Happy #SteamTuesday, friends from the æthertweets! We at the Ministry are quite excited about what we bring to you all today.

Following a quite successful Tales from the Archives (Volume the First), our intrepid journalist Tee Morris has been hard at work finishing up development of The Janus Affair and looking ahead to new venues for himself and the oh so lovely Pip Ballantine to sign copies of our award-winning series.

Mr. Morris has also been looking for a new challenge, and today he has shared it with you, dear readers…

As mentioned on The Shared Desk, Aladdin and His Wonderfully Infernal Device is an inspiration stemming from a steampunk fairy tale anthology the delightful Miss Pip is affiliated with. After delving into a few original translations of Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp (You’re welcome, Mr. Morris…) and adding a liberal dash of steampunk, here is what Mr. Morris’ creativity hath wrought:

Aladdin is a street-wise thief that finds himself under the tutelage of a world-renown illusionist. He is escorted deep into the deserts in search of a treasure beyond his wildest dreams, and discovers instead something far more valuable—a destiny.

We at the Ministry are quite proud of our intrepid journalist’s first novella, now live and exclusive for Kindle æther-Readers for a mere $1.99! Enjoy the read, share your thoughts, and tell a friend.

UPDATE: We are thrilled at the support you, gentle reader, have been showing our journalist’s novella. On the ætherwebs, Amazon has ranked Aladdin and His Wonderfully Infernal Device at…

• #4,444 Paid in Kindle Store
• #25 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Mythology
• #43 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > World Literature > Mythology
• #83 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Fantasy > Epic

With such high rankings on its first day, we at the Ministry are pleased as punch. Please, continue to spread the word and we thank you again for your patronage.

It is always nice to get appreciative comments on the Ministry’s work, but when Wellington ran across this mention he had to have a sit down an a cuppa.

You see, there are three pillars in our dear archivist’s world; the British Library (you can see pictures here), the Library of Congress in Washington DC, and the venerable New York City Public Library.

So when Jenny Baum of the New York City Library wrote

More recently, the novel, Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris, available from the Library in both paperback and ebook formats, caught my eye. One of the authors, Pip (Philippa), has her degree in Library and Information Science and “found herself working in the magical world of libraries where she stayed for over a decade.” This novel really does transport you to a world of beautiful libraries, and you can picture it being written on a steamtop computer.

Wellington really did need a moment.

If you have not visited this beautiful library, then please do go if you have a chance. Libraries provide information and knowledge to everyone, and in particular those that might not be able to access it. Their beauty is not just physical….

With the assignment of Miss Braun and charged in training her the Archival Sciences, I find myself adjusting my normal schedule here at the Ministry. Quite often, that adjustment means I find myself awaiting the arrival of Miss Braun. In the Archives. If fortunate, before 11 o’clock tea.

Therefore, whist I wait, I must entertain myself with distractions from the Archives’ analytical engine. There’s Mozart. There’s Beethoven. And, of course, Rimsky-Korsakov. However, in light of Miss Braun’s recent Phoenix Society bruhaha, I have been broadening my tastes into music more…carousing.

And in expanding my horizons, with regards to the prolific Lou Anders, I offer you this charming tune from John Anealio.

I do hope Miss Braun does not catch me listening to this music hall ditty because it does make my toe tap; and I must admit, the song does bring my Antipodean partner to mind upon hearing it. If it does the same for you, the talented Mr. Anealio is offering it for a download to your own analytical engine.

Enjoy this lovely composition, with kindest regards from the Archives.

In addition to Phoenix Rising ebook being currently 99c, we now have a free taste of the Archives available for your ereader.

Get a free copy of Dust on the Davenport by the delightful O.M. Grey
Amazon – Nook – Smashwords

Agent Simon R. Boswell, still considered the green agent of the Ministry, takes on his own a supposed haunting in Islington. Hauntings tend to be nothing too serious for agents specializing in the unexplained; but for Simon, this case supplies surprises of all kinds, around every corner…

Even though the Ministry is a covert organisation, please do spread the word.

Clearance has finally been received to reveal the cover of our next ripping yarn.

This May 29th from Harper Voyager you’ll be able to read our next adventure. I am rather pleased they caught my best side, but once again Welly somehow managed to avoid having his face revealed. I can tell you, it is quite a nice face, but either he is shy or the photographer has some kind of vendetta against him.

Please fell free to spread the word and the image to the world.

Agent Brandon Hill’s autobiography has been a bestseller in London for weeks, but now the Ministry brings you exclusive extracts of the story. We hope these snippets shed light on the enigmatic and eccentric Agent Hill

I was asked shortly after the release of the 2nd edition of My Time Among the Llamas why the title had not been My Time Among the Lamas.
While it is true that I spent several formative years living with those wise Tibetan priests, the title is actually a references to the years following my departure from Tibet.  Honestly, it is also an attempt as some small measure of humor.  It was on or around my 19th year that I left Tibet in search further of adventure.  I soon found myself in the Peruvian highlands chasing the mysteries of the Nazca lines.  It was here that I spent several months living in a llama wool yurt of my own construction.  Possibly this was the first such structure seen on the South American continent.  My time there left me with a soft spot for those great wooly creatures and those lovely round tents.

From My Time Among the Llamas 3rd edition by Agent Brandon Hill.

If you want to hear more of Agent Hill’s exploits then please listen to The Seven and Night’s Plutionian Shore (where he adventures with Agent Campbell)

From Miss Braun, myself, Director Sound, and all of us here at the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, we would like to share with you this lovely Christmas steampunk homage from 2011…

May the new year bring you all opportunity, prosperity, friendship, and tranquility.

Remember that, for a limited time, Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel is now available for all æReaders at only 99¢. Find your preferred format from these links:

• Amazon
• Nook
• Kobo
• ibooks

HAPPY NEW YEAR
FROM THE MINISTRY OF PECULIAR OCCURRENCES!

The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences has many forgotten stories in its Archives. Stories of madcap adventures in all corners of the Empire, dark doings in hidden places, and mysterious devices and artifacts that the everyday citizen should never become aware of for fear it would quite undo their minds.

In this episode:

The Precarious Child — written and narrated by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris

The street urchins that will one day be called the Ministry Seven, have a task from Agent Harrison Thorne. It seems simple enough, however their leader Miss Verity Fitzroy  discovers that a surprise from her past is tangled up with this mysterious man which leads to a very precarious situation.

 

Theme music for the Ministry composed and created by Alex White.

Order Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel,
now available from online and bricks and mortar stores everywhere.

Thanks for listening!
Stay tuned for a final missive from the Archives, and the beginning of Volume 2 in early 2012.
Feel free to leave us a review on iTunes and share our work with a friend.

The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences has many forgotten stories in its Archives. Stories of madcap adventures in all corners of the Empire, dark doings in hidden places, and mysterious devices and artifacts that the everyday citizen should never become aware of for fear it would quite undo their minds.

Today, however, we offer this gift to you all. Thank you for your good tidings and wondrous support for our world of steam, gears, and cog. We hope you enjoy this holiday steampunk special.

In this episode:

In the Spirit of Christmas— written and narrated by Tee Morris
(with additional characters and dialog written by Charles Dickens)

It’s Christmas Eve, and Wellington and Eliza investigate an incredible haunting in the heart of London. What looks to be a job well done in the end quickly becomes a lump of coal in their stockings when their client takes some offense…

Featuring Pip Ballantine as Eliza D. Braun
and Tee Morris as Wellington Thornhill Books and Ebenezer Scrooge

About the Author: 

Tee Morris began his writing career with his 2002 historical epic fantasy, MOREVI The Chronicles of Rafe & Askana. In 2005 Tee took MOREVI into the then-unknown podosphere, making his novel the first book podcast in its entirety. That experience led to the founding of Podiobooks.com and collaborating with Evo Terra and Chuck Tomasi on Podcasting for Dummies and its follow-up, Expert Podcasting Practices for Dummies. He won acclaim and accolades for his cross-genre fantasy-detective Billibub Baddings Mysteries, the podcast of The Case of the Singing Sword winning him the 2008 Parsec Award for Best Audio Drama. Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel marks Tee’s return to fiction, and can be heard on both Tales from the Archives and his latest podcast project, The Shared Desk.

Theme music for the Ministry composed and created by Alex White.

Order Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel, now available from online and bricks and mortar stores everywhere. Take advantage of our holiday special as Phoenix Rising is now available in digital form for 99¢. Find your preferred format from these links:

• Amazon
• Nook
• Kobo
• ibooks

Thanks for listening!
Feel free to leave us a review on iTunes
and share our work with a friend. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ALL OF US
AT THE MINISTRY OF PECULIAR OCCURRENCES!

Good Heavens! As if it is not enough that our illustrious publishers at Harper Voyager have decided to offer our award-winning adventure at a mere pittance of 99¢ for your reading pleasure (and for a limited time) but our dear friend and ally from Europe, the lovely Katharina Maimer, pointed out to Miss Braun and I the cover of Phoenix Rising… from our German publisher! This is quite a delightful surprise as we had not heard of its release date in Europe and this is our second glimpse of Phoenix Rising overseas.

We did see the Australian-New Zealand printing of our book first. It had been translated to…English.

Right then…

This German cover is an interesting take on the story (although I don’t think they got my profile quite right), but one thing I do find rather interesting is the publisher’s choice to call the series “Books & Braun” and not “The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences.” Still, we in the Archives are quite chuffed about this — our first European cover!

What are your thoughts on the German cover? Please, share them here!

Stuck for steampunk presents to give? Or perhaps already blown the Christmas budget but still have people to buy for? Or maybe you’d just like to curl up in front of the Yule log with a jolly good romp?

