Jonathan Fesmire's Blog

The PatternsI say I'm busy often, because I am, but boy, the last couple of months have been tough! How tough? Moving tough. Yes, my son and have moved. Between looking for a place and packing, these two amazing patterns wound up in a box where I couldn't find them. Yes, that's on me.In any case, I was happy to find them as we finished our move, and now that we're settled in at our nice new apartment, I'm happy to bring you my thoughts on two new Cosplay by McCall's patterns, Frost and Edwardian Chapeau.FrostOf these, I admit, Frost is the least steampunk at first look. Instead, it's totally superhero, and I love it. On top of that, the skill level is "easy," and is ripe for customization. Created for Cosplay by McCall's by Seattle Cosplay, you could use Frost as a basis for all sorts of original superheros.The pattern is for a hooded jumpsuit with a leg holster. Recommended fabrics include four-way stretch knits, moleskin matte spandex, novelty spandex, stretch mesh, synthetic leather, and synthetic suede. Notions you'll need include a 22" invisible zipper, elastic, buckles, and more, all covered in the packaging.Since this is a more modern, or futuristic, outfit, if you want to make it more steampunk, think of how a steampunk world might develop given another hundred years. Then, add the goggles, the steampunk weaponry, and your own gadgets. Use brown and black basic colors with other colors for accents.Frost sells for $15.95 on the Cosplay by McCall's site.Edwardian ChapeauThe era is right in the name in this one, and while steampunk is generally thought of as Victorian-era, it does often cross over into the Edwardian years. Edwardian Chapeau is a pattern for two styles of lined hats, ranging in size from XS to L. Whether you're cosplaying a detective with handy spy gadgets, or a lady attending a fancy and mysterious party, this hat would make a great addition to your costume.The recommended fabrics include wool bouché, novelty wovens, wool suiting, silk duponi, satin, cotton flannel, and double-sided fusible webbing. Various notions are also needed, such as single fold brass tape, ribbon, flowers, and ostrich plumes.To give this a steampunk look, add notions with gear-type patterns, and use warm brown colors. Naturally, you'll also want to make sure it matches the rest of the cosplay you put together.Edwardian Chapeau sells for $13.95 and its skill level is rated as average.

You may remember that when I ran my recent Indiegogo campaign for Bodacious Creed and the Frisco Syndicate, the sequel to Bodacious Creed: a Steampunk Zombie Western, one of the rewards backers could choose from was a set of six sided dice. Each of these d6s has Creed's crossed pistols where on the ones side, rather than a single pip.My first order arrived last Friday! This is what they look like.Now, I'm gong to contact my Indiegogo who opted for either a deck of cards or the dice which they want. In the next week. I'll send the dice to those who have chosen them. The cards will come later, after I've written the novel and know all the characters who need to be included in the poker deck.Once I've sent those out, I'll put dice for sale in my online shop, where customers will be able to purchase them as well as signed copies of Bodacious Creed: a Steampunk Zombie Western. Keep an eye out for that!

BackgroundMy novel, Bodacious Creed: a Steampunk Zombie Western, has been out for nearly a year now. I released it on August 18, 2017. It's been doing well. It sells pretty steadily, with some big jumps every three months or so when I run a promotion. It has received great reviews--seventy-nine, currently--and I love reading what people think of it.I am now working on the sequel! I've found though that it's tricky getting back into a story after taking time away from it. I am finding my way back though, and figured I'd share that process, since it might help other writers, maybe even you.ResearchOver the last year I've been researching San Francisco from 1850 to 1900. Most of the second book, Bodacious Creed and the Frisco Syndicate, will take place there. I read several books, did a ton of highlighting, and ended up with about sixteen pages of typed notes. San Francisco was crazy during those years and will make an amazing setting.Rediscovering My CharactersThe next step was figuring out what had changed in the world between the books and what each of the main characters was now up to.When writing a novel, I always think about what my characters' goals are, and what they'll do to achieve them. That inevitably leads to conflicts and ideas for scenes as the characters do what they would do, and their interactions lead to the story. So, I don't "plot" exactly. Plotting is telling characters what to do. I follow their lead.There is one caveat, however. A character might want something that leads him away from growth and the other characters. Yes, for any given book, I will have a general direction that I want the story to take. If an established character wants to take a boat to France when the story is taking place in Mexico, I need to put the right pressure on him to get him to decide to go to Mexico (or get kidnapped, or something similar). In either case, the character stays true to himself.It made sense to figure out what my characters actions were based on their desires between the books as well. I got a notebook and started writing down what each of the main characters wanted, and what they would do to get it. I had to know how this would lead to the majority of the story moving from Santa Cruz to San Francisco, how it would get the heroes entangled with the outlaws, and so on.In Their Own WordsThat worked well, but I needed something more. Over the last week, I've been writing journal entries for the major characters. This has been fun, and I highly recommend trying it, even if you're just stuck in the middle of a book. I'm learning what they have been up to for the past year, and how they feel about it. I'm discovering what they now want to do going forward, and getting a sense of what will motivate them.I have, so far, written entries for three major characters: the undead former U.S. marshal James "Bodacious" Creed, brothel madam and inventor Anna Lynn Boyd, and an outlaw whose name I will not mention here. They've let me know not only how their lives have gone over the last year, but how their world is changing thanks to the technological revolution taking place in their reality, in 1877.I'm now close to being ready to start writing the book itself. I still need to figure out the first few chapters. I still don't have some of the specifics nailed down, but I have good ideas, and my characters have hinted at things to come.I plan to have Bodacious Creed and the Frisco Syndicate out around April, 2020. Meanwhile, I'll keep you posted on how the process is going, and will share any insights that might help with your writing.Meanwhile, you can get the first book here:Bodacious Creed: a Steampunk Zombie Western

