On Sunday, Oct. 18th, I went to a steampunk convention called Steampunk unLimited at the Strasburg Historic Railroad as part of a class trip for my steampunk class. The class is an introduction to the world of steampunk through literature, and shows why this subculture is so popular. A very loose definition for steampunk is that it envokes the Victorian aesthetic while combining fantasy and science fiction to critique the mistakes of the past. We've talked a lot about the literature of steampunk and, among the many authors and works named, Pip and her husband Tee's series, A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. The series is about an organization who solves the "mysterious happenings that leaves normal law enforcement officials baffled.The Ministry that protects all citizens of the Empire from the occult, the paranormal and from secret societies bent on bringing down Old Blighty." -Good Reads

On my way to the event with my class, I actually didn't know if any authors were going to be there or what to expect. I wandered around the different booths, taking in the world of Steampunk. Then I spotted a man and woman sitting at a table filled with books, bookmarks, and pins. I made my way over slowly, trying not to seem to hyper or aggressive. I started to talk to them and told them that I was in a steampunk course and before I could start asking my questions they started asking me how my course was going, what were we learning and if I was enjoying myself. As I started rambling on about what I had learned so far, I almost forgot about what I had went to the table for. After I finished talking to them about my class, they started to recommend books for me to read so that I could get a better feel of what steampunk literature is.

But the best part about meeting them had to be when I went to Pip's reading of their fifth book, which is currently on Kickstarter. The reading took place on a small railroad cart which was toasty warm compared to outside. After her reading, Pip answered some questions and I got to find out more about their series. A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences actually started out as a podcast which their viewers suggested they turn into a book, and the series has a spinoff in the works which I am excited about.

After the reading, I went back to her booth with a friend to pick up the first novel along with a book of short stories they wrote. I got to talk with them some more as they told me more about their writing process. Apparently they split the writing process by gender--Pip writes the parts that are in the female perspective while Tee write the ones for the male. After our talk, they were nice enough to sign my books before I left.

Talking to them had to be the most interesting part of my trip. If you want to take a look into their works they have a website for their series and also take a look at their Kickstarter.