Guest Post and Giveaway with S.M. Blooding, author of The Hands of Tarot

Hi, everyone!

I am pleased to participate in S.M. Blooding's The Hands of Tarot Virtual Blog Tour hosted by Pump Up Your Book.

About S.M.:

SM Blooding lives in Colorado with her pet rock, Rockie, and Ms. Jack, who’s a real bird. She’s still learning to play the piano and guitar, which is going marginally better, and for those of you looking for an Arabic update, she has successfully learned one word, “Yalla, people yalla!”

She’s dated vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, weapons smugglers and US Government assassins. Yes. She has stories.

Her latest book is the YA steampunk, The Hands of Tarot.

CONNECT WITH S.M. ONLINE: 

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Google+ 
LinkedIn | Colorado Paranormal Rescue

Welcome to Darlene's Book Nook, S.M.!

S.M. has written a guest post, so I will now turn the floor over to her.

Why I Love Steampunk!

By SM Blooding

There are many reasons why I love Steampunk!

In the era Steampunk is usually written, which is the beginning of the Industrial Age, we literally thought anything was possible. We’d just seen the horse and buggy, which had been used in various stages for the past several millennia, replaced by a vehicle that worked with gears and a motor. We flew with power and control that a hot air balloon just can’t compete with. We conquered the Wild West. Women made their mark, started going to universities. We pushed railroad through unapproachable territories. The sky was the limit! The feeling of this era is intoxicating. I mean, just picture yourself in that time; watching your first movie, hearing your first radio show, going on your first airplane ride, driving a car for the first time.

I had the opportunity to talk to my grandmother when I was younger, and she was still alive, and she had all these stories. At the time, I poo-pooed what she said. I ignored the wonder in her eyes as she talked about all these things, but as I got older, I started thinking of the stories I would tell my great-great grandchildren. What had I seen? What had my generation done? Hers had won a world war. Her generation had shown the world that we were the strongest nation. Her generation dared to be different, paved paths that were previously thought to be impossible.

I think the thing that draws me the most to Steampunk is the sense of wonder. We literally thought at the beginning of the 20^th century that we would have cities under the sea, that we could build cities in the air. We thought the common mode of transportation would be flying cars. We had such big dreams and huge hopes for the future.

That was the route we actually took, though. In Steampunk, we kinda follow that same path, but we veer left. We use resources that are easier on our environment, and toy with renewable energies. Instead of shooting bullets that run out, we shoot electro-static, which is, in theory, easy to generate while it’s working.

That, I think, is the second biggest reason I love Steampunk. We have planes that flap their wings, airships that use steam. The weapons that were thought up in Steampunk works are just as interesting. Electro-static, electric-array, plasma-pistols. What you don’t typically see are expendable sources. You see vehicles that are just crazy (the spider in The Wild Wild West for instance) and can run forever, weapons that are insane and never run out of ammo.

During this time, we had some pretty ingenious inventors; Nikola Tesla, Albert Einstein, the Wright Brothers, Ida Henrietta Hyde, Andrew Alford, Henry Ford. Things were being invented on nearly a daily basis. The Band-Aid, the ballpoint pen, the radio, crayons, the light bulb, the zipper.

So when you think “Steampunk”, we’re talking about an age when anything was possible. You could be in a situation, and you need a widget in order to survive. It would be nothing to just whip up said widget using a nail, a spring, cayan powder, and a glass bottle. Presto! The widget was born!

With that, however, there are many failures, and that’s almost more fun than the things that worked. You’d find yourself in a gun fight, and your inventor hands you a pistol that doesn’t work! Remember when Grandpa would get up and smack the TV because it just stopped working? Can you even imagine smacking your TV now? Oh, no. No, no!

My Steampunk isn’t on planet earth, but the society that I wrote about in The Hands of Tarot is just breaching this age. We’re playing around with different inventions. We’re discovering what we could build, embarking on a new age. It’s a lot of fun! There are things that aren’t working so well, and a few that are. Steampunk is for the geek. It just is. If you’re a geek, a nerd, a dork, then Steampunk is for you! Take it. Own it. Geek is the new black!

The thing I love the most about Steampunk is that the heroes are scientists. That is freaking amazing! 

Thanks so much for joining us today, S.M.!

S.M. Blooding is giving away a set of Tarot Dolls and an autographed copy of The Hands of Tarot!

She imprisoned and beat him.

And now she thinks he’s her trophy.

Synn El’Asim will do almost anything to prove her wrong. But he’s only proving her right.

Queen Nix awakened his Mark of power and inducted him into the House of Wands. She knew what she was doing. The son of the two most powerful Families standing against her is the ultimate prize. What she didn’t take into consideration was that maybe he was too strong for her.

Maybe.

The Families are weakened, and it’ll take a lot more than one young man with a powerful Mark to take on…

The Hands of Tarot.

     

To enter the giveaway, please fill out the Rafflecopter entry form below. 
 

This giveaway is open to Canada/US addresses only until 12:01 AM EST on September 29, 2012.
a Rafflecopter giveaway   

 

Tour Participants

Monday, August 6

Interview at Blogcritics

Tuesday, August 7

Interview at Literarily Speaking

Wednesday, August 8

Guest Blogging at The Story Behind the Book

Thursday, August 9

Interview at Between the Covers

Friday, August 10

Guest Blogging at Bunny’s Reviews

Monday, August 13

Guest Blogging at The Book Boost

Tuesday, August 14

Book Review at GeoLibrarian

Wednesday, August 15

Book Featured at Examiner

Thursday, August 16

Interview at Review From Here

Friday, August 17

Guest Blogging at Darlene’s Book Nook

Book Review & Guest Blogging at Book Club Sisters

Monday, August 20

Interview at Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf

Wednesday, August 22

YA Steampunk Book Pick at Book Marketing Buzz

Thursday, August 23

Guest Blogging at The Top Shelf

Friday, August 24

Interview at The Writer’s Life

Wednesday, August 29

Guest Blogging at Motherhoot

Tuesday, September 4

Book Review & Guest Blogging at Waiting on Sunday to Drown

Wednesday, September 5

Book Review at Sweet Southern Home

Thursday, September 6

Book Review at Words I Write Crazy

Friday, September 7

Guest Blogging at Literarily Speaking

Monday, September 10

Guest Blogging at Sapphyria’s Book Reviews

Tuesday, September 11

Interview at Pump Up Your Book

Wednesday, September 12

Interview at Examiner

Thursday, September 13

Interview at Workaday Reads

Friday, September 14

Interview at The Children’s and Teens’ Book Connection

Monday, September 17

Interview at Books Books and More Books

Tuesday, September 18

Interview at Beyond the Books

Wednesday, September 19

Character Interview at Beyond the Books

Thursday, September 20

Guest Blogging at As the Pages Turn

Sunday, September 23

Book Review & Guest Blogging at Reading Girls

Monday, September 24

Guest Blogging at Celtic Lady’s Reviews

Tuesday, September 25

Book Review & Guest Blogging at Reader Girls

Friday, September 28

Book Review at Mary’s Cup of Tea