Book Tuesday with Teagan

Hello and welcome to Book Tuesday. I have the pleasure of introducing a good blogging buddy of mine this week: Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene. She has been visiting many bloggers’pages over the past few days, spreading the exciting news about her new book. If you’ve been lucky enough to follow her blog, you’ll know that she is the queen of pantser writing. Her unique 1920’s based stories take her readers to a forgotten era, serving a delicious mix of home made recipes to tantalise readers as they delve into her stories. 

Without further ado, I’ll let her do the talking!

Announcing the Launch of
Murder at the Bijou — Three Ingredients I

Introducing the second “three things” serial, in novel form — Murder at the Bijou — Three Ingredients I.

Yes, that’s the cover. (I love making covers!) I kept it similar to the one for the first serial, The Three Things Serial Story, but with different 1920s photos.

For those of you who are not familiar with my blog serials…

Ages ago I developed a writing exercise. I asked friends to give me three completely random things. Then I would write until I had mentioned all the things. I brought that exercise to my blog (Teagan’s Books), but I had the readers send me their things. I let the random things drive every detail of a serial story, setting, plot, and characters. That resulted in The Three Things Serial Story, which gave birth to this culinary mystery. However, this time the “things” are food related — or ingredients.

About the Book

As with the first serial, Murder at the Bijou — Three Ingredients I is a spontaneously written, pantser story. I wrote by the seat of my pants and let the “ingredients” readers sent each week drive a new serial story. This is the “bookized” version of that serial.

This time the Jazz Age setting is Savannah, Georgia where our flapper, Pip, is “sentenced” to live with her grandmother and learn to cook. Pip gets caught up in a layered mystery that includes bootleggers, G-men, and the varied challenges of being a young woman in changing times. She meets new friends, including some animal characters.

If you have not read The Three Things Serial Story, be warned. This adventure contains a bit of a spoiler, but does not go into detail about it.

Murder at the Bijou — Three Ingredients I is available through and Amazon and Create Space. If you don’t have a Kindle, Amazon also offers a free app that will let you read Kindle books on your computer or other device. The purchase links are below. But first, here’s a snippet.

In my imagination, a young Lucille Ball would play Pip.

Excerpt

Rutabaga Limbo

Either I woke up feeling horribly nauseated, or the queasiness woke me. I’m not sure which. I opened my eyes to complete darkness. There was no light, no sound. The way my stomach tossed reminded me of a small boat on the ocean. It was as if I sailed in a lightless limbo.

Oh… that was a bad train of thought to have with an unsettled belly.

Think of something else! Anything else, I told myself.

I stood unsteadily. The sound of a cricket came to me. Good. The utter silence had been very disturbing. I became aware of the cool moist earth beneath my palms.

Where the Sam Hill was I?

I sat back on my heels, focusing all my senses. My eyes might as well have been closed — it was that dark. Bare ground was beneath me. The air had a musty odor. A sickly sweet scent clung to my bobbed hair.

The cricket’s chirping was the only sound. Still sitting, I turned. My eyes widened and strained, trying to see in that heavy darkness. When I looked up I was rewarded with the sight of a thin line of pink light.

The faint glow allowed me to see vague outlines a few feet away. I stumbled over something and stooped down to let my hands figure out what it was. I felt a burlap bag and round lumps. Rutabagas? I felt around and found another bag. That one felt like potatoes. I moved closer to the wall and a tall shape. Yes, a ladder, my questing hands confirmed for my still foggy brain.

Gazing up at the line of pinkish light I realized I was in a root cellar.

But how did I get there?

***

Purchase Links

Amazon USA

Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Bijou-Teagan-Riordain-Geneviene/dp/1974544273/ref=la_B00HHDXHVM_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1502806322&sr=1-4

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Bijou-Teagan-Riordain-Geneviene-ebook/dp/B074S5ZK7L/ref=la_B00HHDXHVM_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1502806322&sr=1-3

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-Bijou-Teagan-Riordain-Geneviene-ebook/dp/B074S5ZK7L/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1502806519&sr=1-1&keywords=murder+at+the+bijou

And https://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-Bijou-Teagan-Riordain-Geneviene/dp/1974544273/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1502806519&sr=1-2&keywords=murder+at+the+bijou

Amazon Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/Murder-Bijou-Three-Ingredients-English-ebook/dp/B074S5ZK7L/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502806623&sr=8-1&keywords=teagan+geneviene

Author Bio

Image by Chris Graham

Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene, a southerner by birth, was “enchanted” by the desert southwest of the USA when she moved there. Now a resident of a major east coast city, she longs to return to those enchanting lands.