Then the Ministry has excellent news. The first in our series Phoenix Rising is now available in digital format for a mere 99c!

Yes, for less money than you would pay for the wing of a Christmas goose you can give or get a steampunk adventure with a kiwi adventuress, a dashing librarian (ARCHIVIST!) and all sorts of derry doing!

And do spread the word among your friends and family…this offer won’t last forever.

Now dash off and purchase your copy quick smart at these fine online establishments.  Amazon – Nook – Kobo – ibooks

Agent Brandon Hill’s autobiography has been a bestseller in London for weeks, but now the Ministry brings you exclusive extracts of the story. We hope these snippets shed light on the enigmatic and eccentric Agent Hill.

It was pain and guilt that led me into self isolation at 16.  My parents had just died in the great fire.  While officials had traced the cause of the fire to a coal bin explosion, our home burnt with a particular ferocity that can honestly only be attributed to my chemical experimentation of the previous few months.  As any curious boy might be, I’d become fascinated with the arts of distillation.  My attic workshop was filled with gallons of a dozen flammable liquids or more.

The weight of this guilt drove my wandering, ultimately leading me to the Tibetan highlands where I sought comfort with a secluded sect of Buddhist monks.  It was these monks that taught me their style of fighting.  We translate it loosely to “monkey knife”.  In their tongue” however the term has much greater depth of meaning.

From My Time Among the Llamas by Agent Brandon Hill

If you want to hear more of Agent Hill’s exploits then please listen to The Seven and Night’s Plutionian Shore (where he adventures with Agent Campbell)

The Ministry is delighted to announce a competition which they are running in conjunction with the charming folks of SpecFicNZ. One of our journalists is a proud card carrying member of this organisation whose mission is to promote and encourage the speculative fiction genre in New Zealand.

This competition is open to all residents or citizens of the nation, and the story must contain either a New Zealand character or a New Zealand setting. Entries are judged blind, and will be podcast and digitally published within the auspices of the Tales from the Archives: Volume the Second.

Further details are available on the SpecFicNZ website. Please spread the news to all other writers that may be eligible.

Faithful readers, an update from the Ministry’s wireless!

As you have been notified from our intrepid journalists on their Twitter, Facebook, and podcast ætherfeeds, Goodreads — a jolly nice salon where purveyours of fine literature gather to discuss what is recent off the printing press and which favourite classics they are returning to — is holding their annual Choice Awards. The first round was comprised of selections from the salon itself, based on average reviews and title activity. The second round included nominations from the Goodreads community. Both were voted on by its members, living up to their name of the “Choice” awards.

The Goodreads community have spoken, and here is (by author, in alphabetical order) their Top Ten Best Science Fiction of 2011:

• Ann Aguirre, Aftermath
• Ilona Andrews, Silver Shark
• Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris, Phoenix Rising
• Earnest Cline, Ready Player One
• James S.A. Corey, Leviathan Wakes
• Hillary Jordan, When She Woke
• Stephen King, 11/22/63
• China Miéville, Embassytown
• Rob Thurman, Basilisk
• Daniel H. Wilson, Robopocalypse

Miss Braun and I are quite pleased that Phoenix Rising has earned such a distinction amidst such wonderful company, but imagine our surprise when — on checking the other categories of Fantasy, Paranormal Fantasy, and Horror — we discovered our introductory adventure is the only steampunk title remaining in the running for this year’s Choice Awards.

Do not mistake, gentle readers, our ambition for ingratitude. Our intrepid journalists are thrilled to be in the final round. As we had stated earlier, that was our intention. However, gracious and humbled as we are by your support, the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences is determined to keep Phoenix Rising in the running. We cannot do so without you. Therefore, between November 21 and November 30, visit Goodreads and make your voice heard! Could you take the last remaining steampunk title for 2011 to the title of Best Science Fiction of 2011? Cast a vote and let’s find out.

Peculiar things, after all, is our speciality here.

Esteemed agents and faithful readers, Miss Braun and I come to you upon bended knee…which, if you are working your way across a large room — I assure you — is neither a simple nor comfortable feat.

Perhaps you have heard our intrepid journalists, Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris, discuss on their respective archives the recent development for Phoenix Rising. In case you have missed those missives, we have some ripping good news. We at the Ministry received word from the delightful ætherwebs’ network, Goodreads, that Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel had been short listed for Best Science Fiction of 2011; and just this week we have continued on to the Semi-Final Round.

Miss Braun and I dared a look at those in our company and what an honour this is! Alongside our journalists are writers such as:

• Stephen King
• Charlie Stross
• Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
• Robert J. Sawyer
• China Miéville
• John Scalzi

On closer inspection, you should note that Phoenix Rising is the only steampunk in the running for Best Science Fiction. (We are, by no means, the only steampunk in the Goodreads Choice Awards though, as dear friend of the Ministry Gail Carriger and her latest in the Parasol Protectorate, Heartless, is in the running for Best Paranormal Fantasy.) It would be very easy to surrender to base emotions such as ambition and yes — lust — at a time like this, however I can speak plainly as a representative of the Ministry that we are within a delightful and talented score of adventures in this round, and most grateful for this accolade.

Our gratitude, however, does not mean we want to stop here.

Running alongside Hugo winners, Nebula winners, and New York Times bestsellers, our desire is simply to keep Phoenix Rising in the running. To do that, we need your help. At present the Goodreads Choice Awards has two voting sessions remaining:

• Semifinals: November 14 – November 20, 2011
  You can vote for one of the now 20 nominees in each category. (Happening presently.)
• Finals: November 21 – November 30, 2011
  The field narrows to the top 10 books in each category, and you have one last chance to vote.

The Ministry goal: Make it to the Finals.

If you haven’t voted yet, and you have an account with Goodreads, take a moment to vote. (There are other books too worth your attention in the other categories, as well!) We wish represent the steampunk genre in Goodreads’ Top Ten Science Fiction for 2011.

Rest assured that between now and the end of November, we have no intention of turning our ætherblog or æthertweets into mindless rhetoric concerning this award. But we will not allow this opportunity to go gently into the night. Expect to see:

2011 Goodreads Choice Awards: Best Best Science Fiction Vote now for your favorite books!

• Æthertweets from Miss Braun and myself asking for your vote
• Facebook posts from both our journalists, asking for your vote
• And perhaps, a quick blogpost reminding you of deadlines and where we stand

So please vote. If you have voted already, ask colleagues in your Goodreads network to voice their support for the Ministry. Together, we shall bring the boilers to full and keep our humble steampunk adventure in the running.

The Ministry has confirmed it, and now we can reveal it. The name of the second Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences is…

The Janus Affair: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel

Intriguing isn’t is? Janus, for those without a classical education, is the Roman god of doorways, beginnings and transitions. He looks forward into the future and back into the past. Agents Books and Braun look forward to presenting their second adventure in novel form in 2012.

Until then feel free to sample our podcast and short story offerings.

When our journalists set out to write their first novel together, they were optimistic Phoenix Rising would perform well.  What they did not expect is for their book, just six months after its release, to win the 2011 Airship Award for Best Steampunk Literature of the Year. The Airship Awards, honoring the finest in steampunk culture, was presented on October 14 in Seattle, Washington as part of SteamCon III.

The 2011 Airship Awards Finalists for Best in Literature were:

• Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris
• The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder (a winner of the P.K. Dick Award)
• Camera Obscura by Lavie Tidhar
• The Half Made World by Felix Gilman

And the attendees of Steamcon chose The Ministry.

Our journalists present to you this little vignette as a gesture of thanks and appreciation.

Today, our journalists enter a brave, new world.

For any Ministry agents and agents-in-training present at the Colonies’ extravaganza New York Comic Con, our intrepid journalists Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris will be arriving today, and once off the train they will not even have time for tea! (The Deuce I say? Afraid not.) Their foray into New York Comic con (#NYCC for anyone æthertweeting) begins tonight…

DATE: Friday, October 14
EVENT: Steampunk Signing

TIME: 6:00PM-7:00PM
LOCATION: Booth 944

Both our intrepid agents will be present and signing copies of Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel, they will also be taking questions and comments on Tales from the Archives and even a few thoughts on the next installment currently under the moniker, Of Cogs & Corsets.

DATE: Friday, October 14
EVENT: Steampunk in Comics and Literature

TIME: 9:00PM-10:00PM
LOCATION: 1A01

Steampunk traces its origins back to the science fiction of the 19th century, and the term itself was coined to describe a genre of Victorian sci-fi being written by modern authors. At the same time,  steampunk and Victorian industrial age aesthetics have long held a  great fascination for comic and manga artists of various backgrounds.

This panel will discuss steampunk as a literary and artistic genre,  examining steampunk’s literary origins and early examples of steampunk  in comic book medium, as well as modern examples from both mediums  such as Jay Lake’s Mainspring, G. D. Falksen’s Blood In The Skies,  Alan Moore’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and Girl Genius by Phil and Kaja Foglio. The panel will also feature first looks at upcoming titles and give aways from leading publishers such as  Wildside Press, Orbit Books, and Yen Press.

With great pride, joy, and pleasure, we at the Ministry are pleased as pickles to let you know that from R&D, Jared Axelrod, (one of the creative powerhouses behind Fables of the Flying City and Tales of Ink & Blood) is joining Tee on this panel.

And as for Miss Ballentine (Morris)…

DATE: Saturday, October 15
EVENT: Signing

TIME: 12PM-1PM
LOCATION: Penguin Booth — Booth 1145

 There will be copies of both Geist and Spectyr available, and Pip will be there to sign them!

