Delphine Dryden

Let's start by imagining that George Washington died of complications from dysentery near the end of the French and Indian war (he was survived by his general, John Forbes…who died in this manner in 1758 in “our” timeline). Because of this, the budding revolution was deprived of both Washington’s expertise in British military procedures, and his disgruntlement with the British military bureaucracy that probably contributed to his willingness to side with the revolutionaries. In short, without Washington, things transpired such that in the end, the revolution was quelled before it ever really gathered…steam. 

The British won, and the colonies were thrown on hard times. In order to reward the loyalists, chastise the would-be rebels, and further solidify the British hold on the continent, King George III embarked on a new program that also proved convenient in dealing with the constant problem of second and subsequent sons of nobility in England itself: he established new landed titles in the new world. 

The grateful fledgling peers proved far more loyal to the Crown and the royal governors than their revolutionary cousins. They were not eligible for seats in the House of Lords, but as they were a world away from London and none of them had ever expected to hold those seats, this seemed an acceptable condition.

In this alternate timeline, the political landscape of North America developed rather differently, as the map below suggests.

Although I may leave clues as to the approximate era in which Steam and Seduction is set, I will never specify an actual year. You are welcome to guess, of course! Here’s a hint: despite the fashion aesthetic, it probably isn’t set in the Victorian era.

You’ll find another hint on the cover of Gossamer Wing.

As much as I can, I try to keep the steampunk technology in the Steam & Seduction books aether-free and plausibly realistic. Some might argue this is counter to the fundamental tenets of steampunk, but to me it’s been an exercise that really gets at the heart of the genre - what if? What if things had gone differently, if the French culture and treasury had been decimated by war and internecine conflicts, if certain key inventors and researchers had either not come to be educated or not followed the paths that (in our world) led to their contributions to internal combustion technology? What if gasoline had simply never become the thing, for whatever reason? What might we have instead?

Even without the magical properties of aether to power devices, people come up with some incredible things. For this series, I wanted to honor that spirit of invention by eschewing aether power and exploring the magic of the human imagination. However, I reserve the right to introduce sentient cephalopods…because, hey, they could be down there.

1. Gossamer Wing | 2. Scarlet Devices | 3. Gilded Lily

And for anybody still reading: it’s melodrama, folks. If that’s the vibe you’re getting…yeah, you’re getting the right vibe! So expect over-the-top villains, prat falls, and the general sensation of big, sweeping violin crescendos at key romantic moments!

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