Gail Carriger: Bestselling Author

Miss Gail’s 2025 Life Update: A Horrible No Good Very Bad Year

Gail Carriger — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 07:01:52 +0000

Dearest Gentle Reader,

Here’s an old school update on my life this past year, taken mainly from the Chirrup in case, for some reason, you aren’t able to get it (and you still wanna know what’s going on).

Gail Carriger’s Horrible No Good Very Bad Year

January 2025 – Crisis

I started off the year dealing with an epic crisis with the Popster (rolled over from 2023). A

After relocating him (while concussed – me, not him), settling him into a new home (grumpy – both of us), he was diagnosed with kidney failure. At 91 with all his wits about him, he elected not to pursue further treatment so was released from hospital into hospice care at his new abode. I had already essentially relocated to be with him at that point. You can read a bit more about the Popster here.

I had help, the hospice team was amazing, and my friends rallied ’round. But it impacted… well, everything. I struggled to get any work done at all at his place (let alone fiction writing), and the driving back and forth was increasingly taxing. I didn’t make you any promises on deadlines for 2025, and frankly that was one of my better choices of the whole hellish year.

Right around the same time my stepdad and one of my best friends were also diagnosed terminal.

This was on the heels of having lost my beloved cat and ending a 15 year relationship.

Starting out on a low means things can only get better, right?

February 2025 – Death

The popster died, not unexpectedly.
It was not peaceful. I should have known he would “not go gentle into that good night.” (Shakes tiny fist at Dylan Thomas.)
His death resulted in drama that I can’t go into.
My friends got so worried, they assigned me a security detail. Locks were changed. Wild times.
I am trustee, only child, yadda yadda. There was stuff. So much stuff. Not to mention things. So many things. All of which became My Problem.
I got called to Jury Duty.
Facebook jumped from obfuscated evil to outright evil.
There was an error in chapter 11 of The Dratsie Dilemma audiobook. (I have the patch but I can’t upload to Amazon/Audible because they don’t let you edit audio that is live. I never got around to fighting with them about it.) The audiobook on Gumroad is good though!
Then Gumroad shut down my account! They decided The Dratsie Dilemma (of all my books) violated their “decency” standards. (As a corporation, I don’t think Gumroad has any decency, so this is rather rich coming from them.)
They also declined to pay me.
It all got fixed but then…
My website went down.
Good times. February. Good times. Thanks for that.

On the side of dark humor: The Popster’s last meal (as it turned out) was ½ a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food ice cream and a glass of nigori sake. Excellent choices all round, if you ask me.

Speaking of grief:

Me: Buys 3 new pairs of boots.

Niece (10 years old) awed: “You can just do that as an adult? Buy 3 pairs of boots? All at once?”

A pause.

Exchanges glances with her mother.

Niece suddenly serious, “Oh! She’s sad.”

The emotional intelligence of this kid! I tell ya. Amazing.

Incidentally, in that picture above from WorldCon I am wearing one of the pairs of new boots. Aren’t they fun? They make me feel powerful. And tall. I love them very much.

Bright Note: Real Life Found Family

So I write found family narratives because it’s something I strongly believe in. I found my family in high school (and have added to it ever since). The thing that has given me the most comfort during this time with the Popster has been this found family of mine.

I am delighted to report to you that this narrative I have foisted upon you (would we say proselytized?) for well over 30 books now… is true.

My 2025 from hell highlighted found family as the absolute winner. The support my friends have given me these last two years has been truly incredible and amazing.

You see, I tend to be the guardian caretaker hostess boss of my social group. I like that role, it suits me. But this time around they were the ones coming to my rescue. Friends who I think of as soft sweethearts, who have always needed me to defend them against the world, who are kind-hearted and gentle, they took up proverbial arms on my behalf.

It was like having a rabid pack of vicious Pomeranians defending me.

I may need to put werepomeranians into my next book.

Here’s me doing a deep dive into the Found Family trope with Madame Askew and the Grand Arbiter at CONPossible (YouTube). It’s a blast, enjoy! And best of all… it’s true.

The Aftermath

Chirrup subscribers and online friends sent me kind words of comfort, not to mention adorable pet pictures. I read and looked at all of them. I felt very loved and taken care of.

What a complicated thing death can be. Initially, I found the stuff & things most challenging. Too many objects niggle at me. I get overwhelmed easily by abundance, so I tackled stuff first. (I’m not a minimalist but I make no case for it.)

Surplus medical supplies etc… went to an aged care charity I’m posting about it here because I didn’t know these existed and now I do, I want to spread the word. You might have one near you.
I donated larger stuff to non-profit organizations.
The Popster’s 1960s literary archive went to The Beat Museum. My dad was a completely unknown but very embedded beat poet.
I found artists and woodworkers in need of tools and supplies.
And friends in need of furniture.

It was actually quite rewarding. I’m not sentimental around objects (I wonder if this comes from having been an archaeologist) but it was nice to see things go to good homes.

In the middle of all this I left the country briefly (Mexico, a baby writing retreat) and attended a truly lovely steampunk event in Atlanta.

That combination brought me more peace than I expected. Travel is a balm for me. I had not been able to travel out of the country since Thailand in October of 2023. That’s a long time for me.

I had grand ambitions to write fiction, but wasn’t able to do much, instead focusing on my new non-fiction book. I did manage to complete a rough draft of that.

Divinity 36 got a BookBub Featured Deal. I haven’t had a BFD in a decade, and I was thrilled to score one for this particular book. I’m still so proud of the Tinkered Starsong series. I ran the numbers after and I am not sure how effective it was at getting new readers, but hopefully at least a few people gave it a chance who otherwise might not.

Bright note: A Valentines Mandolin

I am a survivor of a Great Mandolin Crisis. Let me explain.

On a whim I bought myself a cheap $5 mandolin a few years ago. I’m aware of the Great Danger in such an tool. Many close to me have sliced off fingertips. Yet I am stubborn. I prevailed despite the risk. And I LOVED my mandolin. I am a big fan of a cucumber (Dimity notwithstanding) and this mandolin did one thing and one thing beautifully – it sliced cucumbers perfectly. Plus it was small enough to fit into my only kitchen utility drawer.

We had a torrid and devout love affair of some three months, the mandolin and I. And then… oh and then… I took it to my mother’s house.

In my defense, I had become quite reliant on it and I was planning to cook a meal for her with lots of sliced things. Well, naturally, I left it behind at the mum’s. I called mum in a panic and she “put it in a safe place” to return to me.

Yes, my darlings, the mandolin was lost.

Lost, I thought, perhaps forever.

Thus began an epic hunt for a new one. But since I bought the original at a “shop where objects go to die” AKA Homegoods, I could not find another exactly like it. Apparently, the world felt that mandolin technology needed to “be improved upon.” They made them so one could change the width of the slice (no thank you) or have fancy handles (doesn’t fit in the drawer) or “safety features” which stick up and mess with dexterity (I’ll take the risk).

And then on Valentine’s Day 2025, I got a package from the Mum.

Guess what was inside?

She found my original mandolin!

Best Valentine’s Day present EVAH!

March – An Actual Book Release

You’d Think I Was An Author or Something

A New Special Subterranean edition was announced = the printed version of the Dear Lord Akeldama compendium.

It was delayed for months because of tariffs and issues with printing presses and paper shortages, but eventually it all got sorted out.

This book is the only place this content will ever be in print, if I have my way.

I’m not ruling out a paperback version, but it would be offered as an exclusive to my Chirrup subscribers only. And it will be years in the future. As I type this a few of the fancy cloth-bound ones are still available. I would jump on it if you want one.

Bright note: Hobbiting About

My high school friends and I are Very Silly Folk so we gathered together for a hobbit day.

I missed the memo that we were to dress up as hobbits and so accidentally wore all black and was dubbed the baby nazgûl. We put on LOTR but mostly just MST3Ked it and ate way too much food. We had :

a vast elaborate charcuterie board
roasted potatoes
roasted mushrooms & thyme
deviled eggs
smoked salmon & fixings
stuffed mushrooms
rosemary roasted lamb
smoked Cornish hen
green beans
roasted cauliflower
chard
shepherd’s pie
roasted root veg
2 kinds of salad
apple crisp
cherry pie
pear cider & beer
copious amounts of tea

It was pretty darn epic.

April – Ramping up Events Again

Come Spring I started doing lots of events, travel, and social stuff. Not necessarily a wise choice for an introvert. Why yes, I was trying to escape my life and shake myself up. How did you guess? I’d never had this kind of stacked loss to deal with before (relationship, cat, dad, friend, family), thus I had no coping mechanisms for it. (Not sure I have them now, either.)

