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handeaux · 5 years ago

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Some Cincinnati Street Names Still Honor Boss Cox’s Minions

On Friday, September 4, 1908 the Cincinnati Enquirer carried a substantial legal advertisement, comprising four columns of dense type announcing Ordinance 731 as ordained by Cincinnati City Council

“To change the names of certain streets, avenues, courts, terraces, places and alleys of the City of Cincinnati as designated therein.”

What followed was a list of hundreds of Cincinnati streets that, partially or completely, would receive new names by order of the city administration. The Enquirer, which had cozied up to the political machine of George Barnsdale “Boss” Cox, printed the ordinance without comment. The Cincinnati Post, a constant burr under the saddle of the Cox Machine (and therefore the recipient of no city advertising) smelled a rat. In that day’s edition, the Post identified the rodent:

“Cincinnati having no Hall of Fame, Cox’s Council has honored his faithful servants by naming streets after them. For, after erasing names of 50 old streets, Council has substituted names of its own members, and what streets were left were named for members of the Mayor’s office, the Service Board, the Police Department, the City Solicitor’s office, the City Engineer’s office, and even favored friends who don’t hold city jobs, but who do control certain and diverse votes.”

Buried in that long list of renamed streets were more than 50 for which the new name honored someone in the city administration, and everyone in the city administration owed their jobs to Boss Cox. Heading the list was Mayor Leopold Markbreit, whose name now graced the former Williams Avenue. The mayor pleaded humble ignorance:

“I tell you it’s impossible to tell when, or where, or how lightning will strike, likewise honors. A few years ago I never expected to have even a cat named after me. I’ll have to find out where Markbreit-av. is and see that it is kept clean.”

Vice Mayor John Galvin got a street in Lower Price Hill, where the former Belmont Avenue became Galvin Avenue. But it wasn’t just the top administrators who got their names assigned to street. The mayor’s secretary got a street in Avondale. A street in Fairmount was selected to recognize Louise Amthauer, stenographer to City Council (and the only woman on the list). Kuhfers Alley, between Findlay and Charlotte streets in Brighton still memorializes Police Detective Conrad Kuhfers. Hopkins Avenue in Avondale was renamed to honor Thirteenth Ward Councilman J.H. Asmann Jr.

While the Post went apoplectic, the Cox Machine blithely basked in the warm glow of their own genius. This was an era when political machines controlled quite a few American cities, from Boss Tweed’s Tammany Hall in New York City, Frank Hague in Jersey City, and Tom Pendergast in Kansas City. All of them bought votes, handed out jobs to supporters and made legal (and criminal) difficulties disappear. Now Cox had a new reward system, one that cost a lot less than a financial bonus – name a street for your good friends!

Cox, to be sure, kept his fingerprints away from this little gambit. The outrage fell upon City Council. In particular, the ringleader was revealed to be Edwin O. Bathgate, representing the Eighteenth Ward on City Council. Bathgate sat on Council’s Streets & Parks Committee and submitted the names in that capacity. A loyal Cox foot soldier, Bathgate had recently been indicted for buying votes.

In fact, there was a perfectly good reason to change many of these street names. Cincinnati was engaged in a voracious annexation binge, and had gobbled up Westwood, Clifton, Avondale, Linwood and Riverside in 1894. Evanston, North Avondale and Bond Hill were still being digested. Many of the new neighborhoods had existed as separate villages for a long time and had streets with names identical to street already in Cincinnati.

Price Hill had Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth avenues, for example. There were two Hand streets; one in the West End and one in Winton Place. Both Hyde Park and Mount Auburn had Erie Avenues. Mount Auburn’s became Thayer and, later, Glencoe.

Winton Place and Westwood both had Epworth Avenues (evidence of strong Methodist congregations). Council decided that Westwood’s Epworth would become Bethany Avenue, but had not calculated on James N. Gamble, president of Procter & Gamble, having a fondness for the Epworth Avenue that ran by his church. City Council backed down and the Winton Place Epworth became East Epworth.

Gamble’s intervention reveals a pattern in the street changes – most took place in poorer neighborhoods and it was mostly the wealthier residents who objected. Saloonkeeper Louis Schueler, representing Cumminsville on City Council, named a street for himself. He told the Post [9 September 1908] that he didn’t think anyone would miss the former Mad Anthony Street:

“Cumminsville residents don’t appreciate history. Why, when I was in Council 15 years ago, they asked me to change the name of that street. They said they didn’t care what other name I gave it. As to naming it for myself, I lived on the street over 30 years.”

