Bookstores, Weddings and Steampunk, Oh My!

                                                           

 

This was a great weekend because I spent it doing fun things with friends. Friday night my husband Dan (the silent partner who wears many hats: audio, video and computer tech for his tech-challenged spouse along with playing chauffer whenever I need to get somewhere without getting lost) were in the charming town of Millville, New Jersey. I was there to do a book signing at Bogart’s Bookstore and Café.

                                                               

I’ve mentioned many times on my blogs that there is something magical about this town, the residents and especially the bookstore. There are many ghosts that dwell in that town and it may be because of its rich history and the fact that there is a river nearby. Water is conductive to spirits. There is a story that Millville had an underground railroad at one time that was used to fight the horrid practice of slavery. There are ghosts in that town. I sense them and I’ve written about several of the ghosts that stay at Bogart’s Bookstore & Cafe. My guess is that the owner, Amy, has such a pleasant and welcoming personality that people, living or dead, want to be around her.

                                                           

Today Millville has an arts district named the Glasstown Arts District. A public art center with galleries and studios is the hub of activity, and is open six days a week. Seven full-time galleries and ten part-time galleries and studios are open mostly on weekends and on the third Friday of each month. Wheaton Arts and the Creative Glass Center of America includes a major collection of early American glass with contemporary glass from CGCA Fellows and working glass artists in a restored 19th century glass factory. The Levoy Theatre successfully re-opened on September 9, 2012. You need to visit this town on their Third Friday and Third Saturday events and if you do, stop in and say hello to Amy.

                                                          

I had fun at my book signing and per tradition took a photo with the first person to buy a book. Thank you, Glenn Lillie.

                                                               

On Saturday, my husband and I headed to Chester and the New Hope Baptist Church for the wedding of friends, Cynthia Cain and Geoff Bilbow.  Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Bilbow.

                                                               

 

                                                                             

                                       Me with Cynthia's oldest daughter, McKenzie

                                                                              

Saturday night was the grand return of Gil Cnaan’s Dorian’s Parlor. It was held at the William Way Center at 1315 Spruce St, a beautiful building. I convinced my friend and fellow author, Loretta Lombardi of “You’re Hot, I’m Hot” a cookbook for lovers, to join me in the celebration of Dorian’s return.

                                                                           

Gil Cnaan on stage

            

We met such wonderful and talented people and enjoyed the endless parade of Steampunk fashions and were entertained by such acts as The Wandering Cellist

                                                                       

 

                                      and Eli August & the Abandoned Building Band.

                                                               

Thanks to Montague Jacques Fromage, I have a few pictures to share with you.

                                                                           

                                                              Montague on left

You don’t need to dress up in Steampunk to attend one of these events, but once you’ve visited an event, I’m sure that you’ll be dying to get yourself an outfit.

                                                              

Jane and Marie

                                                          

 

 

 

Promoting Friends and Contest Results

                                                              

                                                           The Fabulous Lucille Ball

I'm surrounded by very talented people. Well, they may not be Lucille Ball, but they are very talented and I hope their talent rubs off on me. I've done several Author promotions and interviews this year. Some of my friends have made movies and some have published books, while some, design Steampunk clothing or run fabulous Steampunk Event.. It's a new day and a new year, and I want to start off 2014 with promoting some of my friends.

                                                                       

First up is author, Carmen DeSousa. She has several books out and I did an interview of her on the Library, but you can check out all her books on www.carmendesousa.com


I did an interview on Keira Kroft and her new book. Check it out. http://gilbertcuriosities.blogspot.com/2013/11/introducing-wonderful-and-talented.html


John Farquhar, who is a fellow member of the South Jersey Writers Group, has a story in Tall Tales and Short Stories, our group's first published anthology, and also his own book titled What to Expect When You're Dead.
                                                                   

Right now, I'm reading a story by John Jason Lee called Terminal Point and I'm going to tell you that this is one hell of a great book. The hero is Drune, a Federation Hunter who is in a battle of wits and intrigue as he fights his way through one battle after another to get to the truth. I will be interviewing the author as soon as I finish the book.