I know, I know, but it’s me. I would like a Gantt chart for loss, a template for grief, and a color-coded spreadsheet for estate management. Please and thank you?

Barring that, I traveled away from my life and responsibilities. I decided if I couldn’t write (fiction remained a major struggle) to Be Busy and distract the brain. Maybe with the brain focused on new sensory input my muse would resurface.

Emotions are hard.

Grand Arbiter, Gail Carriger, Madame Askew at CONPossible

Other 2025 Gail Events ended up including…

Atlanta, GA – CONpossible
Dulles, VA – All-Star Book Marketing Retreat

Bruguières, France – Echos & Merveilles 2025
Berkeley, CA – Bay Area Book Festival
San Francisco, CA – SFinSF
Oakland, CA – 2025 Locus Awards
Hanover, VA – CJ’s Flutteryby Tea
Chicago, IL – Q&A + Book Signing at Volumes
Seattle, WA – Worldcon 83
Belmont, CA – Indie Author Fest
Aurora, CO – MileHiCon 57
Tucson, AZ – TusCon 52
Santa Clara, CA – Love & Tech Book Fest

Online stuffs included

All of which is to say, after being trapped in one place for much of 2024 and then smothered in a gravy made of freedom and grief, I basically said yes to everything and thus spent most of 2025 flying all over the place like a madcap ferret in a vintage hat, cursing past me’s decisions.

Which is not to say I didn’t enjoy the traveling, I have a podcast about it after all, but I might have pushed it a bit. I hope to pull back in 2026.

May 2025 – I Managed to Write a Little

Off to a small picturesque Pacific Northwest island to officiate a wedding ceremony. I was honored to be asked and it was a lovely day – with copious amounts of cheese.

I finally managed to scribble down new words of fiction. The beginnings of a new Parasolverse story coded HTCAK. I went on a writing retreat and it worked. I got about 12k down over one weekend – a solid start on the next Claw & Courtship book.

After struggling so much to write fiction this felt like a small miracle to me. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to sustain it.

As I type this in December of 2025, it’s been 8 months working on this book and it’s still not finished. Normally it takes me about 6 months to write a fiction book. And while this one is running long, this is still behind for me.

Although, in retrospect, it’s not as bad as I thought.

Meanwhile, the Gail Carriger Discord server managed to start and maintain a book group. Probably because I’m not in charge. If you want to join the Discord and are having issues with the link please drop us a line and Kelly will make it happen.

This is not the book I’m writing, but everyone got very excited about it. So maybe in the future.

June-Sept 2025 – Midyear Slump & Lots of Travel

I managed to mostly wrap up the Popster’s estate. Challenging as various professionals whose help I required kept ghosting me. (I’m aware of the irony in using that term.)

As I type list there it still one lingering Thing, but it’s almost done.

Computer Crisis

So there I was in Chicago, gracelessly weathering a heatwave, eating yummy food, and hanging with the high school besties. (One of us has emigrated to the Greater Chicago Area and is struggling to adapt, so we went in force as a show of solidarity.)

I brought my computer because I intended to work. In fact, I did work-like stuff on the plane. And then.

Oh and then.

I upended an entire glass of water on said computer.

I did all the things. I dried what I could. But the Blinky Blinky Light of Doom did break.

And thus I was without my main computer for a while.

I returned home with Blinky in tow.
It was whisked away to see if it could be saved by Apple. No.
Could the data be saved. No.
And so I scraped some funds together for a new one.

Don’t worry, I always back up my computer the day before I travel. Always. So I only lost work done on the flight over. Still, it’s a touch disheartening. And an evident hassle, as one might expect when one’s entire life is essentially on one piece of tech.

October-November 2025 – Calm before more travel

I finished out the last events of my year and hunkered down trying to get everything sorted before my big trip to Thailand. Not only my own paperwork and shut down procedures, but also the very last of the Popster’s estate, plus some necessary family and friends maintenance.

Why back to Thailand?

So, as I started out this year of woe, right around when my Dad died, one of my best friends got diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Since she lives in Thailand and I was already planning a visit, I extended those plans to ensure additional quality time. I’d also be taking on primary care for a while as her partner needed to leave for visa reasons.

December 2025 – Back in Thailand

So my loves, I’m now back in Thailand. For up-to-date info on my doings, please do join the Chirrup. These long form posts from me seem to happen only once or twice a year now.

My defacto stepdad is also quite ill, so there is a chance I might have to emergency come home as well. I’m telling you, 2025 has not been kind to me or the people I love. I am very happy to see the back of it.

Hopefully this is more than enough update for now. And hopefully you had a better 2025 than I did.

Yours, hanging in there,

Miss Gail

Miss Gail’s Tea Party

Tisane of Nifty

Author Nibble

Quote to Sip

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BOOK DE JOUR!

Heroine’s Journey got a release in Korean!

여자는 우주를 혼자 여행하지 않는다 | 게일 캐리거 – 교보문고

English Version:

PICK YOUR VENDOR! or Direct from Gail

Multiple New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger presents a clear concise analysis of the heroine’s journey, how it differs from the hero’s journey, and how you can use it to improve your writing and your life.

Ending 2025 With Things That Made Me Happy This Year

Gail Carriger — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 04:17:30 +0000

Dear Gentle Reader,

I’ve made no secret in the Chirrup that 2025 has been a very rough year for me. However, I’ve been less verbose about it here on the blog. Partly because a blog is public-facing, and partly because I don’t want to be a downer. But as a result, the blog has languished for a while.

For which I apologize.

So I went back over the year and tried to pull and curate some of the good things that I did, found, said, loved, and enjoyed for your reading enjoyment. I hope this makes up for my neglect, at least a little bit.

Frankly, it is to remind both of us that 2025 wasn’t all bad.

Beloved life hacks I discovered in 2025

I posted a photo of Dratsie sitting on an Ikea table and everyone wanted to know about that table’s tentacles. They are wall decals that used to be up in my old office. I put them on the table to transport them safely, but I liked them there so much, I left them on it.
I have a swanky vacuum cleaner but 90% of the time I whip out this cute crumb sucker instead. It’s just so easy to use and it USB charges. Been living in Thailand for a month now and it’s one of the amenities from home that I really miss.
Pyrex measuring cups are awful, so thick they dribble. Me, the ex-scientist, was all “we have beaker technology, why must we suffer drips when nice, thin-walled, heat-shock resistant borosilicate exists?” And lo, someone was already on it. I cannot tell you how much I love my borosilicate measuring cup. Nary a dribble in sight.
Fleece lined tights. The older I get, the more I’m cold all the time. These allow me to still wear cute dresses. (I’m 5’7” size 8 and I wear the Medium-Large.)
Magnetic shelves! I live in a tiny apartment (I just don’t need or enjoy a lot of space) but it is inside an old Vic with plaster walls which makes shelving challenging. I got these for my fridge (and fuse box) for holding tea and they are GREAT! Perfect size.
Silver cleaning wipes. OMG stuff I didn’t even know was tarnished is now… not tarnished. I also used an ultrasonic cleaner + my trusty tea stain remover tablets (aka denture tablets) to clean the non-silver half of my jewelry.

Extra tip moment? I live a pretty clutter-free existence. Here is someone who did a YouTube video of all the hacks I use that I didn’t even know to voice.

What I watched in 2025

I did, indeed, watch the world’s first ever live-action Omegaverse BL out of China, ABO Desire. It was bonkers. There were CEO billionaires, scent markings, heats, ruts, mating bites, and mpreg. I do not know what to do about any of it. Is this a sign of the end of days? I assume so. Do I recommend it? Only as a fever dream meets social experiment. It’s on Viki and Gagaoolala. But if you want an idea of the madness, here is the trailer. (It doesn’t even begin to cover it.)
I also watched Thai BL drama ThamePo (on YouTube as of the date of this post). Yes, yes I know. Probably not your thing but it is mine. This is a very sweet romance between an idol (singer) and a ordinary boy. It’s lovely. Much tamer than Desire.
For writer and language junkies: Dr of Linguistics talking about coda words it was totes adorbs (YouTube).
For my readers: 6 Types of Tea – Different Tea Types Explained (YouTube)
For the foodies: The Real Story of Pasta: China, Italy, and How Noodles Took Over the World (YouTube)
I also mainlined the recent season of Great British Bake Off.