Schueler told the Post that those who objected to the change because of its historic significance (Wayne was a Revolutionary War hero.) were the “high-brows” of the ward. The high-brows must have won, because Mad Anthony Street is still there.

Price Hill objected to changing Fifth Avenue to Milwaukee Avenue, and the city relented, naming it Rosemont Avenue.

The Louisville Courier-Journal [ 13 September 1908] weighed in:

“The Cincinnati Councilmen have presumed to change the names of streets having historical significance to names of no dignity whatsoever, such as the names of local bosses, stenographers, letter carriers, janitors and Councilmen.”

The Post ran a front-page cartoon complaining that this eruption of political vanity was destined to destroy the real estate market. Some of the names were changed back or changed again, but many of Boss Cox’s henchmen are still remembered on our daily commutes.

#boss cox #Cincinnati streets #Leopold Markbreit #John Galvin #James N. Gamble

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photomattjames · 7 years ago

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<p><h2><strong><span style="color: #f79646;">Further To The NorthSide</span></strong></h2></p>

From one island to a peninsula

From one island of Denmark to a half island of Denmark (otherwise known as a peninsula); a total of 116 miles, on a train that goes under the sea in a tunnel as well as above the sea on a bridge, we travelled from Copenhagen to Aarhus for this year's

Plush digs

We arrived at our AirBnB, a plush student digs, with all the specifications that 4 lads from The UK would need to furnish our needs during our stay. It immediately felt like a lads' holiday. But we were there for the serious business of getting the shot!

Gonzo

One of the perks of the job is that I can write this review whilst casually sipping on a beer; I joked with Matt and had a lot of banter about making our review of the festival in the vein of Gonzo journalism, pioneered by Hunter S. Thompson who was renowned for his wild benders when reporting, but to be fair, I'm still trying to come down from the high of the festival so I'm just chilling with a cold one (it's 11:30am, by-the-way, but, hey, like Sheryl Crow sings, I like a beer buzz early in the morning).

Racking up a tab

More banter ensued as we arrived to meet our fellow journos – I could say Gonzos but you have to be a Doctor of Journalism to earn that kind of reputation, man. They were waiting for us at the aforementioned apartment, a one-bedroom one-living room with kitchenette area and a bathroom, but you could see from the style of how it was all made up that there's a reason that Danes are considered to be one of the happiest people in the world. Like I said, it was plush, and more than comfortable for an affordable budget price, even though Matt can claim it back through the business (don't ask me how that works, “just send me the bill,” I said).

Credentials

Thursday afternoon was already upon us and we were eager to get our press credentials and enter to feel the place out in terms of what the protocol was for getting into press junket areas. It was a bit different for me since my role was only auxiliary and most definitely glorified, but, alas, here I am to tell the story. The plan was to get in for 2pm so that Matt and his colleague Joe Miller could snap D/TRIOT on the secondary blue stage but we ended up at a checkpoint being confronted by resistance at the security gates. All Matt's hardwork putting the hours into his Danish lessons over the past year or so came in handy at that point as he was able to negotiate fluently, although, I did hear him drop the word “checkpoint” into what was otherwise all but perfect Danish. The sun was blazing and we didn't appreciate that until what would come to be much later when we all looked like a spanked lobster. So, after waiting 20 minutes at the security checkpoint for some official or other to finally let us in we were ferried across to the Blue Stage where Matt and Joe entered the junket and myself and Joe's auxilliary, a burly Scot with a placid charm called Lee, were left to our own devices.

Junket

So, naturally, with the sun shining we decided to get a beer and listen to D/TROIT from the site whilst Matt and Joe were in the press junket area (tucked in at the front in between the crowd and the stage). For the first band of the festival they sounded like bog-standard funk n' soul and the people there were ambling about, buying drinks, or playing Klask (which is supposed to be the national game of Denmark!). We didn't know what would happen to Matt and his colleague Joe after that but we had a rally point so all was well and we found out after that as soon as they'd had their 3-songs-worth of shots they had gone down to the smaller red stage area to photograph a new up-and-coming band called Findlay, a band that after he had seen them Matt was raving about saying things like: “you know when you're just really grateful for a band like that to come along? Well, they're one of those bands.” Must've been 'cause they're from my birthplace Stockport, England. What a Viaduct! Next up was a personal favourite of mine – Warpaint. I'd seen them before in Portugal and their sound is perfect for the big stage setting, but the other lads, now re-united as a foursome, said they sounded a bit too dreamy for their tastes so unfortunately for me I was dragged away before they could finish their set as we headed back to the apartment for Spag. Bol..

