There is so much news; keeping up with it feels like a full time job.
I may limit myself to two posts a week during the impeachment.
Now to the point of this post:
A Skeleton in the Attic
Illustration for a Skeleton in the Attic
I realized my goal of publishing a book of poems was unreasonable for a man with no experience in online publishing, so I took a break.
I started the break by evaluating different programs for self-publishing and discovered Ourboox.
Ourboox is a free platform and seems ideal for writers who are new to online publishing.
I researched the company and the founder, Mel Rosenberg, is exactly who he
says he is:
Mel Rosenberg is a microbiologist best known for his research into treatment of bad breath; he went to a children’s book fair in Bologna and came home with the idea of a free web based platform for publishing children’s books.
The e-books I saw on the Ourboox site reminded me of chapbooks.
What is a Chapbook?
A chapbook is “a small book or pamphlet containing poems, ballads, stories, or religious tracts” (dictionary) The term is still used today to refer to short, inexpensive booklets. MIT
Jack the Giant Killer chapbook title page
Chapbooks were the zines of early modern Europe and played an important role in the history of publishing and literacy. In the 17th and 18th Centuries, chapbooks were the most popular way to disseminate poetry and children’s books: they were easy to make and cheap. Wikipedia
Chapbooks are still a popular way for poets to publish, especially street poets, who distribute their chapbooks for donations.
The last page of the Ourboox template invites the reader to donate to your PayPal account.
I loved with the idea of using Ourboox to publish an online chapbook; it felt like a perfect way to begin publishing.
A Skeleton in the Attic is a short story about a little boy who finds a skeleton in his attic and makes friends with it.
I wrote the story in the 1980’s and revised it many times over the years.
I used VR to make the illustrations.
I suppose if I want to, I can release a Skeleton in the Attic on Amazon, but for
now, this ‘chapbook’ format on Ourboox is ideal.
If you read the book and like it, please leave a thumbs up on the upper right of the screen.
As I understand it, ‘likes’ will move the book into the featured books section.
Thank you to fantastic blogger, John Rieber, for sharing a lovely post about my new book, Through the Nethergate. John is a very versatile blogger who shares posts about food, travel, books, films, recipes and pop culture. He offers something for everyone.
#31Daysofhalloween Has New Ghostly Horror!
First and foremost, bravo to Author Roberta Eaton Cheadle on the publication of her new book!
This Wednesday’s Bookmobile takes a #31daysofhalloween detour into the world of ghostly spirits!
Here’s the plot of “Through The Nethergate”:
Margaret, a girl born with second sight, has the unique ability to bring ghosts trapped between Heaven and Hell back to life. When her parents die suddenly, she goes to live with her beloved grandfather, but the cellar of her grandfather’s ancient inn is haunted by an evil spirit of its own.
In the town of Bungay, a black dog wanders the streets, enslaving the ghosts of…
I asked Teagan to come back to give us an update because while I was on break, Teagan launched her third novel in the Pip series, ‘A Ghost in the Kitchen”.
What have you been up to since your first feature?
Let’s back up this “time machine” to last October. 2018. That’s when I launched the second novel in the “Atonement” series, Atonement in Bloom.
I am a big fan of Teagan Geneviene’s books as I find her stories to be highly entertaining and imaginative and, despite containing elements of the mystical and supernatural, to be believable and seem quite possible. I also find the author’s characters to be interesting and colourful and I enjoy the way she uses their actions, emotions and dialogues to weave her stories in a natural and heartfelt way. Roberta Cheadle, South Africa
I “bookized” my serial from spring 2019, Brother Love — a Crossroad.
Brother Love — a Crossroad, a Twilight Zone-ish novella. I guess you could categorize it as speculative fiction.
Late this summer, at my blog, Teagan’s Books, I began rewriting a nearly finished steampunk novel — and making it into a weekly serial. It’s called The Delta Pearl. A wide range of passengers and crew create a mystery, set on a fantastical riverboat.
