Four of the author's novels are set in a Steampunk world. So what is this thing called "Steampunk"? Merriam Webster defines it this way:
Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction and fantasy, and a broader aesthetic/subculture, that reimagines the 19th-century Victorian era or American "Wild West" by incorporating advanced, imaginative steam-powered technology. It blends historical, romanticized settings with futuristic inventions like airships and intricate brass gadgets, often emphasizing a DIY ethos, craftsmanship, and a, "retro-futuristic", ,style,.
Top hats, caped coats, clothing styles reminiscent of the Victorian era. Goggles over top hats, and steam powered vehicles of all sorts. Actually, with the absence of petrol fueled machinery. Flying lighter than air airships, the great Zeppelins, and all sorts of mechanical devices and machinery. Mechanical gears, clocks and other fanciful technical trappings are common.
The geography and even the political structure of this world can be different from ours as well. It is, to narrow down the definition a bit, an alternative world. If our world had followed a different technology path than ours. And all technology built on the foundation of steam power.
Much of the popular Steampunk literature and art forms emphasize it within a military framework. Great battles incorporating huge flying battle stations or airships. But that is limiting it's appeal as a literary setting. A fictional world styled as Steampunk can be much more like the world we actually live in. The people who make up such a world can be as real in their humanity as we are.
The setting can be within a peaceful world where the story is more character oriented. In other words, it can become literary. That has been author Dan Dooley's intent in the creation of a world where technology, geography, and certainly dress styles differ from what we know, but the people within the stories are very much relatable to us in every way.