The PatternsI can hardly believe it's already July 1, 2018! The year is half over!I'm finishing up major research for Bodacious Creed and the Frisco Syndicate, the sequel to my popular novel Bodacious Creed: a Steampunk Zombie Western, and I plan to crank through the first draft before the end of the year. More on that shortly, though, as well as news about my latest giveaway.Let's start with two bold new patterns from Cosplay by McCall's. If you sew and do cosplay, I think you'll like these a lot!Copper MaidenOf all the McCall's patterns I've reviewed, this may be the most straight-up steampunk. Just take a look at the images. Add a hat with goggles and a pair of high boots, and this is steampunk all the way.The package contains the patterns for the top, bloomer (puffy shorts), and overskirt. The recommended materials include shantung, brocade, cotton sateen, netting, lace, twill, and others. Notions include eyelets, boning, and ribbons. Use metallic shads, like the copper color in the images, to ensure this has a steampunk feel. You could also robotic body paint and go as an 18th Century automaton for a really amazing cosplay.Copper Maiden sells for $15.95 and is rated easy, and was designed by Ichigo Black for Cosplay by McCall's.WastelanderThere's something inherently steampunk with Wastelander, too. Perhaps it's the browns, and perhaps it's the jacket style. Depending on the exact material colors you use, this could be an adventurer's jacket circa 1890 (in a steampunk reality), or something post-apocalyptic.The pattern is for the jacket, detachable sleeves, and gloves. You'll need synthetic leather and synthetic suede, as well as a variety of notions, like zippers, nippers, flexible braid, snaps, and buckles. If you want to make this even more steampunk, find snaps, buckles, and fasteners that match that aesthetic. You can always add goggles, a wrist compass, and invented gadgets as well.New Giveaway: Book and Dice!I'm running a new giveaway! Want a copy of the limited edition hardcover of Bodacious Creed: a Steampunk Zombie Western, my popular novel? The giveaway is running! The winner also get six Bodacious Creed dice.Here's what I'm talking about.Want a chance to win?Enter here!

My son and I were at Disney California Adventure today, and I picked up something he and I have been checking out for a long time, because it's awesome.It's no secret that my favorite ride at Disneyland is the Haunted Mansion, and my favorite of the 999 Grim Grinning Ghosts is the Hatbox Ghost. So, we got this, and are considering it my son's Father's Day gift to me.Yes, it's a sculpture of the Hatbox Ghost! You may remember that I wrote about this fellow back in May 2015 when he returned, after forty-five-ish years, to the Haunted Mansion. He was there for just long enough, in 1969, for cast members to see him in the ride, but his effect didn't work well back then. They simply didn't have the technology to make it look good.What is that effect? You see, his head is meant to vanish from his shoulders and appear in his hat box. Back then, visitors could see the head on his shoulders even when it shifted to be box, because the trick relied on turning off one light and turning on another. That's the best of my understanding, anyway. I was just eight days old at the time.Artist Jim Shore, who created this figure and many others that are available in California Adventure's Off the Page store, made sure that this Hatbox Ghost also has the head-switching feature. You can remove the face from the body and put it in the box!My son and I saw this first back in February and I knew I wanted one, so we waited for a special occasion, Father's Day, to get it. (My annual passport holder discount certainly helped.) The Hatbox Ghost now sits on a bookshelf, in the same general area as my many Funko Pop figures and steampunk items.If you think this is cool (and we both know that it is), I encourage you to check out Jim Shore's website to see more of his work. The next time you visit Disneyland, make sure to park hop to California Adventure and visit Off the Page. They have many other character figures, Christmas tree ornaments, books, mugs, and more. It's one of my favorite shops in the Magic Kingdom.Want to see what the Hatbox Ghost looks like in the Haunted Mansion? Here's a great video someone took shortly after his return.

