We're doing it again! Drake & McTrowell are putting on Duel at Dusk VIII! It will be held on 15 November 2026, 11 AM to 5 PM, at the original Duel at Dusk location, Team Touché Fencing Center.

Don’t forget that you can participate in the Picnic Basket Battle Royale, with awards for most appetizing, most creative, and best presentation. Not to mention that you'll have your own delicious food to eat!

This year we’re adding Game Den, an opportunity to enjoy a board or dice game during the event. As we did last year, we’ll also be hosting Nerf™️ Gun Dueling, Tea Dueling, and Splendid Teapot Racing! Participate, or just cheer on the competitors. As always, there will also be steampunk-related vendors. More details are on the event webpage: Duel at Dusk VIII. Tickets can be purchased through our ticket webpage: Duel at Dusk VIII Tickets.

First, the presentation. Second, turn the crank. Third, scary fuzzy Cthulhu pops out!

Now, how about some costumes?

Yep, Loads of Amazing Costumes!

Unfortunately, we didn’t get many pictures of the phenomenon that shows the difference of our usual west coast from the east coast. Out west we have a lot of wild west outfits and pirate cross-over. On the east coast, they have a lot of fairy cross-over. We saw an incredible number of costumes with wings, many of them with real feathers. And really wide wings were the hot ticket, apparently.

Gloriously creative and hilarious gadgets? Check. By the way, Key City Steampunk Festival is heavily maker-oriented. It’s a good place to get makery ideas.

Sure We Know What All of These Are

We even saw some familiar faces. It was wonderful to see Katie Radebaugh (and her dad, whom we met for the first time). We miss Katie’s warm presence out west. You east coast steampunks should count yourselves lucky to have her…for now. We’re going to be wanting her back.

Drake, Katie’s Dad, Katie, and Sparky

Half of The Eternal Frontier, Professor Adam Smasher, was there. We’re hoping to see the two of them together again soon because their first-rate shenanigators, our kind of people.

In Red is Professor Adam Smasher

Hutsell? Check. Wait, what? Yep, apparently you can’t hardly go to a steampunk convention without a Hutsell. This one is Heather; she’s an author too.

Heather Hutsell showing Off the Books She Authored

We also entertained and vended as usual and made a few new fans. Because we traveled, we didn’t have our full booth set up. But we had a really good spot right near registration and made good use of it. We even had someone come by and do a dramatic reading of the introduction to London, Where It All Began. She was quite good.

Drake Attempts Both Passive and Active Customer Engagement

We were too tired at the end of each day to go to the concerts, but there was busking in the halls and we bumped into Frenchy and the Punk.

Okay, That’s Actually Drake Pretending

The Calm Before the Storm

Of course we went to the Starburner Galactic Courier Service meetup and awards. In addition to old friends, someone there was enjoying his very first Comic Con.

Steampunks in the Sun

We did a fun little “Steampunks at the Beach” cosplay where Drake tried to catch Sparky with a butterfly net because she was so scantily clad. Hey! It was hot and a good excuse for Drake to wear shorts and Sparky to wear her favorite Dia de los Muertos swimsuit.

Knees? Shocking!

Old friends abounded. Thomas Willeford was showing off his new bird-watching goggles.

Apparently Thomas Willeford Doesn’t Care for Birds

And what would Comic Con be without costumes? The first pic is of our friend Colleen Rodriguez as Batwoman, a role she was born to cosplay (in a costume she made). The second pic is of Dude Vader, and this year he was on the front page of one of the Comic Con daily newsprint updates. Congrats, Dude!

Oh, the Cosplay!

This one takes Sparky back because Princess Leia was her first cosplay.

Pew! Pew! Pew!

One of the funnest panels we saw was the League of Extraordinary Scientists and Engineers. They answered questions about what they’d like to see in fiction and how real life for scientists and engineers is different than fiction.

I Wear Gloves at Work

We’re already making plans for next year!

On the Road Again

June can be tricky in Perris because it can be hot, but we were lucky to get beautiful weather for the ensuing shenanigans. Some of the usual suspects were there including Christopher and Bethany Hoage (talking about trains…imagine that), Dyno Staats, Becky Albrecht (The Victorian Bat), Evie Betz (The Lemon Pirate) and Dr. Solar.

The Usual Suspects

Okay, not to be those nerds, but Dyno gave us a new story we loving call “1 in 9.” He did a trick for each of us individually at the end of which he asked “what’s the chance of that?” Right, so we’re both mathematicians and computer scientists. First he asked Sparky who did the math in her head (using combinatorics) without pause. She arrived at 1 in 9 and suggested he ask Drake to check her math. He’d already done the trick for Drake, but he dashed off to ask the same question. Drake did the calculation more intuitively and arrived at the same answer, the speed of which impressed Dyno. Yeah, that kind of nerds.

We did a little straight reading.

Drake Tells it Like it is

Of course, it was mostly about hanging with friends.

Friends Rock

Thanks to Colleen Kelly Burks for the sweet pic with her husband, Randy.

No bloop would be complete without a smattering of random sightings.

#randomactsofsteampunk

Of course we sold our books out of the Wyng’d Lyon booth. Just across the sidewalk was a small caboose we used for Theatre of the Historically Improbable™. Thanks to Carol Silver for these inventive pics.

Have Caboose Will Shenanigate

Sadly, we hear that this will be the last time for Iron Horse. We’re sorry to see it go.

So Many Things to Do

Although the fellow in the last picture may have had a few too many shenanigans. And speaking of shenanigans, one can always count on Murray Willett to take them to a new level. This is him dancing to “An Octopus’ Garden” during the Saturday night concert, the Orpheus Ball. The band knocking out the tune is The Eternal Frontier.

It’s Murray; What Can We Say?

It’s always fun to see Dyno Staats, and his incredible magic…er, science tricks.

Something Might Go Horribly Wrong

We had the pleasure of Cynthia Diamond and Kelly Varner returning for our Hot Potato School of Writing™ game show where a steampunk story is created in real time. These two “ladies” are notorious Hot Potato repeat offenders. It made for a lively and “colorful” competition.

Something Might Go Horribly Wrong Here as Well

We also had a particularly off-the-hook session of Theatre of Historically Improbable™.

The Company is Running Amok

We know we do this every bloop, but it wouldn’t be a con without the costumes. Ohhh, the costumes!

So Many Lovely Costumes (and Maybe a Couple of Creepy Ones Too)

The fellow in the gold shirt bought a couple of sticks of (fake) dynamite from us to complete his ensemble; look closely.

But the highlight, as always, was the installation by the Starburner Galactic Courier Service - the Cornu-Chi, a steampunk reimagining of an X-wing. Just when we think their installations can’t get more detailed and visionary, they outdo themselves again.

Cornu-Chi

We made some new friends. The Eternal Frontier, one of the musical guests, came by our booth and serenaded us on the last day. These guys are a lot of fun!

The Eternal Frontier

No, really, breaking down is not this scary. Maybe Sparky’s just distressed that Gaslight Gathering is over for another year. Not to worry, even if Wyng’d Lyon makes your Victorian swimsuit, you’re not obliged to help her tear down.

Breaking Down is Hard to Do

We had a great time!

Dark & Stormy Morning

Fortunately, they were safe in their climate-controlled wheeled conveyance pod. But further dangers awaited them, including…

Crimes Against Tea!

But enough about the scary stuff! There are several features of Wild Wild West Con that we really love. First, there’s the art show. Aaaah, look at the lovely contraptions!

Art Show

Second, there’s the display of whimsically amazing conveyances. Sparky even got to ride one!

Amazing Conveyances!

Because we vend in the barn, sharing a space with David Lee Summers, …

Happily in our Usual Vending Spot

…eventually, all the amazing costumes walk by. So, we snapped some snaps!

Where Do All These Ideas Come From?

But the best part of Wild Wild West Con is the enthusiasm with which the attendees participate, particularly in Theatre of the Historically Improbable™ and Hot Potato School of Writing™. Thanks to Carol Silver for all the pics of our sock puppet shenanigans.

What is Tim Silver About to Do to Sparky’s Ear?

As we careen off into the sunset after another successful Wild Wild West Con, we ask…

The Wildest Ride in the West

...will you meet us there next year?

D&McT Survival Guide Step 1: Comfy Clothes, Waiting for the Floor to Open, and Steampunk Mexican Food!

#SDCC 2018 officially started off with the traditional Cosplay 101 shenanigans featuring our friend, Bob Mogg, the Iron Tailor. As PowerPoint rangers in real life, we found the graphics for the slides particularly amusing. Sadly, Sparky didn’t win the “costume contest” with her garden party outfit, but the competition was pretty stiff.

Cosplay 101

Remember that booth we helped set up? Well, on Friday afternoon we also had a book signing there. Yep, we did a book signing on the floor of #SDCC. We’ve hit the big time!

Book Signing at #SDCC

Of course, the Starburner Galactic Courier Service had their annual meet up and awards for all steampunk. It was hot and humid, so Sparky bailed on her western costume (Sparky del Pecos) and opted for the Dia de los Muertos swim suit by Wyng’d Lyon. Super cool and comfy, but you have to see it up close to appreciate how cute it is. Go see Colleen if you just have to have one for yourself.