DATE: Saturday, October 15
PANEL: Winter Is Here: Epic Fantasy Takes the Throne

TIME: 6:30PM-7:30PM
LOCATION: 1A15

Long a staple of the SF/F genre, epic fantasy is poised to take a coup over the bestseller lists, thanks in part to HBO’s fantastically popular series based upon George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones novel.  This summer saw signing lines hundreds of readers deep (luckily none with swords in hand) for #1 New York Times bestselling author Patrick Rothfuss’ American appearance.  Now, in a special spotlight session exclusive to New York Comic Con, we pair internationally bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, Peter Brett, Phillipa Ballantine and epic fantasy debut authors Rae Carson, David Chandler and Nils Johnson-Shelton talk about why swords and sorcerers, king-makers and kingslayers; dragons and high drama have renewed resonance in fiction.

Our sincerest thanks to Stephanie Kim, Assistant Publicist at Harper Collins who has made this happen along with the crew of New York ComicCon! We look forward to seeing you there.

We are so very pleased that Shaun Farrell, the host of Adventures in SciFi Publishing, took time out of his most hurried of schedules (between hosting his award-nominated podcast, traveling across the North Americas, and adjusting to a new addition to his family) to sit down with our intrepid journalists for a chat over tea.

And it was quite fortunate that Mr. Farrell’s auralstenographer was a bit dodgy at WorldCon in Reno, Nevada (pictured here, just before the Hugo Awards) as our journalists were able to supply him with a copy of Phoenix Rising. Now with steampunk first and foremost in his mind, Adventures in SciFi Publishing touched on the genre along with openly and candidly talking on tips and tricks in comedy, the Ministry’s genesis, our journalists’ voyage from podcasting to small press to that island of big 6 publishing, using 99-Penny Dreadfuls to promote their delightful yarn, The Shared Desk Podcast, and how sheep in New Zealand just don’t read like they used to.

Ahem.

Mr. Farrell also touches on a fascinating parallel between the outlook of the publishing world in light of the 99-Penny Dreadfuls success, and the wild optimism of the æthernet in 2005 when social media began to evolve. It is a most fascinating discussion.

The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences has many forgotten stories in its Archives. Stories of madcap adventures in all corners of the Empire, dark doings in hidden places, and mysterious devices and artifacts that the everyday citizen should never become aware of for fear it would quite undo their minds.

In this episode:

From Paris, With Regret — written and narrated by Starla Huchton

On assignment in the City of Light, Ministry agents Eliza D. Braun and Harrison Thorne chase down a murderer condemning descendants of a royal bloodline to a horrific death. 

Featuring Pip Ballantine as Eliza D. Braun
and Tee Morris as Harrison Thorne and Gaston Migeon

Read the post on the history surrounding this story by Starla Huchton

About the Author:

Starla Huchton, one of the new voices of podcasting, released her first novel, The Dreamer’s Thread, as a full cast production beginning in August 2009. Her first foray into podcasting went on to become a finalist for the 2010 Parsec Awards. Since her debut, Starla’s voice has happened in other podcasts including Weiner Blut, Gypsy Audio’s Stargazers, Tales of the Scorned Lady, and Erotica a la Carte. Her writing has also appeared in Erotica a la Carte podcast and the Farrago Anthology. Starla’s artistic endeavors continue into music as her dulcet tones have provided sweet crooning for various podcasts produced by Alex White, Koru Studios, and Imagine That Studios, as well as Second Life under her stage name, Phoebe Ann Theas. From beautiful Monterey, California, Starla pursues a degree in Graphic Design while gearing up for her next podcast project, Antigone’s Wrath.

Theme music for the Ministry composed and created by Alex White.

Order Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel,
now available from online and bricks and mortar stores everywhere.

Thanks for listening!
Feel free to leave us a review on iTunes
and share our work with a friend. 

Gentle readers hosting æthercasts within and beyond the Empire, we at the Archives are appealing to you to to consider our humble promo for placement in your production. We are doing what we can to spread the word of the Ministry’s movement into the digital press arena. Therefore, offered to you for your approval and syndication across the ætherwebs, the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences present the 99-Penny Dreadfuls promotional.

If you do not recognize what the 99-Penny Dreadfuls are, they are our recent Tales from the Archives from authors you may have heard from our podcast. Miss Braun and I are now making these stories available for electronic readers at the cost of 99¢. “Cheap as chips,” as Miss Braun would say. In the future, our journalists will be releasing original and exclusive short stories set in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences universe. Some tales will delve into the history of the Ministry, or even the agents themselves. Some — like “Darkest before the Darkwater” —may reveal hints of adventures yet to come.

Whether it is an adventure featuring the Ministry Seven, a case file from our award-nominated podcast, or an exploit of the House of Usher, expect new stories from the Ministry for the mere tuppence of 99¢ a yarn! Please feel free to take this offered promotional and feature it on your own ætherblog or æthercast.

And from all of us here at the Ministry, our eternal thanks.

(There, Miss Braun, I have composed the blogpost as requested. Now, if you please, unchain my ankle from the Archives’ analytical engine.)

The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences has many forgotten stories in its Archives. Stories of madcap adventures in all corners of the Empire, dark doings in hidden places, and mysterious devices and artifacts that the everyday citizen should never become aware of for fear it would quite undo their minds.

In this episode:

Darkest before the Darkwater, written and narrated by Tee Morris

A group of survivors from the airship Guy Fawkes find themselves washed ashore on an uncharted island. In their search for survival they uncover one mystery after another.

Featuring Alyson Grauer as the voice of Althea Galway
and “The Starting Grid” from The Gearheart, composed and performed by Alex White

 If you enjoyed this original short story, download it for your Kindle as one of the Ministry’s 99-Penny Dreadfuls!

About the Author:

Tee Morris began his writing career with his 2002 historical epic fantasy, MOREVI The Chronicles of Rafe & Askana. In 2005 Tee took MOREVI into the then-unknown podosphere, making his novel the first book podcast in its entirety. That experience led to the founding of Podiobooks.com and collaborating with Evo Terra and Chuck Tomasi on Podcasting for Dummies and its follow-up, Expert Podcasting Practices for Dummies. He won acclaim and accolades for his cross-genre fantasy-detective Billibub Baddings Mysteries, the podcast of The Case of the Singing Sword winning him the 2008 Parsec Award for Best Audio Drama. Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel marks Tee’s return to fiction, and can be heard on both Tales from the Archives and his latest podcast project, The Shared Desk.

Theme music for the Ministry composed and created by Alex White.

Order Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel,
now available from online and bricks and mortar stores everywhere.

Thanks for listening!
Feel free to leave us a review on iTunes
and share our work with a friend. 

Gentle readers, there are amazing things afoot in the Archives, and Miss Braun and I are teeming with excitement at the possibilities of this new ætherweb movement — the digital press. Of course, the released case files of the Archives are already available in a digital format if you are listening to our podcast (and if you are, do be kind and leave us a review); but the sad truth is that not everyone listens to short fiction. Some prefer to read it on the analytical engine of their choosing.

Well then, thanks to the wondrous technology available to Miss Braun and myself, the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences presents the 99-Penny Dreadfuls.

So what are 99-Penny Dreadfuls? Presently, these are Tales from the Archives from authors you have heard on our humble æthercast; but these stories are now available for electronic readers at the cost of 99¢. Based on early reception of the tales featured here, our journalists will be releasing original and exclusive short stories set in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences universe. Some tales will delve into the history of the Ministry, or even the agents themselves. Some — like “Darkest before the Darkwater” —may reveal hints of adventures yet to come.

Currently available for download from Amazon are:
“The Evil That Befell Sampson” by Pip Ballantine
“The Astonishing Amulet of Amenartas” by Nathan Lowell (and a nominee for the 2011 Parsec Awards)
“Darkest before the Darkwater” by Tee Morris (scheduled to be podcast on the morrow, so here’s your chance to read it beforehand!)

For those of you enjoying your æther-reads on iPad and Nook, the brilliant purveyors of fiction — Smashwords — will be tending to your devices momentarily. Do watch this blogpost and our æthertweets for more.

Whether it is an adventure featuring the Ministry Seven, a case file from our award-nominated podcast, or an exploit of the House of Usher, expect new stories from the Ministry for the mere tuppence of 99¢ a yarn!

Yes, yes, yes — we at the Ministry do apologise for the silence. We know that many of you are anxious to hear more Tales from the Archives, and rest assured, we are working to bring more lost stories from the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. Currently, our intrepid journalists are planning for their trip out west to Revovation: The 69th World Science Fiction Convention; but time will be set aside for the next installment. in the meantime, we have some lovely news to share from the past week, one matter concerning the very podcast you are anxiously awaiting to hear from.

ITEM: At the quaint little gathering called Dragon*Con is the event podcasters worldwide recognise as The Parsec Awards. Amongst the 2011 Finalists is the Ministry’s own Nathan Lowell. His short story “The Astonishing Amulet of Amenartas” has been short listed for the Best Short Story category. We wish Nathan all the best, and are pleased as punch that The Ministry is represented this year.

ITEM: Read by master thespian James Langton, Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel is now available on Audible.com. Mister Langton does a ripping good job telling our story, and we do hope that you leave us a review of the audiobook. It helps to give our little adventure a bit of attention, and tells Harper Audio how much these aural presentations are appreciated.

ITEM: Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel has been nominated for Steamcon’s 2011 Airship Awards. At Steamcon, held every year in the lovely port city of Seattle, Washington, the event hosts the Airship Awards, an honour exclusive to this steampunk event. This year, the third holding of this event, patrons of steampunk have nominated our modest romp for “Best Written Work” for the year. For any of our readers attending Steamcon III, please cast your vote for us between now and September 30th. We are thrilled to be in the running, and we thank you, the gentle reader and patron, and Steamcon III for this honour.