BackgroundI love cards, from playing cards, to Tarot cards, to collectible card game cards. Back in 2007, I was working on a Tarot deck and wanted to sell copies. Back then, while print on demand was available for books, it wasn't for cards, so I would have had to order box loads and try to sell them.Printing has caught up though, and print on demand decks are a thing!I'm currently running an Indiegogo campaign for my next novel, Bodacious Creed and the Frisco Syndicate, to help pay for the editing and cover art, those expenses that we indie authors pay out of pocket to ensure our books are the highest quality. One of the rewards is a deck of custom cards for the novel, and I'll sign the package for each reward deck.Bodacious Creed: a Steampunk Zombie Western - Poker DeckI also decided to create a deck for the first book in the series, Bodacious Creed: a Steampunk Zombie Western, and had fun doing it. I designed each card from scratch, using images of the major characters that I created for the crowdfunding campaign.These are now available in my shop at MAKEPLAYINGCARDS.COM (MPC). If you're a fan of the novel and want some swag, or you love collecting playing cards like I do, you can now purchase a deck or two! You can also order them if you're a retailer and want to sell them, since the more you buy, the less you pay.Of course, if you like designing cards, too, I recommend using this site. I've ordered cards from them before and am really happy with their quality and reasonable prices.Here's a preview of every card in the deck: That's it for today. I'll have more fun posts coming soon!

The PatternsFor this report, we have three beautiful patterns, including the third in the Calista Knight series. Check this blog for my reviews of the previous two. These all work together to create a single, new-sew cosplay. We also have an elaborate dress and a magical hat/headpiece for your consideration.Calista Knight IIICalista Knight I is for a new-sew Amazonian breastplate and circlet, Calista Knight II adds a shoulder pauldron and horned headpiece, and this pattern, Calista Knight III, adds a bracer, hand armor, wrist armor, and shin guards. Ready to branch out into Worbla and to make some metalic-looking cosplay pieces? This is a great place to start.For this pattern, you'll again need some Worbla, a marking pen, sharp scissors or a craft night, plus a heat gun, plastic wrap, waxed paper, and other items covered on the pattern description. While heat-resistant gloves are optional, they're a good idea if you want to avoid burns.These pieces provide some great areas to add some steampunk flare. You could attach a compass or poecte watch to the bracer, and perhaps some curving wires along the shin guards. As always, use your imagination.Calista Knight III retails for $9.95 and was designed by Becka Noel for Cosplay by McCall's.In addition, you can purchase the set of three in a bundle for just $24.Nightfell HerbalistFor you advanced seamstresses and tailors, Cosplay by McCall's has Nightfell Herbalist, a dress in two parts: a jacket with mock corset and skirt with attached petticoat. The costume calls up images of haunted Victorian woods.Giving this a steampunk look should be the easiest part of making it. Use brown fabric with golden highlights, add goggles and a top hat, or add black leather pouches to the belt. Recently I saw a Victorian tea set carried on a belt. Something like that would work great.Nightfell Herbalist retails for $16.95, and was created by J. Hart Designs.HorneryIf you're looking for a magical headdress, this may be for you. Hornery gives you two headdresses with horns, and an additional drape that can be worn either of the others to fill out the look.The fabrics McCall's recommends for this include synthetic leather, iridescent crinkled organza, organza, and novelty sheers. You'll also need some notions, such as piping, sank buttons, and synthetic leather trim. The pattern includes all the details you need.The right colors could immediately give this a steampunk vibe. Browns are always good in steampunk, but you could combine that with black, silver, gold, or purple. Hornery sells for $14.95 and is considered an easy pattern.New Indiegogo Backer LevelAs you may know, I'm currently running an Indiegogo campaign to help with the publication of the next novel in my series, The Adventures of Bodacious Creed.The first novel, Bodacious Creed: a Steampunk Zombie Western is doing great. Readers love it, and it's selling well on Amazon and Audible. The Indiegogo is for the second book in the series, Bodacious Creed and the Frisco Syndicate.Several people have asked if they could back it and, for the physical rewards, get just the dice or poker cards. So, I created a tier just for that!At the $25 pledge level, backers get the following:Bodacious Creed: a Steampunk Zombie Western in ePub or Kindle formatBodacious Creed and the Frisco Syndicate in ePub or Kindle format on publicationA full sized jpeg of the wrap-around cover for Bodacious Creed and the Frisco Syndicate on publicationTheir name in the acknowledgements of the novelThe themed poker deck or a set of ten themed six-sided diceFor U.S. backers, the price includes shipping.Now's a great time to support the campaign! It has 21 days go to, and the goal is to raise $1,500, which will help me pay for the final cover art, and editing.Go here!https://igg.me/at/bodaciouscreed2