Things I enjoyed listening to in 2025

Mid year I went on a Jeff Satur bender. I’m into his creepy circus vibe. Bonus FEATHERS! (I should wear more feathers, it’s just… they shed.)
Sungjae of BTOB singing The Ghost.
GOT7 dropped a new song (it’s been a while) and it was fun.
Park Jeup’s song Movie, He is one of the singers I thought about when coming up with the role of high cantor for the Tinkered Starsong books. Once asked “how far does your range go?” one admirer responded for him “to outer space.”
N.Flying’s bop, Oh Really, earwormed itself into my brain (the MV is delightfully silly and this is such a cheerful song).
Young K (Day6) covering Older by Sasha Alex Sloan. I love cross dressing vocals (or whatever we wanna call it). For example here’s Eunkwang (BTOB) covering Golden from KPop Demon Hunters (and yes that’s his head voice.)
Junhee’s Umbrella is a lovely winter song.

If you’re not into Kpop/music recommendations, I also enjoyed this podcast episode from Stay Tuned with Preet – The Formula for Happiness. I found it a very reassuring interview.

Books I read (or reread) in 2025

Reread Cherry Wilder’s A Princess of the Chameln. Hello, way back machine. You see, all the discourse around romantasy as a “new genre” made me remember books from my teen years that were high fantasy with strong romantic elements. So I revisited this one. It holds up. Not sure I would call it romantasy but that horse racing scene is still one of the best ever written.
Reread Grace Draven’s Radiance. Basically an arranged marriage trope, but he’s a kind of dark elf and she’s very much human. They manage to grow into understanding and loving each other. A heart-warming romance coupled with good world building and fun culture conflict. Also, potatoes play a key role. As they should.
Read contemporary YA Once Upon a Kpop Prom by Kat Cho. It was cute, well paced, and easy to gobble down but not groundbreaking. If you like Kpop, soft het romances, and coming of age narratives this will likely work for you.
Read N.R. Walker’s Lacuna. I don’t know what caused me to pick this up, it’s been in my TBR for years. I enjoyed it, belongs to a genre I learned to call techno fantasy. Although I’m not sure if the term is used anymore.
I reread Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. Honestly, I wasn’t wild about it the first time around and I have no idea why my brain decided it wanted a reread. It’s an important genre piece in countless ways, but I never warmed to it. Although… I have the original (fan translated) version. It’s possible the official translation is better.
Then everyone said one of Mo Xiang Tong Xiu’s other works was better suited to my taste, so I’ve started but not finished Heaven Official’s Blessing.

New trusted resource for steampunk readers: Steampunk Authors from The Steampunk Explorer

Tasty nibbles & new food discoveries

I did some fun experimentation with food this year. Living entirely on my own since February with no ones pallet to please but mine meant I went a little wild experimenting with new recipes. Some of which were successful and others of which were very much not.

I cribbed a one-pot rice cooker Hainan Chicken Rice recipe from this YouTuber and it’s perfect “feeling poorly” food. Game changer. Same concept as Chicken Noodle Soup just… not soup and I like it better. (I included the recipe in the Chirrup. You see why you need to join?)
I tried banana passion fruit for the first time. Banana is for the shape not the taste, which was similar to a regular passionfruit only less slimy and more floral and green. Would eat again, but I prefer spherical passion fruits.
If you haven’t used the frozen tofu hack, you have no idea what magic tofu can reap! Truly a game changer in my life. I’m not a vegetarian but I make no case for it.
I cooked a lot of Ipomoea aquatica, my favorite vegetable of all time. AKA water spinach, river spinach, water morning glory, water convolvulus, Chinese spinach, Chinese watercress, swamp cabbage, or kangkung/kankon. It’s you-sai in Japanese, kōngxīncài in Mandarin, ong choy in Cantonese, rau muong in Vietnamese, cancon in Portuguese, and of course, pak boong (ผักบุ้ง) in my beloved Thai. Here’s the recipe for the version I eat the most. But honestly? You can treat the leaves like spinach and the stems like green beens.
I took to making apple pie guts from the backyard apple trees during harvest season. I’m a pie over cake girlie but not big on crust. And this, well, best of all worlds. I did get experimental once when I ran out of vanilla. I tried making it with ube extract instead. This resulted in very pretty purple apples but also them tasting like pears for some reason.
Also been trying to perfect the perfect crustless pumpkin pie, coconut sticky rice, and Portuguese rice pudding (arroz doce BUT in a rice cooker, I’m a monster). All are works in progress and once (if) I feel like I have a good recipe I’ll report in the Chirrup.

Tea!

Started trying to drink less black tea and more green (it’s supposed to be better for you). I rediscovered this gem in the afternoon: Brew La La Organic Passionfruit Green tea. I like it iced. But be careful not to over-brew.

This is my preferred regular chai. But I also discovered a decaf chai to drink in the evenings! Look, decaf black tea always tastes faintly of fish to me. (I love fish but not in my tea.) I’ve always felt that decaf chai would be the perfect solution to this issue, since all those spices would cover over the fishiness. Finally someone made it for me! And it is yummy!

These glass Teabloom Teacups. They are perfect for oolongs and I also really like them for juice shots or sake. (I have a marked preference for cute small round things in my life.)

Also, here is The Perfume Guy talking about tea-scented fragrances (YouTube)!

In the category of… pretties

Around Halloween I got myself this lovely spooky ring. I love jewelry that is both elegant and a little creepy. This one is made from a Victorian doll’s glass eye. (It turns out to be the exact same color and shape as my niece’s actual eyes, which delighted us both.)

Please excuse my lack of manicure. I’ve neither the time not the funds to get myself regular manicures anymore. Also my nails (previously a strong point, literally and figuratively) are becoming dry and brittle in my old age. I just don’t think it’s wise to put gel on them as frequently as I once did. (And I don’t bother with non-gels, not worth my time.)

I got this tiny smug cat storage jar (read: sugar bowl) because it was so adorable and it reminded me of a dear friend’s very dumb but sweet white cat. It is so darn charming I can’t stand it. Makes me happy every time I look at it.

Hot air balloon paper lanterns. I actually use these as lanterns with an old Ikea lamp, but they would be fun just hung for a party.

I got myself this Studio Ghibli-esk soot sprite bag charm (see Spirited Away) and it’s adorable. I use it with a black bag so it kinda disappears unless you’re really looking.

Dollskill put my favorite teapot purse on sale in two of the colors I don’t have: black with skulls and blue with snowflakes. I was very tempted (and still am) but so far I’ve resisted.

ALSO my much admired black teapot (actually kettle) purse is available in silver and gold again (it’s been years) so if you’ve been coveting that one it’s $35 on the Zon.

Makeup, Skincare, and Such Pamperings

I conducted an experiment with tubing mascara and determined that it pretty much acts like all other mascara on me (yes, even at removal). I have decent lashes that rarely battle mascara, so I think tubing may be solving for a problem I don’t have. Conclusion = not for me.

However, this was the year I discovered Japanese mascara. If all you want from mascara is for it to not go anywhere, like, FOR DAYS, this is the winner. I can wear this to fly for 27 hours (and counting) and by the end of that trip it looks as good as when I applied it. (Yes, I slept in it. With a face mask.) It is remarkable… but you are never getting it off. It’s all I care about, but yeah… like woah, what sorcery is this?
Anytime I travel and someone spots this travel eyelash curler they get very confused and then excited. Which is to say it’s clever, cute, and useful. Basically my favorite combo.
Beauty of Joseon Revive Snail Mucin Ginseng Serum. I know it sounds like a crazy product, but me and my terribly dry skin love it. I use it after my beloved Laneige Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer and usually don’t need a “real” moisturizer anymore. I know, but that is wild for my skin. Which is drier than some scones I’ve eaten.
Mixsoon Bean Essence. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. It’s the oddest consistency, sticky as honey but only to itself, on the skin it spreads and absorbs like a dream. It’s the vegan alternative to snail mucin and it might be even more effective. I use this in the morning before sunscreen.
My new favorite eye cream by Mary & May. Honestly, I’m not convinced one needs a separate eye cream, but if you’re bougie like moi, this one is lovely. And a very generous amount for the price.

And that’s all for today!

Yours, getting happiness from the small things,

Miss Gail

Miss Gail’s Tea Party

Tisane of Nifty

Author Nibble

A Chirrup member replied to one of my missives to say they were pleased to report that the Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy dirigible map is part of their library’s “Maps of Imaginary Places Collection.” BEST IDEA FOR A COLLECTION EVER!!!