It has been quite an amazing seven days, and we hope this close to our summer of steampunk is merely the beginning of new and exciting adventures. We have appearances on the books, edits for our next adventure coming soon, and more installments of Tales from the Archives in the works. We at the Ministry look forward to bringing you more stories of the fantastic.

Again, thank you for continuing to voice your opinions, critiques, and praise for Phoenix Rising. Until next time, we will keep the kettle warm.

Perhaps you were expecting the latest discovery in our Tales from the Archives, but our intrepid journalists have been facing other pressing commitments and are hard at work in readying the æthercast for it’s next installment. Do mind the dust and be patient with us as we continue development of our tenth story of the fantastic.

In the meantime, we invite you to enjoy this wonderful chat that Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris had with Joanna Penn of The Creative Penn, a blog and podcast by writers for writers and for fans of writers. In this interview, Pip and Tee talk about steampunk as well as the challenges in writing a series.

Do watch the æther for Tales from the Archives, coming next Tuesday; and do tell a friend about Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel. Thank you, one and all, who have reviewed our book and æthercast. Your patronage is what keeps the Ministry informed on the fantastic and the unexplained, as well as in the eyes, minds, and hearts of steampunks everywhere!

With Chris Moody manning the helm, our Ministry journalists Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris are the subject of discussion on this episode of Steampod. This is Episode the Fifth for Steampod, although Steampod is hardly a new offering to the Ætherweb. Steampod has triumphantly returned from a brief hiatus, and now offers to its listeners original fiction and interviews with authors and artisans of the steampunk community. It is a renewed and refreshed version of a familiar face in podcast. Welcome to the new Steampod.

The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences has many forgotten stories in its Archives. Stories of madcap adventures in all corners of the Empire, dark doings in hidden places, and mysterious devices and artifacts that the everyday citizen should never become aware of for fear it would quite undo their minds.

DISPATCH FROM THE MINISTRY:

As the editors and writer of the original æthercast missed a rather important “detail in deities” we are releasing an amended audio file. To say we are sorry, we are releasing this episode with no break.

Enjoy — with our apologies for earlier inconveniences — this Tale from the Archives in its entirety. (Special thanks to Sallie Goetch for her assistance in keeping the Archives accurate.)

In this episode:

The Shadows of Calcutta, written and narrated by Phil Rossi

Agent Robert Smith, on return from a mission in Nepal, is diverted to India where he is charged to find a missing agent. Alex Tanner had been investigating a series of thefts and murders holding the Ministry’s attention, and now it falls on Agent Smith to find his missing comrade.

About the Author:

Phil Rossi—writer, a musician, and an embracer of new media—has a passion for story-telling matched only by the pleasure he derives from keeping his fans awake at night. Crescent, Rossi’s debut novel, was originally released as a podcast in 2007 and has since led listeners into dark, twisted nightmares under titles such as Eden, Harvey, and Notes from the Vault. When he’s not podcasting or writing, Phil is a professional singer-songwriter. His unique brand of Alternative Country and Rock and Roll is alive and well in the music stylings of Ditched by Kate, their debut album Stumble now available on iTunes.

Phil lives outside of Washington, DC in Virginia with his wife, daughters, and menagerie of rescued animals. He believes the need for sleep is a myth.

Steam train sound effects from Carr’s Locomotives.

Theme music for the Ministry composed and created by Alex White.

Order Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel, now available from online and bricks and mortar stores everywhere.

Thanks for listening!

Yes, after traveling from New Jersey to San Francisco, our journalists from the Ministry have finally settled down, long enough to have a get together near where they live.

Now is your chance to put on your steampunk finery and join them for a reading and signing this Saturday at 7pm.

Come to Barnes and Noble, Westgate Plaza, 8117 Sudley Road, Manassas, VA 20109

So strap on your corset, slap on your bowler and join us this coming Saturday. Afterward we shall find some dining establishment to continue the conversation and maybe have a spot of tea.

How exciting! Our intrepid journalists find themselves in a spirited round table discussion with The League of S.T.E.A.M. concerning steampunk around the world.

If you have never enjoyed the offerings of The League, you are doing yourself a disservice. These gentlemen and ladies are professional steampunks, producing light-hearted kinetoscopes for YouTube, making appearances at steampunk events far and wide, and even serving as artistic eyes for those eager to add a touch of Victorian technology into their own works. In this thirteenth episode of The STEAM Geeks Podcast, Pip and Tee sit down with members of The League…

…and have far too much fun with these rag-a-muffins. Enjoy, and do leave a comment for them concerning this episode on their website.

Gentle readers, now that you have enjoyed Night’s Plutonian Shore in its entirety, meet the writer behind this imaginative tale of deering-do as he hosts our intrepid journalists on a discussion on Phoenix Rising, steampunk, and what’s on the horizon for them both. Jack Mangan’s Deadpan is one of the longest-running podcasts, having produced content of variety and uncommon humour since the infancy of podcasting. Jack Mangan, along with being a writer extraordinaire, features music, interviews, and irreverent looks at the world stage. Our journalists are hardly strangers on the Deadpan, and evidently Mr. Mangan does find it exceedingly difficult to maintain deadpan when they are together.

Do leave Mr. Mangan a comment on his epic tale, Night’s Plutonian Shore; and have a listen as Tee and Pip enjoy a bit of fun within the æther.

The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences has many forgotten stories in its Archives. Stories of madcap adventures in all corners of the Empire, dark doings in hidden places, and mysterious devices and artifacts that the everyday citizen should never become aware of for fear it would quite undo their minds.

In this episode:

Night’s Plutonian Shore, written and narrated by Jack Mangan

We rejoin our epic tale across the America’s as Agent Bruce Campbell remains on the trail of Usher assassin, Mikael Scharnusser, who has fellow Ministry agent Brandon Hill captive. With a narrow window of time granted by the enigmatic agent of the States’ OSM agency, Bruce must rescue Agent Hill from this madman’s locomotive lair…

About the Author:

Jack Mangan is known by us (and those in the Deadpan community) as The Iron Man of Podcasting. Since 2005, Jack has been podcasting Jack Mangan’s Deadpan Podcast, a variety show that is heavy on the variety. He was also part of the podiobook vanguard on Podiobooks.com with Spherical Tomi: A Novel of Despair, a cyberpunk samurai’s tale. Jack’s short fiction has appeared in audio and in print in collections like The Amityville House of Pancakes and Podthology: The Pod Complex.

This is Jack’s first steampunk work. [EDITOR'S NOTE: We sincerely hope it is not his last.]

Steam train sound effects from Carr’s Locomotives. and Sound Dogs.

Theme music for the Ministry composed and created by Alex White.

Order Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel, now available from online and bricks and mortar stores everywhere.

Please share your thoughts on Tales from the Archives
with a review on iTunes.
Thanks for listening!

The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences has many forgotten stories in its Archives. Stories of madcap adventures in all corners of the Empire, dark doings in hidden places, and mysterious devices and artifacts that the everyday citizen should never become aware of for fear it would quite undo their minds.

In this episode:

Night’s Plutonian Shore, written and narrated by Jack Mangan

This epic tale opens in 1849 when a poet is murdered in the streets of Baltimore. The man behind the seemingly random murder manages to elude the law until — in 1889 — Agents Bruce Campbell and Brandon Hill track him down. The assassin, Mikael Scharnusser, gives the slip to the agents on revealing his “talent” and the madman’s intentions to bring down the House of Usher.

About the Author:

Jack Mangan is known by us (and those in the Deadpan community) as The Iron Man of Podcasting. Since 2005, Jack has been podcasting Jack Mangan’s Deadpan Podcast, a variety show that is heavy on the variety. He was also part of the podiobook vanguard on Podiobooks.com with Spherical Tomi: A Novel of Despair, a cyberpunk samurai’s tale. Jack’s short fiction has appeared in audio and in print in collections like The Amityville House of Pancakes and Podthology: The Pod Complex.

This is Jack’s first steampunk work. [EDITOR'S NOTE: We sincerely hope it is not his last.]

Steam train sound effects from Carr’s Locomotives.

Theme music for the Ministry composed and created by Alex White.

Order Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel, now available from online and bricks and mortar stores everywhere.

Part Two coming NEXT WEEK!
Thanks for listening!

The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences has many forgotten stories in its Archives. Stories of madcap adventures in all corners of the Empire, dark doings in hidden places, and mysterious devices and artifacts that the everyday citizen should never become aware of for fear it would quite undo their minds.

In this episode:

Hanuman’s Gift part two, written and narrated by Helen E. H. Madden

After hearing Agent Harrison Thorne’s impossible tale of cursed monkeys and undead women Whitby must file away the physical evidence. However it just may be that Hanuman’s Gift was not totally left behind in India, and the Archives are not as boring and safe as he believes.

About the Author:

Helen E. H. Madden is a writer and graphic artist who quit her lucrative day job years ago to tell dirty stories for fun and profit. Her published works include Future Perfect: A Collection of Fantastic Erotica (published by Logical-Lust.com) and Demon By Day (published by Mojocastle Press). Her erotic stories have appeared in various anthologies, but lately Helen has been indulging her more sinister side with short stories like “Let Me Sleep” appearing in the “Chronicles of the Order” podcast.

Helen also draws The Adventures of Cynical Woman, a web comic about life as a stay-at-home mom and erotica writer.

When she’s not writing or drawing, Helen thinks about sex. A lot.

Theme music for the Ministry composed and created by Alex White.

Order Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel, now available from online and bricks and mortar stores everywhere.

Thanks for listening!

This morning, Miss Braun and I present a short note of appreciation to you, the dedicated bibliophiles, who not only invested the time in our modest adventure across Her Majesty’s realm but also spared the additional moment to share your thoughts on various platforms.