I love Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene’s writing because she can transport the reader to the time and place of her story. Not that she is unique in this ability but she does it so well. John W. Howell, TX, USA
Then not long ago, I launched the third novel about Pip, a flapper and her friends. It’s a whimsical, culinary mystery called A Ghost in the Kitchen.
I have been a follower of the author’s blog for several years. Teagan Geneviene is a fascinating and versatile writer. I have read her novels, and know that apart from an imagination that knows no bounds, and a love of period research and attention to detail, she has a way with words and can create magical characters that readers get to care for and make them live through situations that never fail to surprise us and keep us on tenterhooks. Olga Núñez Miret, Spain
The heroine in A Ghost in the Kitchen is Pip. She’s determined to be a “modern woman” — a flapper. The story is set in 1920s Savannah, Georgia, which is reputed to be one of the most (if not the most) haunted cities in the USA. So, it’s only to be expected that this time some ghosts get in on the act. Pip sets out to unravel a spooky mystery.
On a personal note, I finally escaped from Washington DC, and parted company with my government job. Since I’m very much an agoraphobic, it was the hardest thing I’ve done, but I managed to move 2000 miles and two time zones across the country.
I know several people who have relocated this year. I admire the progress they’ve made. I however, am still a long way from being settled in at my little home. I haven’t even been able to finish painting the walls. Although those unfinished walls do have a couple of prints by my favorite artist — Rob Goldstein.
Mural by Sam Flores
Your three things approach to writing invites readers to collaborate with you, but you also collaborate in a more direct way with other
bloggers. What have you learned from these collaborations?
It’s hard to answer “what do I learn” specifically. The main thing I get from collaborating is strong sense of comradery — what I take away from the experience is different each time, but always hard to define and always priceless.
Collaborating lets me learn new things and broaden the scope of my blog when I work with bloggers who have a different focus or topic than my own. I’ve been privileged to work with artists, cooks, photographers, and meditation experts for short stories and serials. And yes, other authors as well.
What I learn is really what I feel and what I see in my mind when I brainstorm with someone. I see and feel those things differently with each collaborator.
It was wonderful to work with you on the Lulu 1920s fantasy stories, Rob. I think when you and I get together we take imagination to worlds no one else would explore. All the limits come off. Our “what ifs” are so vivid to me.
Blogger and photographer, Dan Antion has illustrated some of my stories. Dan’s remarkably encouraging. He’s also really patient about letting me bounce ideas around, and stepping outside his comfort zone to reply with a counter-thought. Some of the thoughts he bounced back resulted in a character for “Brother Love — a Crossroad.” That character was an evangelist that became half a person from my childhood, and half a different preacher from Dan’s youth.
One of my earliest collaborators was Chris Graham, the Story Reading Ape. We’ve done a number of stories together. He brings in a real world foundation for the whimsy of his ideas. I’m not sure whether it will already be posted when this feature comes out, but Chris and I are working on another short story that combines his character Artie with my Pip character.
One thing that has impressed me is the generosity of the people with whom I’ve collaborated. They always give more than I expect.
I guess you could say the main thing I’ve learned is don’t be afraid to ask someone to collaborate with you. Be up front and clear about defining each person’s role. That avoids confusion and bumps in the road. But go ahead and ask. The worst they can say is “No.”
Will you share a section from A Ghost in the Kitchen?
My favorite part of this story is meeting Maestro Martino, a cursed ghost. Here he explains how his predicament came to be.
“Ah Signorina,” the ghost began. “It is a poignant tale. I was chef to the Patriarch of Aquileia at the Vatican. I always preferred the pun as a form of humor, and the Pope, he shared this with me. However, one evening we served dinner to a plethora of patrons, speaking Punjabi, Parsi, and Philippine. I presented a perfect prawn pasta… Perhaps something went awry with the translations… But — you see, the short of it is that I pissed off the Pope! And this predicament is my fate,” the ghost said with a mournful expression.
Find Teagan’s Books on Amazon, click the link below:
You can always count on Teagan to create eccentric and charismatic characters and an intriguing plot. Teri Polen, Kentucky, USA