Quote to Sip

Find my books

Here’s a printable Downloadable Checklist of ALL my stories!

Did you miss my latest release?

Want more sneak peeks, free goodies, gossip, behind the scenes info?

This goes to my Chirrup members, because I love them bestest. Sign up here:

Not into newsletters? Get only new releases by following Gail on Goodreads, Amazon or BookBub!

Find my books

Here’s a printable Downloadable Checklist of ALL my stories!

Did you miss my latest release?

Want more sneak peeks, free goodies, gossip, behind the scenes info?

This goes to my Chirrup members, because I love them bestest. Sign up here:

Not into newsletters? Get only new releases by following Gail on Goodreads, Amazon or BookBub!

Which Parsolverse Character Should Get the Next Cameo?

Gail Carriger — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 22:07:14 +0000

Gentle Reader, another fun poll for you!

There is a new story afoot (apaw?) set in the Claw & Courtship line of Parasolverse books. (If you want hints as to who it’s about and when/where it’s set, you simply must belong to my charming newsletter, the Chirrup.) I will say that this book spans a significant amount of time (one of the reasons it’s running long).

In a 2025 Chirrup, I asked for characters you wanted see to get cameos in my current WIP. I took the 10 most popular replies from that newsletter, and now they are up here for the vote!

No promises.

I’m not necessarily going be able to fit in your favorite (the character might not be in the right place at the right time for this story).

Still, I am so curious to see who will win.

Here is what the FB Group had to say on the subject:

You can leave a comment with further thoughts (for a while, comments eventually close down after a few weeks, for spam reasons). But the only option for getting a character into this poll for consideration was via the Chirrup.

Yours (destined to be killed by her own creations),

Miss Gail

Miss Gail’s Tea Party

Tisane of Nifty

Special Golden Dragon Kit Kat for Golden Week (orange flavor)

Author Nibble

The Soulless Manga Vol. 1-3 is getting a rerelease as an all-3-in-1 omnibus! Learn why it happened in the most recent Chirrup. Here’s some backstory on the manga.

Here are all the various announcements:

Quote to Sip

Find my books

Here’s a printable Downloadable Checklist of ALL my books!

Did you miss my latest release?

Want more sneak peeks, free goodies, gossip, behind the scenes info?

This goes to my Chirrup members, because I love them bestest. Sign up here:

Not into newsletters? Get only new releases by following Gail on Goodreads, Amazon or BookBub!

BOOK DE JOUR!

How to Marry a Werewolf

PICK YOUR VENDOR!

Direct from Gail

Guilty of an indiscretion? Time to marry a werewolf.

The monsters left Faith ruined in the eyes of society, so now they’re her only option. Faith crosses the Atlantic, looking for a marriage of convenience and revenge. But things are done differently in London…

Werewolves are civilized. At least they pretend to be.

10 Small Household Items That Make Me Happy & I Use All the Time

Gail Carriger — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 19:02:29 +0000

Gentle Reader, this a list of some of my very favorite and most used household items that I genuinely think everyone should know about.

10 Tiny Life Hack Gadgets That I Use Constantly & Joyfully

1 Rechargeable House Necessities

Apparently while I was busy writing 30 odd novels the world invented adorable rechargeable electric lighters. OMG, so cool. I have this one for candles and pilot lights (I have a gas stove and wall wart). I love it so much and use it constantly.

I don’t have many outlets in my apartment. I also don’t like the look of cords dangling everywhere. These little lamps solve both problems for me. They come in many different styles, I just happen to like the deco meets European cafe look.

They also now make rechargeable lightbulbs that work the same way and so you crafty types can turn any vase into a lamp and not have to drill a hole.

Table is decorated with octopus wall decals, brass cordless table lamp, and a copy of Dear Lord Akeldama special edition.

2 MOAR Plugs

As mentioned before I have very few outlets in my Victorian apartment (two or fewer 2 prongs in each room). So investing in several of these flat extension cords with ALL the plugs has been a life saver for me.

3 Mini Speaker

I got myself the cutest tiny speaker so I can bop around the kitchen to Kpop doing dishes, making tea, and cooking. I’m a dork… but I’m your dork.

It’s the tiny dark blue thing on the top shelf, left side in that image there —>

4 Crumb Catcher Vacuum

Brigii Mini Vacuum Cleaner is small, black, cute, and rechargeable. I use it more than my regular vacuum. It’s just so EASY and it’s right there. To me this if worth it for cleaning out the toaster oven alone… but also that time I spilled chai powder everywhere.

(Yes it does still smell faintly of chai every time I use it.)

5 Magnetic Everything

Speaking of living in an old apartment. I have paster walls (not dry wall) and balloon framing (few studs) so I can’t really hang anything on my walls. This means I rely on magnets a lot.

I use magnetic shelves on my fridge, fuse boxes, and the infamous wall wart (yes, I know, it gets hot, so I am careful what goes on the shelves). Above you can see them in use as a tea caddy.
I use heavy duty magnets magnetic hooks for things like hanging purses off my hallway coatrack or keeping the cover tight over my window AC unit during winter winds.

I love a wall decal or stencil since it’s much easier to decorate with than a picture in a frame. I’ve used them to decorate things that can’t be painted (because I’m a renter) like closet doors and on furniture I don’t want to permanently alter.

I posted this photo of Dratsie sitting on an old Ikea table and everyone wanted to know about the “table tentacles.

Those are decals that used to be in my old office (see above).

I put them on the table to transport them safely when moving out, but I liked them there so much, I left them on it. It gets loads of compliments. (To be fair they are front and center in my living room and quite noticeable.)

Anyway, if you are looking to liven up an old table, consider decals. I like these because the matte texture and art style makes them pretty scratch resistant, but I’m gentle with my stuff and use place-mats.

I’m not sure if this hack works on tables that get rough use (so to speak).

6 Kitchen Helpers

Speaking of magnetic, I can’t get over how great these magnetic double-sided measuring spoons are. Seriously, where have these been my whole life? My kitchen drawer stays tidy, they’re so cute, they stick together nicely, and they work really well as measuring spoons. Clever design all round.

The more I type and the older I get the less my hands work properly. I was deeply suspicious but decided to try these Jar Opener Gripper Pads made of silicon and OMG they actually really do work. Yes it still takes some strength but they make life so much easier on my poor hands.

OMG please just have a good sharp pair of kitchen shears in your life.

Me: Mum you need new actual kitchen shears, these are for paper.
The Mum: Oh stop fussing. They’re fine, darling.
Me *brings the mum a new pair next visit whether she likes it or not*
The Mum: Oh these are good!

Parents.

7 Thermos as a Teapot

Don’t tell, but my daily tea routine no longer involves a teapot. I’ve fallen in love with the Kinto Travel Tumbler, basically an elegant thermos that’s wider and more stable than my travel baby (which I still use on the go), and I have been using it for my morning tea routine of a teapot since it keeps everything hot for longer without having to grub about for a cozy. It’s a lazy-person’s teapot. But… it works!

8 Double Walled Insulated Teacups

These little cups are so cute and they work for various kinds of tea as well as sake and other alcohol. I’m just happy every time I use them and I use them all the time.

(So much so I recently broke one, and when I break another I intend to rebuy so I have 6 total.

I always seem to host at a max of 6 people. No idea why that happens, I think it’s the small size of my place. Like koi my social group only grows to fill the space?

9 No Actually the Best Bouillon

No it’s not the one Test Kitchen loves in that jar. No it’s not a box liquid. If you can’t do homemade bone broth then it has to be Lee Kum Kee Chicken Bouillon Powder. This has the best pure chicken flavor so it can be used as a base for any cuisine. Also the powder is so easy to sprinkle on things and use in sauces etc…

10 Cleaning Hacks

I use denture tablets to remove tea stains on said thermos. I also use these for mugs, teacups, and teapots. (I’ve been known to use them on jewelry and vases as well. The material scientist in me hopes it goes without saying that these are for hard inert materials like ceramics and glass, not plastics, soft stones, or soft metals.)
There is a product called Goo Gone that will actually get price sticker residue off plastic, wood, etc…
I also use the Pink Stuff both the liquid for surfaces/floor and the gritty putty for everything else. I’m not sure if it actually works better than other cleaners but I love the smell, and that’s reason enough for me since it means I am more likely to use it.

I actually took time to research and source the best laundry stain removers too.

For grease stains IMHO nothing beats a good liquid dish detergent.
For food it’s still Zout, although their nozzle sucks.
For ink & makeup it has to be Amodex.
And if absolutely nothing else is working I reach for Clorox 2 (but be wary this one cannot be left to sit on fabric, use it right before the wash only).