The following is just a sampling of the most recent comments we have received…

From the iBook Store (now on iTunes)…

“Steampunk done right. This book has so many things going right for it!” —Pemcorgi69

From the iTunes Store (on “Tales from the Archives”)…

“Buy the book. You’ll love it!” —Syree

From Amazon.com…

“I trusted Pip and Tee, and they did not let me down. So go full steam ahead and read on.” —cummins2u

From Goodreads.com…

“I’m enjoying this latest wave of Steampunk lit, and this is a great addition to the fold.” —Felicia Day

And book critics from around the world are also lending their thoughts…

From Kindle-aholic…

“I grew up watching Wild Wild West, The Avengers, and Sherlock Holmes re-runs, and this book felt like coming home.”

From The True Brit Blog…

“An exciting, funny, and highly enjoyable novel that will last long in the memory. A romp with some pomp, we Brits love that.”

From Tahlia Newland, author and book blogger…

“This is probably the most clearly drawn Steampunk world I have come across so far. The ending came to a satisfying conclusion with just enough left over to give you an idea of where the story might be going next. I’ll definitely be keeping up with this series.”

From My Ethereality…

“So very many fun scenes… the dialogue is snappy and really brings out the characters and their attitudes. Delightful… and delicious!”

From bookersatz…

“Phoenix Rising is a great addition to the Steampunk genre.”

Along with our intrepid journalists, we at the Ministry understand there are many books out there to choose from; and it thrills us that out of the multitude of titles available, you have chosen ours. We also appreciate your words of kindness and criticism, for it is your reviews, your blog entries, and your accolades that keep our book in people’s minds. Word-of-mouth recommendations remain the best recommendation of all.

On behalf of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, thank you, everyone, for making Oscar Wilde proud, and talking about us.

The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences has many forgotten stories in its Archives. Stories of madcap adventures in all corners of the Empire, dark doings in hidden places, and mysterious devices and artifacts that the everyday citizen should never become aware of for fear it would quite undo their minds.

In this episode:

Hanuman’s Gift, written and narrated by Helen E. H. Madden

Deep in the Archives, Augustus Whitby toils through his duties in the Archives, dreaming up romantic stories far more plausible than the supposed “investigations” of the field agents. A story from Agent Harrison Thorne and an unassuming artifact from his recent case, however, proves much to Whitby’s chagrin that there are some truths that are far stranger than fiction.

About the Author:

Helen E. H. Madden is a writer and graphic artist who quit her lucrative day job years ago to tell dirty stories for fun and profit. Her published works include Future Perfect: A Collection of Fantastic Erotica (published by Logical-Lust.com) and Demon By Day (published by Mojocastle Press). Her erotic stories have appeared in various anthologies, but lately Helen has been indulging her more sinister side with short stories like “Let Me Sleep” appearing in the “Chronicles of the Order” podcast.

Helen also draws The Adventures of Cynical Woman, a web comic about life as a stay-at-home mom and erotica writer.

When she’s not writing or drawing, Helen thinks about sex. A lot.

Theme music for the Ministry composed and created by Alex White.

Order Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel, now available from online and bricks and mortar stores everywhere.

Thanks for listening!

We here at the Ministry have a serious job- investigating the strange and unusual- but we also are civilised folk. So we have tea. Now while Wellington prefers and assam, and I enjoy an Earl Grey, both of us indulge in a spot of dunking.

Some say it is common, I say it is almost necessary. My Nana always gave me a gingernut biscuit (or cookie to our fine American readers) and would  say ‘one for each hand’. So accordingly our journalists Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine provided some gingernuts for their listeners at both the Steampunk World’s Fair and Balticon.

Apparently they went quickly and survived the legendary three-dunk test. So Pip sent me the recipe as she made them from. First of all she used the Airship/submarine and cog cookie cutters purchased from Frenzy Universe. Sally forth and get some for the most steampunky biscuits!

Now…for the recipe which was slightly adjusted. Measurements given in imperial and the new fangled metric system.

Gingernuts

7oz (200g) butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup golden syrup (usually found in the British food section of your local food vendor- please don’t use substitutes for the best flavour!)
4 cups of plain white flour
2 tablespoons powdered ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda

Heat your oven to 350F (180C). Cream butter and sugar together, and then add in the golden syrup and dry ingredients. The consistency should be somewhat stiff. Flour a board, your hands and a rolling pin. Divide the mixture, and pat together about a fistful onto the board. Roll it out to about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thickness. If it sticks then re-flour lightly. Finally cut out your shapes. Place on baking sheet covered in parchment paper and put in the oven for 15 minutes. Keep an eye on them- burning airships are a terrible thing! They should come out slightly brown and slightly crunchy.

Out of respect of American teeth, our journalist did not make these as rock-hard as the shop ones back in New Zealand.

This recipe makes about ten cookies since the shapes are reasonably large.

Here’s what Miss Ballantine’s came out looking like.

And remember to dunk!

Gentle Readers, if you missed our intrepid journalists at the Steampunk World’s Fair, consider yourself most fortunate as they were incapacitated with a touch of consumption. (I did warn Mr. Morris to stay clear of a giant rat, but he insisted his child wanted to attend that birthday party. Silly man…) If you miss them in Somerset or missed Book Launch the First, take heart. The Ministry has answered the call once again, this time at…

Concluding their  Ministry MAY-hem Tour (at least, this part of it) is an old favorite haunt of theirs — BALTICON. Along with this premiere of Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel, Balticon 45 offers time traveling dances, rock-and-roll courtesy of Ditched by Kate, and panels-panels-panels!

Mark your calendars for SATURDAY, May 28, 3 o’clock in the Chesapeake Room for the The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences’ Book Launch the Second! Our journalists will be serving tea and biscuits (homemade gingernuts in the most curious of shapes!) as well as giving live readings from Phoenix Rising. There will also be drawings for prize packages, including a Catherinette steampunk ring AND a Dr. Grordbort signet ring.

Constellation Books will be there to sell books, so come for the tea, biscuits, and books. Stay for the convention!

Pip and Tee sit down and chat with Lejon about a variety of things, soldiering through their illness (which may or may not be consumption).

Pip talks about her other project Geist, but then the two of them sit down and talk steampunk and the future of the Ministry.

Our dashing reporters Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris leap into the back seat with some old friends.

The Back Seat Producers have hosted our intrepid duo before, but this time they get down to the nuts and bolts of steampunk and maybe learn a thing or two along the way. The boys have some issues with steampunk, but Ballantine and Morris hopefully can turn that around.

The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences has many forgotten stories in its Archives. Stories of madcap adventures in all corners of the Empire, dark doings in hidden places, and mysterious devices and artifacts that the everyday citizen should never become aware of for fear it would quite undo their minds.

Archivist to the Ministry, Eliza D Braun (recently and unwillingly reassigned to the Archives) and Wellington Thornhill Books (recently and unwillingly assigned Eliza D. Braun) have selected some cases they feel the public is ready for. And with this episode, we are back on track with our podcast schedule, but do expect the unexpected podcast or two as we attend The Steampunk World’s Fair on May 20-22 and Balticon May 27-30! We hope to see you there!

In this episode:

A Ruby in Rain, written and narrated by Grant Stone

From the farthest edge of the Empire, New Zealand agents Lachlan King and Barry Ferguson are called to interview a recent arrival to Auckland’s prisons. An infamous gambler, according to the constable’s account, has turned himself into their custody, not for the safety of society but for his own. The Ministry steps in to uncover a man’s story of impressive luck, and more incredible vision.

About the Author:

Grant Stone’s fiction has appeared in Shimmer , Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine and Semaphore and is forthcoming in Strange Horizons and The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities.

When not writing, he has been known to tinker in the engine room of the Hugo-winning podcast StarShipSofa and his fanzine, b0t .

He lives in Auckland, New Zealand even though most of the opium and gambling dens are long gone.

 

Theme music for the Ministry composed and created by Alex White.

Order Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel, now available from online and bricks and mortar stores everywhere.

Thanks for listening!

This week, our intrepid scribes are bound for new and exciting flights of the imagination as they are attending The Steampunk World’s Fair in Somerset, New Jersey. Alongside our scribes, there will be other smashing artisans:

• Jared Axelrod, author of Fables of the Flying City
• J.R. Blackwell, photographer, model, and author
• O.M. Grey, author of Avalon Revisited and Guest of Tales from the Archives
• Lady Clankington of Lady Clankington’s Cabinet of Carnal Curiosities
• Thomas Willeford of Brute Force Studios

…and many, many more.

Come join our journalists on Saturday, 3:30 p.m. for tea, biscuits, and a reading from Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel at the Steampunk World’s Fair. Their representing of The Ministry is just one of incredible events planned for the weekend. (And if you want to join us virtually, track us on Twitter through the #SPWF hashtag.)  We hope to see you there.

The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences has many forgotten stories in its Archives. Stories of madcap adventures in all corners of the Empire, dark doings in hidden places, and mysterious devices and artifacts that the everyday citizen should never become aware of for fear it would quite undo their minds.

Archivist to the Ministry, Eliza D Braun (recently and unwillingly reassigned to the Archives) and Wellington Thornhill Books (recently and unwillingly assigned Eliza D. Braun) have selected some cases they feel the public is ready for.

In this episode:

The Seven, written and narrated by PC Haring.

Agent Brandon Hill is on assignment in South America, enjoying the local culture and women, when a mystery that could lead to El Dorado falls into his lap.  Before the intrepid agent knows it, he is the jungle uncovering a plot but the devilish Illuminati. He will need all his monkey knife fighting skills to survive this one.

