I
meet the nicest people through my connections with writing, book signings,
Steampunk, and ghost investigations. Leonardo Ramirez is one of those nice
people. I came to know Leonardo because of an interesting kickstarter he has
going on. You’ll want to learn all about this kickstarter, but first a chat
with the very talented author of the Jupiter Chronicles.
Marie
Gilbert: Hi Leonardo. I’m happy to have you on my blog.
Leonardo
Ramirez: Hi Marie! Good to hear from you.
That is so very kind of you to want to support our campaign. The way to do it
though, is to simply pledge through the website which you can find here: http://bit.ly/SteampunkKickstarter. Your interview and your posts certainly help so thank you!
Marie
Gilbert: How did you get involved with Steampunk? I have my oldest grandchild,
Allie Gilbert, to thank for introducing me to Dorian’s Parlor and the world of
Steampunk.
Leonardo
Ramirez: As far as what drew me into
Steampunk? I would say its untapped nature. I don't care much for following the
trends that everyone else marches to the beat of (right now, I think it's
zombies) but instead prefer to fill a need or a gap that needs filling and
start there. While there is quite a bit of Steampunk literature available for
YA there is close to nothing for kids that don't want to read a 500 page book.
I love CS Lewis and loved the Chronicles of Narnia series so I wanted to
write something that closely fit that audience.
Marie
Gilbert: Do you feel that children, (grade 3 and up) who are so entwined with
video games, would understand a world where technology is powered by steam. I
ask because I’m worried that we’ve lost that inventive spirit and spark of
imagination that Steampunk offers. How has the feedback been from children,
parents and teachers, especially, science teachers?
Leonardo
Ramirez: It's not been an easy sell,
surprisingly enough. You would think that the thought of a Steampunk Children's
series being pitched into Steampunk online communities would be like throwing
gas onto a fire. To
the contrary, it’s been very difficult to get true Steampunkers behind it
possibly because it's meant for kids. There are shows that I grew up on that I
would still watch with my daughter even as an adult so I'm hoping to get the
project noticed by the community even if it's meant for a younger audience. I,
for one, haven't stopped watching animated shows!
I do agree that kids are struggling to
find their voice and the spark of creativity. Parents, teachers and kids, on
the other hand, have been ecstatic about the series. This past weekend I
attended Geek Media Expo where I was approached by a gentleman who runs a
family-friendly geek convention for kids in Memphis and has asked us to come
out as a guest. I had one Science teacher of special needs kids who bought the
books for her class since they were written for reluctant readers.
I've heard it said that Steampunk is
on the decline but I vehemently disagree with that. I think that what it needs
is a property like Star Wars or Star Trek for fans to rally
around and draw more people to it. I'm hoping that The Jupiter Chronicles can
be a vehicle for that. Despite the audience it was originally written for, the
universe of The Jupiter Chronicles is vast. The moons of Jupiter are
each a world of their own that revolves around Jupiter and each one has their
own nature apart from the others.
That is why I want to start an
animated series. With an animation studio like Magnetic Dreams behind it
we can make it top-notch and with our Kickstarter campaign we can make it
happen. The cast is diverse and includes a disabled primary character who uses
a prosthetic claw for a hand and two steam-powered rockets that come out of his
feet for flight.
I've been writing for a long time.
My first published work was a graphic novel called, Haven that was
published by Markosia Enterprises. It's the story of a descendant of Dante
Alighieri who is tasked to battle the nine circles of hell much like her
ancestors before her. The nine circles call themselves, The Aristocracy and are
embedded in our society at every level. Because that story is vast as well I
felt it was necessary to release a prose novel version of it which released in
2012 and called, Haven of Dante.
Marie
Gilbert: How is the Kickstarter doing and have you reached your goal?
Leonardo
Ramirez: If there is one thing I'd want to
share with folks considering donating to The Jupiter Chronicles it is
this. The untapped potential that this has is endless. Because of the way it's
set up there are years of stories to tell. It's fun and fast-paced and kids
love it. It's diverse and tackles the issues of growing up in a single-parent
family in the angst that befalls it's main character, Ian. There's a lot of
heart that goes into this. Not just from me but from my family so I'm very
grateful for the interview and for helping spread the word.
Thanks!
Marie
Gilbert: Thank you so much for being a guest on my blog and I’m sending in my
check to the Kickstarter today. If you want your children to read good science
fiction, then you can give to the Kickstarter and if you want to learn more
about Leonardo Ramirez, check out the sites below.
Leonardo Ramirez, Author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/leonardoverse
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Leonardo-Ramirez/e/B004TZGCD6/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1