Thursday night festivities

After some good food and a few beers back at the apartment we found ourselves back on site in time for Future Islands, who I'd heard about when I was doing my MA back in 2015. I recommended to the others that we see them because they had such an unusual style owing to their frontman who would dance in a captivating way or suddenly growl down the microphone at the audience over parts of songs that should hold a melody. Tell me you haven't seen a frontman behave like that before! However, they were merely OK, but that owed to the fact that we were several beers deep and we were quite far away from the front this time and if I hadn't have been familiar with them already they could have sounded like just another band. Matt thought that the growling thing was a bit funny, though! Immediately after seeing that band with us, Matt and his colleague went to the press area – a relaxing and comfortable area where you could get free refreshments if you had your press pass like we did – and were told to follow the junket leader around to make preparations to follow Bjork. Little did they know that when they got there that Bjork's manager insisted that no photographs were to be taken and so Matt and Joe were censored. I was in the front rows with Joe's assistant Lee for the Bjork set and looking back on the whole experience of NorthSide Festival she was clearly the best act and easily my favourite – that distinctive vocal was offset by the deepest of bass grooves, a concerto of flute players joining in for one particular song which sounded magical and her outfit was just surreal!– she was wearing a very flattering red dress and had this peculiar red face mask on complete with a black-feathered headdress.

The War On Drugs were to be Matt's last assignment of that day and they took to the stage 11:15pm and played an hour and a half set – by this point, I was definitely trying to compete with Hunter S. Thompson in terms of how much I thought it was appropriate to drink, promptly got lost for about half-an-hour before being rescued and we went home after that, leaving Joe and Lee to see out their night having a boogie to The Internet in the smaller red stage area.

The morning after the night before

Next morning came and it was Friday. I'd completely crashed out the night before and was feeling sad that my advances towards a plethora of women had been unrequited so I made the resolve not to drink that day and help Matt out as much as possible. Rival Sons and Aurora were the first two assignments that he tackled but it wasn't until we saw N.E.R.D that the crowd began to seriously move! Of course, there he was down in the press junket area for the allotted 3 songs-worth while Pharrell Williams got the crowd going with his entourage like nothing I've seen before in my time as a festival goer. Arms were swaying from side-to-side, people were crowd-surfing, and whole swathes of people were crouching on demand only to jump back up and pogo when the beat kicked in again. I departed from the N.E.R.D set a bit early to go and take up a place in what would be the Liam Gallagher crowd awaiting his appearance with anticipation. It was a good job I did, too, because although the crowd was sparse to begin with by the time Liam Gallagher came out they were throngs farther back than the eye could see. He began his set with the lead track from Oasis' debut, Rock N' Roll Star, to which he introduced it: “there's not many of these around today,” before resuming his usual arrogant swagger as if to embody the title of the song. Its epitome! A lot of what he said in between songs could have been seen as rude and arrogant but the crowd lapped it up and the more the set went on the more you realized that he was living off the back of the reputation of Oasis and the set promptly became a hit-parade of the Oasis back-catalogue, which was to be expected, naturally. I stayed until the end of the set to which I'd sang along in parts and found that I'd really enjoyed it. But, just check out Matt's masterful photography!

After it was over I made my way to see A Perfect Circle because I am a massive Tool fan I have a lot of respect for their singer, Maynard James Keenan, who has a great vocal range, but I found myself a lot less inspired by the APC set and left to retreat to the press area for some much needed relaxation and found the guys there gathered talking about the photos they had taken. It was at this point that Matt had published an interview with his colleague Joe about what being an exclusive photographer at this type of festival meant to him, and Matt said to me: “this is our festival.” And that was it; the exclusivity of it, the prestige of having access to the artists, mingling with all the other journalists. It made you feel important, and if it wasn't for people like Matt, making sure the world can see these stars they simply wouldn't have the recognition that they have today, so we owned it.