Starburner Awards

It seemed like there weren’t quite as many costumes this year, but there were a few funny and lovely ones. And we got to show off our “garden party” outfits.

Cosplaying in the Heat

Is it just us, or does this look like one of the Stan Lee cameos in a Marvel movie?

Is That You Stan?

Panels? Why yes, we did get to quite a few panels. We have always loved Shannon Wheeler’s work, so we were thrilled to be in the room when Comic Con International presented him with their Inkpot Award.

Wheeler Wins an Inkpot

Sparky dropped in on the Badass Female Scientists panel. No doubt about it; they’re her people.

Badass Female Scientists

We popped over to see what our Whovian friends were doing on the Timey Wimey panel.

Wibbly Wobbly

Special thanks to Lindsay Rae Harold-Wagner for getting us tickets to the masquerade. We’d never been before. Sadly, live iPhone pictures didn’t come out very well, so you’ll have to check those out online. But the costumes and performances were amazing!

Masquerade

Just to bracket the whole thing, we stayed to help tear down as well. Sparky should probably stick to software because actually sticky things are clearly not her strong suit.

Tear Down

It’s only been a week, but we’re getting ready for next year. (Cowboy) Drake’s checking his calendar and Sparky’s trying to get through all the graphic novels she just bought.

Getting Ready for Next Year

Photo credits - thanks to the following folks for sharing pics of the event that we missed, especially pictures of ourselves: Veronique Chevalier, Catherine Fisher, Trip Hope, Colleen Rodriguez, Carol Silver, and Wanda Wease.

Commerce!

Drake reprised his cane defense class with his characteristic aplomb. No, of course it wasn’t a warm up for his upcoming national-level fencing competition. Thanks to Debra Brunner for snapping pics while Sparky engaged in the aforementioned commerce.

Defense!

And speaking of our friendly repeat shenanigator, Debra and Becky Albrecht lent a hand (literally) for Drake & McTrowell’s Theatre of the Historically Improbable™.

Sock Puppets!

Brace yourselves for a lot of pictures because the Starburner Galactic Courier Service returned to Gaslight Gathering in a big way with the Zeppelin Crash Site Investigation installation and the induction of worthy new agents!

ZCSI!

Nope, there’s no such thing as a Drake & McTrowell bloop about a convention without costumes. And, yes, that’s Sparky in her new Dia de los Muertos Victorian swimsuit, a brainstorm by Wyng’d Lyon. Okay, the last one is more an invention than a costume, but its human controller was in a mad scientist costume, naturally.

Costumes!

Stephen Marchesi offered a display of his pencil drawings. If you look closely in the lower left corner of the picture, you can see the original of the official Gaslight Gathering 8 art.

Art!

Dyno Staats was there to demonstrate the science of not choking on toxic chemicals. It’s a real crowd pleaser.

Magic! Oops, Science!

We saved the big surprise for last; Abney Park played the Saturday night concert!

Music!

We’re starting our plans now for next year, so stay tuned for new shenanigans.

T is for Trebuchet

Why yes, of course, in a convention full of authors we played Hot Potato School of Writing™.



H is for Hot Potato

Since we’re on a roll with the alphabet, how about those Bollmans in their perfectly coordinated outfits?



B is for Bollman

Last year at Comic Con we met Armand Baltazar and bought a print from his upcoming book, Timeless. Imagine our delight to discover he was at Clockwork Alchemy as the artist guest of honor and his book is done! Yep, you guessed it, we bought a copy.



A is for Armand

Sage & Savant were there with audio awesomeness.



S is for Sage & Savant

We vended with vigor (see what I did there?). We even won second prize for our table decoration.



V is for Vending

We did get to see a few clever new costumes.



I is for Imagination

Not to bury the lead, but the big news was that we have a new book out with Dover, AJ Sikes, and Belinda Sikes, entitled The Clockwork Oracle. You can buy a copy from any one of us at an upcoming convention, or, if you’re really desperate, it’s available on Amazon.



C is for Clockwork (Oracle)

As always, we had a great time and enjoyed hanging out with our friends. See you all at Clockwork Alchemy next year!

Wildly West Costuming

Bethany debuted her new “cigarette girl” costume and lent a hand with vending. She did a booming (ar ar ar) business peddling our prop dynamite.



Sunshine Vending

Bethany’s also launching her prop building business. She made this “criminally good” cake with both kinds of files in it for L.O.S.E.R.



Cake with File…Two Ways

We know what you’re wondering. Weren’t you guys there “working?” You know, doing panels and vending (with David Lee Summers). Oh yeah, that. Of course there was Drake & McTrowell’s Hot Potato School of Writing™. We were aided and abetted by Diesel Jester and Bob Vardeman. We played the Dr. Seuss / Shakespeare plot point which resulted in epic hilarity.



Et Tu Thing 2, or I do Not Like Hamlet

And a little bit of Drake & McTrowell’s Theatre of the Historically Improbable™. Thanks to Zapp for this picture.

Our Reading of “The Polychrome Wishing Jar”



These Books Will Blow Your Mind

Is it just us, or is this Tyrannosaurus Rex security guard extra scary?



Dinosecurity

But maybe not as scary as one of the product demos we saw.



Whips!

But hands down the scariest thing we saw was this tea duel with a simultaneous splash and splodge.



Oh, the Horror!

Chief Inspector Drake says, “Adios, pardners. See y’all next year.”




Adios, Pardners

Do You Dare?

David L. Drake, Katherine L. Morse, AJ Sikes, BJ Sikes, and Dover Whitecliff have looked into the Clockwork Oracle. Will you?

The Clockwork Oracle will be available for sale and autograph by the authors at Clockwork Alchemy. Copies are also available on Amazon.

Setting Up




We’re Sure This is Just a Wardrobe Correction

Our foil fencers this year were Bryan Bishe and Ben Jagger with the win going to Ben!

Staba, Staba, Staba

One may always rely on Madame Askew for urbane hilarity, even in the most mundane of activities such as the explanation of the rules of the venerable art of tea duelling.

Madame Askew Explains it All

John Bollman acquitted himself with valor in the Nerf gun dueling to take the top prize, a very cool Nerf gun steampunked by Bob Mogg. We have a feeling John will be back next year to defend his title.

Take That! And That!

Of course the room was full of friends old and new.

What’s a Party Without Friends?

Vendors? Of course there were vendors: Rae Wolf Designs, Wyng’d Lyon, Gears & Roebuck, and Gear Oils. Because, what’s a steampunk event without shopping? Special thanks to our ever-capable vendor wrangler, Lindsay Rae Harold Wagner, who made sure we satisfied everyone’s shopping craving.

Shopping!

In addition to his skills with Nerf guns, carpet bags, parasols, bandoliers…oh bother, the list just goes on! More to the point, Bob Mogg has a wicked sense of humor that often manifests itself materially. Voilá!

Because it’s a Fencing Event. Get it?

What do y’all think? Do it again next year?

You may buy tickets at the door of the event. $10 for adults (age 13 and up) and $5 for children (ages 4 through 12). If you have a FULL 3-day Membership to ConDor Con for 2018, then you may attend Duel at Dusk for free (please RSVP so we’ll have enough seating).

On-line tickets may be purchased for $8 for adults and $4 for children (only available on-line until 11 PM Wednesday January 17, 2018).

So acquire your tickets, stuff your photographic apparatus into your carpet bag, take in an early dinner, and come join us on the evening of January 20th to participate and/or watch the competitors!

Picnic in the Park

Several very fine gentlemen were in attendance.

Picnic Gents

And what could be a better accompaniment to a picnic in the park than croquet?

Croquet

Plus, there were corgis!

Corgis Attended by their Human Servants

Alas, we had to bid adieu to all the fine steampunk trappings, including this lovely creation.

Tower of Steampunk Finery

Black Crown

We made it to Cosplay 101 where Bob Mogg was showing off his steampunk Batman costume and providing all manner of useful advice for cosplayers novice and expert.

Cosplay 101

Sparky even spotted a Delores Umbridge in the crowd, although we confess to being more enamored with Kelly Varner’s version.

Delores Umbridge

We’ve been reading Arcana’s “Howard Lovecraft” series recently, so we really enjoyed the panel on the movie.

Howard Lovecraft

Of course, there were sightings of amazing costumes including this Groot that was at least 7’ tall.

I Am Groot

Kelly and Murray crushed this 1950s Star Trek mashup.

1950 Star Trek Mashup

This kid was having the best Comic Con of all! Her dad would hoist her up in the air every couple of minutes, sending her into squeals of delight. Sparky wants to know if she can get someone to do this for her.

Wonder Baby

Check out the Samurai droid mashup!

Samurai Droids

And what Comic Con would be complete without the Starburner Galactic Courier Service steampunk meetup and awards? Kudos to the Starburners for the ensemble cosplay with the Victorian baseball costumes.

Play Ball!

But the highlight of the meetup was when Jeb Haught surprised his long-time girlfriend, Barbara Lekes, with a marriage proposal.

She Said, “Yes”

Sparky spent quite a bit of time lending a hand in the Gaslight Gathering booth. The highlight was a chance to be in KPBS’s live stream of the fan tables on the mezzanine.

Booth Hand Sparky

We were quite literally heading for the door to leave on Sunday when we spotted Nichelle Nichols! Not to be those children of the 60s, but squee!

