According to Wikipedia, “Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction and speculative fiction, frequently featuring elements of fantasy, that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used – usually the 19^th century and often Victorian era England – but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date.

For more than twenty years West Canvia and Lemuria have battled one another in a constant war. From the safety of his laboratory, weapons designer Thomas Riley has cleverly and proudly empowered the West Canvian forces with his brilliant designs. But when a risky alchemy experiment goes horribly wrong, Thomas and his wily assistant, Cynthia Bassett, are thrust onto the front lines of battle. Forced into shaky alliances with murderous sky pirates in a deadly race to kidnap the only man who can undo the damage—the mad genius behind Lemuria’s cunning armaments—Thomas’ own genius is put to the ultimate test.

Nick Valentino’s evolution of writing started with music. Residing in Nashville Tennessee, his background is a curious mix of music, history and the love of all things artistic. Graduating from Belmont University with a BA in History, he played in touring bands for most of his adult life writing volumes of lyrics along the way. It was then that he discovered a love for storytelling.

Inspired by his intense intrigue with history, his travels around the world and the throngs of steampunk enthusiasts around the nation, Valentino wrote the Alternative History/Science Fiction novel, Thomas Riley. As a pop culture fanatic, Valentino is constantly involved with the new and fresh things that life has to offer. While sometimes hard to label, readers will always find something fun and a little out of the ordinary.

To read more about Thomas Riley and Nick Valentino, visit Sir Thomas Riley.  Nick will be signing books at ShadowCon this weekend, January 8th and 9th.