Tales of an Altered Time Powered by Romance, Horror, and Steam — Donald J. Bingle

The past is always different than we remember: more romantic, more horrible, an altered world. Writer on Demand TM Vol. 5: Tales of an Altered Past Powered by Romance, Horror, and Steam includes four stories:Dashed Hopes (approximately 4,250 words) is a tale of invention, romance, and tragedy set in the coal fields of England. This story originally appeared in Hot & Steamy: Tales of Steampunk Romance, edited by Jean Rabe and Martin H. Greenburg (DAW Books. Inc. 2011).Rejecting the Anthropocene (approximately 2,400 words) is a cautionary tale about the dangers of ignoring science, no matter how unpopular it may be. This original steampunk story appears in print for the very first time in this collection.Gentlemanly Horrors of Mine Alone (approximately 7,100 words) is the ninth story in Mike Stackpole's The Chain Story Project. Each of the stories in the chain begins with a scene set in The Wanderers' Club in London, where patrons take turns telling stories of their adventures and derring-do. Though the plots and characters of the various tales differ and each adventure is self-contained and independent, every story-teller starts out by referencing the story before his in some fashion before telling his own tale. This story follows on the heels of Robert T. Jeschonek's Blazing Bodices and precedes Michael A. Stackpole's The Adventure of the Ghost Watch. Mike Stackpole's character, Rogers, is used with permission.Foggy Goggles (approximately 4,200 words) is a tale of an adventuresome reporter, two world-changing inventions, and unintended consequences. This story originally appeared in Steampunk'd, edited by Jean Rabe and Martin H. Greenberg (DAW Books, Inc. 2010).