                                                                     

Jack Flacco, a fellow zombie lover has a great book out called Ranger Martin and the Zombie Apocalypse. It has everything to keep you turning those pages and...not only did I love it, but my grandsons are sure to enjoy it too. Find it on Amazon and buy the book here.

Dawn Byrne another member featured in Tall Tales and Short Stories also has stories featured in Chicken Soup for the soul. Dawn is also known as Super D, my partner is the South Jersey Writers' Group book signing adventures.
                                                                  

To tell you the truth, all the members of the South Jersey Writers' Group are talented writers. Check out our site. Better yet, join our group.

Biff Bam Pop is a Pop Culture Site that is the brain child of Editor-In-Chief and fearless leader extraordinaire, Andy Burns. His cast of star writers, entertain and deliver the latest in movies, T.V. shows, books, comic books, music....anything that is on the minds & lips of people in the know. Check out this fabulous site and while you're there, check out my articles.

                                                                    

Christopher Eilenstine is the Director of a new type of Zombie, The Soulless. I did an interview on him for Biff Bam Pop. Check it out.

Joe Parascand who is an outstanding actor is featured in several movies: The Soulless, Mary Horror, Witches' Blood, Sheriff Tom vs. the Zombies, Zombies Incorporated. I'll be posting his interview on my blog, soon and an earlier one on Biff Bam Pop.
                                                            

Gil Cnaan is the brain and grand master of Dorian's Parlor. I've written several interviews on this very talented man, but this is my favorite.

                                                                    

                                                                   
Lee and Ralph from Steampunk Works not only design beautiful Steampunk fashions, but their clothing was used in a recent movie.

I have an amazing Editor and she's helped me get my book considered.

                                                                        

If you're interested in knowing what people I've interviewed, check out my interview page.

This December 15th, my oldest grandson, Jimmy, went to Parris Island for boot camp. When he graduates in March, he will be a full fledge Marine; Oorah!! I wrote a movie review of Full Metal Jacket for Biff Bam Pop and tied the review with my concerns for my grandson and drill sergeants.

                                                                          

I was picked by a very nice group from England as one of the bloggers to be considered for Best Blogger of 2014. Imagine that; from England with the Queen!! The young man who was hosting this contest is an amazing person and I will be posting my interview with him, soon.

                                                                     

                                                                        

 I was one of the finalists, but a worthier blogger, @scarletteflame,  won this year's round. Yeah, I was a little disappointed that I didn't win

                                                                      

 but then I received this message on my blog from a young writer in China.

 have beеn surfing on-lіnе more tthan 3hours as of late, yet I neveг discovered anny interesting aгticle lke уours.
It's lovely pricе sufficient for me. In mу opinion, if all webmasters and
bloggers made goоd content aѕ yоu did, the web might be a lοt mоre
helpful than ever before.
                                                                    

So...for my New Year's Resolution, I'll try to make my blog a kick ass blog; I'll do more interviews and promote more amazing people; I'll try to get in more ghost hunting and Steampunking...and maybe get a few of my short stories published. What will you do this year?

The Gilded Festival

                                                                   

Hey, my little zombie snacks. Check out this site. My friends at Dorian's Parlor are pulling together one hell of a great Steampunk Event. You don't want to miss this!!!!!

Greetings Ladies and Gents! We have been busily working our way into preparing for the first ever Gilded Festival, and as a result it is with great pleasure that we announce the first round of Programming Listings! There you shall find a great many a thing, including child-friendly panels, contests, how-to, and special events! Please go here to take a peek at all the glorious things we have in store for you!
And speaking of special events, we are especially excited to announce two special events… within the grand event that is The Gilded Fest!