Headliners … Over, Under, and Out

We took a break in the gap between what would be Queens Of The Stone Age headlining that Friday night. The National could be heard grooving along on the breeze in the background as we ate some Danish fish n' chips, better than traditional English fish n' chips in my opinion but I don't think I was convincing Matt about that. Since QOTSA frontman, Josh Homme, had gotten into trouble recently for kicking a photographer in the face from on stage there was tighter press-controls for their headline set and only a select number of photographers were given a specific wristband for that show. Matt was on the list, a fact that added to his prestige. They headlined the Friday night at 11:15pm and played and hour and a half set; they were tight, the guitars sounded good, and the vocals were excellent. At one point, the drummer broke out into a drum solo and ended it with a rimshock on the snare drum that was so hard it blew out the left-hand speaker box and killed the visuals on the televisual displays. The set raged on but it wasn't until after ten minutes of technical difficulties that the sound on our side of the stage came back to life, to a great cheer from the crowd. QOTSA could still be heard playing as we left that night and arrived back at the apartment where we had a nightcap and reminisced. Joe and Lee were to stay on extra for the final day, but, for Matt and I it was over and under the sea and back to Copenhagen, sunburnt and satisfied!

Words by Elijah (Content Marketer).

#NorthSide #NorthSideFestival #Aarhus #Denmark #Music Festival #photography

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mythicalflower06-blog · 7 years ago

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My last year at Hogwarts: Day Four

Actual classes! Finally! We started off the year with Herbology, and I was not happy to see the same Venomous Tentaculas we had been working on last year, but way larger and crazier. However, Chad Taylor did get Gryffindor 20 points for warning Professor Longbottom about a branch that was surreptitiously trying to strangle him.

Don’t get me wrong - I love studying the dangerous plants and how to deal with them. I like to experience that very small rush of adrenaline that comes with something unpredictable being likely to happen in our classes. But it’s not the real thing, you know? It’s not like you’re out there fighting dark wizards or depending on your courage and wits to save others and yourself from difficult situation. It’s not like you’re Harry Potter. In my case, you’re just a 7th year Hogwarts student struggling because the closest thing to a dangerously amazing incident you’ll ever get is happening in the controlled environment of a classroom.

When we finished the class, it was raining, and we ran back to the castle covering our heads with our books. I felt pretty dumb afterwards when I saw a bunch of Ravenclaws walking around slowly and perfectly dry with the Impervius charm cast upon themselves.

As I was walking through a corridor on the fourth floor, I was distracted by the raindrops and red maple leaves that were pressed against the windows, making a beautiful pattern. I didn’t even notice that I had already walked through the class in which I had Charms class next period until Chad Taylor and Edwin James called me from the other corridor.

Professor Flitwick told us the first thing we had to do in our class was picking up on spells from last year, which included the Aguamenti spell and the way to turn vinegar into wine, although Idris Wallace, a Ravenclaw, was the only one who could still do it first try.

However, I’m tired and still have to finish a 30 inches paper about the Aguamenti spell for Flitwick, so I might as well get going. See you tomorrow!

***

I knew before I started writing this journal that revealing the names of unknown or not famous wizards and witches broke the international statute of secrecy. This obviously does not apply to the Hogwarts Professors or any other wizards and witches mentioned in the Harry Potter books or in any other way mentioned by J. K. Rowling, but does apply to me and my schoolmates at Hogwarts. Therefore, I chose to refer to them as my best friend or the Gryffindor Quidditch team captain, but that is obviously confusing for readers. This is why I’m from now on making up fake names for every student that is mentioned in the journal.

So far, there were mentioned the following people:

-Autumn Andrews (Me), 7th year Gryffindor

-Cody Bennett (Flyed with me yesterday), 7th year Gryffindor

-Gwendolyn Brody (My best friend), 6th year Gryffindor

-Louis Campbell (Flyed with me yesterday), 7th year Gryffindor

-Angela Findlay (In my room), 7th year Gryffindor

-Edwin James (Flyed with me yesterday), 7th year Gryffindor

-Jackson Kelby (Flyed with me yesterday), 7th year Gryffindor

-Katie Lenox (In my room), 7th year Gryffindor

-Chad Taylor (Gryffindor Quidditch captain), 7th year Gryffindor

-Idris Wallace (My classmate in Charms), 7th year Ravenclaw

(This are fake names for real people!)