Nichelle_Nichols

We did find a few minutes of quiet to enjoy a romantic meal at our favorite downtown dining spot, Café Chloe. How can a girl resist a boy who orders her sparkling rosé?

Bubbly Drake

And, yes, we’ve submitted our professional registration materials for next year. Fingers crossed.

All the Vending

Fear not, dear reader, life in Authors’ Alley is not all commercial drudgery. The authors have their own tea service to keep up our energy.

Very Civilized

This year, for the first time, we had a contest for table decoration. We won second prize for best use of banners!

Best Use of Banners

And most everyone wanders through Authors’ Alley at some point, sharing their splendid costumes with us.

Authors’ Alley Promenade

But, of course, there was Drake & McTrowell’s “Hot Potato School of Writing™!”

Now with Actual Hot Potatoes!

Although we didn’t get pictures, we did run “There Was Once a Steampunk from Limerick™” for the second time. You can find the clever and hilarious results here.

We did manage to conserve our energies enough to make it to the evening performances for our favorite steampunk circus, Cirque Des Bêtes, and Strangely Doesburg.

Look Ma, No Hands or Head

And what Clockwork Alchemy bloop would be complete without pictures of Thena MacArthur in some magnificent costume, like this resplendent red number for the fashion show?

Lava Red Thena

Remember that Clockwork Alchemy is earlier next year: March 23 – 25th. We’ll see you there!

Take That! And That!

We premiered “There Was Once a Steampunk from Limerick™.” You can find the first batch of results on the new limerick page on our new website page Library of Limericks.

And there were old favorites. Drake & McTrowell’s “Hot Potato School of Writing™” was way off the hook this time with newbie Cindy Diamond and repeat offender Kelly Varner. Plus, it was right after the absinthe panel, so it was more colorful than usual.

Why Does the Green Fairy Make Hot Potatoes so Blue?

For “Theatre of the Historically Improbable™” we performed both “The Evil Cheesemonger” and “Green Grass, Brown Well.” We were joined by Sage & Savant and Debra Brunner, all of whom contributed a significant amount of tomfoolery to the proceedings.

Wall-to-Wall Tomfoolery

We found just a few minutes to look in on other happenings including a sighting of Dyno Staats.

Magic and Choo Choo, What’s Not to Love?

But our greatest achievement of the weekend was to cast, shoot, edit, and screen a video with a great amount of support from Dreadfully Punk and L.O.S.E.R., the video “Hiring Day.”

Watch it Here! Flaming Pineapples and Whirling Blades of Death!

Hiring Day Set


Audience Reaction

And in case you didn’t notice, we now have our own YouTube Channel!

Be there at Gaslight Gathering next year to see what other tomfoolery we concoct.

Now you have all our announcements for Gaslight Gathering:

• Lights! Camera! Action!
• Cane Defense
• There Once Was a Steampunk from Limerick™
• Someone Say Hot Potato?™

If you’ve seen us at a convention in the last few years, you’ve probably seen our improvisational, audience-participation, writing game show, Hot Potato School of Writing™. But just because you’ve seen it once (or twice) doesn’t mean you’ve seen all there is. It’s different every time thanks to the wacky input of the audience’s “Hot Potato” plot points, the audience members who volunteer to play, and the creativity of our guest authors. We’ll be joined this time by Kelly Varner (a notorious repeat offender) and Cindy Kinnard-Diamond. Come lob a few hilarious flaming spuds with us at Gaslight Gathering the weekend of May 12 - 14.

If you missed our first three announcements about other engagingly comical things we’re doing at Gaslight Gathering, you can find them here and here and here.

If you missed our first two announcements about other engagingly comical things we’re doing at Gaslight Gathering, you can find them here and here.

Take That! And That!

Are you planning a stroll in the darker corners of London at night? We’d advise a hour-long lesson of defending yourself with your cane or umbrella! The Chief Inspector will show you how.

And if you want to see our first reveal for Gaslight Gathering, you can find it here.

Ursula and Neptune on Saturday
Queen of Hearts and Mad Hatter on Sunday

There were several clever mashups including Nikki Pardee and Krissy Stache as steampunk Cogsworth and Lumière, respectively. Plus, they’re crossplaying both characters.

Steampunk Cogsworth and Lumière

Speaking of crossplay, there was this stunning Joker. We don’t know how she survived all day in those heels, but boy does she looking amazing doing it.

Crossplaying the Joker

Okay, so Iron Man is a pretty serious warrior, so this makes a whole bunch of sense. It’s another fine example of attention to detail.

Samurai Iron Man

But this is the one that made us laugh. Lonstermash does a canonical Wolverine most of the time, but he told us he does this for Sundays and WonderCon was pretty close to Easter.

Wolverine Bunny

Although we laughed, we also ran. Those carrots are super sharp and pointy!

Our next event is Gaslight Gathering in San Diego! Come join us for the fun!

Lights! Camera! Action!

In conjunction with Justin Andrew Hoke and L.O.S.E.R., we’re going to shoot, edit, and screen a video over the course of the weekend. We’ll be looking for performers on Friday for role assignment and then filming on Saturday. We’ll announce later where to find us on Friday to sign up! Keep an eye on the Gaslight Gathering program for the location of the screening of our cinematic masterpiece on Sunday.

Vending Shenanigans

We had some new things for sale including Kepler’s Cowboys, an anthology of space western stories about planet discovered by the Kepler Space Telescope. The book is edited by David Lee Summers and Steve Howell, the Kepler project scientist at NASA Ames Research Center. Drake has a straight up science fiction story in the anthology!

Be-Tentacled Sales Assistants

The adorable green and black octopus was custom-made for Sparky’s Cthulhu Acolyte costume by David Lee Summers’ daughter. And why was Sparky dressed thus? Because the theme of the convention this year was Cthulhu for President.

Cthulhu and His Acolyte

This particular pic is by Paul Davis who took a lot of amazing pictures at the convention. Everyone was wearing their best green and tentacles. Here’s a link to more of Paul’s pictures from the event.

With Curatio and Debra

Karina Representing

We had a prime location on the Bitter Creek Stage where the high winds made for extra interesting shenanigans during our Nerf™ gun dueling shootout. Yes, there was some attempts at Kentucky windage, not that it helped amidst the gusts.

We Got Your Nerf™ Right Here!

The wind also made holding scripts for our Theatre of the Historically Improbable™ more than a little interesting, but our company persevered. Even Nessie approved, despite the presence of her election rival, Cthulhu, on stage.

Theatre of the Historically Improbable™ in a Hurricane

Cirque des Bêtes was there and they were on fire! No, literally, they were on fire. They premiered their new nighttime fire show and it was great. If it was on fire, they could juggle, jump, or balance it.

Cirque des Bêtes on Fire

One of the other new events this year was the Steampunk Vehicle Exhibition where the contributions were both varied and magnificent. This is what steampunk is all about! Check out these crazy conveyances.

Oh, Those Steamy Machines

As Sparky rides off… well, okay, strolls off into the sunset, we say…

See you again next year, amigos!

Ben Jagger and Bryan Bishe Mix It Up

Drake even got in the game, but without eschewing sartorial suavities.

Is That Bowler FIE Regulation?

The final bout was between Ben Jagger and Bryan Bishe. Bryan won, but it was close.

Bryan Wins! And gets a giant commemorative chocolate bar!

But, wait, there’s more. We had Madame Askew and her intern, Ian, in from Tucson for tea duelling.

So Much Tea Duelling!









The shenanigans were so off the hook that even Madame Askew struggled to contain herself.

Ze Prussian fell to the victorious Steampunk Molly, but not without an epic battle. She was rewarded with a ceramic tea holder filled with various teas!

We were also honored to have the Iron Tailor, Bob Mogg, working with us to run the steampunk Nerf™ gun dueling.

The Iron Tailor with a Loaded Nerf™ Gun. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Back over to Madame Askew for some compliment duelling. We’ve never see this sport in action before and we have to say we find it delightful. With her supreme graciousness, Evie prevailed against all other duelists to take home the grand prize, a copy of “Miss Manners.”

Evie Wins!

We know what you’re wondering; how did the steampunk Nerf™ gun dueling come out? The four finalists squared off in a series of duels.

Gentle Steampunks, Choose Your Weapons

In the end, Ed Pogue prevailed (despite Doc Synchronous’ signature sneakiness) and took home the big prize, a hand-painted steampunked Nerf™ gun crafted by the Iron Tailor himself.

Ed Wins!

It was a whirlwind of non-stop fun. We sure hope everyone enjoyed it as much as we did.

Until Next Year!

Not familiar with Duel at Dusk? It’s a steampunk parlor event with dueling. But this time there will be four types of dueling: steampunk nerf gun dueling, tea dueling, compliment dueling, and our traditional Olympic-style foil fencing! We will also have our usual dazzling array of steampunk vendors, and much, much more.

6 P.M. to 10 P.M. on Saturday the 14th of January, 2017

Location: Team Touché Fencing Center
11468 Sorrento Valley Rd. Suite A-1
San Diego, California 92121

On-line tickets are no longer on sale through the Drake & McTrowell General Store.
You may buy tickets at the door of the event. $15 for adults (age 17 and up) and $8 for children.
On-line tickets may be purchased for $10 for adults and $5 for children (only available on-line until 11 PM January 13, 2017 - that’s right, Friday the 13th! Ooh, scary!). Adults tickets are for ages 17 and up. Children are ages 4 through 16.