Incidentally, since I mostly wear vintage, natural fabrics, and delicate clothing I wash my clothes on cold, delicate cycle (using Woolite Dark) and then line dry.

Bonus?

Carpet Tape

This one might not help everyone, which is why it’s not in the main list.

But I live with wall-to-wall carpeting and I want to put my own rugs down on top without them constantly wrinkling on me. I have tried a million solutions and this carpet tape is actually the only thing that has ever worked. I put it all around the edge of the rug that lies on top and that’s it, SO far so good. It’s been 2 years.

Weak hands?

These jar opener gripper pads are described as “for Seniors with Weak Hands.” I feel very called out by that listing. But they sure do work well.

Yours (destined to be hunt for the perfect hack forever),

Miss Gail

More like this? Here I am talking all about the things I love that go on sale regularly.

10+ Prime Day Recommendations from Miss Gail – Stuff I Genuinely Love, On Sale

Find my books

Here’s a printable Downloadable Checklist of ALL my books!

Did you miss my latest release?

Want more sneak peeks, free goodies, gossip, behind the scenes info?

This goes to my Chirrup members, because I love them bestest. Sign up here:

Not into newsletters? Get only new releases by following Gail on Goodreads, Amazon or BookBub!

BOOK DE JOUR!

The Dratsie Dilemma: San Andras Shifters #4

PICK YOUR VENDOR!

Direct from Gail

Trick, the otter shifter (and everyone’s favorite barista), is running from a past he can’t forget, and has accidentally landed in the surprisingly warm embrace of the local werewolf pack. Everything is going swimmingly, until the merfolk show up. Mermaids en masse are a problem for everyone. This particular pod is guarded by one very powerful, very sexy merman – which mean’s Trick’s past has finally caught up to him. That past is grumpy, slippery and has been looking for Trick for over a decade.

Miss Gail’s Tea Party

Tisane of Nifty

6 Types of Tea – Different Tea Types Explained (YouTube)

Author Nibble

5 Gail Carriger Book Series That Go Beyond The Parasol Protectorate

Quote to Sip

All the Tea on WorldCon 2025

Gail Carriger — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 16:36:47 +0000

It’s been over 20 years since I started attending WorldCons. Since before Gail was even a twinkle in my pen, so to speak.

Despite drama, crisis, politics, and more shakeups than my hips in a belly-dancing class, I keep going back to WorldCon because, quite frankly, I enjoy it. It’s a good mix of meeting up with my beloved readers, also my beloved author friends, and my own favorite authors.

The very first day I ran into Madame Askew, the Grand Arbiter, and T.M. Kuta – three of my very favorite magical beings. Madame Askew and The Grand Arbiter come to me from my early steampunk convention days but this was their very first WorldCon and they had tons of panels. (Madame Askew would go on to WIN the masquerade, we are all very chuffed.) They were, if I do say so myself (and I very much do) quite popular with the WorldCon peeps. Since I was the major instigator behind their attending, I’m pleased they were well received.

T.M. is infamous in my universe for being one of my first young fans, 15 at the time, who accosted me (with an overabundance of frenetic enthusiasm) and took me to the basement of a hotel where there was an abandoned 1960s diner. Yes, that’s really how we met. We continued our association over Tumblr and now T.M. is the Power Behind the Parasolverse Discord.

I’m wearing an eShakti (RIP) maxi dress (yes it has pockets) which I also use for my steampunk Star Trek looks.
For WorldCon I paired it with black flats decorated with red fuzzy shoe puffs that make most shoes look more retro.
That massive red teapot purse is from a vendor who used to be on Etsy but is no longer. It is responsible for my only viral TikTok clip, which is me giggling like crazy when opening it because it is so much bigger than I expected.
The gloves are vintage leather ones and the head wrap is no longer available.

Other Outfits?

I would say my most popular one was this little number, which I dubbed Cupcake Galaxy Gail.

That is another eShakti dress (all customized by me, and yes, pockets).
The head wrap is from the Zon, These are my current favorite brand. They are the softest and the most comfortable. They are the ones I sent to Piper for chemo which should tell you how much faith I have in them.
The necklace is from Etsy (and convention) vendor Hibernacula.
Gloves are vintage.
Stompy boots were a last winter find on the Zon, no longer around.
That is the infamous binder clip purse I get asked about all the time. The vendor I bought from seems to no longer exist, but there are plenty of dupes of the bag around.

Normally this purse only goes to teaching conferences with me, it’s my grown up Gail bag. Teapots are for conventions. But because I was packing the big red one and my bog boots I decided to check a suitcase and bring this one along. (It’s hard to travel with carry-on only.)

This was not my final outfit, but it was the last one I remembered to snap a pic of. (I am a terrible fashion blogger, it’s one of the reasons I stopped. I rarely remember to get outfit shots.)

That is another eShakti dress (yes, pockets).
The head wrap is the same as before, only in navy, from the Zon,
Vintage gloves.
20 year old gold heels. (Held together these days by superglue and pure will.)
The binder clip bag again.

I miss eShakti a lot. Although these days I rarely buy dresses new anymore. I’ve been so disappointed in the quality. I’m back to simply thrifting & tailoring, or (rarely) vintage.

The Panels (with notes)

I had a lot of fun panels this WorldCon.

About half of them were business of writing related, mostly the kind of thing that will show up in my next non-fiction book, Going Hybrid.

WorldCon 2025 Seattle “Direct Sales” Panel photo by Oriana Leckert. L-R Jessie Kwak, Cassie Alexander, self, Oriana Leckert, Amy Wolf (and my stupid-big teapot purse)

Links from some of the panels I was on

Boarding Schools in Genre

My series that takes place in a boarding school is The Finishing School series.
But Tinkered Starsong utilizes many of the same tricks, especially in the first book Divinity 36.
The unpublished one I mentioned on the panel, that uses boarding school tropes and archetypes, only the school is a university where students fight natural disasters is only talked about in the Chirrup. You can read the prequel via a private link and code in that newsletter. I’m not sure whether to publish it because it needs a rewrite and is very dark.

Found Family: The New Social Paradigm

The Kdramas I love and talked about as great examples of Found Family are all mentioned in this post.
Almost all Heroine’s Journey narratives are found family.
Pretty much all of my books are found family but the most intentionally activated used of this trope are in The Custard Protocol and Tinkered Starsong series.

Food In History

I don’t have a ton of resources for this one since it was mostly me talking with the hat on of my pervious life as an archaeologist. But you can read all about that in this post here.

Direct Sales Strategies

I mentioned the recent Shopify Bot Attack Leaving Indie Authors with Financial Losses and here is someone who knows talking about defensive strategies.
I talked about how important it is to know exactly how much your time is worth. Here is a Value Of Time Calculator.
Here’s a blog on 30 Habits That Have Improved My Author Life

Newsletter Stuff

I use MailerLite for all my newsletters. It’s fine.
I talk about how I track and gather data (so I can decide where to best spend my time) in this whopper of a YouTube interview on Data Analytics.

Being Hybrid

There are a ton of resources for this already provided on the Going Hybrid book landing page.

I also did a ton of socialization. Met some really lovely readers at both a table-talk and meet-up.

Ran into many of my longest running author friends (still writing), one I meet at that first WorldCon over 20 years ago! Others, I have known through all 15+ years of my writing career. Since Soulless debuted.

Since we are mostly around the same age, at lot of us are going through major life changes, with parents and relationships passing away. Also big changes in our respective careers. So it was a pretty emotional con as well. But very necessary to get all caught up.

I’m lucky enough to have collected some pretty awesome friends around me at home, but there are some things that only my fellow authors truly understand. If I were to give one survival tip to my fellow authors just starting out on this madcap journey, it is… make author friends.

Yours (destined to be killed by a tumbling TBR pile),

Miss Gail

Miss Gail’s Tea Party

Tisane of Nifty

Author Nibble

Quote to Sip

Find my books

Here’s a printable Downloadable Checklist of ALL my books!

Did you miss my latest release?

Want more sneak peeks, free goodies, gossip, behind the scenes info?

This goes to my Chirrup members, because I love them bestest. Sign up here:

Not into newsletters? Get only new releases by following Gail on Goodreads, Amazon or BookBub!

BOOK DE JOUR!

The Dratsie Dilemma: San Andras Shifters #4

PICK YOUR VENDOR!