#Harry Potter #hogwarts #hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry #my day at hogwarts #gryffindor #hp #charms #herbology #professor longbottom #professor flitwick

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karen-carlisle-off-the-artboard · 1 year ago

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Mayhem This Weekend!

https://karenjcarlisle.com/2023/11/28/mayhem-this-weekend/

Less than one week to go until the inaugral Mayhem Collectors Fair. There will be costume competitions, talks, and (of course) indie authors and creators. I’ll be there with my books and new book merch, including new t-shrits and badges! Buy a paperback copy of Blood Ties and get a voucher for 10% off my book tea, Crimson Smog, from Wyverstone Tea.

Join in the mayhem on Sunday 3rd December.

For more info: https://www.facebook.com/events/817225156371597 Tickets available at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mayhem-presents-the-collectors-fair-tickets-673599453097

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mayhem-presents-the-collectors-fair-tickets-673599453097

#adelaide event #Aunt Enid Mysteries #badges #Book Merch #books #buy books #competition #conventions #Costume #Doctor Jack #Events #fun #James Findlay Journals #live event #steampunk #The Adventures of Viola Stewart #The Department of Curiosities

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karen-carlisle-off-the-artboard · 1 year ago

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Going to TeslaCon or Chicago Steam Expo?

https://karenjcarlisle.com/2023/11/18/going-to-teslacon-or-chicago-steam-expo/

A quick update to thank all of Patrons for your support. Later this month a fellow steampunk author (Bill Bodden) will be attending two large US steampunk conventions over the next couple of months: TeslaCon and Chicago Steam Expo. As I can’t afford to attend, he suggested I send him some bookmarks so he could hand them out at his author table (squee) and plug my books. He’s a complete Sweetie!

My Patrons’ financial support has allowed me to accept the offer. I just ordered them via US Vistaprint to ship to him in the US – so, I suppose these will be collectors’ items?

Here’s hoping it gets me some eyes on pages!

Here are both sides of the exclusive bookmark.

NOTE: Patrons had a sneak peek of this post.

#Aunt Enid Mysteries #books #buy books #Chicago Steam Expo #Events #friends #James Findlay Journals #Mrs Hudson Investigates #opportunity #Patreon #patreon rewards #processes #steampunk #steampunk event #teslacon #The Adventures of Viola Stewart #The Department of Curiosities #US conventions #US steampunk event

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karen-carlisle-off-the-artboard · 1 year ago

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Blood Ties - Paperback - full wrap cover reveal.

https://karenjcarlisle.com/2023/09/07/blood-ties-paperback-full-wrap-cover-reveal/

Blood Ties is now available in both eBook and paperback.

Pre-order your paperback copy now via author website shop.

Watch book trailer HERE.

FULL paperback wrap cover reveal:

#blurb #buy books #cover reveal #Doctor Jack #full wrap cover #gaslamp #James Findlay Journals #new book #novelette #paperback #pre-order #reveal #short story

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karen-carlisle-off-the-artboard · 1 year ago

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Blood Ties Booktrailer Reveal

https://karenjcarlisle.com/2023/08/31/blood-ties-booktrailer-reveal/

Less than 1 month until the official release of Blood Ties!

A dark mystery on the high seas. A James Findlay mini-adventure.

A new series by Karen J Carlisle. Available 17th September, 2023 in eBook and paperback.

Ever wonder what happened to Doctor Jack?

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Blood Ties is the first story published in the new series ‘The James Findlay Journals‘ by Karen J Carlisle. The story continues James Findlay’s (aka Jack’s) story after the events in the original story ‘Doctor Jack‘ (first book in ‘The Viola Stewart Adventures‘).

Music – Dark Dreaming Journey ©Joel Steudler

Thank you to my Patreons for their support, especially: Kellie Kininmont, Suzie Eisfelder, Mark Suter, William J Jackson, and Joanne van Raaphorst.

(Patreon supporters received a sneak peek reward of the book trailer for my next book Blood Ties.)

#book trailer #books #Doctor Jack #ebook #gaslamp #jack the ripper #James Findlay Journals #novellette #paperback #reveal #short story #The Adventures of Viola Stewart #video #year of short stories

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karen-carlisle-off-the-artboard · 1 year ago

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Blood Ties - blurb reveal

https://karenjcarlisle.com/2023/08/24/blood-ties-blurb-reveal/

Blood Ties is coming 17th September, 2023.

An original James Findlay mini-adventure.

A dark mystery on the high seas. Ever wonder what happened to James Findlay (aka Jack the Ripper) after ‘Doctor Jack’?