The Kickstarter is Dead, Long Live the IndiegogoAs I covered earlier, I was running a Kickstarter campaign for the sequel to my latest novel, Bodacious Creed: a Steampunk Zombie Western. The new novel, Bodacious Creed and the Frisco Syndicate, will take our undead hero to 1876 San Francisco after a dangerous crime boss.With just under six days to go, the Kickstarter clearly wasn't going to make its funding. That's the thing with Kickstarter, though. It's an all-or-nothing platform. If a campaign doesn't reach its funding goal, the creator gets nothing. Still, thirty-two people backed it for $1,510, so that's not too shabby!Whether the novel gets the full $3,500 in funding that I calculated I'll need to fulfill rewards, pay my editor, cover artist, and more, or whether it gets less, I'm still going to write and publish the book. If the funding I receive doesn't cover everything, I'll cover it out of pocket.Because of this, I realized that Indiegogowould be a better platform for it. There, even if it doesn't receive the full funding I'd like, I still get what it does get. I can fulfill the rewards and have money to put toward the services the finished draft will require.Here It Is So, here's the Indiegogo campaign!The rewards have been streamlined. They include various editions of the finished novel, the first novel in Kindle or ePub format (so you can get caught up before the new book comes out), plus custom six-sided dice, a custom deck of cards, and involvement in the finished novel.Check it out, and if you have any questions, send me a message!

The Kickstarter is Dead, Long Live the IndigogoAs I covered earlier, I was running a Kickstarter campaign for the sequel to my latest novel, Bodacious Creed: a Steampunk Zombie Western. The new novel, Bodacious Creed and the Frisco Syndicate, will take our undead hero to 1876 San Francisco after a dangerous crime boss.With just under six days to go, the Kickstarter clearly wasn't going to make it's funding. That's the thing with Kickstarter, though. It's an all-or-nothing platform. If a campaign doesn't reach its funding goal, the creator gets nothing. Still, thirty-two people backed it for $1,510, so that's not too shabby!Whether the novel gets the full $3,500 in funding that I calculated I'll need to fulfill rewards, pay my editor, cover artist, and more, or whether it gets less, I'm still going to write and publish the book. If the funding I receive doesn't cover everything, I'll cover it out of pocket.Because of this, I realized that Indigogowould be a better platform for it. There, even if it doesn't receive the full funding I'd like, I still get what it does get. I can fulfill the rewards and have money to put toward the services the finished draft will require.Here It Is So, here's the Indigogo campaign!The rewards have been streamlined. They include various editions of the finished novel, the first novel in Kindle or ePub format (so you can get caught up before the new book comes out), plus custom six-sided dice, a custom deck of cards, and involvement in the finished novel.Check it out, and if you have any questions!send me a message!