Direct from Gail

Ketchup – Mad Egg Love, Computer Catastrophe & More

Gail Carriger — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 17:39:48 +0000

Darling Gentle Reader,

It has been a while but I thought I might provide you with an update outside of the Chirrup at least once this year. I know I know.

Fun Book Releases

Dear Lord Akeldama and the Parasolverse Ephemera got a limited run cloth bound gilt inlay special edition from Subterranean. As of typing this there are about 100 left. As always with these editions there is only the one shot at them.

This compilation may be released in print in another form (or not, knowing me) but this style and fancy hard cover version will never exist again. It’s now or never.

My lovely author friend Lin Lustig drew the cutest Lord Akeldama chibi as a pirate that I am charmed by.

Lin writes fun silly queer uplifting pirate fantasy. If Lord A were a pirate, he would likely be in her books. The most recent one is Our Ship Must Sail. She describes it as “a cozy sapphic fantasy series about sky pirates.”

The Heroine’s Journey sold into Korean translation last year. I never announce these kinds of things, because even if they buy the right one never knows if the translation will happen.

This one did!

Isn’t it lovely?

The Heroine’s Journey in Korean!
여자는 우주를 혼자 여행하지 않는다 | 게일 캐리거 – 교보문고

3 Kdrama’s that made me think of this narrative arc?

The Uncanny Counter | Hospital Playlist | W

This is my first Korean translation for any of my work. Some of you may know I am a big Kdrama and Kpop fan so this was a real delight for me to have happen. I do talk a bit about story structure and use of this narrative in Kdramas in this post:

10 Best K-Dramas for Romance Lovers: My Favorite Kdramas Using The Heroine’s Journey from Gail Carriger

Plus I think the Korean script is so stunning looking, kind of modern and mathematical. I adore the precision of it. It’s very tidy looking.

Where has Gail BEEN?

Mexico

I went to Mexico on a tiny writing retreat just after the Popster died. It was to try to get my head back in the game, not a resounding success. Still, it was nice to see a part of the world I haven’t ever before (in this case La Paz, I’ve been to Mexico proper quite a few times back in my Archaeology days).

As you can see, La Paz is a boat kinda place full of boat kinda people. The Popster was just such, and so I found it a tad challenging since my feels around boats and his relationships to them (my string of inanimate siblings that all signs point to him loving more than me) are complicated, to say the least.

CONpossible

After that is was off to a steampunk event where I got to see some of my dearest friends.

Grand Arbiter, Gail Carriger, Madame Askew at CONPossible 2025 in purple matching outfits

These two were the best last good thing to happen to me before the hell year began.

Hell Year

Hell year = car total, concussion, moving Popster, caretaking Popster, terminal diagnose 1 & 2 of 3 (not me, people I love), breakup/divorce-ish (15 years counts, right?), Lilliput death, Popster death, terminal diagnose 3 of 3 (please world stop now) and so forth.

So seeing them again made me hope I had come full circle and the hell would stop.

A girl can dream right?

Atlanta Love (Matcha Shade)

I also got to spend a little time in Atlanta for the first time in my life, and I have to say I liked it a lot.

Mad respect for the size of your H-Mart (I wish we had one close SO BAD), the epic food scene, and general goodwill and kindness of the peeps.

Ube & Pandan Soft Serve + Custard Filled Taiyaki

I enjoyed the place, the food and the company. Can’t ask for more, can you? Shout out to the fact that multiple times the green thing I encountered was pandan flavored. I ADORE pandan and it’s really difficult to find. Green things tend to be macha flavored these days, and I am sad to say I am not a fan of the grassy side of tea.

New Book in Progress!

After that I had yet another writing retreat, I really was trying to get back into being able to write fiction after a year of crisis management.

This time it helped a bit and I got started on a new book. Code HTCAK it’s is in the How to Marry a Werewolf line and you can follow it’s progress in the Chirrup. I’m loving it so far, we are deep in (what was called then) Burma just after the Napoleonic Wars at the very edge of the British Empire, but I’m making no promises these days on deadlines because life has been so chaotic. I’m to scared to tell you a thing will be done when I may get derailed all over again my incommodious circumstances…

There were parasols in the sky at this retreat, which I took as a good sign, and for some reason I keep running into this style art installation (more to come on that).

Look, here’s the thing, after the Popster died I went a little stir crash and I said to Kelly, said I, Assistant please just say yes to stuff, I need to get away.

And so-eth, she doth say yes, and I might have bitten off a bit more than I could chew for the rest of this year as a result.

It’s been necessary, I think, but a LOT of travel.

Distractions are good, but also, perhaps, escaping one problems should not be undertaken in quite such a literal manner? Just Gail from the future talking to Gail in the past for when this happens again. Because that looks more and more likely.

France & Spain

She brought me an egg!!

After that is was off to France where I had an… interesting time. It was really nice to meet my French readers and see my translator again, but it was an odd not-bookish event.

One of them brought me hard boiled eggs, which was very very exciting to this weary traveler who had picked up a bit of a tummy bug. I love an egg on the road.

Mad egg love from this girl. Possibly my favorite protein of all.

I bought some lovely jewelry and was reminded of my long gone days working the Ren Faire. But a book event it was… not.

I got to see my new French books covers and was pleased the Parasol Protectorate is still getting some love. But I suspect I should be getting more of my books translated into French in order to keep those readers happy, and it’s just very complicated and wicked expensive when I do not speak the language myself.

Speaking of speaking, I do have a little Spanish so after France I visited Barcelona.

This was a trip I had planned with my ex pre-covid, Also this is a place I visited and fell in love with in my 20s. I was great to be back, and I didn’t feel any of the anti-tourist sentiment.

First I didn’t stay or spend much time in the tourist parts of the city (they haven’t changed much since I was last there) and second I dress and act (and walk) like a local. This is a part of the world where it is relatively easy for me to blend in.

It was odd for me. I could see myself visiting again for a writing retreat, but I’m not sure I enjoy traveling to this part of the world alone. There’s a lot of things, like dining out, that are really long social activities and it felt surreal to do this by myself.

All that said, Barcelona’s filled croissant game is ON POINT.

Summer Fun

Back home and then off to a charity tea in Virginia. Another event that was in process for before the pandy and managed to reboot itself.

Because I wore a new cute thrifted dress I did a whole blog post of that event here. No need to rehash. Super chuffed to say someone on the socials said I looked like a teacup myself, and that is exactly the look I was going for so… yay!!!

Some of my best friends from high school and I went on a little trip to visit one of our number who recently relocated to the Chicago area.

I tapped the lovely Volumes Bookstore & Cafe to host an impromptu gathering.

So many of you turned out for that, I was quite touched. I haven’t done an event in Chicago in 9 years so it was so nice to be remembered. Many people drove many hours to come, and there were a ton of new faces as well.

Truly honored to those who made the effort to drive into (and PARK) in the city, I know it’s such a hassle.

Wore one of my favorite new vintage acquisitions this lavender 1940s organza dress with a cool neckline. I’m getting into these sorts of colors as I get older and also this one packs like a dream. I also had it on the France trip.

Someone made me these little dolls of Conall and Alexia.

Aren’t they fun?

Chicago was the next place I meet the parasols in the sky!

Lots more this time around.

Lately I have been to WorldCon in Seattle but that was such a bumper of an event I likely will do a whole other blog post on it. Outfit rounds ups and some notes from the panels and other exciting projects that have resulted.

Right now I am home(ish) for a few months. Still settling the last of Popster’s estate, it just goes on forever. I have a few more events in October and November, but I am looking forward to being in place for the next month or so.

Maybe I will even get some writing done?

Except…

One Should Not Bathe One’s Computer

Revelation, I know!

So during the Chicago trip I upended an entire glass of water on my main laptop.

I did all the things. I dried what I could. But the blinky blinky light of doom doth break. So I am down for the count while we see what can be salvaged.

Don’t worry about the work!

I write in Scrivener which does a cloud backup via dropbox, and I edit in gdocs which is in the cloud already.

I also back up my whole computer regularly, and always the day before a big trip. So the only bits I lost were what I did on the plane on the flight there, which wasn’t a whole lot.

So I’m ending this blog post with a reminder to run a backup, just in case.

Oh and don’t bathe your computer.

Yours (destined to run herself ragged),

Miss Gail

BOOK DE JOUR!

The Dratsie Dilemma: San Andras Shifters #4

PICK YOUR VENDOR!

Direct from Gail

Find my books

Here’s a printable Downloadable Checklist of ALL my books!

Did you miss my latest release?