So acquire your tickets, stuff your photographic apparatus into your carpet bag, take in an early dinner, and come join us on the evening of January 14th to participate and/or watch the competitors!

On Deck

But we weren’t the only pirates in attendance.

Steam Pirates, Ho!

Nor were we the only ones in blue. Doc Phineas was also rocking the cooler shades.

Doing Blue with Doc Phineas

Friends were everywhere!

Friends Galore!

Um, What’s Going on Here? The Usual Tossing of the Cephalopod!

We took a brief recess to grab a bit of lunch and we found this mural.

Separated at Birth? This is Drake’s Latest Acquisition, an Octopus Hand Puppet!

We met new folks and saw some amazing costumes.

So, there’s this thing that Sparky and Molly Edison do. They dance…and dance…and dance.

Dancing Machines! Ya Know, Machines with Steam and Gears that React to Music!

Who should be there entertaining the crowd but our favorite steampunk circus, Cirque des Bêtes?

They Fly Through the Air With the Greatest of Ease

And we even sold a few books with a little help from our friend, Colleen, at Wyng’d Lyon.

Commerce in Action

We strongly urge you, our steampunk friends in the southern California area, to put Oxnard Steampunk Fest on next year’s calendar!

“Apocrypha Now” Panel

Bill Plympton’s working on a new animated feature with Jim Lujan called “Revengeance.” Judging by the panel and the trailer, it’s going to be darkly hilarious…as we have come to expect from Bill.

“Revenge is a Dish Best Served Animated”

Bob Mogg and Catherine Fisher graced the Cosplay 101 panel along with Birda Hussey Nichols and Melissa Gene Meyer, after which Catherine showed off her patriotic princess cosplay trio.

Cosplay 101

Much to our surprise, we were able to get into Adam Savage’s panel on Cosplay as Storytelling. It also turned out to be a master class in how to moderate a panel while participating.

Cosplay as Storytelling

Our regular readers know that we’re fans and supporters of The League of S.T.E.A.M. So, we were delighted to be able to attend screenings and panels for two of their video efforts to which we contributed our “acting” skills: “The White Wolf” from season 3, and the “Kali 47” music video.

The White Wolf



Kali 47

We found time to visit some artists whose work we’ve enjoyed for years including Travis Hanson who whipped up this sketch of the Evil Cheesemonger from Drake & McTrowell’s Theatre of the Historically Improbable™. Amazingly, he looked up to talk to us several times as he continued sketching. That’s some mad skills!

Evil Cheesemonger

And Sparky got to the art show in time to nab this beauty by Dan Jones. His work was selling like hotcakes (as usual), and he sold out before the weekend was over.

Sir Franklin Java Bot, held by the artist, Dan Jones

And then there was that serendipitous moment when we borrowed a pen from a British gentleman at lunch who was dressed in a Star Trek uniform (original series). We asked what he was doing at Comic Con. He and his partner designed and built precise replicas of Star Trek communicators that pair with your cellphone. You know, the kind Kirk flipped open in the days before flip phones…actually, decades before the invention of the cellphone. Of course, as children of the 60s, we had to hot foot it over to the ThinkGeek booth and get ourselves a pair.

Beam Me Down, Scotty; I’ve Got Some Shopping to Do

Of course, no Comic Con bloop would be complete without coverage of the annual Starburner Galactic Courier Service Awards. Several good friends received well-deserved awards including Joyce McCarthy, Christopher Hoage, Dude Vader (Chris Canole), and Doc Phineas. Congrats all!

Starburner Galactic Courier Service Awards

Costumes, gotta do costumes. Judging by the pics we got, the ladies knocked this one out of the park.

Costumes Galore

We once again had the very last time slot on Sunday afternoon for our panel. This year’s offering was “Steampunk as a Maturing Visual Aesthetic” with Andrew Fogel (The League of S.T.E.A.M.), Bob Mogg (The Iron Tailor), and Rocky Olivares (Heroes and Bandits). You may recognize Rocky’s style because she was one of the illustrators for our first book, London, Where It All Began.

Steampunk as a Maturing Visual Aesthetic

Thanks to Kelly Varner and JoAnn Onishi-Mogg for the pictures of the panel because we were too busy presenting to get some ourselves.

We proved once more that we can shut down Comic Con in style. Despite the lateness of the panel, we still had plenty of people in the room and got several very insightful questions. Exhausted, but content that this year was once again a success, we departed for a celebratory dinner with our friends, Kelly and Murray. Thanks to Kelly for the departure pics.

Until Next Year, Comic Con

Time to start making plans for next year’s panel.

So Much Costume Fun!

We’ve always wondered what one does with funky, old, out-of-fashion neckties… and here it is. So.Much.Silk. Next: There’s a new marshal in town and he’s making Sparky think twice about robbing the bank (you know…on purpose). That’s Drake wearin’ his new custom cowboy hat from O’Farrell’s in Santa Fe (the same nice folks who made the Sparky del Pecos hat). If the style looks familiar, it might be because this is the same style O’Farrell’s designed for Sheriff Longmire. Of course, no Clockwork Alchemy costume bloop would be complete without at least one picture of Thena MacArthur in something magnificent. This regal purple ensemble was designed for the fashion show. After the show, she wore it around to make everyone in the Author’s Alley jealous.

The really big news is that the Treehouse Writers released a joint anthology again this year, Thirty Days Later! Twelve Hours Later was such a success last year, we decided to do it again this year, but with stories separated by 30 days instead of just 12 hours. If you enjoyed Twelve Hours Later last year, catch us at a con in the coming year and get a copy of Thirty Days Later.

Thirty Days Later

A wise man once said that you have to celebrate the victories because that’s how you differentiate them from the defeats. (Okay, Drake said that.) And the release of Thirty Days Later was definitely a victory. The authors had a spectacular release party at Spencer’s.

Thirty Days Later Release Party

We first learned about splendid teapot racing while researching our 2015 Comic Con panel, “Steampunk as a Global Phenomenon.” Clockwork Alchemy was the second convention in the US where we saw it included. We’re super excited to see this sport take off.

Splendid Teapot Racer

Random diversion: a friend recently asked me if there are steampunk tattoos. He said he’d searched the web and hadn’t found any good ones.

Yes, Chris, There are Epic Steampunk Tattoos

Our regular readers will know that Clockwork Alchemy always coincides (more or less) with Sparky’s birthday. It’s become a delightful excuse for weekend-long celebrations with friends which are Sparky’s favorite birthday present always. The Messenger-Sikes Cabal organized a small soiree in their room complete with birthday wine (we swear that’s a "thing"). Dover Whitecliff exercised her artistic skills to render this scene from “The Hawaiian Triple-Cross” on a birthday card. Vive la France!

Birthday Fun

Dover’s author table was one of the stops on the scavenger hunt. At some point in the weekend she switched from requiring the scavengers to read from the back of a book in Author’s Alley to making them sing a birthday song to Sparky. This resulted in some truly interesting birthday tunes. Who knew there was an apocalyptic birthday ditty?

Okay, it really was a real convention, where we did presentations, and some performing and everything.

Our Busy Schedule

First up: Character Creation Laboratory with the Messenger-Sikes Cabal. A few of the teams wound up producing stories that integrated all their characters. Sparky thinks her team should actually write up their story and get it published.

Character Creation Laboratory

What? You were thinking there was no Hot Potato School of Writing™? Oh, you read the schedule, so you know we weren’t going to leave you hanging. The Messenger-Sikes Cabal is getting to be old hands at this, so we threw them a curve with new plot points. “We told you not to flush that cephalopod; they will just breed in the sewers.”

Hot Potato School of Writing™

And last, but not least, we sat on Anthony Francis’ panel on writing Victorian science fiction. Although we’ve known these fellow authors for several years and written two anthologies with them, it’s still interesting to hear how our perspectives on our chosen genre vary.

Writing Victorian Science Fiction

You might have noticed that most of our pics were taken in Author’s Alley. We spent most of our time going between our table and the Author’s Salon for panels. So while we didn’t get to see a lot of our friends perform, like the Aether Brigade…

O Aether Brigade, Where Art Thou?

…our efforts did result in this.

Sold Out!

By now we know that we don’t have to say this, but - see y’all next year!

View from the Porch of the Kellogg House

It was picnic perfect.

Pickanick Basket Anyone?

Lots of friends were there, enjoying the programming and the shady elegance.

Pausing for a Brief Respite on the Kellogg House Porch

The Wild West Steam Fest added regularly scheduled gun fights (wonderfully played by the Guns and Garters Old West Reenactment group) that were sprinkled throughout the day.

Look What You Done!

What’s that you say? Were there shenanigans? Really, do you even need to ask?

Which One is the Sidekick?

Masks by the Brass Wardrobe. Thanks to Bob Mogg for these comic pics of our masked heroes and for the cool panoramic view of the Kellogg House porch above. And speaking of Bob, also known as the Iron Tailor, he gave an incredibly educational bandolier workshop. It was really clear and informative. Even Sparky got to feeling like she might be able to tackle one of these projects.

