I took a lot of notes at WisCon and will be sharing those once I get them sorted out and typed up.
In the meantime:
Gregory Conan Watts from Dawn of Steam: First Light
Tell me a little about yourself and the world you live in.
I grew up in the English countryside, in my family's
ancestral estates, though time and a lack of resources have them in somewhat
poor repair. For most of the past five years, I was an aide-de-camp and war
reporter during the Napoleonic conflict, stationed all over the battlefronts of
the western European mainland. With the war recently concluded in England's
favor, I've returned home to seek gainful employment sufficient to convince my
fiance's father that I can provide for his only daughter.
Tell us your most closely guarded secret?
I can't say that I have many. My relations would prefer that
I was more secretive about, for example, the family being long on tradition but
short on wealth, certainly. I'm very poor at secrecy in general, occasionally
to my detriment.
Tell us about your single most important memory. What was it
and how does it affect you now?
All of my fondest memories involve my childhood with my
fiance. My sweet Cordelia and I grew up together, playing at whatever games
struck her wild imaginations. Most often, it would involve her running off on
some new flight of fancy, and finding myself racing along somewhere between
being swept up in the fantasy and going along to keep the both of us out of
trouble.
Poor health and propriety keep her from running about quite
so much these days, but I remain very much swept up in her.
What type of person are you? Are you a hero or do you shy
away from conflict?
I am a man gifted with good vision, large ears, an excellent
memory and an abundance of courage. Sadly, as far as my soldiering career goes,
what I had no instinct for was aggression. Thankfully, circumstance found a
place for me.
I am not a hero myself, but I have the great fortune of
having been hired to travel with and document the adventures of the greatest
heroes of this age.
Do you have any hobbies, any special talents?
My hobbies have largely been translated into occupation, for
while I lack a full University education, I have an appreciation for the
written word and a good eye for detail. This combination of talents was deemed
perfect for an officer's aide, and then, after the very special war reporter
that was sent from London died, I inherited his job and the portable camera
device he brought with him to France. I have become adept enough in its use
that I have been permitted to keep it for the purposes of documenting the
mission I've been given, even though the device, one of four in existence, is
worth more than my life by any reasonable accounting.
And in that line, what would be your ideal day?
My ideal day is some way off yet. When I have gained enough
fame and wealth to be worthy of her father's esteem, I will marry my betrothed,
and spend what time I am able at home. I can hope in the meanwhile that her ill
health is resolved, and she regains some of the energy of her youth.
Do you have anyone close to you, any family or friends of
interest?
The Benthams, both Cordelia, and her father, the Colonel,
have been as close or closer than my own family since I was young. They were
part of the new elite, made wealthy by the tides of war and salvage, but had
few contacts with England's higher social circles. My own family, in turn, had
a great deal of history and an esteemed name behind it, but had left its days
of wealth and plenty behind. As the poor Irish cousin to this line, I was left
somewhat on the outs, until such time as the Colonel helped see to my education
and direction. Even now, he has nothing but the highest regards for me, but he
and I are agreed that if I am to marry his daughter, I must show myself capable
of supporting her by my own merits.
What is your most prized possession?
Among its many inventions, Oxford created a wondrous device
capable of recording images. In the years since, through apparently very difficult
and expensive processes, they have been able to duplicate this wonder in
miniature. The expense was such that only four prototypes were made. I was in
the company of the holder of one of these when he died, and he passed it on to
me. To my surprise, the paper has allowed me to keep it in exchange for my
solemn vow to protect it with my life, and a further promise to continue to
send them images of interest.
What initially spurred your actions in this story? Obviously
it had to start somewhere for you, give us an idea of where that starting point
is and where it all started.
I was contacted by the esteemed Lord Donovan. He has entered
into a wager with one of his peers regarding the truth or falsehood of the
presumed fictional travel journals of Dr. Robert Bowe. The journals claim to
tell the truth of what lies in many of the world's most remote regions, with a
breadth that should be impossible to cover in one man's lifetime, at least
without a dirigible, which only the military possess. Only the military, and
war hero Sir James Coltrane.
I have been offered a significant sum, and a chance to gain
great fame in service to my nation if I can help recruit Sir James and a number
of other notables to the cause of exploration and resolving this bet for the Lords.
Aside from their simple wager, the nation is hungry for inspiration in these
post-war days. Lord Donovan believes that photographs of England's brightest
son conquering the unknown and the impossible will provide just such an
inspiration, and he has invested an incredible fortune into making that dream a
reality.
How do you envision your future?
We have an incredible adventure lined up ahead of us. I
relish the opportunity to go on this one last venture in the company of heroes.
I will hope that my photographs and journals will help to provide a window into
this epic tale for all of the Empire. Once that is done, however, I will hope
my days as a soldier and adventurer will be at an end, and I will have an
opportunity to settle into the life of a landowner and husband.
Tell us where we can read more about you?
Dawn of Steam: First Light was released on February 27th on
Amazon.com. It is currently available im softcover and Kindle formats. The
second book in the Dawn of Steam series is on track to be released in September
2014.
Author: Jeffrey Cook (with Sarah Symonds)
Author's blog or website: www.dawnofsteam.net and
https://www.facebook.com/dawnofsteamtrilogy
Beautiful book cover. Interesting premise. Sounds very detailed. Good luck to you!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ann! The book is all regency style and epistolary format, so it is, intentionally, very heavy on detail. I appreciate the kind words, and especially appreciate Snow Tigra for putting this up!
ReplyDelete