The Story Behind The Marvelous Mechanical Man by Rie Sheridan Rose

The book originally started when a friend challenged me to write a Steampunk novel for that year’s National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Since I hadn’t decided what to do that year yet, I decided to take him up on the idea. I also decided to add another level of challenge to it and make it

first person, because I had never successfully managed to do a full-length piece from that PoV. So, The Conn-Mann Chronicles were born. The Marvelous Mechanical Man was the first book in the series.

I have always been Victorian at heart, so Steampunk seemed like the perfect genre for me. I had read several works by Gail Carriger and scattered others, but—despite being an Anglophile—I didn’t want to set my book in England. I decided to use New York City as my backdrop because it was the cultural hub of the country in the 1870s to me. There was so much happening in the area, and it seemed like the perfect spot to tweak a bit for my city that “never actually was.” I liked the light tone to Gail’s work, so I didn’t try to be dark and dangerous like a lot of the genre. I like to call my style “Steampunk meets Dime Novel.” It’s adventure with a touch of romance and mechanicals.

It has been fascinating researching exactly what was available at the time—so much of the technology we take for granted didn’t exist. Can you imagine living without a microwave or even a telephone? Fortunately, the Steampunk genre gives you a chance to play with things like airships and giant mechanical men. And the book proved to be so much fun that I just kept going. There are now five books in The Conn-Mann Chronicles series, and I am working on a spin-off novel with potential to become its own series.

The first two books were originally published by a small press in Texas, but as the series kept growing, I decided to take up the mantle of publisher myself, so I could control all aspects of the process. It’s been challenging, but also extremely rewarding.

About the Book

The Marvelous Mechanical Man is the first book in a Steampunk series featuring the adventures of Josephine Mann, an independent woman in need of a way to pay her rent. She meets Professor Alistair Conn, in need of a lab assistant, and a partnership is created that proves exciting adventure for both of them.

Alistair’s prize invention is an automaton standing nine feet tall. There’s a bit of a problem though…he can’t quite figure out how to make it move. Jo just might be of help there. Then again, they might not get a chance to find out, as the marvelous mechanical man goes missing.

Jo and Alistair find themselves in the middle of a whirlwind of kidnapping, catnapping, and cross-country chases that involve airships, trains, and a prototype steam car. With a little help from their friends, Herbert Lattimer and Winifred Bond, plots are foiled, inventions are perfected, and a good time is had by all.

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About the Author 

Rie Sheridan Rose multitasks. A lot. Her short stories appear in numerous anthologies, including Nightmare Stalkers and Dream Walkers Vols. 1 and 2, and Killing It Softly Vols. 1 and 2. She has authored twelve novels, six poetry chapbooks, and lyrics for dozens of songs. These were mostly written in conjunction with Marc Gunn, and can be found on “Don’t Go Drinking with Hobbits” and “Pirates vs. Dragons” for the most part–with a few scattered exceptions.

Her favorite work to date is The Conn-Mann Chronicles Steampunk series with five books released so far: The Marvelous Mechanical Man, The Nearly Notorious Nun, The Incredibly Irritating Irishman, The Fiercely Formidable Fugitive, and The Elderly Earl’s Estate.

Rie lives in Texas with her wonderful husband and several spoiled cat-children.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: https://riewriter.com/  and https://theconnmannchronicles.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RieSheridanRose
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheConnMannChronicles/