Debbie Wiley is a senior reviewer at Fresh Fiction.  The last days and weeks of 2020 are thankfully drawing to a close, leaving folks with a lot of emotional turmoil. Yes, 2020 has been challenging at best, and heartbreaking if you are one of the many directly impacted by Covid-19. In the midst of the pain and distress, we’ve seen heroes rise to the occasion. First and foremost, our health care workers, but also the many grocery store workers, teachers, food bank volunteers, and so many others who have quietly provided essential services to people in the midst of a global pandemic. It makes me reflect about the heroes and heroines of the urban fantasy, fantasy, and steampunk books I read, and I’d like to share a few of those heroes and heroines with you today. THE AWAKENING by Nora Roberts, features Breen Kelly, a young lady who has lived her life feeling “less than”. Her mother constantly berates or belittles her, she works a job she hates, she has a mountain of student debt, and she even hides her flaming red hair under dark hair dye to keep from being noticed. All of that is about to change, however,…

When I knew I’d be writing a little something about steampunk, I thought I’d try to figure out what people still wanted to know on the subject. Steampunk has been around for a while now, and certainly the internet has taken notice. So I took my request, as I do with most things these days, to the web. Here’s what I was asked:1. What’s the best way to explain steampunk to someone totally unfamiliar with the genre? One can simply say that steampunk is the future as the Victorians imagined it, where steam power never died, and electricity never dominated. Think hot air balloons flying to the moon. If they still seem interested at that point, one can prattle on about Jules Verne and the birth of science fiction; the current aesthetic overtones (which I describe as the love child of a BBC costume drama and Hot Topic); and the importance of creativity, found object art, and the maker mentality in spearheading the movement. If they still seem interested I suggest pointing them to this brilliant overview article by Jeff VanderMeer, which pretty much covers everything. steampunk__an_overview To read more about the steampunk question and answer with Gail please click…