#BadMoonRising Dead of Winter series by Teagan Riordain Geneviene #paranormal #supernatural

On By Teri PolenIn Bad Moon Rising

Happy Halloween Weekend! It’s a rainy Friday morning here, but today’s guest is sure to brighten up any day. Whenever I hear the word whimsical, I immediately this of this author’s books. She can put her own spin on anything and “Teaganize” it. Her featured series takes a different path and has received nothing but outstanding reviews. See figures in your peripheral vision? You might want to consider what she says about it. Welcome Teagan Riordain Geneviene!

Friday, October 29, 2021

Dead of Winter 8 Characters promo by Teagan
Dead of Winter Featured Characters, image by Teagan R. Geneviene

Hi Teri. Thanks for letting me bring my monthly series, Dead of Winter, to Bad Moon Rising. I love your questions. Here are the ones I chose, and my answers.

Have you ever had a tarot card reading?

Oh, yes. Actually, I’ve also done tarot and other card readings for decades. From November 2019 and all through 2020 I worked on an urban fantasy/atom-punk duology where tarot cards are prominently worked into the story. Unfortunately, I gave the heroine too many of my own problems, and I haven’t been able to finish it. Maybe next year…

Wheel of Fortune by Teagan Rirodain Geneviene, Copyright 2019
Wheel of Fortune by Teagan Rirodain Geneviene, Copyright 2019

Would you rather dunk for apples or carve a Jack o’ lantern?

I’d better bob for apples. I really can’t be trusted with a knife, especially on something hard like a pumpkin. I’m way too clumsy.

In “Dead of Winter” the heroine’s homeland celebrates a holiday similar to Halloween. It also marks the new year in her country. I named the day Galan’gaeaf. Here’s a snippet.

After her errand, Emlyn wandered down to the outskirts of Llyn Coombe. She walked past the village green where in years past people would have begun putting up decorations for Galan’gaeaf, the cross-quarter day that marked the midpoint between autumn and winter, as well as the beginning of the New Year. It was a holiday that was celebrated in nearly every land.

Legends said that spirits were abroad at that time of year. Emlyn wondered if other people might share her strange ability during Galan’gaeaf. She fantasized about how it would be if everyone could interact with the dead, and she didn’t need to hide her ability. She might be normal.

Do you ever see figures in your peripheral vision?

OMG, all the time! I also see them in reflections, like tile or chrome. Back in my days of metaphysical explorations/education, I was taught that when you frequently see them in a certain spot or area, it means that place is a place where spirits and entities can easily come and go.

Dead of winter characters banner 05-30-2021

If you decided to write a spinoff of a side character, who would you choose?

Gethin, the horse whisperer, has an exciting backstory of swordplay and heroics. However, I would choose Zasha and Tajín. They have interesting backstories individually, and the story of how they came together is exciting. All these are revealed as Dead of Winter progresses through the monthly novelettes, but not in great detail. I’ve always wanted to expand on it.

Which book have you read more than once?

Pride and Prejudice is one. Incidentally, I’ve been doing a takeoff or re-telling of it for Amazon Vella serials called “Pride and Flowers, Prejudice and Dirigibles.” (Sorry, Amazon only has that available in the USA.) It has a combination steampunk-Regency ascetic, with lots of “Teaganization.” The setting is a cloud city, and all the characters have flower and plant names.

Universal Link: Pride and Flowers, Prejudice and Dirigibles | Kindle Vella (amazon.com)

Pride n Flowers Amazon Promo
Image by Teagan R. Geneviene

What are you working on now?

I continue to work on editing “Dead of Winter” into novelette-sized books. I call them “Journeys,” since the characters travel their complex world. Although I’m not certain how many there will be, I expect 12 to 14 in total. When this post goes live, I will probably be on Journey 10.

Here’s a narration of the initial prologue.

I also have my blog serial, which is free to read at www.teagansbooks.com. It’s a zany atom-punk story, told in my “interactive” three things method of storytelling.

The Series Blurb

Dead of Winter cover A
Series cover by Teagan R. Geneviene

Dead of Winter Is a high fantasy, published monthly in novelette-sized installments. The serial will take approximately a year to complete.

It takes place in a world that resembles some lands in the past of our own world. The heroine, Emlyn, is a 12-year-old girl who sees and hears spirits.

The religious fanatics who took over Emlyn’s homeland say she is an abomination. She escapes, and is taken in by travelers belonging to the Deae Matres — a society of intelligent women who travel the world, seeking out and preserving knowledge.

Meanwhile, Emlyn’s encounters with spirits become more frequent, because the Veil, which separates the world of the living from the realm of the dead has become dangerously thin. As the Veil deteriorates, chaos ensues when the dead begin to cross into the living world. Journey with Emlyn as she explores her world in Dead of Winter.

