Discovering a Fictional Australia
When I decided to write books set in an alternative Victorian-era Australia I decided to remedy my ignorance (to a very minor extent) by reading twenty nonfiction books (and of course spending time on wikipedia and elsewhere). I also took another look at the TV series “Worst Jobs in History”, visited the National Museum, and went horse riding – as well as reading several novels of the time (I definitely recommend Marcus Clark’s “For the term of his natural life” although I now can’t remember whether it has rape in it or if I’m confusing it with another convict story), and every modern steampunk novel I could get my hands on.
Here for your convenience are my short reviews of the twenty books I read.
These are the top three, in my opinion.
1. “Victorian London” by Liza Picard (including colour illustrations).
If you’re going to read one book before writing steampunk, this is the one you want (and, as a bonus, it’s often hilarious). The first chapter is on smells, and later on she has compiled some advice for Victorian ladies, including the following:
Never be in the company of an unmarried man alone, unless considerations such as the imminence of an acceptable proposal of marriage outweigh the normal rules. If about to faint with emotion, make sure there is a convenient sofa on which to subside. Not all gentlemen can be relied upon to catch a falling female in time.
2. “Who invented what when?” by David Ellyard.
This was brief and coherent enough that even I (a bit of a luddite myself) felt that I understood everything. It includes era-defining inventions such as the steam engine, and life-changing inventions like toothbrushes. If you want to have an idea of where technology was at and how people lived, this is where you should start. The thing that makes it especially brilliant is that it’s in chronological order, so you can choose where to stop.
The other technology books I read were “History’s Worst Inventions” by Eric Chaline (which was very good, with a little more depth), “Technology in Australia 1788-1988” (which was intensely dry – I only read selected sections), “The Most Powerful Idea in the World: A story of steam” by William Rosen (which was good, but rather above the heads of non-engineers, and often focused on patent law rather than the more fictionally interesting bits of steam tech).
I also read “The Aeronauts” for balloon info, which was the single most entertaining book on this list. Oh, and “Sail and Steam” by John Falconer, which I should have read with a dictionary in my other hand (do YOU know the different between a clipper, a cutter, and a tall ship?) but the stunning pictures were well worth it.
3. “Black Kettle and Full Moon” by Geoffrey Blainey.
Blainey is a deservedly well-known Australian historian (I wasn’t able to get “Triumph of the Nomads”, which is a huge shame), and this book is all about everyday Australian lives – so of course it’s gold for writers. However, Geoffrey Blainey is shockingly and deliberately ignorant about the lives of Aboriginal Australians.
The other books that were very good for everyday detail were “Australian Lives” by Michael Bosworth, “Colonial Ladies” (lots of brilliant and entertaining letter and diary fragments) by Maggie Weidenhofer, and “Slices of Time: Australian Family Life in 1838” by Joan M. Kenny.
For general Australian history I skimmed through “The Oxford Illustrated Encyclopedia of Australian History” (wikipedia was way more useful for getting a grounding in things) and “A History of Victoria” by Blainey (good, but not as relevant as the other one). I also read “The Gold Rushes” by John and Jennifer Barwick (a children’s book, which suited me just fine).
For bushranging I read “Australian Bushrangers” by Bill Wannan, and “Australian Bushrangers” (yes, same title) by George Boxall. Both were fascinating – especially tales of bushranging chivalry – but they were also sometimes horrifying to read (especially the second one) because of the nature of crimes committed by certain bushrangers (lots of rape and murder and truly horrifying insanity). One features a photo of a dead bushranger on the cover (I forget which, and don’t want to look).
For better knowledge of the convict system, I read “Commonwealth of Thieves: The Sydney Experiment” (too historically early for steampunk, but a surprisingly gripping read. . . for a little while, despite all the odds, the two cultures with dibs on Australia had a chance to actually get on), “Death or Liberty” by Tony Moore (all about transported political prisoners. . . absolutely fascinating, and something Australians should be so proud of – the influence of those rebels is still felt in some of our best cultural attributes), and “A Long Way Home” by Mike Walker (a semifictional account of the convict Mary Bryant – packed with vivid detail and real-life desperate adventure – again, too early but still extremely useful).
Last but definitely not least, I read “Savage or Civilised” by Penny Russell (an examination of early Australian manners). Fascinating, and so relevant to steampunk attitudes! I’ll never think about handshakes the same way again.
So there you have it! Some of the best books for prospective steampunk authors to read, especially if you’re writing Australian steampunk. Surely I’m not the only one out there working on this!