Teagan had always devoured fantasy novels of every type. Then one day there was no new book readily at hand for reading — so she decided to write one. And she hasn’t stopped writing since.

Her work is colored by her experiences in both the southern states and the southwest. Teagan most often writes in the fantasy genre, but she also writes 1920s stories and Steampunk. Her blog “Teagan’s Books” contains serial stories written according to “things” from viewers.

You can also visit me at:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Teagan-Riordain-Geneviene/e/B00HHDXHVM
Twitter: https://twitter.com/teagangeneviene
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeagansBooks
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/teagangeneviene/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoM-z7_iH5t2_7aNpy3vG-Q
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teagangeneviene

Thanks for joining me and please remember, reviews help authors! Have a great Tuesday. 

The Adventurous Four: Search for the Amoulean Staff

For the first chapter, please click here.

CHAPTER TWO

The Adventurous Four: Search for the Amoulean Staff

CHAPTER ONE

#Fairies, #Myths, & #Magic Author Spotlight Guest Posts – “The Adventurous Four: Search for the Amoulean Staff,” by Eloise De Sousa

Colleen has me in her spotlight!

Monday Coffee

It’s been a while since I’ve written a coffee post. The holidays have been packed with fun and loads of binge eating, so I’ve been pretty occupied. Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten you all. You’ve been my constant source of entertainment and excellent reading material.

Recently Colleen offered to promote my site and work, asking only for a short story linked to fairies, mythical creatures or fantasy. Of course, I took up the challenge and started writing a story based on my sprogs’ adventures in the forest next to our house. It is filled with places where trolls have tramped, goblins have mixed potions and fairies have driven out the underworld threatening to encroach on the life and happiness. Yup, the writing hasn’t stopped.

So, grab your cup and I’m going to give you the first glimpse of the beginning of my story, The Adventurous Four: Search for the Amoulean Staff.

Rabattan glared into the smoky darkness. His green eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “I hope your stay with us will be…comfortable, my queen!” he sneered.

Hazel eyes peered back at him from beyond the icy bars. Queen Sarafina bit her tongue, refusing to rise to his insolent baiting. She had been captured by the trolls only that morning, succumbing to their bile as they led her back to their lair under the roots of the acorn tree in South Meadow. It was better this way. Her kingdom would remain safe for, as long as the trolls thought they were in power, and it would give her secret plan time to unfold.

She smiled, drawing closer to the frozen stalactites keeping her prisoner. Her fingers curled around their icy points as the prison guard’s greeny pupils expanded in fear. “Enjoy your moment, Rabattan, for I shall certainly revel in your hospitality.” A gentle growl emanated from the back of her throat. She smirked as he took another tentative step back. Her reputation for being a bit of a hot head had obviously reached far below the earth’s surface to the habitants of the underworld. Their audacity to try and capture her meant that all the tribes had agreed to take action against the sun dwellers of South Meadow. The fairies, gnomes and goblins who had co-existed in peace for centuries were now under threat.

Time was running out for their serene existence as the underworld dwellers grew tired of living on grubs and scrambling through the darkness, separating roots for their homes and digging endless tunnels that collapsed more regularly than the sugar fairies fell from honeysuckle flowers.

Desperate footsteps scrambling towards the prison broke her train of thought and the sight of one of the moles from the northern heath shocked her. Had they joined with the trolls too?

“Lord Rabattan, I have an urgent message for you from Prince Grotchen,” the little creature whispered, his eyes searching for the prisoner now hidden in the shadows.

“What is it?”

“Umm, he said to come to his aid right away, sir.”

Rabattan scowled. Prince Grotchen wasn’t capable of wiping his insectile rear end without asking for assistance. If it wasn’t for his princely status, Rabattan would have rid himself of the pesky prince a long time ago. But his presence was necessary to keep the factions together, for now. He ushered the little mole back up the earthen steps lit only by a sliver of light filtering past the roots of the old tree from above and followed him through the narrow passageways up to a wide hall surrounded by trellis shoots and packed earth.

Making an elaborate bow he extended his green, spotted arm to the king. He walked up to the throne and awaited further instruction from the snake-like figure sitting in the large, woven willow chair.

Prince Grotchen watched his strongest general approach and sighed. If only Rabattan held a little more respect for him, he could keep him on in his services. As it stood, his spies had informed him of his general’s plot to remove him from power and take the throne for himself. That would not do. Their alliance with the other underworld kingdoms was tentative at best, and he refused to allow anything to scupper their chances of winning the foretold war against the sun dwellers. His thin lips formed a semblance of a smile and he gazed at the general, keeping him waiting for longer than was necessary.

“Get rid of him,” he grimaced.

