teapunk: the long dark teatime of the soul

I've written a book that doesn't fit all that neatly into any particular classification beyond young adult. THE EMPRESS CHRONICLES is part romance, part historical, part contemporary-issue, part mystery, part urban fantasy, part magical realism, part steampunk. Actually, what it might be more than anything is a modern fairy tale. But, there is a mood that I want to encapsulate with some sort of distilling and overarching word or group of words.

At my day job, this would be the perfect opportunity for a branding exercise we call a 360. Essentially, in our 360s, clients and their trusted advisers gather in a room, and, following an agenda, we trot the clients through a brainstorming session that results in clarity and goals and all sorts of cool stuff.

In lieu of a traditional 360, I did some poking around, and, Et Voilà, I found a curious emerging sub-genre known as teapunk. Conjuring a Victorian moodiness and a fantastical Alice and Wonderland element, teapunk celebrates tea culture with a nod to some of the Victorian stylization of steampunk. Some go as far to suggest teapunk is a wide embrace of 19th century culture generally.

But what I like most about teapunk, is the punk-- a hint of the contemporary part of the historical/contemporary duality. And, borrowing from the quick definition of steampunk (a genre that features anachronistic technology in the Victorian era), teapunk might be thought of as a genre that celebrates the mood of Victorian culture via interface with a contemporary perspective. Ok, I made that up. Maybe better would be to quote the facebook page (and I paraphrase): Take the SM out of steampunk and steep in the long dark teatime of the soul.

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Ever have those totally vortex days? Like you're in a dream and quicksand is involved, and you open your mouth to scream and nothing comes out?

I've been working and writing and living at a somewhat chaotic pace. Work is gangbusters, lots happening in the writing life, my brain loops and loops at bedtime and I dream about the to-do list and all the unfinished business therein.

But fuck it. I'm going to Disneyworld in a few days. Taking the husband and the kid and we're getting on a plane with our Florida outfits, our mouse passes, our maps and whatnot. It's been raining that cold, pelting stuff since Christmas, the back yard is a full sponge. My kid broke his arm the other day. All our vehicles have "issues." I may need root canal. We haven't finished our taxes. The list of "woe is us" goes on forever.

Ah, but there are some intense silver linings. The writers in workshop are going great guns. Books are out, being sold, hitting the bestseller list. Last week I signed with an agent, and she very promptly sent along revision notes on my manuscript. I can't wait to have at 'em. Really, I feel like my life is on steroids. It's all so amazing, sometimes.

That's why, on this very vague and stressed out day, I put the real world aside and worked on my platform. What is that, you ask? Well, here's the short answer. Steampunk. Although my book isn't dyed-in-the-wool Steampunk, there are some Victorian time-travel elements. There's a magical locket. A diary. An empress-to-be. Corsets, lots of corsets.

While writing my book, I grew fond of the "dreaming the future in the past" motif, so much so that, today, I put together a little quiz on Steampunk Style. I beseech you: if you have 3 minutes, take it and let me know if you were properly entertained!