David and I are at the bar, awaiting Teagan R. Geneviene’s visit. I wasn’t worried about Linda Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday and Just-Jot-it-January prompt, until she made it possible to pick up some bonus points. The post below the line can’t be used because it was edited so much as to be pockmarked with multi-colored ink from Track Changes mode in Word. So, I need to see if I can pack all five prompt words into this opening paragraph. I still have two to go, but puck makes me think of hockey. Hockey makes me think of Pittsburgh (as in Penguins) and Pittsburgh makes me think of my mom (hang on, I’m getting there. My mom used to always say “I love you a bushel and a peck.” The full saying includes “and a hug around the neck!”, but with two boys, that might have seemed dangerous to my mom.
Your prompt for #JusJoJan the 18th and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “pack/peck/pick/pock/puck.” Use one or use ’em all for bonus points — it’s up to you! Enjoy!
Linda G. Hill for SoCS & JusJoJan
If we were having a beer, you’d be excited — so would I.
“Good afternoon, Dan. What’s that you’re reading?”
“It’s Teagan’s latest entry to her author’s tool chest – Real Steampunkery Tech.”
“Is the second copy for me?”
“No, that’s not a copy. That’s Teagan’s latest fiction work, A Peril in the Vines!”
“Let me look at it, Dan. Is Teagan joining us today?”
“She is. I had coffee with her earlier this week at Sally’s place and I asked her to stop off and have a drink with us on her way home.”
“Are you boys ordering now, or waiting for your friend?”
“You can work on our usuals, Curley. I think I see Teagan at the door.”
“Good afternoon, Dan, David. Sorry to be late. I was trying to bring the 1920 Revere-Duesenberg, but the engine is temperamental in the cold. Why David, is that my book you’re reading? That gives me a big smile.”
“Hi Teagan. Dan left it on the bar, and I couldn’t resist. I read some fiction, but I love learning new things. I flipped this open to ‘Hanna Hammarstrom’. You don’t read about many women in the eighteen hundreds inventing an industrial process and then running a factory.”
“David, Hanna was quite a trailblazer. I saw more than a few women inventors while researching unusual inventions, and I suddenly wanted to give them a section of their own.”
“Here you go boys, bourbon and beer. Are you going to introduce me to your guest?”
“Of course. Curley, this is Teagan Geneviene, famous author and good friend.”
“I’m pleased to meet you Teagan. It will be a pleasure to make something other than David’s bourbon collection and Dan’s beer. What can I get for you?”
“Famous? Thanks for your vote of confidence, Dan. Curley, you’re gaining some fame of your own. It’s my pleasure to meet you. I got a little bit of a chill outside. Could you make a Dorian Grey hot toddy? Normally, I’d ask for a dirty martini, but it’s good to have something different once in a while.
“Anything you want, Teagan. Actually, we get so many requests for dirty martinis that we’re having a problem making them.”
“A problem making a martini? This I need to know more about, Curley – do tell.”
“We were using so much olive juice that the olives were drying out. We had to buy commercial olive juice, but it’s just not as good.”
“Well, then, a Dorian Grey hot toddy for sure.”
“Just to make sure, that’s cognac, hot water, and Earl Grey syrup? You’ve got it.”
“Teagan, is that why you write genre mashup stories, or a variety of genres anyhow? I mean, for the variety?”
“Ha! that might explain it, David. It’s mostly that, as you were saying, I also love to learn new things, and I enjoy sharing what I learn. That’s why many of my novels include a section of notes at the end, defining some of the historic things referenced in the book.”
“Let me turn to the Real World Notes section. Apotropaic magic? Thermax toaster? Those things are unexpected, and interesting too.”
“Teagan, here’s your Dorian Grey. Is his portrait or Oscar Wilde in your book?”
“Nope, but you never know who might show up in my stories. I like making fictionalized versions of historic figures.”
“Like Nikola Tesla and my favorite, Cornelis Drebble. I love those guys.”
“I’m flattered that you remember those, Dan.”
“I felt like was in the room with them, Teagan. I do a lot of research for my books, but I’m fact checking and getting the scene set right. You brought those characters to life.”
“Teagan, my favorite character of your is Lulu. It’s too bad Skippy isn’t still behind the bar.”
“Skippy? The kid I replaced? You’d rather have him here than me, David. I didn’t think you two were that close.”
“No, no, that’s not what I meant, Curley. Skippy was in love with Teagan’s character.”
