomasRiley on Amazon http://tiny.cc/4uiwx for a chance to win steampunk goggles from @frenzygals http://www.frenzyuniverse.com/

And...
There's a myriad of crazy things developing, much of which I can't talk about at the moment but be sure that you will be the first to know if they develop correctly. Needless to say these things can be quite nerve racking. With that vague and cryptic ending I leave you with... The mysterious beer face:

The World Steam Expo

I travel a lot. Every place I go I have no idea what to expect. One hundred people, one thousand, five thousand... I just don't know. My latest expedition had me journeying to Dearborn Michigan for The World Steam Expo, another first time steampunk conference. The trip was really easy. I'm even getting to the point where turbulence doesn't affect me. There was a time when it bothered me but now it's not a big deal.

The World Steam Expo was held in The enormous Hyatt hotel and instantly I saw a line of neo-Vitorians dressed to the max waiting to get registered. I bolted up to the room then to the exhibitor room where I was super happy to be placed next to the wonderful ladies from Frenzy Universe. By the way, they had to be one of the most popular booths at the con. Congrats ladies! On my opposite side was the t-shirt company Ardvark Tees. We instantly bonded being that they were from the Nashville area as well. Note that I've been really lucky for the most part at all the con's I've attended with wonderful neighbors. The only exception would be the one guy that crashed into my stand-up banner basically permanently wrecking it. No he didn't offer any assistance with repairing it.
Frenzy Gals!


Aardvark Reps Ariel and Angel


I digress. Friday was a blockbuster day sales wise. I've never had such a big first day at a con. Over half the books I brought were sold in the first five hours! From there I've noticed that after vending I need some decompression time so I usually head to the bar to have a couple and talk with fellow con goers. On the first night the Chairs of Steamcon invited me over to have drinks and good conversation. Before I started traveling I'll admit that I was a bit nervous about meeting steampunk people. I guess I thought that I would encounter a lot of clique-ish people that were unwilling to be accepting of a new author. Like most of my assumptions, I was wrong. I can't tell you how awesome everyone has been over the last six months and this con was no different.
This young lady reminded me of Ann Read from Thomas Riley.


By the end of the day Saturday I was sold out of books and began taking orders (with free shipping of course) for con attendees. Even without books on hand I managed to tie my con record for sales. (Do the happy dance!) Unfortunately I didn't get to see any panels but I did get to see some bands play. Abney Park, The Men that will not be blamed for nothing, The Extraordinary Contraptions and Tartanic. I also was fortunate enough to meet Bethany Greenier author of Sings With Stars. Also met Caitlin Montgomery, an up and coming writer with an amazing steampunk story in the works. Very cool.
Me with Caitlin AKA Kristabella


So I'll say what I always say because it's the truth. Amazing con, amazing people, good times by all. Next weekend, I'll be in Chicago for the overwhelmingly wonderful Printers Row Lit Fest sponsored by the Chicago Tribune. 100,000 people here I come. If you're close to Chi-town come see me. I'll be in Tent FF.