An upper cut for cancer

Dear friends,
I wanted you all to be aware of something very important to me. A friend of mine Anne-Marie Edens De Witt (from Fireside Games) is fighting cancer and she's doing amazing! My forever-sisters, the Frenzy Gals, (Frenzy Universe) are heading up a campaign to help Anne-Marie raise money to pay for the out of pocket expenses which is up past the $10,000 range.

Originally, the campaign was to pay for an expensive treatment that is possibly more effective and as I understand it more comfortable. So basically it's worth every penny. Now, Anne-Marie is doing super well with the current treatment and she posted a few days ago that half the tumor is gone! Amazing news!

Still, there are massive out of pocket expenses that go along with cancer and the campaign rolls on at full steam ahead. So, with that, if you could find it in your hearts to donate anything at all, here is the giveforward website where you can help Anne-Marie out. They're at 75% of their goal and just need a little more to get there!

Want to buy something original and amazing that will go toward helping Anne-Marie? Check out the shockingly cool etsy site where a huge group of artists and craftspeople are donating their goods to help the cause.

Also, find and like the campaign on Facebook here. You'll get all the latest updates there.
Thank you all for reading this!
~Nick

Steamposium

The first annual Steamposium Conference was held in St. Louis two weeks ago. I was lucky enough to be a guest at the con and I have to tell you, it was a blast.

Like many cons, Steamposium is organized to help raise awareness and money for a charity. This particular one raises money for Cystic Fibrosis. Being the first one ever, Steamposium was a small con based solely around steampunk culture. Everyone was great. The vendors, the attendees and I saw some really amazing costumes and personas.

I did a panel on Friday night and I had no idea until I got there that I was scheduled. A bit panicked, I basically told the crowd a little about the book then I thought it would be fun to ask them questions that I'd heard at other cons about steampunk and see what they thought. It turned into a really fun discussion ranging from literature, to movies, to the popularity of the culture/genre. I'll tell ya, it was really nice that everyone participated because I had no idea what to expect. Through that panel and the people that came by the booth I have to say I made some really great new friends.

As the charity goes I contributed a book as well as auctioning off a character in a short story that I was writing. "The Baron Bon Bar" won that... so look for him to appear in an upcoming short story. (More on that soon.)


My new airship friends together on a time bending adventure.

So included in this wonderful little con was a Victorian Poker tournament and salon games, Formal Victorian ball, live music from 3 Pints Gone as well as a wonderful salon performance from a sting trio. (Watch a bit here. Great stuff!) While I didn't get to go to the city museum, I still had a blast.

3 Pints Gone


Couple at the formal ball.

Got to reconnect with writer extraordinaire Elizabeth Donald as well as meet a ton of new friends. The Frenzy Gals have a wonderful website with steampunk goodness all over it. See it HERE. Oh! I had a brief interview which is now on You Tube HERE. It's so strange to see myself at work.


Me with the Frenzy Gals.

Look for a new blog in the next few days about my last insane weekend in Knoxville, Montgomery and Nashville... I'm totally exhausted. Also new notes: I've submitted stories to Kerlak Publishing's Steampunk Anthology (Engine 316) & to Steampunk Tales Issue #8 (Double Crossed At Gray Raven Mill).