Want more sneak peeks, free goodies, gossip, behind the scenes info?

This goes to my Chirrup members, because I love them bestest. Sign up here:

Not into newsletters? Get only new releases by following Gail on Goodreads, Amazon or BookBub!

Miss Gail’s Tea Party

Tisane of Nifty

One of my favorite teacups. Purple pansies remind me of my grandmama for some reason.

Author Nibble

A sample of some Gail Carriger related tattoos.

Quote to Sip

Retro Look with Steampunk Elements for Summer 2025

Gail Carriger — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 01:24:22 +0000

It’s been a while since I did outfit post, Gentle Reader. How about it?

Pink Mini Dress Charity Tea Outfit

I wore this outfit to a Charity Tea Party in Virginia mid summer so it is designed for heat and humidity. (For CJ’s Thumbs Up Foundation who provide meals and other support to the families of seriously ill children.)

Outfit Breakdown

Dress: Zimmerman label modern mini dress (this is about as short as I will go since I’m relatively tall). Fabric quality and lack of lining makes me think this is, actually, a dupe and not a real Zimmerman, but it sure plays one for the camera. I thrifted it with this event in mind.
Hair wrap: this is from Zon but this style/color is no longer available.
Glasses: also from Zon, come in a range of colors, but these cream ones are by far my favorites. They have nice thin arms and stay on but aren’t too tight. Thus I also find them quite comfy. They always get compliments, too.
Earrings & Necklace: a costume set I picked up ages ago and then modified with steampunk elements and new hooks (I have bad metal allergies so I often have to sub out my hooks). That pen necklace is a classic, I always wear it, I own both this gold and a silver version. I don’t think you can find them anymore.
Teapot Bag: It’s from Dollskill and I just love it. It big enough too!
Shoes: Vintage stilettos from Via Spiga, I bought them new, that’s how long I’ve owned these. Here I am getting the heal caught in a cobblestone:

Don’t worry they were fine. They are nigh on indestructible.

I also had some cute little cream net gloves with me, but this is after the tea, so I was eating and I forgot to put them back on.

That lipstick is a Revlon ColorStay erroneously called Unending Red since it is a very dark pink (normally I prefer red, but had to match).

I think I’m gonna start to keep outfit posts here in the blog again, occasionally. I’ll still post them to social media but I’m not wild about giving other platforms hosting privileges and I want to be able to pin my own outfits again, so… here we are. I know it’s 2025 but it sure feels like 2015.

Yours (still making my peace with pink even after all this time),

Miss Gail

BOOK THAT MATCHES!

How to Marry a Werewolf

PICK YOUR VENDOR!

Direct from Gail

Guilty of an indiscretion? Time to marry a werewolf.

Werewolves are civilized. At least they pretend to be.

Find my books

Here’s a printable Downloadable Checklist of ALL my books!

Did you miss my latest release?

Want more sneak peeks, free goodies, gossip, behind the scenes info?

This goes to my Chirrup members, because I love them bestest. Sign up here:

Not into newsletters? Get only new releases by following Gail on Goodreads, Amazon or BookBub!

Miss Gail’s Tea Party

Tisane of Nifty

Nothing to see here, just an author and her cheese platter.

Author Nibble

Hanging out with awesome peeps after hours at an event.

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10+ Prime Day Recommendations from Miss Gail – Stuff I Genuinely Love, On Sale

Gail Carriger — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 23:41:23 +0000

As an author I am sure you know I have a lot of contradictory feels about The Zon, but I am also lazy and thrifty and picky. Thus I find myself picking up favorites and rarities off the behemoth when I can’t find the one I want any other way.

The Secret to What Goes on Sale Every July

One of the secrets about Prime Day is that the brands and suppliers that go on sale throughout the year, usually always also go on Prime Sale. Or they put some of their stock up for discount.

So if you happen to like a particular brand, then it’s worth waiting and stocking up mid July. I actually keep a shopping list of things I strongly suspect with be discounted and wait if possible. I will say they rarely put household basics on sale like tea or tissues or marmite.

Here are some of the things I try to pick up (or resupply) on Prime Day (because I was likely gonna buy it anyway). I have also included some of my most beloved items that I originally bought on sale and have lasted forever.

Author & Writing Related

The roost laptop stand. I own the first generation from when it released well over a decade ago. (I think this might have been a kickstarter project.) I still use the same one. Every single day. I also travel with it. A marvel of modern engineering.
Also for everyday and travel along with the roost is this small USB C keyboard (wired) and one of these mini mice.
This cordless table lamp which I can move to wherever I happen to be working anywhere I go without having to find a plug. (Charges with a USB.)
This pretty cosmetic bag is lightly padded and actually the PERFECT size for most ereaders! I prefer this to a case because I like holding just my ereader in my hand at night. Also this has enough capacity to also hold a charger, some cords, and a few other bedside necessitates when I travel home for the holidays.

Kitchen & Food (well, mostly tea stuff)

Favorite teapot. I actually got the smallest version first, which is 2 cups, for heating up milk to make hot cocoa, syrup for waffles, and to act as a milk pitcher or gravy boat at parties. It is dishwasher, microwave, fridge, and stove top safe, so it can also act as a kettle. It has a really big immersion chamber, which makes it ideal for green teas and oolongs.
This is my favorite electric tea kettle. I want something that boils fast, has a small footprint, and can see the water level from the outside. I have now bought 6 of these for various reasons, none of them it breaking.
The teacups I prefer for oolong and green teas are actually these double walled insulated glasses. (Otherwise I do use a teacup and saucer.)
Magnetic stackable double-sided measuring spoons. I love these SO MUCH, they are so tidy. They make a wonderful gift. It’s the kind of thing everyone needs but didn’t know they need. Speaking of gifts…
Actually good heavy duty sharp kitchen shears. OMG just get a good pair, those old ones are, in fact, pointless. (Speaking directly to the Mum.)
Zojirushi 3 Cup Rice Cooker. I use this all the time. I actually bought it Prime Day 2024, so this time of year is it’s birthday. No seriously, that’s how much I love it. (Doesn’t always go on sale.)

I have this fun blog post that features some of my favorite recipes.

Gail’s Favorite Recipes to Cook & Bake

And this one which is all tea and tea related.

30+ Best Tea, Teapots, Teakettles & More: The Epic Tea Post from Gail Carriger

Lifestyle & Fashion

I have a swanky vacuum cleaner but what do I do 90% of the time after the tea party ends? Whip out this tiny dust buster instead. It’s just so EASY to use. I call it my “crumb catcher.” It’s so CUTE and it USB charges.
Magnetic shelves! I live in a tiny apartment (I neither need nor enjoy nor can afford a lot of space). It is an old Vic with plaster walls, which makes shelving challenging. I got these for my fridge (and fuse box) for holding tea and they are GREAT!
I’m always looking for something that looks retro but acts like a t-shirt for travel and this one of my favorites!
My beloved purse hook – I also wear this as a bangle, in Thailand it was my most worn jewelry.

Makeup & Skin Care

No7 Restore & Renew Multi Action Serum Foundation has SPF 20 (mineral, Titanium). If I am indoor only this will work in leu of anything else. In other words, it’s one & done on top of skin care. Best of all? It’s a true neutral, almost grey tone (thank you UK!) so no color corrector needed.
I hate to be a basic retro girlie but Mac’s Ruby Woo is the most retro red ever and it holds a very special place in my heart on the basis of color alone. Sigh. So stunning.
For my body, on the go and for reapplication (lives it in my purse or car), I use Supergoop! Glow Stick. I’m not the raving fan many are of this brand (I’ll glow on my own, thank you very much) but this stick is easy, convenient, effective, and one always knows exactly how much is left. It’s solid state, so packable. It’s expensive but lasts a long time. It does make my eyes sting, so never on my face.

I do have a whole post about my retro makeup routine, it is kept updated as I find new products to fall in love with and others go obsolete.

30+ Favorite Beauty Products for a Retro Look (Vintage Makeup 2023)

Yours,

Miss Gail

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The Dratsie Dilemma: San Andras Shifters #4

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Alternative cover fan art made for Soulless.

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30 Habits That Have Improved My Life As A Full-Time Author

Gail Carriger — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 18:13:15 +0000

This one if for the authors at the back, Gentle Reader (Author?) Enjoy!