About the Author:

P.C. Haring made his debut as a writer and podcast novelist on 01/01/10 with Cybrosis.  This Cyberpunk adventure met with a strongly favorable response that propelled it to number four on the Podiobooks.com top ten list when it was re-launched there that October.  His audio fiction can also be heard in Scott Sigler’s “The Crypt: Book 1 — The Crew” and in Philippa Ballantine’s “Chronicles of the Order” anthology.  Currently he is marketing Cybrosis to the publishing industry, working through edits and re-writes to the first installment of his upcoming Slipspace Trilogy, and writing the draft to the next project on his desk, tentatively titled ‘Hunter’

When he’s not writing and podcasting, P.C. Haring puts his Degree in Accounting and his MBA to good use as a staff accountant for a private company in suburban Chicago.  He also works as both the Accountant and Interim publisher for Escape Artists Incorporated.  There he helps to oversee the publication of Escape Pod, as well as it’s sister magazines Pseudopod and Pod Castle.

You can find out more about P.C. Haring and his work at —

www.pcharing.net
www.cybrosisnovel.com
www.escapeartists.net

 

Voice talent in this episode

Narrator — P.C. Haring
Agent Brandon Hill — Brandon Hill
Maria — Anne O’Connor
The Courtier — Laura Post
Illuminati Prisoner — Jack Mangan
Illuminati Interrogator — P.G. Holyfield

Theme music for the Ministry composed and created by Alex White.

Order the upcoming Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences novel, now available from all online and bricks and mortar stores.

It has been just under two weeks since Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel was released.

Everyone in the office has been on full alert with signings, podcasts, blogging and appearances all coming at us like rockets from a fifty-foot tall automaton.

However when this message came thundering through the pneumatic tubes, we all paused to take stock.

Phoenix Rising was the top selling massmarket novel at Borderlands Books in April. Yes. April. The book had been out for a whole 4 days, and yet reached the top.

Personally, I am going to pop some champagne to mark the event. I understand Wellington is off to catalogue something. (To each their own, I suppose…)

For all those that bought the book from this great Independent bookstore, you have our enduring thanks.

The fight for attention however continues. So please assist the Ministry by getting the word out there; blog, podcast, tell a friend, or leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Every little bit helps, and the covert nature of the Ministry doesn’t mean we want to be ignored.

Now off to pop a bottle of something bubbly!

Our scribe, Tee Morris, has made many friends over his years of æthercasts; and one such place was The Dragon Page. It is hardly an exaggeration that this particular production was more than “just another media contact” but a relationship that would influence his writings and his life in many positive ways. Through The Dragon Page, Mr. Morris would discover æthercasts, set off in producing his own, help establish the foundation for the Podiobooks.com website, and even pen alongside Evo Terra and Chuck Tomasi the tome, Podcasting for Dummies, regarded by many as the definitive how-to book on the subject.

It has been some time since he has been on The Dragon Page, and now — thanks to our humble adventure — Mr. Morris returns to Draco Vista Studios.

This time, however, Miss Pip Ballantine is present. Just to him away from particular vices.

Have a listen, and remember that tomorrow our intrepid journalists will be apprearing at Bookworks, located on 101 West Beverley Street in beautiful downtown Staunton, Virginia, starting at 1pm. Come dressed in your steampunk best, and join them in a photo shoot immediately following the signing!

And stay close to your æthernet conductor for more Tales from the Archives, coming next week. Cheers!

The Ministry book trailer was shot in downtown Staunton, Virginia. A beautiful little town, with some amazing Victorian architecture.

So it is only right that our authors Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris will be returning there for their second book signing and reading. You will be able to find them at Bookworks 101 West Beverley Street at 1pm. We hear they are quite entertaining, and will answer questions if you have any. They will also share their stories in writing together, steampunk filmmaking, and all things speculative fiction-related.

Please come along in your steampunk best; bowler hats, corsets and of course goggles as after there will be a photoshoot around the historic downtown area. All those that join in the fun will be featured on the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences site.

We look forward to seeing you there.

It’s been quite a busy day here at the Ministry, and our authors are bursting with delight.

Yes, dear reader, the first of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences novels, Phoenix Rising is out in the wild. We have reports of it on such aetherweb delivery devices as the Kindle and the Nook, but no pictures of it in paper. If you have any send them to pip at pjballantine dot com- she’s collecting them in some madcap fashion.

On the right hand side of this page you will find links to the online purveyors of our book, and also a link to the aetherweb sites where you can read the first seventy pages of the book.

If you local bookstore does not have it in, then please to enquire at the counter. The more people know about the book the better-especially those that sell books.

It may seem strange, but in your time period this covert organisation needs to be widely known. The Director has made an exception in this instance, so please tweet, Facebook, tell your friends, bring it up over dinner with you family, and generally let the world know the Ministry is out there.

We appreciate your support and kind words.

Many times we at the Ministry are asked (well by those that know we exist) ‘what exactly is a peculiar occurrence?’

One of our scribes, Tee Morris deals with this in the RT Book Reviews

Meanwhile our other author Pip Ballantine talks about gadgets as a guest Lolita over on Steamed.

You will notice the countdown clock is ticking (I rather dispise those things!) and we are only days away from the arrival of our tale at all bookstores real and virtual. If you want to support the Ministry, then please blog on the aetherwebs, tell your friends, and whisper to your family. We may be a covert organisation, but we do want people to know about us. Well…everyone except our Director, but we’re not telling him!

While at RavenCon 2011 in Richmond, Virginia, our journalists Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine sat down with the kind hosts of Geek Radio Daily. The Yanks over in the former Colonies also called this show “A Show of Many Tangents” as much giggling, moments of distraction, and lewd and lascivious beaviour ensured once master of the microphones, Billy Flynn, pressed the “Capture” button. Our scribes were also joined by the multi-talented Jett Micheyl of the Phoenix Rising book trailer who gave her own perspective on shooting our kinetorama in beautiful (and slightly snowy) Staunton, Virginia.

While often silly and vibrantly out-of-control, this æthercast we at the Ministry present to you for your listening pleasure.

Oh how clever our Ministry scribes are! With their portable kinetorama device, authors Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris shared (in a most candid fashion) their unboxing of the first four copies of Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel. We know there will be more to come, gentle readers, so worry not — on April 26, you too will be able to dive into your own copy of our introductory adventure.

 

 
We at the Ministry would like to extend our eternal thanks to Junior Field Agent in Training “Sonic Boom” (an alias, of course, so as to keep her identity in secret) for capturing this moment for our journalists-in-residence, and to Harper Voyager editor Diana Gill for the note of encouragement included with the books.
 
And as the clock continues to count down, the anticipation builds…

The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences has many forgotten stories in its Archives. Stories of madcap adventures in all corners of the Empire, dark doings in hidden places, and mysterious devices and artifacts that the everyday citizen should never become aware of for fear it would quite undo their minds.

Archivist to the Ministry, Eliza D Braun (recently and unwillingly reassigned to the Archives) and Wellington Thornhill Books (recently and unwillingly assigned Eliza D. Braun) have selected some cases they feel the public is ready for.

In this episode:

The Sun Never Sets, written and narrated by Val Griswold-Ford

Agent Isaac Martin receives a note, imploring him to investigate the nearly completed clock tower at the Palace at Westminster.  He and his partner, Agent Andrew Kensington, start looking into the construction and uncover unanswered questions concerning this new landmark’s creators.

About the Author:

When she’s not busily plundering ships for cargo, Valerie Griswold-Ford is a dark fantasy writer who dabbles in all sorts of things, from epic fantasy to horror to paranormal romance.  Her first novel, Not Your Father’s Horseman, released by Dragon Moon Press, made ForeWord Magazine’s finalist list for the Best Fantasy novel of 2005 and started her popular Apocalypse Cycle.  She has also published several short stories in anthologies and podthologies. including Philippa Ballantine’s Chronicles of the Order.

Val is also an accomplished editor, having worked on two of Dragon Moon’s Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy series, the anthology Rum and Runestones, and currently working on Spells and Swashbucklers. Find out more about her works and her podcast of not Your Father’s Horseman at vg-ford.com.

Theme music for the Ministry composed and created by Alex White.

Don’t forget to pre-order the upcoming Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences novel, coming April 26th from all online and bricks and mortar stores.

As Miss Braun has said here, we are most excited about the pending release of our memoirs. (I say, the counter to the right seems to be moving faster and faster, day by day.) As we wait, with the release of our kinetoscope and the launch of our æthercast, the excitement seems to be mounting.

Also mounting is the appreciation you, associates and allies of the Ministry, are showing. Just yesterday, Miss Braun and I found on our analytical engines this lovely bit of news:

Yes, under “New and Noteworthy” our humble podcast Tales from the Archives tops the ranks of “New and Noteworthy.” This, coming on the heels of when we visited on the ætherwebs SpecFicMedia to find ourselves in quite the Rogues’ Gallery:

It is a delight to find one’s self in the company of skilled artisans and storytellers, but to find ourselves sharing company with Game of Thrones and Green Lantern? Even our eccentric superior, Doctor Basil Sound, was impressed. And if you were unaware of this site, SpecFicMedia is an up-and-coming hub of ætherweb media, covering the various offerings of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. Do give them a moment of your time as they did (and continue to do so) for the Ministry.

From the reviews of both Phoenix Rising and Tales from the Archives to the numerous æthertweets coming through our Twitter engine, we are deeply touched by the support you all are showing. We wanted to share the news with you all, gentle readers and listeners, and ask that you continue to spread the word. Leave a review on iTunes, share a link on Twitter or Facebook, and do let others know of what is in store on April 26, 2011.

Cheers, and many kind regards on this #SteamTuesday on Twitter.

The Ministry is proud to bring you audiofiles from around the aetherwebs of our authors, Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris.