Now on his way to Australia by steamship, and temporarily free from the Men in Grey’s control, James is determined to continue his experiments. Until a murder is discovered. He must use his medical training to hide the truth, and discover why passengers begin to fall ill – or the ship will be quarantined, and his work discovered. But time is running out. A mysterious woman threatens to uncover his secrets. Has ‘Jack’ finally met his match?

‘Blood Ties‘ follows on from the original ‘Doctor Jack’ novella in the first book of ‘The Adventures of Viola Stewart’ series.

Blood Ties is currently scheduled to be released in eBook and paperback on 17th September, 2023.

Pre-order eBook Now Direct from author (AU$) or from online bookstores ($US)

Pre-order Paperback Direct from author (AU$) from 1st September, 2023. or from online bookstores ($US)

Click for more details HERE

#blurb #buy books #design #Doctor Jack #James Findlay Journals #new book #novelette #novella #pre-order #reveal #short story #The Adventures of Viola Stewart #writing

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karen-carlisle-off-the-artboard · 1 year ago

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Blood Ties - Cover Creation Video

https://karenjcarlisle.com/2023/08/21/blood-ties-cover-creation-video/

The cover of Blood Ties is one of my favourites… Here’s how I did it:

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#Blood Ties #books #cover creation #cover design #creator video #design #ebook #James Findlay Journals #novelette #paperback #processes #video

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karen-carlisle-off-the-artboard · 1 year ago

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Project Announcement - - September 17th Release

https://karenjcarlisle.com/2023/08/17/project-announcement-cover-reveal-september-17th-release/

(WARNING SOME MINOR SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN’T READ ‘DOCTOR JACK‘)

Okay, it’s time to spill the tea on my next publishing project.

Three years ago, I wrote a sequel of sorts to my first book Doctor Jack & Other Tales – specifically Doctor Jack. The story was first written for the Deadsteam II anthology published by Grim and Grimmer Books in 2021.

The story is now out of the anthology’s exclusive print contract, so I’ve decided to add it to my ‘Year of Short(er) Stories‘ and will be the last I will publish this year.

Blood Ties is a novellette, which is set directly after Jack/James’ final scenein Doctor Jack, when he boards a boat at the London docks (the last scene in his point of view), on a ship on it’s way to South Australia.

Blood Ties is the first in the James Findlay Journals series, and follows his continuing story, and will be published in both eBook and paperback formats. Originally, it was only scheduled for eBook release. (After Ingram Spark removed the set up fee, it’s now feasible to publish it as paperback.) It has a darker, gaslamp feel, more in keeping with the original Doctor Jack story.

Release date: 17th September, 2023, with the official launch at Adelaide Steampunk Aetherfest (tbc). Preorder available from 1st September direct from author via my website shop, and available to purchase at Adelaide Steampunk Aetherfest.

Book cover reveal coming soon.

#announcement #books #cover reveal #dreadpunk #gaslamp #James Findlay Journals #new book #new project #novelette #novella #short story #The Adventures of Viola Stewart #Victorian Mystery #writing

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karen-carlisle-off-the-artboard · 1 year ago

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Obligatory 2023 Round Up.

https://karenjcarlisle.com/2023/12/29/obligatory-2023-round-up/

It’s that time of the year. Time for year round ups and formulating new year’s resolutions. I thought I’d share a quick look back at 2023.

Books

This year was busy with writing, revisiting works-in-progress, releasing three more books, and all the events that go with them.

The following is the number of book-related things for 2023:

local events attended: 5

This year I attended Oz Comic Con, Comic & Toy Fair, Supanova, and two new events: Mayhem Collectors Fair and Author Night Market. I trialled new tables displays and book merch at the last two events.

interstate events attended: 1

author talks: 1

This was the first year for the Wimmera Steampunk Festival (to be held bi-annually). I was fortunate to be invited to do an author talk (and steampunk 101 for those new to steampunk). The talk co-incided with my character – Viola Stewart’s – birthday and the 30th anniverary of (the coining of the name:) steampunk, so bonus!

books published: 3 paperbacks (includes republished Department of Curiosities) and 3 eBooks

online book launches: 3

This year, I re-published The Department of Curiosities with a new cover and new internal art. Two new books included the steampunk short story collection Cogs and Conspiracies and Blood Ties, the first book in the mini adventure series the James Findlay Journals.