“In love? With a fictional character? That kid really must have been…”
“Goofy. Posilutely goofy, but he was a cutie, and Lulu is special.”
“Teagan, all of your fictional characters must require a lot of research. Daphne Moultrie, Clover and Phineas are accurately portrayed in a time and place very few of us understand. Were you able to research psychic mediums? That seems like a topic that’s pretty far out there.”
“Dan, I’m a self-proclaimed research geek — I research everything and love it. Naturally, I researched mediums and the various aspects of Spiritualism. I suppose any paranormal story is ‘pretty far out there.’ The series A Medium’s Peril is a genre mashup that includes paranormal and fantasy, so in the books, some psychic mediums (like Daphne Moultrie) are ‘the real McCoy’, but they acknowledge that there were also frauds out there.”
“I’m curious, Teagan. Dan seemed caught off-guard by his characters wanting to continue telling their stories. Did you expect or plan for a series when you wrote A Peril in the Bayou?”
“Yes, by that second book I planned for it to be a series. However, when I wrote the first book, A Peril in Ectoplasm, I meant for it to be a ‘one off.’ The characters were well-liked, and I realized there was potential for any number of stories in that ‘universe’ without them becoming formulaic.”
“I know you’ve answered this question on your blog recently, David and Curley might have missed that. What’s next, Teagan? More tools for the tool chest? New fiction or are you ready to return to unfinished business?”
“I’m happy to share about that. My nonfiction Author Tool Chest collection is born of my research for fiction. I have several in progress. The one I expect to finish next is a dictionary of the languages of flowers and of fans. I can’t resist the pull of new stories, although my goal has been to finish the many stories I’ve begun over the past ten years. In fiction, I have a whimsical steampunk novel ready and waiting.”
“I love those! Now, I know I have favorite characters in all of your books and series, but do you have a favorite character?”
“I have many categories of favorites. To keep things brief, I’ll stick to this series. With book-one I was very fond of the Clover character. However, as the series progresses, Phineas Crews might be my favorite. He’s the most fun to write.”
“Let’s step away from the bookshelf for a minute. You seem to have embraced your musical side. I’ve enjoyed your songspirational posts, and you’ve done some musical collaboration. Will that be an ongoing part of the Teaganverse?”
“Maybe so, Dan. My musical side has always been a big part of me, I just didn’t blog about it. Besides, singing or playing piano is a terrific stress release for me. Also, as you know from all the projects we’ve done together, I enjoy collaborating — building something with others. Plus, I feel gratitude when I can help a friend. Add that together, and I should change that answer from maybe to probably.”
“I don’t really know how to ask a question to bring this out, and I don’t want to put you in the spot, but you seem to be able to meld words and art and music together. It’s like your stream of consciousness has a video soundtrack.”
“That’s very kind of you, Dan. That’s a great way of putting it. My childhood wasn’t normal and I didn’t have the kind of access to other people that most kids have. The TV shows and music on the radio shaped the way I think. Whenever I write a story I have to see it, fully imagine it first. That mental image usually includes music.”
“Now that’s a music video I’d like to see. Thanks for dropping by today, Teagan.”
“It was my pleasure Dan.”
Instead of my normal marketing message, I’d like to fill you in on a few things from the world of Teagan R. Geneviene:
First, she has published a companion post to this visit. You can check that out by clicking here.
Equally important, below are some links you can follow if you’d like to purchase the books Teagan has written. I’ve read them all, and I’d highly recommend them
- A Peril in the Vines — eBook – relinks.me/B0DS4G7RSD
- A Peril in the Vines — Paperback – relinks.me/B0DS69GJDV
- Real Steampunkery Tech — eBook – relinks.me/B0DHC6JFVT
- Real Steampunkery Tech — Paperback – relinks.me/B0DHD9BSJB
- Teagan’s Amazon Author Page
And, if you haven’t read any of the Medium’s Peril series, you can find the entire series here.
Finally, Teagan would like to share her Hot Toddy recipe. Curley approves:
The Dorian Grey Hot Toddy
Use a brandy snifter, add the following:
1 ½ oz cognac=2 oz hot water
1 oz Earl Grey syrup
Garnish: cinnamon stick and star anise.
Earl Grey Syrup:
3 cups water, 10 Earl Grey teabags, and 4 cups of sugar. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover. Let it cool to room temperature before refrigerating.
Now a few photos:
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