
Steampunk Sleuths will be released on the 30th of August (but the Kindle version is available for
pre-order today at just $1.99 instead of $3.99). You can also add it today to your
Goodreads bookshelf. To celebrate this anthology that perfectly aligns the gears that drive the genres of steampunk and mystery, we’re interviewing the contributing authors. Don your aviator goggles, but keep your magnifying glass close at hand, because these steamy puzzles won’t solve themselves!
Hi Diana,
There’s nothing quite as captivating as a great detective story, but what specifically is it about mystery in a steampunk world that gets your gears turning?
Steampunk, as a genre, blends Victorian-era aesthetics and technology with speculative, often anachronistic inventions powered by steam and clockwork. It’s not just a reimagining of the past or a vision of the future, it feels like stepping into another dimension altogether. This fusion of a bygone era with futuristic possibilities creates a world that’s both familiar and fantastical, which really fires up my imagination. For me, writing begins when something resonates—whether it’s a setting, an object, or a tune—anything that strikes a chord. That spark is all I need. I’m too easy.
Tell us about your protagonist. Is this the first puzzle your main character has solved?
My protagonist isn’t solving her first case, but that doesn’t automatically make her sharper or more confident. Every case is its own kind of challenge. She’s developed her own methods through experience, but she still makes mistakes. She’s human, after all. Human interaction is just as crucial to solving the mystery as it is distracting, sometimes causing her to overlook details or feel things when only a cool-headed approach should prevail. She’s not so different from the reader, because I, the writer who created her, am also a reader who enjoys mysteries.
It’s time for Show and Tell! What’s the most steampunk antique, item of clothing, book, game, or household item you have?
For my most steampunk item, I combined a few favorites that set the mood: a vintage-style notebook perfect for sketching secret plans, classic leather gloves, an ornate lamp that looks like it belongs in a foggy Victorian study, and a plastic revolver that adds a touch of airship adventure. I also included two books—
The Moonstone and
Persuasion—to bring a bit of mystery and period atmosphere to the scene. It’s not one single artifact, but together they capture the spirit of steampunk for me.
And since I’m also a gamer, I’ll add that I own Dishonored and Thief on Epic Games, not exactly traditional steampunk, but close enough in tone: moody cities, shadowy tech, and lots of morally ambiguous detectives. That counts, right?
Where can we find you online?
You can find me online pretty much everywhere I dare to show up. I’m on YouTube as a proud gamer, on Amazon Author Central under my real name, Diana Parrilla, and on X (Twitter). I’m a bit quieter on Instagram and Facebook, but I’m there too, everywhere under the alias buffyta17. Feel free to track me down wherever you like.
Thanks for playing along!
A moment from my playthrough of Thief (2014)