We are happy to announce that The Gilded Festival is now rolling out Performer and Guest announcements! We already have a grand lineup;
Performers…
Voltaire
Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer
CogHead
Divine Hand Ensemble
Psyche Corporation
Walter Sickert and the Army of Broken Toys
Guests…
Adam Smith a.k.a. Phineas Phlensing, Esq.
Countessa Lenora
Steampunk Boba Fett (John F. Strangeway)
Triell Freschi
…and we will be adding even more as we get closer to the big event!
We are equally happy to remind you that tickets for The Gilded Festival are on sale now! There are various choices, including children and family tickets, so please be sure to look over the options before you buy. You have until September 15th, 2013 to take advantage of the low ticket prices. After that date, ticket pricing goes up. You can visit our TicketLeap page to get your tickets now.


Hotel Rooms Also, hotel room reservations for The Gilded Festival are still available! But be sure to book your room sooner than later, as we highly anticipate our entire block to fill up quickly! Hotel room prices start at $89.00 (USD/per night). You can visit our DoubleTree Hotel registration site to make your reservation now. Alternatively, you may also call the hotel to reserve your room. If so please be sure to tell them your are booking for the Gilded Festival, and the reservation code is SKE.

Steampunk's Awesome "The Gilded Festival" in November

                                                                  

Okay, my little Steampunk aficionados, I have some big news. No! The zombie apocalypse did not begin. Don't worry, I have my katana ready. This news is about the big festival coming up at the end of November. The brains behind this big event is our ever talented Gil Cnaan. He's responsible for Dorian's Parlor, and the very popular Steampunk events held in Philadelphia. I had the chance to interview Gil about "The Gilded Festival" and I'm excited to share the big news with you.
                                                                        

You all know how much I love Steampunk and in fact I posted about the last Dorian's Event on Biff Bam Pop! But this is really big news and I'm so excited.


                                                                     

                                                                                                                             


Now, my lovelies, let me introduce you to the one and only Gil Cnaan, Mr. Steampunk, himself!


What is “The Gilded Festival? Where? When?

The Gilded Festival is what happens when the staff at Dorian's Parlor say "We love doing this event, and wish it would never end!  We also wish that we could be open to a broader variety of ages, and have more performers, and more vendors, and more food, and more of everything!"  It will occur on Thanksgiving weekend, Friday November 29-Sunday December 1, at the Doubletree of Valley Forge/King of Prussia.  

 

What performers and venders can we expect to see at the Gilded Festival?

The list of performers and vendors is constantly being updated, but our preliminary performers include:

Voltaire

Mr. B. The Gentleman Rhymer

Walter Sickert and the Army of Broken Toys

The Divine Hand Ensemble

Coghead (DJs Kiltboy, Dave Ghoul, and Cub)

Psyche Corporation

Steampunk Boba Fett

Phineas Phlensing, Esq.

Countess Lenora

and many more.

In addition, we are looking at the potential of having multiple fashion shows, as well as an interactive panel about the historical fashions that influenced modern Steampunk styles, as well as a variety of other interactive experiences.  There will also be clockwork egg hunts, as well as a whole track of family oriented programming that is currently being worked on by the director of programming while this interview is happening. 

We will also have two catered events that we are very excited about.  The first of which will be a kickoff dinner, The Orphan's Dinner, which will be a Thanksgiving style meal for those who are around Friday afternoon.  On Saturday, we plan on serving a high tea.  We are currently negotiating menus and prices with the hotel, and hope to announce those soon.

What inspired you to create this event?

I've always enjoyed doing weekend events, and felt that waiting a full year for Steampunk World's Fair to come back again was just unbearable, so I thought it might be nice to have something 6 months away, so that there's always a big event to look forward to.


What will the visitors see when they arrive?   

Hopefully they'll see a bustling group of people going to various exciting shows (2 stages, an interactive room, and various wandering performances), patronizing exciting vendors (3 vendor rooms are currently planned for), socializing with each other, and having delicious food and drink.

Will this be something that you'll be doing each year?

If this goes well, not only am I planning to continue this as an annual tradition, but there are several other weekend events I am looking at launching.  So if people want to see more great weekend events in the greater Philadelphia area, get tickets, and get them soon.  The sooner I sell enough tickets, the sooner I can start programming more events.