Both new books had an online launch party with giveaways, and there was another (delayed) launch for the re-release of The Adventures of Viola Stewart eBooks, combining the previous stories, with new covers, to match the paperbacks. You can rewatch them here:

Blood Ties – book launch

Cogs and Conspiracies – Online Launch

eBook Series Launch – The Adventures of Viola Stewart

words written on current WIP: 45,824 / total November NaNoWriMo: 17,227

I’ve made headway on book 2 (The Department of Curiosities series) during the two dedicated NaNoWriMo events this year. Not as many as I’d have liked, but it is moving forward. Real life has been an issue.

new story ideas added to my list: 8

I can’t elaborate too much on this, as… well, spoilers. (Patrons get early sneak peeks… just saying)

number of book covers created:5

Two were: Cogs and Conspiracies and Blood Ties. One was for a fellow author (and I can’t show it until she’s ready to publish), and two are related to the new story ideas. (See above comment re spoilers). I tend to create the cover while the story is bubbling away in my head.

number of writing/research courses attended: 5 (online)… actually six!

These included research for future book projects, an ASA (Australian Society of Authors) course on public speaking (in hope it may help some pre-event panics), one on using a writing resource, and writing courses dedicated to specific genres.

Shorter Stories

short stories written for Patreon supporters: 10 (+2 excerpts from WIP)

short stories submitted to anthologies: 1

Top tier supportes get a short story reward each month. Many are exclusive. Some have been printed in the recent Cogs and Conspiracies or other short story collections. This year, I also added two excerpts from the first chapter of my current work-in-progress (book 2 of The Department of Curiosities series)

Art, Design & Book Merch

bees crocheted: 49

I started crocheting bees as book-related merch for The Aunt Enid Mysteries (the bees communicate between the many worlds in my stories), with AU$1 from each bee sale going towards helping bees on Kangaroo Island. I’ve sold 31 so far. I love bees. They are crucial to our lives and pollate various foods, especially stone fruits. They also provide us with honey. Though I’m allergic, we plant bee-friendly plants at home, and don’t use sprays.

new t-shirt designs: 8

new mug designs: 2

When I can’t write, I crochet. When I’m not crocheting, I draw. I NEED to create. This year I did (half) of Inktober. Some of the images were digitalised, coloured, and uploaded to my RedBubble store as t-shirts (and mugs)

new badge designs: 5

I loved the cat and books design (from my original art in Aunt Enid: Protector Extraordinaire), so I made a new badge… then I designed and made some more. The new badges debuted at the Author Night Market this month. I’ll have to load them onto my webshop some time…

On a more personal note:

tiktok posts: over 365

This is both book-related and personal. Someone told me I was too old for Tiktok. Ha! There are many on #over40tiktok and #over50tiktok, especially authors and readers. Books do well on Tiktok. While I’m not in the popular genres of romance, romance fantasy, or spicey romance fantasy, there are many who read my genres. I talk about my books, as well as tea, D&D, and mental health. I’ve found creating short posts has helped with desensitising myself to appearing in public… (even if it takes several ‘takes’ to get in the right headspace.)

number of mid-night hospital trips: 1 (only one is a record!)

I’m still working on minimising my panic attacks before events. I continued to talk about mental health (and my experience with anxiety and PTSD). Talking about mental health is important.

I usually end up at hospital (via ambulance) 3-5 times a year (my extreme panic attacks mimic heart attacks). So far, I’ve only had one this year! I’m extremely happy about that.

Health Scares and dodging bullets: 1

2023 started in the worst possible way. I faced January 1st with a diagnosis of breast cancer, prepping myself, then surgery and my family for ongoing treatment. One week after surgery, I returned to the oncologist. I was confused. Why was he grinning like a Cheshire cat? Turns out I had a very, very rare (<0.1% in women 25-45 years had this option, and I was over that age group) fibromatosis – a benign tumour that mimicks breast cancer in every way. The only way to differentiate is with extensive pathological testing once the tumour was removed.

So, a worst-case scenario became one of relief. Weirdly, I found a sense of calm from the whole situation. It’s helped my mental health, and I’ve actually had more moments of bliss than I’ve experienced in over a decade.

Please don’t forget to do your checks!

And that’s the short version…. (I know)

Thank you all for following my adventures this year, and I hope you have peaceful and safe holidays. See you next year!

#2023 round up #Aunt Enid Mysteries #book events #books #conventions #Events #fun #launches #memories #new year #steampunk #The Adventures of Viola Stewart #The Department of Curiosities #writing

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