The Ministry team is this time interviewed by John Mierau, but before then the time streams cross and a most extraordinary discussion occurs!

Everyone here at the Ministry, all agents, archivists and even the Director, undergo reviews. It helps someone know how they are doing.

The same is true of our authors. We are starting to get reports on Phoenix Rising. Below are a sample of reviews we have had so far. If you have read the first book of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences then please let Miss Ballantine know pip at pjballantine dot com and/or post them on your blog or on such aethernet residences at goodreads.com or shelfari.com

We very much appreciate you taking the time to do so. With the release date only days away we are all terribly excited- as you can imagine…

Eliza is a dashing heroine, reminiscent of the wonderful Emma Peel, from the 1960s TV show The Avengers. Both are intelligent, highly-skilled, and extremely well-dressed feminists who aren’t above exploiting their own sexual charms to attain the upper hand. While her relationship with Wellington replicates the same witty repartee and sense of sexual innuendo as that of Peel and Steed, Wellington is a far more bookish and charmingly awkward hero than John Steed ever was….Sophia del Morte is a femme-fatale of James Bond quality, while Doctor Devereux Havelock would be equally at home in any of the more far-fetched entries in that cinematic saga. The rivalry between Eliza and Sophia comprises the bulk of the novel‘s action, with gloriously choreographed fight scenes that see as many clothes shed as they do weapons introduced. Wellington and Havelock, on the other hand, are more intellectual adversaries, each with a deep and abiding respect for the other’s inventiveness and creativity. That’s not to say there’s anything lacking in their final confrontation, just that it’s all the more satisfying for the build-up.

- Bibrary Bookslut

This is a great romp through a Victorian England that’s just off enough to be intriguing, and I found Books and Braun rapidly growing on me. The pace is lively, and the authors keep the reader guessing…Recommended for a good, light-hearted, adventurous romp.

-Lis Carey’s Library

A one word review — wow. Another word — exquisite. I simply am thankful at this point that the wise people at HarperCollins have bought this as a series, because after one book all I can think of is “When is the next one coming out??!”…Steampunk is a fascinating genre, and Ballantine and Morris have captured it perfectly. I think this series could serve as a great introduction to the genre, in fact, since you really don’t have to have much of an understanding of steampunk to enjoy the book. There also seems to be an element or two of the pulp genre, though much of that is actually turned on it’s head.

-Pew Reviews

The book starts on a high action note, and doesn’t really slow down all that much throughout. There are places with a more sedate pace, but those are generally setting up more action or important plot points. The setting is a Victorian England with plenty of fun steam-powered gadgets, nicely but not off-puttingly described, to keep the reader entertained. Besides the main pair of agents, we also get some nicely fleshed out side characters, which always makes for a better read. The Ministry itself has endless plot potential, with the Archives being a focal point for artifacts and mysteries. And the book conveys a strong sense of both history, of the world and our characters, and future, as there are unresolved plot points clearly pointing to a sequel or sequels. At the same time, the main story within the book is self-contained and complete.
I’d recommend this to fans of action, anyone into Steampunk as a genre, and readers looking for a strong female character.

-Real Tegan

The Ministry is proud to bring you audiofiles from around the aetherwebs of our authors, Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris.

Now they continue their delightful conversation with Mainframe. We hope you enjoy our little tete-a-tete, we certainly had a ripping time!

The Ministry is proud to bring you audiofiles from around the aetherwebs of our authors, Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris.

Today they are talking to the delightful Mainframe about their past endeavours, Phoenix Rising, and being authors. Hilarity ensues, though the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences denies any responsibility for that.

The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences has many forgotten stories in its Archives. Stories of madcap adventures in all corners of the Empire, dark doings in hidden places, and mysterious devices and artifacts that the everyday citizen should never become aware of for fear it would quite undo their minds.

Archivist to the Ministry, Eliza D Braun (recently and unwillingly reassigned to the Archives) and Wellington Thornhill Books (recently and unwillingly assigned Eliza D. Braun) have selected some cases they feel the public is ready for.

In this episode:

The Astonishing Amulet of Amenartas, written and narrated by Nathan Lowell

Agent Heathcliff Durham finds himself crisscrossing Africa, looking for an Amulet that could spell disaster for any who come near it. Battling blistering heat, starvation, wild animals, and despair, he is not comforted by the company of a rough and ready sort named Morrison. Soon Durham begins to suspect he may never return home—and to top it all off the tea has almost run out.

About the Author:

Nathan Lowell has been a writer for more than forty years, and first entered the literary world by podcasting his novels. His sci-fi series, Trader’s Tales from The Golden Age of the Solar Clipper, grew from his long time fascination with space opera and his own experiences shipboard in the United States Coast Guard.

Dr. Nathan Lowell holds a Ph.D. in Educational Technology with specializations in Distance Education and Instructional Design. He also holds an M.A. in Educational Technology and a BS in Business Administration. He grew up on the south coast of Maine and is strongly rooted in the maritime heritage of the sea-farer. He served in the USCG from 1970 to 1975, seeing duty aboard a cutter on hurricane patrol in the North Atlantic and at a communications station in Kodiak, Alaska. He currently lives in the plains east of the Rocky Mountains with his wife and two daughters. He can be found online at nathanlowell.org

Theme music for the Ministry composed and created by Alex White.

Don’t forget to pre-order the upcoming Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences novel, coming April 26th from all good online and bricks and mortar stores.

Gentle readers and true believers in the fantastic and unknown, we at the Ministry have completed the official book trailer for Phoenix Rising, the first volume in The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series from Harper Voyager.

These are dark days indeed in Victoria’s England. Londoners are vanishing, then reappearing, washing up as corpses on the banks of the Thames, drained of blood and bone. Yet the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences—the Crown’s clandestine organization whose bailiwick is the strange and unsettling—will not allow its agents to investigate. Fearless and exceedingly lovely Eliza D. Braun, however, with her bulletproof corset and a disturbing fondness for dynamite, refuses to let the matter rest . . . and she’s prepared to drag her timorous new partner, Wellington Books, along with her into the perilous fray.

Phoenix Rising from Harper Voyager, will be available in bookstores everywhere on April 26, 2011.

THE PLAYERS FEATURED
IN THIS KINETORAMA

Eliza D. Braun ………………………. Jett Micheyl
Wellington Thornhill Books  ….. Tee Morris
Voiceover …………………………….. Martyn Darkly

THE TALENTED SCIENTISTS OF KINETORAMATIC ARTS

Director of Photography ……….. Linc Williams
Line Producer and Set Scout …. Pat Jarrett
Set Assistant ………………………. Pip Ballantine
Set Assistant ………………………. Carmel Clavin
Costumes & Props ………………. Jared Axelrod
Mr. Morris’ Goggles ……………… Steampunkfunk Bizarre
Music  ………………………………… Alex White

Special Thanks to Jennifer Williams, Sonic Boom and Terminator, and Bookworks of Staunton, VA

Shot entirely on location in Staunton, Virginia

Here at the Ministry we often get asked, what is steampunk? We even have a link to that, but here is a remarkable visual piece that explains it quite nicely and also gives you a look at some of the fashions and gadgets that make this movement such fun.

At the Ministry we wholly endorse fun…well maybe not so much Wellington. Anyway, this segment aired on BBC America as well, so hopefully the message is spreading.

STEAMPUNKS 2011 from Andy Gallacher on Vimeo.

The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences has many forgotten stories in its Archives. Stories of madcap adventures in all corners of the Empire, dark doings in hidden places, and mysterious devices and artifacts that the everyday citizen should never become aware of for fear it would quite undo their minds.

Archivist to the Ministry, Eliza D Braun (recently and unwillingly reassigned to the Archives) and Wellington Thornhill Books (recently and unwillingly assigned Eliza D. Braun) have selected some cases they feel the public is ready for.

In this episode:

Dust on the Davenport, written and narrated by O.M. Grey

Agent Simon R. Boswell, still considered the green agent of the Ministry, takes on his own a supposed haunting in Islington. Hauntings tend to be nothing too serious for agents specializing in the unexplained; but for Simon, this case supplies surprises of all kinds, around every corner…

About the Author:

O. M. Grey is rather camera shy and is a complete novice when it comes to modern technology. She prefers to live in the cobwebbed corners of her dark mind writing paranormal romance with a Steampunk twist. When she’s not writing, she’s reading or tending the garden or drinking a hot cup of tea. (Just two drops, please.)

O.M. Grey’s Avalon Revisited is released by Blue Moose Press and available from Amazon.com (print and Kindle), Barnes and Noble (print and Nook ), and the iBook Store. Find out more about the author at omgrey.wordpress.com.

Featured Voice Talent (in order of appearance):

• Paul E. Cooley
• Tee Morris
• Philippa Ballantine

Theme music for the Ministry composed and created by Alex White.

Don’t forget to pre-order the upcoming Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences novel, coming April 26th from all good online and bricks and mortar stores.

As someone from an earthquake prone country (Christchurch just suffered its own disaster) I feel somewhat lost being so far away from all this pain and misery.

Now is the time for communities to pull together and show how much they care.

Beyond Victoriana, one of our favourite blogs, in conjunction with Button Me Up, are selling some beautiful Japanese themed buttons, and 100% of the proceeds are going to help the folks of Japan out.

It seems even more serendipitous that this fundraiser is part of the Rising Phoenix Circle.

Buy as many as you like, and wear them to your next big steampunk event. You can buy them at events like Steampunk Worlds Fair and Nova Albion- but why wait for that?

Everyone wants to be fashionable, and now you can do that AND be doing something positive to help people that really need it.

Go buy some now.

The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences has many forgotten stories in its Archives. Stories of madcap adventures in all corners of the Empire, dark doings in hidden places, and mysterious devices and artifacts that the everyday citizen should never become aware of for fear it would quite undo their minds.