The Iron Tailor Explains Bandoliers

The Star Wars Steampunk Universe was out in Force….ahaha. And Sparky won a patch by answering one of Dude Vader’s trivia questions. It will straight onto her steampunk denim jacket.

Star Wars Steampunk Universe

Deus Ex Vapore Machina was there playing sets in the gazebo throughout the day, so we stopped by several times in between shopping and panels to hear several songs.

Deus Ex Vapore Machina

And you know we can’t resist a few pics of cool costumes we spotted.

New Costume Creativity

Because it was a one-day event, we had a short presentation schedule; we just did Drake & McTrowell’s Theatre of the Historically Improbable™. Thanks to Debra Brunner for being such a good sport and participating in both the skit and the sock-puppet reading.

“Green Grass, Brown Well” and “The Evil Cheesemonger”

Like many steampunk conventions, this one had a costume contest. What was special about this one was the number of girls in amazing adventure costumes. Seriously, doesn’t the one on the left look like a young Sparky McTrowell? But they all looked incredible and steampunky.

You’re Never Too Young to be a Steampunk Adventuress

Here’s hoping that the Heritage Museum saw the benefit of the event and lets Noelle do it again next year.

Who’s Ready for Some Foolishness?

Festival of Fools Poster

We started the festivities by appearing on San Diego Living on the local CW station. We steampunked the hosts, Lynda Martin and Clint August.

San Diego Living

Drake pitched in by creating the brochure and map.

Festival of Fools Brochure

We thought we were in 2016, but it’s possible we were in 1885.

Back to the Future

Because it was outdoors with lots of open space, we took the opportunity for some sporting and busking shenanigans. We broke out the croquet set.

Extreme Croquet



Let the Wookie Win




Even Doc Phineas Paid our Pitch a Visit

We did lots of juggling; Drake even taught a few lessons. We spent so much time busking and performing that we didn’t have a lot of time to take pictures. We’re grateful to Bethany Jackson, Hybrid Realities Cosplay, Michael Watson, and Debbie Boyd for many of the following pictures.

Juggling Fools

And another in our continuing series, “Separated at Birth…”

Separated at Birth?

We ran not one, but two, full sessions of Drake & McTrowell’s Hot Potato School of Writing™. The first one was on the main stage. Judging by the pics, it had more than even our usual level of shenanigans.

Hot Potato School of Writing™ on the Main Stage

The second session was in the more casual setting of the Dreadful Lounge.

Open Air Hot Potato School of Writing™

Of course, no convention would be complete without a little music and dancing, compliments of Frenchy & the Punk.

Frenchy & the Punk



Plus Dancing



Um, What’s Going on Here?

We hope to see you all there next year!

Until Next Year

Our Names in Lights…Sorta

We were traveling light, so we only did a couple of things. First, we participated in Joyce McCarthy’s “Over 30 Cosplay” panel. A lot of our favorite “usual suspects” were there and we had a lively discussion.

Over 30 Cosplay Panel

We did another round of Drake & McTrowell’s Theatre of the Historically Improbable™. Even with a completely different company, it was completely wacky.

Don’t Try This at Home, Kiddies; We’re Rank Amateurs
(Carol Silver, thanks for taking these pictures!)

Okay, we did squeeze in a couple of other shenanigans. We hung with the Atlantean Foundation for quite a bit of the afternoon, complete with singing on the train because…Atlantean Foundation. It’s what they do. The other thing they do is set up an awesomely detailed encampment and bestow superbly gracious hospitality on their friends.

Attending Iron Horse, Atlantean-Style

And it seems like it’s been forever since we managed to catch one of Poplock Holmes’ shows. Sparky danced to her heart’s content, but skipped the "signing directly on the fans" fun at the end.

#thesteampunkfestival

And it wouldn’t be one of our convention bloops without some nods to the costumes that really tickled our fancies.

It Wouldn’t Be Steampunk Without the Costumes

The Boys Take Old Tucson

We shared an author’s table with David Lee Summers again inside the vendor’s barn. We had a great spot right in-between the refreshment stand and the table for the band “The Men Who Will Not Be Blamed for Nothing.” David S. was selling his hot-off-the-press book “Brazen Shark,” which is the third in his steampunk series. You should definitely check it out if you missed picking one up at WWWC. Special thanks to his wife, Kumie, and his daughter, Verity, for keeping the commerce in action while we scampered back and forth to panels.

Vending Shenanigans

It’s always fun to see our friends exercising their steampunk chops.

Cirque des Bêtes in the Sun

League of S.T.E.A.M. with Their Rock Monster



David Lee Summers Does Victorian Astronomy

Lord Towers Rides Tall

Thomas Willeford is Hot, Literally




Don’t Ask!
(Crackitus from League of S.T.E.A.M. lovingly wipes his nose on Erasmus’ leathers)



Ice Cold Tea Duel Stare Down Cooling Off the Desert

We made some new friends including John Sprocket from The Cog is Dead.

John Sprocket entertained with lively songs and panache

John did us the honor of captaining Team Red for Hot Potato School of Writing™.

Quick — have the story include “The look of love evaporated from his face when he saw his own reflection in the dead woman’s glass eye”

Trip Hope and Justin Andrew Hoke helped us reprise our presentation of “Steampunk as a Global Influence.”

Did Someone Say, “Стимпанк?”
( Russian for “Steampunk” )

There was some creative new costuming including the return of color, particularly in the ladies’ costumes.

Lots of Crossovers

We got to see Splendid Teapot Racing live for the first time thanks to Madame Askew, The Grand Arbiter, and Stephen Chapman. The Texas Terror made a exceptionally fine showing, particularly over the teeter-totter of terror, no surprise there.

Splendid Teapot Racing

Of course, we had a session of Drake & McTrowell’s Theatre of the Historically Improbable™. We continue to be amazed by the willingness of steampunks to jump in with both feet and exercise their campy acting skills.

Chief Inspector / Director Erasmus Drake Shows the Company How It’s Done

Thespis Got Nothin’ on Steampunks

We saved the best for last. First, the League of S.T.E.A.M. screened the final episode of season 3, “The Invitation to Armageddon,” the musical! We’re incredibly honored to be credited as associate producers on this episode for our contribution to the season 3 Kickstarter. You’ll have to settle for a picture of the audience for now because the episode isn’t online yet. “Why,” you ask? Because it’s having its theatrical “work premiere” at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival on April 4th!

The Audience for “Invitation to Armageddon”

And then there was this! Oz Coppherchops proposed to Lady Ember Brennen Sparks with a little clandestine help from his friends. We love how verklempt she is in the first pic.

She Said, “Yes”

Our regular readers will know that the two of us have a post-con “thing”; we go out for Mexican food. Apparently, we both crave chile after a busy weekend of vending, entertaining, costuming, and hauling. At other cons, it’s usually just the two of us, but for the second year in a row at WWWC we and a bunch of steampunk friends took over the basement of El Charro. We drank a toast to Diana Given for putting on such an amazing con. Someone get that woman a foot massage and a libation; she’s earned them!

El Charro Chowdown

There were only about 20 of us; the wait staff says the basement will hold 70. Challenge accepted! See y’all next year on Sunday night after WWWC6 wraps!

London, Where It All Began T-Shirt

Getting Into the Swing of Things

Super special thanks to Scott “Zapp” Higgins and his wife, Carol, for chauffering us all around the museum grounds in their 1916 Russell steam tractor, including getting us a ride in the posh cook shack trailer for the parade (with our buddy, Justin Andrew Hoke from Dreadfully Punk). You may recall that this particular portable building serves as the Mooney family home in the League of S.T.E.A.M.’s season three episode, “The White Wolf” where we play Jasper Mooney’s parents.

Riding in the Parade

Since Scott’s a blacksmith, he gave us a tour of the blacksmith’s shop. He swears this is his personal parking spot for the Russell.

VIP Parking

In exchange for the personal tour, Drake lent Scott an able hand hooking up the cook shack.

Tractor Hitchin’

All joking aside, Scott let Drake help him drive around, even in the parade.

Drake and Scott, Steamin’ and Stokin’

Our whole crew had a really smokin’ time. Do it again next year?

Steaming into the Sunset

Vendors, Vendors and More Vendors

The fencing was exciting and a bit unorthodox at times.

Touché

Thanks to Bob Mogg and the Starburner Galactic Courier Service for bringing the cool parlor backdrops against which so many attendees had fun taking pictures.

Parlor Pics

Dude Vader was there mixing it up with Drake, our master of ceremonies, among others.

Crossing Swords…and Thumbs

Bethany Jackson made us custom cupcakes that were amazing to behold and taste. The competition for them was pretty fierce in its own right.

Cupcakes, Om Nom Nom!

We personally had the great honor of being cosplayed by not one, but two, of the best costuming couples in San Diego.

So Many Drakes and McTrowells

Dreadfully Delightful

Our fencers battled mightily…

The Fierce Competitors

…all for one of these trophies.

Taking Home the Prize

See you again next year!

If you’ve been following us on Facebook you might have heard that Krypton Radio is rerunning the radio show of our first book, "London, Where It All Began." We're playing at 3 AM, 11 AM, and 4 PM Pacific time on Thursdays. A new show will run in these same time slots for nine weeks until they've covered all of “London, Where it All Began.”

For details on Krypton Radio shows and air times, see their table of show times.

