Once Upon a Clockwork Tale Available in Paperback and E-book!

Once Upon a Clockwork Tale is now available for purchase. Yay!

This anthology of classic fairy tales given the steampunk treatment is brought to you by the good folks at Echelon Press. You can get your copy from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Createspace and Smashwords.

There are four stories, including "The Enchanted Bean" written by me. Here are the descriptions below:

"Wings" by Ella Grey 

Born into a world where the fairer sex hides coyly behind fans, Winifred is nowhere near the stereotype. She is fearless and passionate about her father’s scientific work. When the King summons him, Winifred is worried. The arrival of her six brothers and the mysterious Amelia and her silent brother offers distraction, but Winifred's entire world is about to change beyond recognition and it’s up to her to save everyone she loves. 

"Hands and Grater" by Robin Wyatt Dunn 

Hands and Grater don't understand their mother's unique love for them. For how much love can a machine truly give? As Grimm originally intended, this is a bildungsroman, a tale of two young people coming of age in a time and place filled with danger and joy. The time has come for brother and sister to leave the nest, and learn their true nature, and the nature of their mother. 

"Bitter Cold" by Kat French 

Childhood friends, Kit and Greta, live in an extraordinary place powered by alchemical magic and mechanical wonders. Just when life might offer him favors, Kit is captured by the Snow Queen, a ruthless industrialist, bent on developing her Eternity Engine. Greta must risk everything to save Kit. Can a stubborn young lady best the most powerful woman in the world, with a little alchemy, a lot of luck, and a clockwork reindeer? 

"The Enchanted Bean" by Matt Mitrovich 

How do you reach a fabled land of giants without any magic beans? Build an airship, of course. A British adventurer takes to the skies seeking wealth and glory, instead he finds ancient gods ruling an oppressive flying kingdom. With the help of their allies, these former masters of men want to replant the World Tree and rebuild their war machines. To stop the sky from falling, our hero will have to do more than chop down a beanstalk.

There are still review copies available, so if you are interested in reviewing the anthology or hosting a guest blog/interview, contact me at ahwupdate at gmail dot com. Current we only have e-book versions of Clockwork Tale for review.

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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update and a blogger on Amazing Stories. His new story "The Enchanted Bean" can be found in Once Upon a Clockwork Tale from Echelon Press. When not writing he works as an attorney, enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana and prepares for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter.

Interview: Robin Dunn

I now present my first interview with one of my fellow authors featured in Once Upon a Clockwork Tale. His name is Robin Dunn and lets all welcome him to The Update:

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

My parents met at Teton National Park where they were summer employees in the 70s, and Wyoming was where I was born, the state that is still the least populous in the nation. Since then I have had about 35 addresses all told, and have lived among other places in Texas, New York, England and California. Though I've written since I was a kid, I started in earnest in 2010.

Why all the travelling?

My parents were divorced when I was five, which accounts for most of the traveling.

What got you interested in steampunk?

Sterling & Gibson's The Difference Engine.

What is "Hands and Grater" about?

It's a version of the 'Hans and Gretel' tale, where they live with the wicked witch, and she's a robot.

What inspired you to write the story?

I like turning traditional tales on their heads, and finding new angles - making the heroes the villains, and vice versa.

What sources were particularly helpful when researching for the novel?

At the risk of seeming entirely unprofessional, I did next to zero research for this one. Although I did look up the etymology of 'Gretel' which means 'pearl,' which figures in the story.

Do you have any other projects you are working on?

As of this writing, I am at 81k words of a 100k word fantasy novel about a hero of the Ingaevones, Hrothbert, on a planet like Earth. He is a former priest and outcast who must fight his way down beneath the earth to try to earn his way back into his tribe. It's rather a mix of fantasy of experimental literary fiction tropes.

How did you hear about Echelon Press?

Duotrope, a market listing for writers.

What are you reading now?

Peace by Gene Wolfe. It is very good, also sort of a mix of genre and literary fiction.

Do you have advice for would-be authors?

Write, write, write! Trust yourself. Music helps me write, too.