Photo by Genine Alyssa Pedreno-Andrada
Who says you can’t have the best of both worlds and be passionate about them throughout your life?
Let’s ask Stephen Lloyd Auslender, author of The Streamlined Locomotive. This gripping book follows the story of Theopolis P. Bezelbottom. The main character is caught up in a twist of frequent heir warfare. You guessed it – the man is rich with massive wealth to spare. In The Streamlined Locomotive, however, the author narrows it down to the familial dynamics surrounding the grapple for money and power.
As an individual with rich life experiences, Stephen got the idea to write about what it means to maintain relationships while expanding one’s power and influence. These aspects alone are hard to deal with, especially in a steam locomotive novel. Furthermore, it’s common knowledge that wealth comes with problems, too. One of them is losing trust, even with one’s family members.
The Streamlined Locomotive deals with the unhinged antagonism among people with blood relations. Apart from the conflict, Theo faces challenges that would put his wealth and status at risk.
Stephen and the Streamlined Locomotive
For over fifty years, Stephen taught mechanical design and sculpture. As a professional in two fields, Stephen essentially lived many lives while wearing different hats.
Stephen Lloyd Auslender was a graduate of industrial design and was a mechanical designer for a time. However, after profoundly reflecting on his life, the author pursued his surrealist visions in sculpture. He got a Master of Fine Arts degree and a doctorate in creative arts. Stephen has retired from the mechanical and educational fields and is busy sculpting and writing.
For the author, life is a complex series of tragedy and comedy. His personal views reflect heavily on The Streamlined Locomotive story, where the entire family is in a power struggle. Stephen’s creative writing skills have propelled him to weave the figments of his imagination together. With his knowledge of mechanical design and fine art, Stephen reels in a twisted tale of how blood is sometimes thicker than water.
Rather than a dramatic tale of infighting among the wealthy, Stephen Lloyd Auslender wants to redirect the readers’s attention to something else. As the scion of a powerful family that helped boost the country’s railroads, Theo struggles to keep his public influence afloat. Moreover, he is also under pressure to satisfy the expectations of the various hierarchies of the family.
The Turbulence of Being in A Mile-High Family Status
Stephen highlights how Theo grasps the reality he’s in. Despite the rich experience of lying around in money, serious responsibilities accompany it. Keeping the status quo is even more stressful than working towards living the good life. So with The Streamlined Locomotive novel, it’s good to be reminded not to let others determine individual self-worth.
The book hints at Theo’s tendency to go down the people-pleaser route to keep the patriarchy in check. Apart from that, Theo still wants to live for himself by trying to achieve a comfortable life where things are easy. But there’s also the thing with appeasing those above him within the family, which ultimately determines his fate.
Life is a constant rollercoaster of building your identity and balancing family expectations and personal goals. It’s not easy, but by following Theo’s story in The Streamlined Locomotive, we get a better grip on what it means to be a genuine human being. Furthermore, the book emphasizes how crucial family support is since they’re the closest to us in many ways.
Stephen’s experiences as a mechanical designer and artist are intricately woven into every page of The Streamlined Locomotive. If you find this book relatable, don’t hesitate to grab a copy right away and enjoy the imaginative endeavor of this author!
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