Surprised by the turn of events, Rabattan watched the approaching troll soldiers and panicked. Courtiers to the prince stood back, their bug eyes reflecting the shiny leaves and acorn caps used by the soldiers. A small door stood slightly ajar to the left of the throne. There was his escape. He leapt forward, taking the first two guards by surprise as his landed with a hard thud on their oversized heads. The crunch was unpleasant but there was no time to think. With a swoop, he swung his spear (a sharpened bamboo shoot with a granite stone tip) at the prince, who screamed and scrambled up the back of his throne. His praying mantis body twisted and the darkened green wings caught on the sharp sticks, holding him captive.

“Don’t just stand there, stop him!”

Too late. The guards gave chase as Rabattan disappeared behind the door, slamming it shut in their faces.

I hope you enjoyed the little snippet and the coffee. When you get a chance, visit Colleen’s page where you will meet her wonderful fairies and don’t forget to download her book, a perfect page turner for the whole family.

Have a great Monday!

Monday Midnight Tea

Hello and welcome to Wildmoor Heath. We have to be quiet so as not to upset the locals. Their bushy tails and gleaming eyes are barely visible in the surrounding darkness, but we know that they are out there, somewhere.
Do be careful as you enter the den. The children made it today and spent quite a few hours finding the branches and twigs to create the little  hideout. In case you’re wondering what it looked like during the day, below is a picture of the finished product. 

Right! Now that you’re settled on the purple blanket, I’ll make some tea from the flasks we’ve carried up here with us. One lump of sugar or two? Sorry, no milk tonight – too much weight!

After we’ve had our tea and a packet of crisps (kindly packed by my youngest Sprog), let’s go for a walk in the rest of the forest and see what we can find. 

Earlier this evening, we spotted fireflies on the heath; a most spectacularly sight as I’ve never seen one before. The moment was spoilt as Henry decided to eat each one as it lit up! Needless to say we had to move along swiftly to avoid exterminating the few fireflies left. 
If you’re up for a little adventure, we could take the path leading through the red barked conifers. It’s so silent there, you can hear your heartbeat and flutter of your eye lashes. Further on, the stench of swampy water is a clear warning to watch your step in the darkness. If you miss the signs, Henry will remind you as he loves to take a dip in the stinkiest bog and shake himself close to you. So beware.

Once we’ve had our walk and return to the den, we can use our torchlight to make shadow puppets and animals until it’s time for bed. Fierce competition will arise between those that can create the perfect kangaroo and bear. Whomever wins getting bragging rights and the first share of the slab of chocolate. 

You look as though you’ve nearly finished your tea. I’ll pack up the rest of the things and we can start the evening’s adventures. 

I’m so glad you’re here to experience it with me. The kids loved it as the first activity for their summer holidays. I hope you do too! 

Book Tuesday

Hello and welcome to Book Tuesday. Pull up a chair because we have a humdinger of a book this week.

Pic courtesy of Pan-Macmillan Books

Today’s focus is going to be on a children’s book written by an author who has been awarded numerous awards for her outstanding books.  Her name is Eva Ibbotson and the book we will share today is Journey to the River Sea.

Now I stumbled across this book in the school library and I was pushed to reading it with the Book Club because we had spare copies and that meant no-one had to buy the club book. Apparently it was a class reader once upon a time. Some of the children had already read Journey to the River Sea but they managed to convince the rest  of the members that the book was so wonderful, it was worth reading again. Straight away I could sense there was something special about it.

The story follows the life of an orphan called Maia, who is sent to live with her estranged uncle and aunt on a rubber plantation in Brazil, near the Amazon river. With hopes of finding herself a new loving family and twin cousins to call sisters, she embarks on the voyage with a rather stern governess who has a love of books that surpasses most things. Of course, the twisty tale takes us to a place where lies melt beneath the heat of the jungle and the true reason behind the request for Maia to live with her long lost relatives becomes apparent.

What I loved most about this book was the way Eva Ibbotson created characters that literally jumped off the page and into my heart. The setting brought to life vivid creatures from the Amazon and a life that most children could only dream of as an escape from the mundane. Danger is never far off and the promise of adventure is around every corner of the story, sending the reader on a journey down the river to a place where, hopefully, Maia finds true happiness. Not only did one root for the main character but each supporting role, whether protagonist or otherwise, as each evoked great emotion within the reader.

We are completing a chapter a week in our Book Club and the pressure is mounting to read faster to find out what happens next. To see the children enjoying the challenge of the book as well as listening to further explanation about some aspects of the culture of the people or the language used gives us ample opportunity to chew over the delicious details of this story.

