A Magnificent Woman and her Flying Machine!

So today heralds the launch of Airships & Automata, a Steampunk Compendium. I have contributed a short story (approximately 7,500 words) entitled "Flugmaschine, Or How Germany Conquered the Skies", and there are nine stories in the book. We were asked by the editor (CS Wright) to submit pieces of steampunk fiction featuring airships and/or automata. Must admit that the automata in mine is a little bit of a token, but the main part of the tale concerns the development of heavier-than-air flight in an alternative history. The protagonist, Elsa von Straten, is a young woman of Prussian military stock. With a yearning for scientific knowledge she manages to gain a place at the famous "Unter Den Linden" in Berlin, but like Icarus she flies too close to the sun (metaphorically) and is packed of to be a governess in the provinces. The story is mainly of how she finds a new path through an unlikely friendship, leading to great discoveries.

Elsa sprung into my mind several years ago, and I tried to form her story into words but for some reason it fell apart. The scraps (two part-finished chapters) languished on my hard drive until this challenge came along. This time the writing flowed (my first draft was around 10,000 words and I had to cut out sub-plots and suchlike). I still intend to rework it into the start of a novel, but I am looking forward to some reader feedback on the short story as it stands.

The main thing for now, though, is that the book is due for publication (electronic and print) in June 2016, but needs funding to pay for ISBNs and initial print runs. Cogsmith Publishing need to raise £700 to achieve this, and hopefully we can get there. Please have a look at the project and consider supporting it. Thank you! XXX

http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/airships-automata

#steampunk #airshipsautomata #crowdfunding