Edit: Since I wrote this book entry, Dr Bruce Pascoe published “Dark Emu, Black Seeds” which turned Australian history upside down. It is an incredible piece of research and every Australian should read it. Pascoe looked at early European sources and paid attention to what they saw (a well-designed, fertile landscape) rather than what they concluded (there are no true humans here so God must have arranged all this so nicely).
My interactive steampunk novel, Attack of the Clockwork Army is set in Australia. You can choose to be male or female, gay or straight, black or white. You can even choose to fight for the British, or not to fight at all.
The book is available as a Choose Your Own Adventure-style app for your device on Amazon, Apple, Android, and Chrome. You can also buy it directly from the publisher (an easy way to buy and read it on your computer).
The app stores list it as “free, with in-app purchases”. What this actually means is that the beginning is free, and then you pay $5 (once!) to read the rest.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/attack-of-the-clockwork-army/id1042824941?mt=8
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/attack-of-the-clockwork-a/oojmcpcnhdedgiegdocaedonlgfhlpgj
Farting My ABCs: Chapter 15 (the end!)
In which Louisette attempts to merge with a bush, and TJ performs a fart dance.
Well, there you go!
Today, Zipper ALMOST managed to get her collar off. But instead she got it stuck around both her neck and one leg.
I laughed when I realised, which did not help matters as she fled into TJ’s room. We all backed off, and soon enough she was in her cat box ready to be caught and freed. She’s fine now—not that she deserves it, the little punk.
Art of the day: Er… how about Farting My ABCs? I’m tired; shut up.
Farting My ABCs: Chapter 14
In which I make lots of farting noises while a neighbour (not pictured) attempts to garden.
I stayed up all night and DID finish The Floating City, and sent it off the the publisher, who very graciously let me know right away that they had it. I also saw the sun rise, and gave my kids a good morning hug before going back to bed.
And yes, I feel amazing.
I know what to work on next, writing-wise, but I plan to pause for a week or two and try to steer my creativity towards household things for a bit.
Art of the day: Only Freaks Turn Things Into Bones, which is actually a gothic picture book, and an utter delight.
Farting My ABCs: Chapter 12
We’re in the home stretch of the story now. Four more chapters, including today.
I’ve been running several errands in the local area because of the food pantry (fetching and delivering food). My driving is terrible lately; I’m fascinated by everything I see outside of my own house. And then I’m shaky for an hour afterwards—much worse if I actually interact with a human.
A lot of people are developing obsessive-compulsive disorder and/or agoraphobia at the moment. Fun!
Anyway.
I officially finished my post-sensitivity reader edit of The Floating City, my interactive climate fiction novel. I’ll spend some time playtesting through the endings and then officially submit it. It is FREE HERE… and if you spot any errors let me know via fellissimo@hotmail.com and I’ll add you to the thank-yous.
Art of the day: I’m re-reading The Girl Who Drank The Moon by Kelly Barnhill. It is heartbreaking and beautiful and kind and fun.
Farting My ABCs: Chapter 11
In which my attempt to get a view of the creek in the frame ends in blood and screaming (but can you see that little bit of brown sludge between Louisette’s rainbow dress and the bridge, behind the reeds and below the bushes? Totally worth it).
Anyway.
I am still attempting to lure Zipper into the hammock with me, and she continues to dance back and forth without getting up the courage to try it. However, she cheerfully jumped onto the trampoline with me (I was luring TJ inside as he clearly needed to burn some energy) yesterday, so perhaps there’s still hope.
She looks like she’s rolling her eyes here, doesn’t she?
We’ve been moving around some furniture in order to accommodate a desk in the master bedroom (so I can still lie down while supervising home schooling) so Zipper’s precious box is now somewhat elevated. She doesn’t seem to mind at all, and still spends much of her day there.
Moving furniture is SO exciting by the way. Try it at home today!
Art of the day: Have I mentioned Pamela Freeman’s Princess Bethony books yet? They’re great.
Farting My ABCs: Chapter 10
Here’s the chapter of the day:
There is a lot of scowling into the sun in this video. If you’ve been watching some “Jimmy Fallon” on Youtube (he’s running his late night show from his house) you see a LOT of his two lovely daughters being utterly unimpressed by his comedy. It’s a beautiful thing (although a little too relatable from where I’m standing).
I often drive past this bridge, and I’ve wanted to take the kids there for years. A few weeks ago, before restrictions became official, I was able to do it (while social distancing, of course).