Archivist to the Ministry, Wellington Thornhill Books and Eliza D Braun (recently and unwillingly reassigned to the Archives) have selected some cases they feel the public is ready for.

In this episode:

The Evil that befell Sampson…

It is revealed just how Miss Braun ended up being exiled from her native country, New Zealand, and working for the Ministry in its London Offices. It’s a tale of nefarious doings, stalwart ladies, and the sound of clockwork.

Theme music for the Ministry composed and created by Alex White.

Don’t forget to pre-order the upcoming Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences novel, coming April 26th from all good online and bricks and mortar stores.

With less than fifty days remaining in the launch of our first adventure, Phoenix Rising, the excitement is reaching a fever-pitch here at the Ministry. Tales from the Archives readies itself for its launch and pre-launch reviews of the novel are coming in. From Germany, Marcus Rauchfuß (also known under the moniker, The Traveler) presents on The Daily Steampunk his own thoughts:

After the first pages I was under the impression of heading into a hilarious and almost slapsticky Steampunk adventure. Eliza Brown and Wellington Books were simply too much of a missmatch and their initial “conversations” too comical. I had several good laughs.

Gradually, the lightheartedness leaves the novel, though. Keeping pace with the developments, the comical nature of their relationship fades more and more into the background. The pair gets to know each other better, and while still not fully understanding the other, they develop a grudging respect for their respective partner.

The story itself very soon becomes fast-paced and action packed. There are quite a few instances, in particular the excellent, almost swashbuckling duel scene in the London Opera, when I felt like having to hold onto my armchair. Still, humor never leaves the pages. Within the very same duel there is one notable simultaneous question between the duelists:

“Who is your seamstress?”

That one had me chuckling for hours afterwards.

The review as well as his impressions of my partner from the Colonies was quite spot on. But, sir, I am compelled to add that Miss Braun is not only a vamp, she can be quite crass. Particularly after a few pints.

With many thanks to The Traveler for his time invested in our tale, we continue the countdown to our premiere. Cheers and salutations.

It’s always very pleasant when people enjoy what you do. Personally, very few people have up until now learned about what we do here in the Ministry. So Wellington and I are a little on tender hooks to see how tales of our derry doing are received.

Today, we got our first report in from the Real Tegan

The book starts on a high action note, and doesn’t really slow down all that much throughout. There are places with a more sedate pace, but those are generally setting up more action or important plot points. The setting is a Victorian England with plenty of fun steam-powered gadgets, nicely but not off-puttingly described, to keep the reader entertained. Besides the main pair of agents, we also get some nicely fleshed out side characters, which always makes for a better read. The Ministry itself has endless plot potential, with the Archives being a focal point for artifacts and mysteries. And the book conveys a strong sense of both history, of the world and our characters, and future, as there are unresolved plot points clearly pointing to a sequel or sequels. At the same time, the main story within the book is self-contained and complete.
I’d recommend this to fans of action, anyone into Steampunk as a genre, and readers looking for a strong female character.

It’s a marvellous way to start, and now I can take Welly a spot of tea and he can have a rest.

With the announcement of the podcast, we present the promos for Tales from the Archives. We offer here a full version (running time — 1:42) and an edited version (running time — 1:02) for your own use and syndication pleasure. Feel free to download, share, and place in your own podcasts!

Episode 1 is currently in production, and we will endeavour to deliver this exciting adventure to you at all speed.

Watch this blog for episodes, writers’ bios, and subscription details.

Today marks the birthday of imaginative mind and part-time consultant for the Ministry, author Jules Verne. Yes, I am sure, good citizens, you find Verne’s works reflecting the Empire and Her Majesty (God save the Queen!) in a rather nasty light; but I do wonder if something was lost in translation. I have enjoyed the pleasure of Mr. Verne’s company and he is quite a clever chap. Look at only a few of the works that he penned in his lifetime:

• A Journey to the Centre of the Earth
• From the Earth to the Moon
• The Mysterious Island
• Around the World in Eighty Days

Also, he is quite the card player. I really should not have called his bluff when I had three Jacks in my hand.

I have it on good authority that Ministry historian Tee Morris was quite taken by Mr. Verne’s personal journal wildly creative masterpiece concerning a voyage Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. This particular tome of his would inspire another creative gent, Walt Disney, to create an iconic work of adventurous cinema (as well as one ripping fun ride at their amusement parks).

Of course, steampunk has a lot to thank Mr. Verne for; but what makes him a cornerstone of our genre, and literature on a whole, is how his imagination and unbounded sense-of-wonder inspired others to become scientist, explorers, engineers, and writers themselves. His “flights of fancy” prophesied underwater exploration, circumnavigation of the globe, multi-stage rocketry, and space travel.

Which begs a question from the Archives, good and loyal citizen of the Empire — what flights of fancy inspire you, and where shall they lead the world?

Yes, as Miss Braun would lead you to believe, the Archives is all about the facts, the dates, and the evidence of a peculiar occurrence. Hidden within case files and personal journals, though, are moments of inspiration, of passion, and of ingenuity. Never shy away from those moments. Mr. Verne didn’t, and his ideas led others to the future, and some (like our dear authors, Miss Ballantine and Mister Morris) to an incredible past that never existed.

Embrace the fantastic, and see what adventure awaits.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Verne.

The ducks have all been placed in a row, and I am able to reveal what we have been working on here in the Ministry.

A selection of fine tales about the secret and dangerous goings on within our organisation.

We are most fortunate to have found a number of trusty individuals to bring these tales out into the light. The list of notables for Tales from the Archives; Volume the first

O.M. Grey author of Avalon Revisited, P.C. Haring author of Cybrosis, Starla Hutchon author of the Dreamer’s Thread, Helen H. Madden of Heat Flash, Phil Rossi author of Eden and Harvey, Chooch Schubert of Into the Blender, Jack Mangan author of Spherical Tomi, Nathan Lowell author of the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper, and Valerie Griswold-Ford author of Not Your Father’s Horseman.

You’ll find out more about past exploits of myself and Wellington as well, as dictated by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris.

Subscribe to this blog to not miss a thing- especially the debut episode on 4th of March. Subsequent episodes will arrive every fortnight.

Ministry agents have reached deep into foreign territory. Queen Victoria’s grand-daughter Alexandra Feodorovna Romanova may be the new Tsarina in Russia, but we never expected the Ministry to make an impact there.

Phoenix Rising; a Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences novel will be translated and available within the boundaries of Mother Russia.

Eliza is taking a shot of vodka while Wellington brushes up on his Cossak dancing.

Blagodaryu vas Rossii

The news has filtered through the pneumatic tubes- Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences novels will be available in Germany, Australia and New Zealand.

Eliza is wondering about what the covers will be, while Wellington begins working on the translation.

The American edition will be out in May, so hang on for the ride!

Yesterday one of the boffins from upstairs ventured down into the Archives and said that Doctor Sound was insisting we all pose for new photographs. I am sure my Mum back home in New Zealand would like one–but if look all stuffy she won’t recognize me, or worse imagine that I have changed after being in London for so long. (I always do manage to sneak her one into the mail, just she knows I am still alive)

Wellington too looked alittle miffed to be captured, as for some reason he appears to be shy of the camera. I wonder if there is one more thing that the Archivist isn’t telling me…

Well, regardless I insisted that I was not going to have my photograph taken without some of more favourite devices. The poor photographer looked rather flummoxed and just a little red about the ears when I showed him my best pose. Unfortunately Doctor Sound won’t let me see it yet, but  am sure it looks quite wonderful.

As soon as I have got my hands on a copy I will share it with you, but at the moment it is still has ‘Classified’ stamped on it. Never mind, it did rather perk up my day in the dreary Archives.

Recently I have returned to Godzone country, but unfortunately undercover. (A little misunderstanding that involved dynamite, suffragists, and a certain petition). I am fairly sure Dick Seddon is not familiar with the ethersphere, so this communication will remain between just you and I.

It was most heartening however to discover that steampunk is alive and well in even this far flung corner of the Empire. In the beautiful city of Oamaru resides the League of Victorian Imaginers.

They have just had their inaugural ball, and the fashions on show were truly amazing. I was almost tempted to slip on my plures ornamentum and join the fun. But then unhappily I remembered King Dick’s injunction ‘never to come back on pain of death’. Such a bother.

Never the less I will attempt to make contact covertly with this fine individuals. If you are lucky enough to reside within the bounds of New Zealand, you can watch their appearance on the local ether. If not, then take your chances here.

In my role in the Archives (sadly this seems to be permenant) I run across some interesting news articles. Wellington says my cataloging of these items will keep me out of trouble, and away from the more fragile items in his collection. Normally this would be a reason NOT to do it, however Doctor Sound has made it clear, my next move in the Ministry might be out the door.

So when I read this one ‘Oddest of jobs – would suit curious individuals‘ I had to stop from whooping with delight.

Apparently I may be qualified for a position in Hendrick’s Horseless Carriage Of Curiosities! I will of course have to enquire if there is any chance of derry-doing and the odd (strictly controled) explosion.

If not, dear reader, then by all means apply yourself! But think of me stuck here with Welly and his dusty, far less interesting collection. Waiting for something to occur in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Archives.

-E

The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences is the clandestine English service, which protects citizens of the Empire from the strange and terrifying.

We specialize in dealing with secret societies and neferious ner-do-wells.

Our Agents span the globe and include the following heroes

Agent Brandon Hill from Canada

Agent Bruce Campbell from Australia

Agent Eliza D Braun (suspended)

Archivist Wellington Thornhill Books

Engineer Agents Dr Axelrod and Dr Blackwell