Not all who wander are lost.
Never has this statement been truer than when it comes to me and my vagabond life. Since I began my journey along the road to becoming a writer, I’ve lived places as far-flung as Bulgaria and as familiar as my native land of Minnesota. I currently call Michigan home with the Mister and our little dog Gadget, but when it comes to where we’ll finally land, your guess is as good as ours!
Luckily, in this digital age it really doesn’t matter much where I hang my hat, as long as it has a good internet connection. (The place, not the hat.) I spend my days as a freelance writer and editor, as well as blogging and working on my own fiction and nonfiction projects. I have big plans for my work 2017, so I hope you’ll come along on my journey to self-publishing, and maybe learn a thing or two from my experience along the way.
(Phoebe Darqueling is a pen name, but if you are interested in hiring me for editing services I am happy to provide my resume and legal name for potential clients. Find out more about my the literary services provided through The Refinery.)
I became interested in Steampunk starting in 2009 when I went to a friend’s burlesque show. Once she described the aesthetic and its roots in scientific romances, I was hooked. I started a blog a few years later to help me share what I found with the growing community of Steampunk enthusiasts around the world. After three years of writing For Whom The Gear Turns, I’ve moved on to become the Editor of the Steampunk Journal and aspiring author.
Find me on Twitter – @Gearturns
Find me at Steampunk Journal
Find other Steampunk fans in the United We Steampunk, Divided We Fall Facebook group
Current Projects
Army of Brass – The Collaborative Writing Challenge (CWC) is a fantastic organization that coordinates collaborative novels to craft a compelling tale while helping writers build up their publishing credentials. I am coordinating their 7th project between now and August 2017, and we can always use more writers! Check out the CWC website to find out more.
Mistress of None Series – I have fallen in love with the novella of late (works of 15k-40k words), and I’m developing a series about Vi Thorne, an 1870s con woman who is forced out of retirement when her last deception comes back to haunt her…literally.
Past Projects
SteamFest Gazette – A newsletter devoted to my visits to several Steampunk conventions in 2015. There are no official plans to continue the publication now that the Kickstarter commitment has been met, but there’s no reason to think future issues couldn’t happen!
Riftmaker – Currently “shelved” after a bad experience with a so-called “publishing house” in 2015-16. But, what doesn’t kill you makes you (and your manuscript) stronger. The world will get to see it some day.
Steam Tour: An American Steampunk in London – a travel e-zine about a trip I took to the UK to find a taste of the history that brought us Steampunk. Funded in large part by a wonderful community of Kickstarter backers in 2014.
Phoebe Darqueling 