A lot of people are trying out things they’ve always wanted to try: Baking bread, other cooking, home improvement stuff, etc. I am very jealous of all those very bored and/or very productive people. Parents are mostly just desperately trying to keep their head above water as they suddenly have to deal with all the fun of school holidays with no playgrounds, no shopping trips with kids, no play dates… and a crash course in home schooling. Fun!
Art of the day: A lesson for your middle grader.
Farting My ABCs: Chapter 9
My quest to lure Zipper into the hammock with me continues.
Given that she doesn’t even sleep in my bed, this quest may be doomed to failure. She knows I can never stay still for long. There’s always a million little things to do, so once I rest a little I try and do something useful. Then I need to rest again. Then I do some other small job. And so on.
Here’s Zipper yawning:
Anyway, here’s Chapter 8:
Art of the day:
Farting My ABCs: Chapter 7
Yesterday, I left the house. Legally.
We needed a working fridge so our food pantry can have milk—so people who are from (for example) immunocompromised households can pop by my pantry for lunch instead of risking exposure at the regular shops. Technically, I’m now an essential service, since I supply food.
My parents had a fridge, but pretty much all of us have back issues so it needed both Chris and I to be there, helping. Which means the kids needed to come too (and thank goodness, because they really need some exercise and they love Nanny and Grandpa’s trampoline).
I’ll write more about the food pantry, I promise you. It’s filling my brain at the moment (yes, in a manic way).
Anyway, here’s the next chapter of FARTING MY ABCs.
Art of the day: Twenty-Five Memories of Viggo MacDuff by Kate Gordon, which you can buy here. It’s a little older than most middle grade books, since the story is about the aftermath of a romance with the titular Viggo. But I love it because the heroine is realising that her ex isn’t as great as she thought she was when she was in love with him.
Farting My ABCs: Chapter 6
For those avidly following my writing efforts, you’ll be pleased to hear that I rewrote a horrifically badly-coded section last night. But it will need another check, probably in a week or two when my brain has had a chance to recover. So the book wasn’t finished on Easter weekend. But it did get a lot, lot better.
Today’s video was filmed in my steampunk room (who doesn’t have a steampunk room?) and I finally managed to convince TJ to get dressed up… for a few seconds.
I ate dinner over Zoom with my side of the family as the Easter weekend began, and it was just as awful as I expected (video conferencing is so socially awkward and I hate it), but also quite lovely. On Friday we ate hot cross buns that I’d been keeping in the freezer (plus ones made fresh on the day by a friend of ours and delivered to our utter surprise), and did a bit of church by Zoom. On Sunday we hunted for eggs in the backyard, and the kids were thoroughly delighted by the whole thing.
But there’s one tradition that I can’t keep, and it’s a little sad. Easter Tuesday is the day when chocoholics rampage through the half-empty Easter shelves, buying weird and much-discounted leftover Easter eggs. I would have enjoyed that.
Ah well.
I am to be congratulated, because I bought our supply of eggs literally months ago and I only ate a little bit of it before Easter. (The key is to have lots and lots of other chocolate and lollies to stave off the egg-specific cravings.) Obviously it was the two delicious lindt bunnies that I ate, since they were meant to be a special surprise for Chris and I. Sorry Chris. Yours was just as delicious as mine was.
Art of the day: The Larklight trilogy (first book is Larklight) written by Philip Reeve. If you haven’t discovered these, you’re in for a real treat. They are hilarious, and brilliantly illustrated too. It’s a steampunk space opera. Philip Reeve is also the writer of the Mortal Engines series (the one with the Peter Jackson movie that was visually brilliant but otherwise pretty bad), which is super dark… Larklight is NOT dark. At all.
Farting My ABCs: Chapter 5
Oops, I posted this one early. Well, enjoy.
This is my favourite video, because of what TJ does. And Zipper too.
Yesterday was an alarmingly productive day. I did manage to get some writing done, although I think I may have added more errors than were there before. I also made a no-contact obstacle course with chalk and did more food pantry stuff. I tired.
Incidentally, I am not a vampire. Like most mums, especially overweight mums, I hesitate to appear in photographs. Which means I make sure to take photos of myself regularly. Here’s one from last summer:
Art of the day: Julian Barr writes the Ashes of Olympus series, all based on ancient myths (so yes there’s plenty of battles and so on; not suitable for every middle schooler!) You can find both books here.
Felicity Banks 