A Steampunk at 50

All my life, I've looked forward to being a crazy old lady. Now don't get me wrong--I'm not saying I'm there YET. But these last few months have brought about some changes in my life. One was turning 50. The other was becoming a grandmother. Although I'm usually assumed to be younger than I am, whether due to my height, my baby face, or just my attitude, I've been viscerally reminded that time does, indeed, march on. After much contemplation, I've decided--what the hell! I'm going into my second half century as determined to have fun as I was when I was a kid.

Getting older can and usually does mean more responsibility. But it can also mean a certain amount of freedom. There's a little more income than there once was, and the kids are old enough to be left on their own for as long as we feel like leaving them. So in this last year, not only have I hit two major life milestones, I've also opened myself up to all new ways of having fun, and yes, I'm having a blast, thank you very much!

Between steampunk events--a natural outgrowth of my work on the Gaslight Chronicles, and increasing our involvement in local Renaissance, and yes, pirate events, my spouse and I have almost every weekend this summer booked with activities designed for nothing more than good friends, good music, good costumes, and most of all, good fun.

We're among the older crowd at many of these events, but by no means the only ones on the far side of 50. It's a crowd where any occupation can mingle with any other, and ethnicity, education level, and yes, even age, are relatively unimportant. Friendliness, creativity, and a willingness to be silly are vital. And that, this steampunk Grammy and Granddad have in spades.

Just for some icing on my 50-candle cake, I also reached another golden milestone last month. I made my 50th sale--actually, #s 49, 50, and 51, with Carina's acquisition of two more Gaslight Chronicle novels and a novella. All will be scheduled for 2014, but I haven't given up hope of getting something else out this year. And if you're on Facebook, please stop by my new Gaslight Chronicles page. We'll be chatting there about steampunk and other things. And if you're in the Detroit area over Memorial Day Weekend, come look for me at Up in the Aether--the Steampunk Convention. That promises to be a load of fun--no matter how old you are. You're never too old to play dress up!