Saturday, June 8, 2019

Crows by Dan Antion

Welcome back to the crossroads.    

This chapter turned out to be for the birds — or rather for the magpie.  If Brother Love was a television series, then this would be the quirky musical episode.

I was already working with music because of the “thing,” Elvis Presley, from Mary J. McCoy-Dressel.  That’s when Jinx, the magpie, got in on the act.  Then John W. Howell commented about the Buddy Holly song, That’ll Be the Day.  Of course that became another “thing.”  At that point, I just went completely off the rails.  Yes, there’s more punishment — I even narrated the ending with a new sound-bite… That’s supposed to be my scary voice, but whatever.

John specified the Buddy Holly version of That’ll Be the Day.  Mr. Holly wrote the song during the general time-frame I’ve given…

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Vintage rotary phone, photo by Dan Antion

Welcome back to the crossroads.    

As you know, Dan Antion shares his photographs to illustrate Brother Love.  I make the serial “interactive” by letting things left by readers drive everything about the story.

I’ve completed at least six long-running serials here at Teagan’s Books — each of them written spontaneously and driven by “things” from readers.  Perhaps the thing I enjoy most about writing these serials is involving you readers.  I just had another idea for how to do that.  I’m naming the businesses in fictional Parliament, Mississippi after readers!  Keep an eye out for a couple of them today. I hope you’ll take a moment to visit all the links.

The reader “thing” today is a  Coke from Mary J Melange. Be sure to check out her marvelous blog.  Say hello to Gibbs and…

Saturday, May 25, 2019

Image tomfoolery from Teagan

Welcome back to the crossroads.    

As you know, the popular blogger and photographer Dan Antion illustrates Brother Love.  I try to bring Dan into some of the process of creating the story.  The “things” for this chapter led me to a scene that required some knowledge I didn’t possess — dark-haired actresses of the era.  At the time Dan was visiting his brother, Bruce, and they both took up the challenge.  Read on and you’ll see what I mean.

Sometimes my life creeps into my stories, with small parallels.  I’ve been having a disfiguring allergy problem. (It’s finally a lot better, thanks.  Apparently running its dreadfully long course, just as they said.)  I guess that’s why my narrator for this story became conscious of her appearance in chapters 4 and 5.

Birdie Devovo can’t afford to dress “to the…

Saturday, May 18, 2019

Note:  Last week I mentioned Dan was working on his own post about his part of the inspiration for the Doug Armstrong character.  That is Dan’s Saturday post this week at his blog, No Facilities.

Chuttersnap at Unsplash

Welcome to my sanctuary at the crossroads.  Relax and sit for awhile.  It makes no difference what your name may be.  Although there is oh so much in a name. 

I tend to obsess about character names.  In stories with a real world setting (even if they are also fantasy) I try to add authenticity through the names of some characters.  With Atonement, Tennessee and Atonement in Bloom, I consulted a (public) government database that will show the most popular names, for a state, in a given year. 

Last time in A Hymn, we met two new characters, a woman and a little…

Saturday, May 11, 2019

Brother Love composite by Teagan R. Geneviene

Welcome back to the crossroads everyone!   

 I should probably begin with a disclaimer.  This story is not about religion, nor is it a social commentary — that’s just part of the setting.  I also want you to understand that I approach this aspect of the story carefully.  While the story includes ways that I knew well and was involved in as a child, as an adult I acquired my own unique spirituality. 

That said, last time in A Shadow, now you learned some of the backstory for the Doug Armstrong character.  Today I wanted to tell you how his character came to be. 

You already know that Dan Antion provides photos to inspire me and illustrate this story —  and that he gives me two of the “three things” that drive each episode of this…

Saturday, May 4, 2019

There are many things on my mind that I want to share with you today.  If I had known about the most recent one before yesterday, I would have done a midweek post.  First let me welcome you…

Maria Michelle, Pixabay

Welcome to my sanctuary.  Pull up a chair.  The sanctuary may be found in a quirky Tennessee town called Atonement.  It might be at a diesel-punk train station with an outrageous flapper named Lulu.  Or it could even be found at a steampunk submarine port, with an alchemist named Cornelis.  For now, my sanctuary has moved to a crossroads in a rural Mississippi town sometime in the late 1950s to early 1960s.  So, I also welcome you to the crossroads.

Yes, my blog is my sanctuary — a place where I can feel safe from the world.  It’s a place for…