The FunYesterday, my son and I went to our second Wild West Steam Fest! This event takes place yearly at the Heritage Museum of Orange County. It’s exactly what it sounds like: a Wild West steampunk gathering with music and other performances, panels, vendors, and a lot of wonderful people. The Heritage Museum of Orange County is an outdoor venue that includes one upper middle class home, The Kellogg House, that has been preserved as it was in 1898, a gift shop, a smithy, and several other buildings used for meetings and panels. You'll find orange trees and other foliage providing shade (which was much-needed during this year's 95 degree heat). It ran from 11:00 am until 7:00 pm, though Clark and I left shortly after 5:00 pm, as the event was winding down.Rather than take you through our day step by step, I'll share the highlights with pictures and videos. The links will allow you to discover groups and people in the steampunk community who may catch your interest.Many performances take place on the main stage, which is a white gazebo. Acts there included Bank of Harmony, a barbershop quartet that performed modern tunes in old-timey fashion, from Sia to Def Lepard, and some classics as well. Their bass later rhapsodized, musically speaking, on the piano.By the picnic tables we found Dr. Deamon Diapson playing piano. This is also near the smithy. He delighted us with tunes like Daydream Believer and Grim Grinning Ghosts, and was surprised when I recognized both tunes, especially the latter. His rendition of Grim Grinning Ghosts, the theme song from my favorite Disney ride, The Haunted Mansion, was a little different, so it did take me a bit to figure it out. Honestly, I hope I can find his version of it somewhere. It was awesome.Here, you can watch and listen to him playing So Long Frank Lloyd Wright by Simon and Garfunkel. Check my YouTube channel for the other two songs he performed that I set to video.We had a look around at the vendor booths, where we found lots of hats and goggles, various steampunk-style guns, books, jewelry, aromatherapy products, and more. All are a testament to the creativity and maker-spirit that fill the steampunk community.I found my friend and fellow steampunk author Michelle E. Lowe, who had a table where she and her friend, Miss Elaneous, were selling various steampunk goods. These included Michelle’s Legacynovel series. I have the second book on my Kindle, so I traded her a copy of Bodacious Creed: a Steampunk Zombie Western for the first in her series, titled simply, Legacy. The edition is beautiful. I love the cover, and I'm looking forward to reading it.Tara from Gear Oils sells a variety of aromatherapy and other products. I tried her Gentleman's Beard Balm, which smells of sandalwood and feels great. It helps moisturize the skin and keep beard hair from getting bristly. Here products are very reasonably priced, so check out her shop on Etsy!Another fun vendor is Gears & Roebuck, run by Mark and Shannon Hoage. My son loved their stuff. They take toys and masks and turn them into steampunk versions. This is the heart of what steampunk is in the maker community, taking found or purchased objects and re-imagining them. Clark tried on a variety of their masks, including Kylo Ren's helmet, Cast-Iron Man, steampunk Spider-Man, Darth Vader, and more. He also had fun checking out the prop guns, made from water pistols and the like.Family Creations Presents: A Link in Time had a table set up where kids could make their own medals for free. My son got to do that. They sell "Handcrafted Jewelry & Chainmaille," and have lots of gorgeous designs. They're well-worth checking out!One surprise highlight of my day came when I chatted with the Faro dealer. Yes, you could play Faro at Wild West Steam Fest! Anyway, I learned that he has played a host on Westworld, one of my absolutely favorite shows. In a few scenes, he's the Faro dealer. His name is Pico Pistolero, and you should look him up.In the Quilting House, right behind Pico Pistolero, we got to catch a screening of the steampunk short, Love in the Age of Steam, staring Genevieve Levin. It was exceptional, especially considering they had no budget and everyone worked pro-bono. The film also featured my friend Nathan Seekerman, who, along with the Star Wars Steampunk Universe, does great charity work.A couple of my favorite cosplayers at the event were Jessica Puertas and Adam Dollins, who create masks, costumes, props, and more. You can reach them at (adam dot dgdollins at yahoo dot com), or (rjump88 at gmail dot com). We also enjoyed watching SwingShift SideShow, a circus duo that has appeared on America's Got Talent. Their performance involved sword swallowing and internal organ repositioning (don't try either of these at home!).We didn't even see half of what was going on! If you'd like to know more about Wild West Steam Fest, visit the event website.The BusinessSince I'm a steampunk author, an event like this is, for me, half about having fun and being around like-minded people, and half about business. Even the business part is mostly fun!This year, I wanted to promote my current Kickstarter, which is to help fund the Bodacious Creed and the Frisco Syndicate, the sequel to my popular novel, Bodacious Creed: a Steampunk Zombie Western.I came prepared, with the real deck of cards you see on the right. On the back is an advertisement for the Kickstarter.Several people commented on how they loved this marketing idea, and that they were interested in learning more about the book.My friend Jamie, Director of Social Enterprise at the Heritage Museum of Orange County, wanted to support me, so she put a copy of Bodacious Creed: a Steampunk Zombie Western in the gift shop. That way, they could let people know I was at the event and selling copies, and I did sell two, so not bad. They actually ordered copies from the distributor for the gift shop, but those hadn't arrived yet.Back to the cards, I managed to give most of them away, and left the remaining cards at the register in the shop, with permission, so visitors can see them and grab one. The Kickstarter has just nine days left, and still needs more funding to complete successfully! If it doesn't make the full $3,500, which I will need to be able to pay my cover artist, editor, narrator, and have a little extra for research, I won't get anything. That's how Kickstarter works. So, if you've been waiting to back it, now's the time! Go there now.I got to met a lot of amazing people, learn about products I may order later to complete my and my son's cosplays, get a book, and have a fantastic time. I recommend this event to anyone interested in the Wild West and steampunk, and who lives in Orange or LA Counties. You'll have a blast.