flappers | Myths of the Mirror

I’m so pleased to welcome Teagan to the Mirror to share her latest book. I haven’t read this one from end to end yet, though I caught a lot of episodes on her blog. Now I can read the whole novella without interruption! Teagan has a wild imagination and this one promises to be another zany, fantastical read. Take it away, Teagan:

Lulu and Friends by Teagan R Geneviene

Hi, Diana. Thanks so much for hosting me to announce my novella, Hullaba Lulu, a Dieselpunk Adventure. I know you already have a lot on your plate. Congratulations on a superb launch for your latest, Liars and Thieves.

Even though this story was a blog serial in 2018, it will have a different “feel” to sit down and read it as a book. Plus there are plenty of people who weren’t on the dieselpunk train back then.

What is “dieselpunk” anyway? Hullaba Lulu has a 1920s aesthetic with retro-futuristic technology, a dash of magic, and some creepy settings, along with a crew of misfit characters. Lulu is a snarky, but good-hearted flapper. She and her friends get into all sorts of trouble (often due to Lulu’s clumsiness). They travel on a magical train to a lot of “sideways” places.

At the back of the novella I included a list of Real-World Things. The one I’m sharing here is the Tesla Coil, which was also known as a lightning machine. I’m including a related snippet from the novella.

Real-World Thing

Tesla tower. Image by Teagan R. Geneviene

Tesla tower. Illustration by Teagan R. Geneviene

Tesla Coil (Lightning Machine) is an electrical resonant transformer circuit designed by inventor Nikola Tesla in 1891. Tesla used these circuits to conduct innovative experiments in electrical lighting, phosphorescence, X-ray generation, high frequency alternating current phenomena, electrotherapy, and the transmission of electrical energy without wires. Tesla coil circuits were used commercially in spark-gap radio transmitters for wireless telegraphy until the 1920s, and in medical equipment such as electrotherapy and violet ray devices.

Snippet

The Tesla coil comes into the story several times. Here’s a snippet:

I moved to a device with a sphere and lightning bolts that ran steadily to another machine.

“Hello, Miss. Your friends are looking for you,” an angel-bot commented as he entered the control room. “Do be careful. All the instruments are precisely set and require delicate handling,” he added in the typically matter-of-fact way of the clockwork creatures.

“What’s this thing?” I asked of the lightning bolt device.

“Ah! The Tesla Coil. It was made by Nikola Tesla himself and gifted to Valentino,” the angel-bot explained with a tone of awe.

I had heard of Nikola Tesla. He sounded like a real grouch. No wonder Valentino knew him. Grouches of a feather… Maybe Tesla wore those pointy toed shoes too. Those dog kennels would make anybody grumpy.

“Something seems rather off about the devise,” the angel-bot said with an inquisitive tilt to his bluish gold head. “I should—” he stopped talking and blinked at me as if I were suddenly the object of his curiosity...

***

Video Book Trailer

Diana, thanks again for letting me visit. You’re the caterpillar’s kimono!

Here’s the rest of the information for Hullaba Lulu, a Dieselpunk Adventure.

Cover and Blurb

Hullaba Lulu cover by Teagan R. Geneviene

Hullaba Lulu, a Dieselpunk Adventure is a wild and wooly 1920s fantasy story. Lulu, the heroine is inspired by the song, “Don’t Bring Lulu,” from 1925 ― so are her pals, Pearl and Rose. My Lulu loves to dance, and freely indulges in giggle water. She snores and burps and says whatever she wants. Lulu is a snarky but good-hearted flapper. The song’s inspiration stops there, but the story is just beginning.

Travel with Lulu and her friends on a magical, dieselpunk train that belongs to the smolderingly handsome and enigmatic man known only as Valentino. They get into all sorts of trouble, usually due to Lulu’s clumsiness. It’s an intense ride through a number of pos-i-lutely creepy settings, including “sideways” versions of Atlantic City and the Cotton Club. At every stop and in between, Lulu ends up creating chaos. There’s no telling where they’ll end up. No, Lulu! Don’t touch that!

Lulu’s the kind of smarty, breaks up every party,

Hullabaloo loo, don’t bring Lulu,

I’ll bring her myself!

Purchase Links

Throughout October, Hullaba Lulu is at an introductory price. The eBooks are only 99¢. For those who boycott Amazon I made a Kobo eBook too.

Kindle: Click this universal link

Paperback: Click this universal link

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/hullaba-lulu

Hullaba Lulu promotional image by Teagan R. Geneviene

Also…

While it is not exactly a companion volume to any of my Roaring Twenties stories, I’ve written a 1920s slang dictionary. I’m careful to use slang in a context that makes it understandable, but you might enjoy having Speak Flapper. It debuted at #1 in its category at Amazon. Here’s a review from Annika Perry at Goodreads.

Speak Flapper, Slang of the 1920s by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

Author Bio

Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene’s work is colored by her experiences from living in the southern states and the desert southwest (of the USA). Teagan most often writes one kind of fantasy or another, including the “Punk” genres, like steampunk, dieselpunk, and atompunk. Whether it’s a 1920s mystery, a steampunk adventure, or an urban fantasy, her stories have a strong element of whimsy. There are no extremes in violence, sex, or profanity.

Her talents also include book covers and promotional images. She makes all of her own. Teagan is currently exploring the idea of offering that service to others.

All of the books by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene are available at her Amazon Author Page.

Amazon Author Page Universal Link

Her latest release is from the punk genres, Hullaba Lulu, a Dieselpunk Adventure.