Steampunk book: "Donuts of Doom" Released!

I'm lucky enough to be a part of a writer's critique group that is absolutely fantastic! There is a large variety of types of writers and genres. One of my favorite writers also manages the group and his manuscript he was sharing with us, "Donuts of Doom" had me laughing and entering a world that was magical and steampunk, witty and spooky. Like a child at her parent's knee waiting for more installments, I waited to hear it all the way to the end. Although he is meticulously gifted at plotting and grammar, his real hallmarks are his witty dialogue, fast pacing, quirky characters and situations.

I am proud to say that M.E. Brines has published it on Smashwords and is out on Kindle and Nook, as well. This can be read on your computer or other devices quite easily.

He is an even more prolific writer than myself with nonfiction and fiction and many free published works so you can get a taste for his talent.

I asked him a few questions because I wanted to pick the brain of this very intelligent and quirky writer:

AUTUMN: What sorts of subjects/genres do your write about? Nonfiction?

M.E.: Philosophy, spiritual and occult subjects with 17 titles published, plus several more in various stages of preparation. Also one cook book, that does better than any of the weird ones. Go figure. In fiction, I have three published e-novels - The Four Horsemen (fantasy), Donuts of Doom (steampunk) and Maitre'd to the Damned (contemporary paranormal suspense), also The Spear of Destiny (a historical paranormal novella). Also, role-playing game articles in Challenge magazine and The Traveller Chronicle, a short vampire story in Midnight Times, another paranormal story in The Outer Darkness, several steampunk and urban fantasy stories in Tales of the Talisman, and a couple steampunk stories in The Willows magazine (no longer in print, sadly).

Autumn: What influences your writing the most? Your life events? People you know? Asking "what if?"

M.E.: All of those, actually. I've always liked to ask "what if" and I've been interested in the occult from an early age. History and philosophy kind of go together with that. I like people and it fascinates me how they believe all sorts of weird things. I want to know - why? Can those things really be true? And why do people believe in them if they aren't?

Autumn: If you could take one of your works and see it go to film or video game, which would it be and why?

M.E.: I don't know. I am a firm believer in the ability of Hollywood to screw up a good book making it into a movie. Raymond Chandler (a famous noir mystery writer of the 40's) wrote a hilariously bitter essay about what they did to his books back then. That said, I try to write my fiction as if it were a movie playing in the reader's head. I try to set the mood (often noir) almost like using camera angles and I cut the chapter at the end of the "scene." Readers often comment on how the dialogue sounds so real - I'm just reporting the movie playing in my own head. That I so often write about cults, conspiracies and horror should give you some idea what's going on up there.

That may not answer your question - although I have had readers comment that The Spear of Destiny reads like a combination of the video game Castle Wolfenstein and the Indiana Jones movies. Raiders of the Lost Ark was a great influence on me, that and a book about the Maurice Spear (also titled The Spear of Destiny) and the writings of HP Lovecraft. It freaked me out when I discovered the weird occult books and cults in his stories weren't fictional. That opened up a whole new world....

Autumn: I know you'll get as involved in the plot as I did and sucked right in. I have to admit that this particular writer has caught my interest and for a very unpredictable gal, I must say that waiting to see what he comes up with next has me all atwitter. Here's the description of his new release "Donuts of Doom":


In a world where pastry is a controlled substance and a layer cake is considered a weapon of mass destruction, one lone figure stands ready, rolling pin in hand, to strike a blow for frosting and freedom.

Prin is an orphaned dwarf raised by humans. He flees a HealthWatch raid on his parent’s bakery that leaves his stepfather dead and his stepmother sentenced to the treadmill.

Accompanied by a disreputable “wizard” with dubious powers, a gnome with an anger management problem and the village idiot and his loyal and incontinent dog, Prin begins a whimsical journey through a steampunk world of airship pirates, steam cannon, traction trains, clockwork horses, amorous windup robots, vast herds of porcuswine, cannibalistic munchkins, dwarf armies, stoned elves, people who hate clowns, and a fat man on a bicycle.

Through battles, plots and counter-plots, a hint of sorcery, and numerous pastries, can a young baker with a shadowy past discover the recipe to overturn mad Doctor Travaculus and give people back their just desserts? Find out in The Donuts of Doom!

The Donuts of Doom is in the same category as much of the writing of Terry Pratchett and James P. Blaylock. It deals with serious issues in a humorous and whimsical manner. And did I mention recipes? Recipes for all the cookies, biscuits, hotcakes, pies and donuts mentioned in the book are provided in an appendix.