10 Habits That Improved My Author Life

Jealously guarded writing time and determining what time of day/system works best for me
Writing dates with other authors that I get to via walking or biking = social time, sunshine, exercise, and productivity
Writing retreats
Joining local author groups/clubs
Dedicated writing bag/backpack that includes noise cancelling headphones
Blocking out time for painful tasks (e.g. taxes)
Blocking out monthly brain breaks, usually a weekday where I’m not allowed to schedule anything, just give myself time to be creative
Understanding exactly how I value my time and how much my time is worth to me including what I must/should/enjoy doing most
Consuming writing podcasts and YouTube videos
Doing something small that makes me happy every single day

10 Habits That Improved My Author Business

Weekly agenda plus time on Mondays set aside to review that agenda each week
Systems and templates for everything (e.g. itinerary, invoices, newsletter) stored in the cloud
Dictating into the Notes app on my phone for emails, blog posts, social media, story ideas
Writing down goals: writing, business, life and then parsing each out into manageable tasks, so that they become SMART goals
Scheduling time to achieve those goals (and to review them 4 times a year)
Scheduling, time boxing, and batching social media
Refusing to engage with DMs on any platforms, instead using automated responses or redirects to email me about business or join my newsletter for fans
Automated bill payments
Tracking spreadsheet for all of my subscriptions and auto-pays (monthly, annual, or sporadic; on what credit cards; about how much they charge; and how to cancel them with links)
Jealously guarded weekends, when I have them and I’m not traveling, that are not for work

10 Tiny Habits That Improved My Life

Creating traveling kits for myself inside zipper pouches of different textures that all live in a go bag
Finding a sunscreen that I actually love wearing, and wearing it every day as part of a dedicated skin care routine (I may have to start buying these when in Thailand as the best filters are banned in the US)
Labeling and organizing my house accessories in clear plastic tubs
Using a thermos (with built in tea strainer) for my tea in the mornings instead of a teapot. And using denture cleaning tablets to get tea stains off my china and more.
Leveling up my compost bin, I mean literally, raising it up so it’s level with my countertop
Cooking mainly with an electric tea kettle, toaster oven, wok, or rice cooker (and not my oven). And occasionally making that rice with Lee Kum Kee Chicken Bouillon Powder.
A digital shopping list on my phone
Winding down in the evening with a scented candle
Creating zones in my apartment so that all items of one type (like cleaning or repairing) are together in one place and easy to find
Ensuring my entire house has conveniently placed charger, plug, extension cord combos and devices that work off of USB charging (e.g. speaker, lighter) rather than batteries

Yours,

Miss Gail

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Tisane of Nifty

One of my only heirlooms from my Dad’s side of the family is this inkwell (ironic, actually).

Author Nibble

Assistant Kelly at a recent event with my first free standing poster rig. (Very exciting.)

Self at a recent steampunk author event where I actually sold out of all my books!

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Dratsie Dilemma Special Extras – Sausalito, Takoyaki & Japanese Mermaids

Gail Carriger — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 15:35:58 +0000

Dearest Gentle Reader, much to my surprise (and others), The Dratsie Dilemma released December 1, 2024.

Here are some special extras for this book!

Trick gets his own story at last!

Thank you so much for your patience, I hope you find that this one was worth the wait. (As Sato definitely feels about Trick.) I give you some fun new characters plus, of course, the return of old favorites.

Everyone loves Trick so much and is so protective of him.

This book contains possibly the most angst I have ever written. I mean these two absolutely adore each other and then are torn apart through no fault of their own but still end of blaming each other for the horror of that loss. Be prepared to suffer with them, but don’t worry there is still humor and joy and, of course, everything will be alright in the end.

Special Extras

Trick’s Character design board on Pinterest
Sato’s character design board on Pinterest
Sample the opening chapter?
A schematic of the pack house and grounds, plus some interior design inspiration
Faking Trademark in Fiction for Comedy Gold

Behind the Scenes

Welcome to one of my DVD extras moments. This one is for my beloved book The Dratsie Dilemma. As ever with these posts it drops after the book for a reason. This is about the research I did, therefore there will be spoilers.

Typo Extraordinaire

‘Dilemma’ or ‘Dilemna’? My mother, being British from a certain part of the UK, actually says this word with an n sound. I had no idea it wasn’t an alternate spelling, but, in fact a complete misspelling. There is no “n” in dilemma.

Food!

What is takoyaki sauce made of? Turns out it’s similar to okonomiyaki sauce = oyster, sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire. And, does it have a special name? たこ焼きソース but I opted not to use it in the story.
Can katsu apply to catfish? Turns out, katsu can (and should) pretty much be applied to any protein. *waves hand in air* make it so. I will eat them all.

Under the Sea

Orca’s wearing dead fish as hats.
Yes, I knew about Marvin’s and Trick’s secrets while writing The Enforcer Enigma. Also, I had the vangill in mind at the start of this whole series.
Sea otter bites and steals surfboards in California, leaves for a while and seems to have returned. (YouTube videos)
10 of the World’s Most Dangerous Fish

Mermaid Lore

The Last Japanese Mermaids – I read quite a few articles and watched a mini documentary on these remarkable women long before writing this story. They are what inspired me to create Sato’s history and backstory. Not, as you might assume, the mythology of the ningyo. Although their general viciousness and ill-omened aura did contribute to his personality.
The idea of mermaid pods, webbed hands, and their special supernatural abilities (like siren song and the Medusa effect) were invented (in my universe) for the mermaids in Marine Biology. I didn’t really think that I’d end up writing a whole book about them, but I’m not surprised. Since one of my greatest loves is swimming underwater. Being immersed lakes, rivers, and the ocean is my happy place.
The concept of the spurs came from reading about how rare spurs are in mammals. I don’t know why I initially went down that rabbit hole but I suspect Thailand’s wild chickens and Piper J Drake of being involved.

I really love the idea that mermaids think of their human form as the shifted one, unlike all the land-bound creatures. In other words, for mermaids, to be human is to be the beast. So a lot of the lore around their society and social structure (and behavior towards and interactions with humans) springs from this core concept.

All my immortal creatures, as apex predators (on humans) have biological limits in place. (It is harder for them to breed than humans, much as it is harder for an eagle to breed that it is a rabbit.) This is a concept that I’ve explored in all my books, from Soulless on. It’s a key component of The 5th Gender too.

I believe that procreation and the cultural pressures, requirements, and taboos around breeding are themes I often revisit in my work as part of the found family trope.

Downtown Sausalito

Of course I am very familiar with Sausalito but it has been a while since I visited the downtown area. So, in late 2023 when drafting this book, I took a field trip over and meet up with one of my mum’s besties (a resident).

This being Trick’s book, his cafe Bean There Froth That, and its location is Vitally important.

This would be the location of The Bean. It actually did used to be a cafe but at the time of this photo was unoccupied. It’s in the perfect location for the events around a certain sparkly gold jacket (The Enforcer Enigma) to take place.

I am standing across the street, on a small sidewalk, with my back to the shot rock and the water.

To the right the road divides and heads further into downtown:

To the left it starts wending along the waterfront before turning up the hill towards Highway 101, the pack house, the freeway, and eventually open parkland and the Golden Gate Bridge beyond.

In The Enforcer Enigma there is a scene with the selkie running across the road and diving onto their skins set out near the water and then flopping into the bay.

Here’s what that area looks like:

Marvin and Trick go chasing after them and then dive into the water in hot pursuit of the sparkly gold jacket.

I hope all this helps as you read, or reread both The Enforcer Enigma and The Dratsie Dilemma.

Want more behind the scenes info like this?

Essay: Why I Wrote This Series Sexy – High Heat in Genre Fiction
How to Make Isaac’s Open Faced Omelet (from The Omega Objection)
Drinks for Shifters: Creating Hilarious Cocktails for Supernatural Creatures (for The Omega Objection)
The San Andreas Shifters Pack House In Detail!

BOOK DE JOUR!

The Dratsie Dilemma: San Andras Shifters #4

PICK YOUR VENDOR!

Direct from Gail

Find my books

Here’s a printable Downloadable Checklist of ALL my books!

Did you miss my latest release?

Want more sneak peeks, free goodies, gossip, behind the scenes info?

This goes to my Chirrup members, because I love them bestest. Sign up here:

Not into newsletters? Get only new releases by following Gail on Goodreads, Amazon or BookBub!

Miss Gail’s Tea Party

Tisane of Nifty

The newly discovered flatbread fresco of Pompeii.

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300+ Books That I Love to Read Over and Over Again

Author Nugget

Quill Ink Interview with Yours Truly

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Reflections of a Swede says of The Enforcer Enigma:

“And I can’t wait for the next in the series…. I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes love, shifters and sequins.”