Pro Passes

We spent preview night shopping and planning, like checking on League of S.T.E.A.M. appearances.

Full Slate

And hanging with the rock monster from season 3.

A Rock and a Hard Place

Rocky Olivares, one of the illustrators for "London, Where It All Began" was there and had our book for sale in the small press pavilion.

Rocky Sells "London, Where It All Began"

The ladies from Blonde Swan and Mad Girl showed us how to make steampunk eye-poppingly colorful.

Steampunk Comes in Colors

Of course we saw lots of friends. This was really clever, Joyce McCarthy and Christopher Hoage cosplaying Boston Metaphysical.

Cosplaying Boston Metaphysical

We'd been wandering the floor for a couple of days before we finally made it all the way to Fred Jeska's booth. Rumor has it he was doing a ripping business.

Fred Jeska

Comic Con also had some really sweet, heartwarming discoveries. This woman's husband made her this fabulously detailed steampunk scooter so she can tool around in style.

Steam Scooter

True story: Drake has a weakness for Curious George. Okay, maybe Sparky does too. Suggesting that we're still 5-year olds at heart would not be entirely incorrect. At any rate, we spotted this guy with his toddler cosplaying the curious little monkey and his protector, the man in the yellow hat.

Curious George

But, the really big news was that our panel, "Steampunk as a Global Phenomenon" was accepted! Thanks to Colleen Kelly Burks for making it all happen for us through ConDor Conventions. Yes, we totally owe you a return appearance as special guests; not that we mind because we had such an amazing time the last time.

Steampunk as a Global Phenomenon



Our Intrepid Panel

In addition to moderating, Sparky covered Russia and Scandinavia. Don't believe her shoulders, she really did know what she was talking about. Who else would relate steampunk style to pre-revolutionary Russian baroque. That bachelor's degree in Russian has to be good for something.

Sparky Scans Scandinavia

Justin Andrew Hoke, our very own steampunk Hawaiian cowboy from DreadWaves, did the honors for the Pacific Rim.

Justin Rocks the Pacific Rim

We were honored to have Trip Hope, producer of League of S.T.E.A.M. to do the heavy lifting on Europe and the UK.

Trip-ping Through the UK

Trip also helped us present a small gift to our favorite penny farthing rider, Jeb Haught, a tea towel from the inimitable Thomas Farthing that we picked up on our last trip across the pond.

Another Penny Farthing for Jeb

Drake got the challenging task of covering South America and Africa, but he brought his usual enthusiasm to bear.

Drake Gets Tells it Like it Is



Drake is into Africa

Did we mention we had the last time slot on the last day? Despite people's flagging energy, we had a full house. Thanks for helping us close out Comic Con in style this year!

Closing Out Comic Con

If you weren't fortunate enough to make it to Comic Con this year, or if your feet just gave out before the end, you can hear the whole thing on a podcast over at DreadWaves.

Russell, Is That You?

And speaking of author table, this was the first year where we had one at Clockwork Alchemy. Notice the spiffy new retractable banner behind us. Drake has been exercising his commercial illustration talents again to give us a mobile, professional presence.

Commerce in Action

While vending is a lot of work, it has some delightful moments, like Kaja Foglio buying a copy of “London, Where It All Began.” Those of you who know our history know that “Girl Genius” started Sparky’s interest in steampunk, so this was a huge fan girl moment for her.

Kaja Bought Our Book!

We don’t have a picture, but Dr. Brassy Steamington ran up during a rare spare moment in her busy schedule and blurted out, “I want a book! Shut up and take my money.” So we did.

Lots of our Treehouse Writers buddies were in the author’s alley neighborhood. A couple of our favorites were right next door.

Vending With the Messenger-Sikes Cabal

Speaking of the Treehouse Writers, we’re honored to be among them in “Twelve Hours Later,” an anthology whose net proceeds benefit literacy programs. We have two Drake & McTrowell stories in the book, “The Polychrome Wishing Jar” and “A Coincidental Theft.”

The cover of “Twelve Hours Later”

Several of the contributors read their stories at the opening night book release party.

Anthony Francis

Here’s an unusual picture of Thena MacArthur. No, it’s not unusual that she’s reading. It’s unusual that she’s not clothed in colorful magnificence. We think she was undercover like her character, Miranda Gray.

Thena Incognita

Lovely costumes abounded.

Steampunk Wonder Woman Wonders, “Sartorial Splendor or Hats Aweigh?”

What’s that? You’re wondering if there were shenanigans? You’re wondering why we’re keeping you in suspense. Do not be disappointed, gentle reader. Drake lent a hand to Justin Andrew Hoke for Idea Men.

The Idea Men

And there was this business at Sparky’s birthday party involving a Hookazoo from Belinda Messenger-Sike’s caterpillar costume. This isn’t what it looks like. This is the first two-person musical instrument that supposed to produce multiple musical notes. It didn’t really work, but that is how brilliant design starts. Okay, maybe you had to be there for this to make sense.

Hookazoo

That’s right; Clockwork Alchemy once again coincided with Sparky’s birthday. Yay! Thanks to the Messenger-Sikes Cabal for the awesome birthday party. As a present, Drake commissioned this caricature of Sparky in her Queen of Hearts costume from David Mejia.

Sparky’s Army of Cards

Yes, we did Drake & McTrowell’s Hot Potato School of Writing™. We don’t have pictures this time, but we do have sound, compliments of DreadWaves, which is part of Dreadfully Punk.

On the drive home, Drake said to Sparky, “Are we stopping for our usual post-con Mexican meal?” To which Sparky replied, “Is that a thing? Our thing?” Yes, as it turns out, it is. Something about a full weekend of steampunking, vending, presenting, and propping up heavy costumes makes one really hungry for this…

Tamales! Eating at Chevy’s in Gilroy

8 P.M. to 11 P.M. on Saturday the 18th of July, 2015

Location: Team Touché Fencing Center
11468 Sorrento Valley Rd. Suite A-1
San Diego, California 92121

Tickets are no longer on sale, because the event is over and done. Please plan to attend next year!

On-line tickets may be purchased for $10 for adults and $5 for children (only available until July 17, 2015). Although we employ PayPal to help you acquire your ticket, a PayPal account is not needed. Price of admission at the door on the day of the event will be $15 for adults and $8 for children.

You can download the PDF file of the Duel at Dusk 2015 poster from here!

So acquire your tickets, stuff your photographic apparatus into your carpet bag, take in an early dinner, and come join us on the evening of July 18th to watch the competitors cross wits and steel!

Dreadfully Punk Panel

And speaking of Dreadfully Punk, Bethany Jackson executed a most creative costume rescue for Sparky. Sparky lost one of the buttons from the blouse of her canonical costume. Bethany offered up an earring from her tea dueling biscuit jewelry collection as a replacement; so sweet and thoughtful!

Bethany Biscuit Button (Earring)

There was a Starburner Galactic Courier Service induction ceremony where agents #32 and #33, Darren Wagner and Lindsay Rae Harold Wagner, were inducted and quite deservedly so.

Inducting Starburner Agents #33 and #32


Starburner Induction Ceremony

Even though we were on a number of panels and had a successful signing with Mysterious Galaxy, we found plenty of time to just hang out with friends like David Lee Summers and Oliver Von Bremen. In case you're wondering, this threesome is getting ready to play a game of Martian Dice.

Martian Dice

We met the Adventure Effect and Sparky got to join them on a panel on staying in character.

The Adventure Effect

The highlight of the weekend was playing Drake & McTrowell's Hot Potato School of Writing™ with guest co-authors Sherwood Smith and Jefferson P. Swycaffer. We were fortunate to have an early evening slot when nothing else was going on, so folks came out in droves. We played a brand new set of plot points and the game was off the hook. Thanks to Kyla at Kyla's Keepsakes for the pics.

Riotous HPSoW

Poplock Holmes was a contestant for one of our games. We don't remember clearly what happened at the end of the game, but he's definitely making a dramatic exit.

Poplock Makes a Break for It

Remember what we said about gracious treatment? ConDor comped us a lovely room. We all know what that means…room party! Fear not; we're not the rowdy type. It was just wall to wall friends eating and chatting.

Room Party

Well, maybe there was music too. This was a particularly sweet moment, Hannah and Poplock Holmes doing an acoustic jam on the balcony.

Hannah and #poplockholmes

Needless to say, we're looking forward to next year. Colleen, sign us up!

Old Tucson Studios

We headed back to Old Tucson Studios outside Tucson for one of our favorite conventions, Wild Wild West Con. It featured some old favorites…like tea dueling!

But this was a new one on us. The dry desert air dried out the biscuits so much that they wouldn't crumble. So Madame Askew issued a challenge: sing and dance to “I'm a Little Teapot.” Hilarious!

I'm a Little Teapot

Why yes, Madame Askew, The Judge would like to tea duel and take home the grand prize…again.

The Judge Dominates Tea Dueling

We're always on the lookout for clever new costumes and accessories like this parasol.

Release the Kraken

And this adorable steam bee.

Steam Bee

Wait, is that a toilet float on that Rocketeer's jet pack? Clever makers!