Gil, I want to thank you for not only updating all the people involved in the intriguing world of Steampunk, but also, for people who want to learn what Steampunk is all about.

You can keep updated on the latest news of the Gilded Festival at this site: http://gildedfestival.com/



Purchase your tickets now at this site:
    http://doriansparlor.ticketleap.com/gilded-festival/t/GildedFestival/

An Interview with the Master of Dorian's Parlor

                                                                      

As promised dear readers, I asked the busy Gil Cnaan, the man responsible for Dorian’s Parlor if I could do an interview and he graciously agreed. So with great fanfare, let us begin our journey.

                                                                                                       

My granddaughter, Allie, first introduced me to the wonderful world of Steampunk about a year ago and ever since that first night, I’ve been hooked.

                                                   
              Could you give my readers a little background history on what is Steampunk?

Steampunk started back in the 1980s, although others will argue it's even older, as a revival of Victorian Science Fiction ideas.  It first got its name as a satire of the genre cyberpunk, a dystopian subgenre of science fiction.  In the early 2000s, it took off as a musical, clothing, and film genre, thanks mostly to the advent of instant communications of the internet.

                                                            
                                     

How did you become involved with Steampunk and how hard was it to get the event started in Philadelphia?

 I worked at Jeff Mach's Wicked Winter Renaissance Faire for a number of years.  Eventually, I was told one year that we were going to have a "Steampunk room".  At the time, I had no idea what Steampunk was, but I made it happen nonetheless.  Upon seeing the room, I realized that this was an aesthetic I had already been rather fond of, but had not had the words to properly describe until that point.  From there, we launched a monthly event in Piscataway, New Jersey, called Clockwork, that I helped DJ.  We also launched the Steampunk World's Fair.  After a few months, I decided that I wanted a monthly event in Philadelphia, and after some hunting around, found the right people to start it with, the right venue to work with, and made a go of it.

                                                 

What is involved with getting the acts and venders together for the night’s event?

 The first step is actually negotiating a date that works for both the hotel and for our technical crew and sponsors, Circuit Six.  Once we've found our date, then the work divides among three people.  I go through a rather lengthy document I keep of potential acts, and I begin to reach out to acts that I would like to work with.  Simultaneously, Evelyn Kriete reaches out to designers that she knows to see who will be doing the fashion show.  While we are both occupied on this end, Pretty Kitty handles our vending now, so she will e-mail everyone on our current list of vendors and potential vendors to tell them what the date of the next event is, and as people message back, she attempts to make sure that we are balancing our vendors, so that we don't have too much of any one type of vendor.  On the performer end, we usually try to have one "A list" musical act, one opening musical act, and one miscellaneous, non-musical act.  Long term, we'd like to see more fire shows happening at each event, as they are a fun draw and get people outside.

                                                                                                                      

What are your future goals for this amazing event?

 Long term, we are hoping to increase our attendance, as increased attendance means that we can bring in more amazing acts from further away.  I'd love to bring over the Diablo Swing Orchestra from Sweden, as an example, or bring Sunday Driver over from England.  We are also looking into acquiring our own venue, so that we can control better the timing of all of our events.  We know which building we want, so we are attempting to quietly raise the capital to do so.

                                                         

Is there anything else that you would like my readers to know about Dorian’s Parlor?

I would want folks to know that everyone is welcome.  We do not have a strict dress code, but we do enjoy being one of the few events in Philadelphia that occupies the space between regular club nights and black tie affairs. 

                                                                                                                        

Thank you so much Gil, for sharing this with my readers and I did want to mention that although my fellow ghost hunters and I are “Baby Boomers” we were welcomed with open arms.

                                                           
I’m wishing you the best in obtaining your own site and for all my facebook and twitter friends who live near to Philadelphia, check facebook for the next scheduled event and make plans to visit Dorian’s. You’ll be happy you did.

My next blog will be on where to find some great Steampunk clothing or how to throw an outfit together from items you find at thrift stores.

                                                            
Have a great week and don’t forget to check on the next episode of Lilith’s Escape at this blog site on Friday morning.