If you are looking for a good read for your child and are stumped to find something that includes adventure, excitement, sadness and honest-to-goodness fantastic writing/vocabulary/grammar/punctuation (I fear a lot of the modern ‘fun’ books have forgotten good grammar), then this is the book for your child and you!

Click on the link below to order your copy of Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotsun.

 

Book Tuesday

Hi and welcome to Book Tuesday.

For most of today, I have been posting reblogs of snippets from other bloggers promoting authors and their latest books. My little book corner has been rather quiet over the past weeks because of my house move and lack of time to read the wonderful array of books I have waiting on my kindle. Since I am in the middle of a book, I thought I would share my view of the story so far.

At the moment, I am reading a book by David Archer called Code Name: Camelot. The plot follows Noah Foster, a man who is put on death row for killing the men in his army unit during a mission in Afghanistan. Now you might think it’s an ordinary story about a murderer and the main protagonist is his JAG lawyer, Lieutenant Mathers; a woman who is willing to fight for what is right even when the decks are stacked against her. As she fights to find a solid alibi for Noah Foster, she finds out that one of the murdered soldiers happens to be the United States Congressman’s son who is currently running for president, making the chances of her winning her case more remote than igloos in Egypt. But that’s not all!

The author, David Archer, has made his main character have a condition where he has no emotional stimulus, a figure who has to evaluate the reactions of others and measure the moral balance of how to engage with them through logic and mimicking those around him. His main defense for the murders is down to the fact that he acted in the most logical manner when witnessing his fellow officers commit crimes against humanity.

I still have a way to go to finish the book, but I am excited to say that I do not think I will be disappointed. The action moves swiftly enough to engage a reader without boring them with too many details (well, in my case, because I have so little time to read, I need to get to the crunch faster!) Noah has just had his death faked and he is now joining a government agency that targets certain individuals who need to be eliminated for the good of mankind. I am hoping for a good twist amidst the chaos and a bit of a romantic interlude thrown into the mix.

Once I have finished the book, I will give a more thorough analysis of how well the book behaves towards the end.

Watch this space!

If you would like to join me in reading David Archers, Code Name: Camelot, click on the link below to order your copy. Let me know what you think of the story.

 

Book Tuesday

Welcome to Book Tuesday. 

Monday Coffee…or wine!

The fan is on again.  This morning was freezing cold but now the house feels like a sauna.  So much for the end of summer!

Hi! Shimmy closer and enjoy the heat while it lasts.  Fancy a glass of wine instead of a hot beverage? I’m feeling lazy today and have decided to enjoy my Monday Coffee with you in front of the television watching Grand Designs.  I’m a bit obsessed with the show and hope to one day build my own dream home.  I have to admit, that dream seems to be slipping away as time goes by.  Did I mention that I am not a very patient person? The dream seems to be fragmenting into other smaller dreams, which we are enjoying and pursuing whenever finances allow.

One of my personal dreams was to visit the Cheddar Gorge, which I did over the summer holidays.  I am still enthralled by the photos I took in the caves and was pleasantly surprised at the clarity.

I hope to visit King Arthur’s Labrynth in Wales. I’m not sure if it is the same place but apparently, there are caves in Wales which have trampolines in them!

What dreams to you have for the future?  I’m sure I’ve asked this before.  The beauty of the question is that dreams are ever-changing, ever-growing and we tend to change them as circumstances around us evolve. So, what is your dream?  I dream of visiting Australia and the United States.  Europe would be fantastic, but I think I would prefer to try living there over a period of time.  There is not enough time in this world to do everything, but I shall certainly try to do as much as I can before the Grim Reaper calls.

Speaking of Grim Reapers, have you read my book, One Month To Live? It’s a paranormal short story about a girl whose mother who has one month to live.  Sounds a bit simple, but it has a few twists here and there.  My character seems to have a certain affiliation with the Reapers in the story and doesn’t take too kindly to one visiting her mother.  Then again, she doesn’t take too kindly to most things.

I find it hard to describe this book because it is so quirky and short.  I always fear that someone will choose it over my other books and judge my writing according to that book.  Let’s just call it my black sheep of the book family! If your interest is peaked, click on the pic below to download your copy.

“Five years I had waited for this day to come. Five years. At last, my mother was going to die!”

You’ll probably finish it in half an hour! Plenty of time for me to top up your wine glass and fetch some lovely Cheddar cheese from Cheddar and salty crackers. Once you’ve finished reading it, write me a review.  It will be interesting to see what you think of it. Right, here’s your glass; have a cracker with some cheese and I’ll wait for you to finish.  In the meantime, I’m going to research Scandinavian self-builds again.