Steampunk Rocketeer

It wasn't all “people watching” for us; we had two appearances every day. We premiered a new skit from Drake & McTrowell's Theater of the Historically Improbable™, “The Case of the Competing Cryptozoologists.” We were graced by the participation of Wild Wild West Con's co-owner, Diana Given, in character as Lady Jane, the Butterfly Huntress.

Lady Jane, The Butterfly Huntress

We shared a table in the vendor barn with David Lee Summers where we were vending our book, “London, Where It All Began.”

Maybe We Shouldn't Quit Our Day Jobs Just Yet

Our vendor table even hosted a Gamera vs Godzilla rematch.

Gamera - Godzilla Rematch

More people are recording us these days. Our friend, Heather Bollman, shot this video of the audience participation part of our reading from our second book, “The Bavarian Airship Regatta,” … with sock puppets!

Interactive Sock Puppets!

And then Darren Wagner shot this video of Sparky dancing while #poplockholmes serenaded her during his busking tour.

Pass the Tea, Please

Previously, Sparky lived in Tucson for a decade. One of her favorite restaurants was El Charro. It was founded in 1922 and it's still there. A whole crowd of us from Wild Wild West Con went one night and chowed down on some authentic Sonoran-style Mexican food.

El Charro

Wild Wild West Con is always one of our favorites cons. We can't wait to see what they have in store for next year!

RX Boiler Room Birthday Cookies and Table-Side Mixologist

If you get a chance, definitely go. Not only is it visually gorgeous, but the food is delicious and beautifully presented.

Speaking of visually gorgeous settings, the Main Street Station is a Victorian casino. We had several gatherings in the Pullman Lounge that contains an actual vintage Pullman railroad car. Yep, it’s a very big room.

Pullman Lounge and D&McT in the Pullman Railcar

We were asked to contribute to the festivities on short notice, so we gamely threw ourselves in (to the deep end of the pool). We played Drake & McTrowell’s Hot Potato School of Writing™ with Kelly Varner and Justin Hoke as guest authors. D&McT is usually a pretty PG enterprise, but somehow the Vegas edition of the game was a little more colorful than usual thanks to these two madcap troublemakers. Drake as a Vegas showgirl? Need we say more?

Troublemakers All

This was followed immediately by an impromptu book signing in the vendor room arranged by our friends at Rae-Wolf Designs.

Autographs Anyone?

Sunday was Jules Verne’s 183rd birthday, so there was, of course, a birthday party. It was also Lady Amethyst’s birthday, so Doc Phineas invited her to blow out the candles on the cake.

She Doesn’t Look a Day Over 100

Doc Phineas invited Drake to discuss Verne’s literary contributions, an activity that culminated in a chat between the two of them while Sparky engaged in a shameless plug for the hardcover edition of “London, Where It All Began.”

A Tribute to Jules Verne

One of the benefits of going to a con farther from home is that we get to see new people, costumes, and gadgets. We’ve seen a lot of steampunk wings, but none quite like these lovely brass ones.

Brass Wings

We saw an amazing Las Vegas-based “hoop artist” (is that the right technical term?) named Dizzy Hips. In this picture, he’s hula-hooping using a 120-pound truck tire. It makes my back hurt just to watch.

Dizzy Hips

Steampunk Buddy Jesus with a clockwork orange? Sure!

Steampunk Buddy Jesus

While Sparky was dressed as a steampunk Queen of Hearts, we spotted another steampunk Queen of Hearts with her own Alice. So obviously we had to throw down.

Off With Her Head!

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Lord and Lady Towers, but it’s always a pleasure to see their latest creations.

Lord Towers

Of course, no steampunk convention is complete without a fashion show / contest. Not only did Drake participate, but he was presented with an award by Queen Victoria for being the most dapper. At least that’s the way I remember it.

All of the Fashion Show Participants


Dapper Drake Wins at the Fashion Show (Well, to be truthful, all the participants won something)

We had a great time and we were impressed with the fledgling event. We made the six-hour drive back to San Diego with the satisfaction of that only comes from shenanigans in Vegas.

Cirque Des Betes

…and some magicians? These two happen to be our favorites: Aiden Sinclair and Dyno Staats. Is someone eavesdropping?

Aiden and Dyno Exchange a Deep Dark Magician Secret

Surely there must be music and dancing.

Yeah, We Know - Swing is Only Steampunk if it’s Lee Presson and the Nails

Or maybe Poplock Holmes serving up some chap hop with a couple of really talented young fans dancing off?

Monster Hunting Dance Off

Of course, it wouldn’t be HRM Steampunk Symposium without an epic party or two (or three) hosted by San Diego Steampunk in the Eisenhower Suite including Jeff’s birthday party with Thee Bluebeard serving as cake messenger.

Now That’s a Birthday Party!

If you’re in the market for some improvisational hilarity, Madame Askew is your go-to gal for serving as tea dueling ‘tiffin mistress. Are we right or are we right?

You Don’t Even Have to Know What She’s Saying to Know it’s Funny

Okay, maybe there was a serious moment or two. Aiden graced us with a private, Jack the Ripper-themed séance at midnight. It was brilliant and more than a little creepy.

A Murder at Midnight

And remember, Green Woman loves Cthulhu because it’s that kind of con.

Green Woman Loves Cthulhu & Preparing to go to the Masquerade Party

And lastly, it's good to be the queen, especially if it's the Queen of Hearts.

Yours Truly as the Queen of Hearts

A few things to point out. There is now a menu at the top of each page to give you quick access to all of the top-level material. There are Quick Links in the left sidebar, too, and we made them very image-rich to allow you to find what you are looking for.

Also the on-line books are laid out in an easier-to-read format. And a good deal of effort went into making the Store and Logbook more fun to go through. We also made it easier for us to maintain the web site, something that you don't have to worry about, but it effects us each time we generate a new post.

Click around and see what you think. Your comments are welcomed.

Tickets are no longer on sale for this event.
The event was an amazing success, thank you all for coming!

Books at the General Store

See You There!

Silly us!

Birth of a Graphic Novel Panel

Andrew Fogel led the lively “Is It Steampunk” panel with some well known steampunks you might recognize including Claire Hummel, Anina Bennett and Paul Guinan, and Thomas Willeford.

Is It Steampunk?

Not all of Comic Con was steampunk. We attended “Full Time Creativity on a Part Time Schedule.” Gene Turnbow, who does a Herculean job at Krypton Radio, invited us. This isn’t a very flattering picture of him, but I couldn’t resist the image of him looking like he’s living on caffeine to get all that work done.

Gene with Caffeine

Speaking of not steampunk, there were some fabulous costumes that caught my eye despite their lack of gears and leather. I probably would have stuck with scouting as a girl if it had been like this.

Ghoul Scouts

And did someone say pirate? Yar!

Pirate Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn

I have to say that this year was easier on us than recent years. One reason was that our dear friends Jeff and Lisa had onsite parking, and they shuttled us every day. We bumped into Camden Toy on the street. We met him a couple of months before at Aiden Sinclair’s show in LA.

With Camden Toy

We didn’t wear full costumes every single day.

Going Casual the First Day at the League of S.T.E.A.M. Booth
(That’s Drake trying to escape the clutches of the League of S.T.E.A.M.’s mummy!)

We made time for low-key, relaxing fun like the League of S.T.E.A.M. meetup.

The League of S.T.E.A.M Meetup

We went to our favorite Comic Con dinner spot, Café Sevilla, and restored ourselves with loads sangria and paella.

Attending Comic Con is Hungry Work

Of course, one of the high points is always the Saturday steampunk meetup.

Steampunk Meetup
Outside near the back stairs

There were women of action!

Steampunk Women of Action

Inevitably, Bob Mogg debuted his latest creation. It’s a tradition.

Bob’s Latest Constructified Confabulation

But we really get together to celebrate the annual Starburner Galactic Courier Service Awards.

2014 Starburner Galactic Courier Service Awardees

Now, as awesome as all this is, the highlight of the weekend was Andrew Fogel’s proposal to his girlfriend, Kate Walsh. Can you tell she was gobsmacked?

She Said, “Yes!”

We wish them a lifetime of steampunk shenanigans together.

Steampunk Shenanigans

• Twenty four episodes to wrap up our fourth book
• Six conventions
• Duel at Dusk
• The Starburner Award(s)
• The launch of our Zazzle store
• Traipsing around Paris making a Parisian map of Drake & McTrowell’s adventures
• And all the other cool steampunk stuff our friends enticed us to share in

Drake MC’s the Evening

...there was tasty food.

Yes, Jeff, We See You Demolishing That Cupcake

And there were libations, apparently in conjunction with some kind of sleight of hand by Jonathan Lord Ashleigh.

Sleight of Hand and Libations

I performed a spirited reading from Drake’s episode, “Baby Squirt.”

Wait, This is the Really Exciting Bit!

But, we all know what it’s really all about, getting together with good friends to celebrate our steamy good fortune.

The Chief Inspector and Miss Sarah Slate

I hope we have as much to celebrate next year on our fifth anniversary. Five years, seriously?

Thena in Only One of the Magnificent, Many-Hued Ensembles She Wore

Respect: this is somewhat related to the organization, but the fact that the literary events are all organized by authors means that the literary contributions of the authors are respected. One of the events they organized this year was a book release party where the authors all read from their latest books. And for all of you who were there, “Vive la France!”

The Book Release Party

Tea: no beverage symbolizes steampunk like tea. Clockwork Alchemy hosts a tea room that is a delightfully sublime venue for resting ones feet while enjoying a refreshing cup’a tea. And it’s all powered by the almighty tea engine.

The Tea Engine

This attendee seems to have come prepared.

Too Much Tea Woman

Friends: we always make amazing new friends at Clockwork Alchemy. Last year we met the Sikes’. This year they brought along their adorable mini-mes. Dr. Messenger made their costumes.

Belinda Sikes and the Twins

They invited us to participate in their Mad Scientists’ Character Creation Panel. We brought our own lab coats.

You Say “Mad” Like It’s a Bad Thing

Drake played the dead-ish monster.

I’m Not Dead Yet

And a marvelous time was had by all the participants.

See, Not So Mad After All

This year we met Andrew Crockett and his wife.

I Can Steampunk That

I swear I’m not making up this next part. I came back early from a long business trip right before Clockwork Alchemy. I was talking to my boss just before leaving for San Jose and I commented that my early return was fortunate because my original schedule would not have allowed me to be completely prepared. He cracked that I might have arrived in San Jose to discover that I’d packed nothing but aloha shirts. And then I met Andrew; true story.

Renown: everyone knows us. We were perusing the offerings of the vendors when one of them waved down Drake. One of the owners had had her picture taken with Drake in his Mall Copper costume during Gaslight Gathering and was proudly displaying it in their booth.

Mall Copper Squared

Drake & McTrowell’s Hot Potato School of Writing is now sufficiently well known that we have lots of volunteers. This year the Aether Brigade pitched in...hilarity ensued. Special thanks to most excellent newbie Assistant Jen.

Hot Potato School of Writing a la Aether Brigade

Telegrams: this is the only con that offers this particularly delightful treat. They have a telegraph office. One has only to send them a text message including the name of the recipient and their location. An extremely energetic page boy delivers a printed telegram with much fanfare and volume.

Telegram for the Judge!

They even deliver to the bar where one might relax and enjoy a libation and a bit of sushi with ones steampunk companions.

The Aftermath

Entertainment: I didn’t get any good pictures of the amazing fashion show arranged by Kory Doyle, but the ensembles were smashing. And finally, Lee Presson and the Nails rocked the rafters of the ballroom with their irrepressible style.

Lee Presson - Not Entirely Nailed to the Stage

We’ve already committed to be there next year! One final note: birthday. Clockwork Alchemy always falls on or near my birthday, so I get to spend my birthday at my favorite steampunk convention with my steamy sweetie and my favorite steampunk friends. What could possibly be better?

Of course, pictures from the Hot Potato School of Writing and the Mad Scientists’ Character Creation Panel are a gift from Lisa. Check out her website, San Diego Steampunk for steampunk happenings in our home town and the surrounding locale.

All the Young(ish) Dudes (and the Amazing Lady Amethyst)

Drake rocked the hottest steampunk Internet meme with his Mall Copper uniform.

You’re Dressed Too Fancy (With a Nod to Poplock Holmes)

One of the subtle highlights of the costume was a custom carousel pin Sparky commissioned from Rae-Wolf Designs.

Carousel Pin

Egged on by William Swanson’s idea for an amazing sceptre, ...

The Making of the Sceptre

...Sparky went outside her normal costuming zone of comfort and assembled a steampunk Queen of Hearts costume that she debuted at the ball.

Off With Their Heads, Well Not Her Head, but the Rest of You

Sparky went to a lot of vendors to pull together this costume:

• Riding top hat by the Blonde Swan
• Capelet by Stitch Trickery
• Corset by Mad Girl
• Bloomers by Steamtropolis
• Bustle by Kyla’s Keepsakes
• Bracers by Feathery Leathery
• Tights by Pamela Mann
• Boots by Doc Martens

Dancing Machine(s)

And then there was Professor Elemental leading the conga line because, well, that’s a thing. With a pint in his hand, no less.

Conga + Cerveza

But it wasn’t all costuming. There was the reproduction Electriquette that Kim Keeline arranged to have available. This was even more fun than it looks like here!

Whoa!

To our great delight, Madame Askew was there with her crew to officiate yet another epic round of tea dueling. It started off particularly well for Sparky with the success of Dr. Sparky’s Gluten Free Tea Dueling Biscuits (see our post from 5/3/2014). But then there was the grudge match during the finals between Adam Green and Bear. The whole affair was so overwrought that Chief Inspector Drake (undercover as a Western marshal) had to be called in to break it up and force them to settle the matter like gentlemen on the field of tea.

Settle This Like Gentlemen on the Field of Tea

And we did the Martian Edition of the Drake & McTrowell’s Hot Potato School of Writing. Hopefully you didn’t miss us just because the description in the program wasn’t quite correct.

Marvin the Martian in His Martian Underoos (They Match!)

Kelly Varner and Karina Montgomery certainly livened up the the “Hot Potato” proceedings with their witty improvisation.

Our Guest Authors

We certainly hope that all our steamy friends had just as much fun!

Good Thing We Had So Many Chairs
(Thanks to both the Lapidary Society for providing the chairs and Grady for all his help lugging them)

May I Sell You Something Steamy?
(Vendors included Wyng’d Lyon, Hootie’s Perch, Indigo Lane Designs, Gears and Roebuck, Perpetual Motion Creations & Cameron Theatrical Design, The Elegant Harlot, and Rae Wolf Designs)

We had fierce competitors.

Lucius McMonocle
(Played by Ed Pogue)




Rupert Pennyfarthing
( Played by Bryan Bishé )



Stanley Cephalopod
(Played by Ashok Pathi)



Victor Victrola
(Played by Sergey Riezaiev)

Everyone got swag.

Swag Bag Contents + a Trophy

The fencing was very exciting!

Cat Like Reflexes



This Isn’t Epee and That’s Not Target



It’s Also Not Ballet, but It’s Just As Spectacular

Of course, Drake was our intrepid MC.

Intrepid MC
(Played by David Drake a.k.a. Chief Inspector Erasmus Drake)

He did an excellent job of explaining fencing.

This Way to the Fencing

And making it clear what is and is not a regulation weapon.

Clearly Not an FIE-Approved Weapon
(FIE is the international fencing association)

And Sparky made too much food, as usual.

So Much Food

The Starburner Galactic Courier Service’s Strato Sculpin was a huge hit!

Jeb and Barbara Enjoying the Strato Sculpin



You Steer it With That Thingamajig
(Getting Some Direction from Kim Hutsell a.k.a. Lithobius Quick)



Strato Sculpin “Nose” Art



Gear Hands!

At the end of the evening, Rupert Pennyfarthing took 1st, Victor Victrola took 2nd, and Lucius McMonocle took 3rd.

And the Winner Is...!

Justin Hoke won the Trifecta Trophy for having the ticket that predicted the outcome.

Trifecta!

So, he had to have his picture taken with the two makers of the trophy.

Justin and William Swanson



Kim Hutsell and Justin

Although this has been a light-hearted romp through the evening’s festivities, a lot of people committed a lot of their time and energy to making the evening such a success including the Starburner Galactic Courier Service, the fencers, the vendors, and the volunteers.

Way to Go Team!

The Joy of Cooking - 1953 Edition

My great grandmother gave my mother a copy of this edition for junior high school graduation in 1953 when it was just published. That copy is so beaten up it’s barely recognizable, but it still works. Mom found this copy of the 1953 edition for me in 1998.

The first time I ever tea dueled at Wild Wild West Con 2013, Madame Askew had gluten free tea dueling biscuits. Sadly, all agreed that they were woefully inadequate to the task, more like hockey pucks than proper biscuits. When we attended Wild Wild West Con this year, there was no gluten free dueling because she was unable to find a suitable weapon. And then she made some rash comment about eternal tea dueling glory for the person who could deliver this elusive weapon (or something to that effect, I swear). Challenge accepted!

Over the course of a month, I baked and tested 4 different versions with 4 additional sub-versions. And you know I kept detailed experimental notes. Drake and I tested some. Thanks to the San Diego Tea Duelists for their tests and reviews. This week, just two days before the start of Gaslight Gathering, I arrived at version 4.0.

Dr. Sparky’s Gluten Free Tea Dueling Biscuits - Version 4.0

Yesterday, during day 1 of Gaslight Gathering, I presented a tin of 18 biscuits to Madame Askew and she tested them during Tea Dueling 101. And they worked! To show her appreciation for this accomplishment, she presented me with the coveted Tucson Steampunk Society Tea Dueling Badge.

Tea Dueling Badge of Honor

So, what about the book that started it all? I started from the Butter Thins recipe and successively altered it using the skills I learned from Mom to achieve just the right structure and texture. Oh, did I mention that they’re also tasty? So, here’s the recipe you’ve been waiting for.

Dr. Sparky's Gluten Free Tea Dueling Biscuits

Cream together

• .5 c. unsalted butter (room temperature)
• .5 cup sugar

• 2 egg yolks
• .5 tsp. vanilla

• 1 c. rice flour
• Pinch of nutmeg (to taste)

The Judge Steaming Up the Desert with the Turleys

It’s where we first learned about tea dueling from the Tucson Steampunk Society. Here’s a posse heading off to a duel. Note the serious determination on their visages.

Tea Dueling Posse