Author Bio

Dead of Winter is a departure from Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene’s usual all-out whimsy. The whimsical nature is there, but it’s expressed in a more serious way. Like her other work it is colored by the experiences of her early life in the southern states and later in the southwest, as well as a decade in Washington, DC.

The tale of the tale is here: Wednesday Writing — Winter’s Nightmare or Why It Took 10 Years – Teagan’s Books (teagansbooks.com)

After a successful career as an editor and writer in the information technology field, Teagan is now devoted to writing fiction fulltime. She also makes book covers and promotional images. In free time she enjoys conversations with friends, painting, and playing her piano.

Teagan’s work is colored by the experiences of her early life in the southern states and later in the southwest, as well as a decade in Washington, DC.

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/

Dead of Winter — All the Journeys

Universal Purchase Links

Amazon Author Page relinks.me/TeaganRiordainGeneviene

Series Link (Kindle): relinks.me/B09C94FB2M

Journey 9, Doors of Attunement

Kindle: relinks.me/B09F8Y5DML

Paperback: relinks.me/B09F1BB9RW

Journey 8, The Lost Library

Kindle: relinks.me/B09C6MPTYT

Paperback: relinks.me/B09C34XR7P

Journey 7, Revenant Pass

Kindle: relinks.me/B098MS8P48

Paperback: relinks.me/B098GV1G5V

Journey 6, The Fluting Fell

Kindle: relinks.me/B096CPJNSX

Paperback: relinks.me/B096CPJNSX

Journey 5, Llyn Pistyll Falls

Kindle: relinks.me/B09431TD6G

Paperback: relinks.me/B0942KC471

Journey 4, The Old Road

Kindle: relinks.me/B092G5LB7R

Paperback: relinks.me/B092M51Y88

Journey 3, the Fever Field

Kindle: elinks.me/B08XTNZ9M8

Paperback: relinks.me/B08XXY3JXF

Journey 2, Penllyn

Kindle: relinks.me/B08VMNSF97

Paperback: relinks.me/B08VLMR2KD

Journey 1, Forlorn Peak

Kindle: relinks.me/B08RBBVRGX

Paperback:

72 thoughts on “#BadMoonRising Dead of Winter series by Teagan Riordain Geneviene #paranormal #supernatural”

  1. Thanks, Teri. It’s great to see Teagan here and read her replies to the questionnaire. I know that she loves Halloween, so I knew she had to be here. I am a big fan of her serials, and I’m eagerly following her blog and also Dead of Winter. I hope there are more stories to come for its characters. A great edition of Bad Moon Rising, Teri. Not long to go to Halloween now!

    Liked by 4 people

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    2. I love Teagan’s serials on her blog, and I’m really looking forward to getting started on Dead of Winter (I’m so behind!). I’m always excited when Teagan participates in BMR. Thanks for stopping by, Olga and thanks so much for sharing the post!

      Liked by 3 people

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  5. Of course Teagan would do a fabulous interview on BMR! I too have read Pride and Prejudice a number of times and I seldom read a book more than once. Pride and Flowers, Prejudice and Dirigibles sounds amazing. I am a huge Teagan fan.

    Liked by 4 people

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      1. My dad always said that a dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp one (because you press too hard, and they’re more likely to slip). To my surprise he was right. But I’m still too big of a hazard on anything as hard as a pumpkin. Heck — with any knife on anything at all. LOL
        By the way, there aren’t any other mouths or slobbers in my apple bobbing bucket, so there. 😀

        Liked by 2 people

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  8. You’re brave to bob for apples, Teagan. I can’t get past the germ-sharing issues. I’ll have to trust my luck to knives and hope all goes according to plan. (I’ve only had one X-acto knife injury requiring a trip to the ER, and that was cutting balsa wood, not pumpkins.) Best wishes to you.

    Thanks, Teri.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  12. How wonderful to see Teagan at BMR, Teri, and I agree with you that she’s the definition of whimsical when it comes to her writing. I’m intrigued by the tarot card inspaired book, and love both her Dead of Winter serial and latest blog serial. I don’t know how she keeps so many irons in the fire! I’ve also heard, Teagan, that the “veil” thins in certain spots. Your state, with it’s plethora of gemstones, is one of those places. No wonder you’re there. 😀 Fun interview, my friends. Happy Halloween.

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. Thanks, Diana. I had not thought about the gemstones here. Maybe that’s what I felt “in the air” that first day 15 years ago when I first moved to NM (before DC). I used to have Kepler astrology software that had a “treasure maps” utility. It would take your life experience, birth, etc and determine which parts of the country (or even the world) were the best or worst for you. Mine always came back with the San Francisco area as “a place where you’ll shine.” Things it gave me for NM, were kind of neutral. Upper east coast (basically the farther up the coast you went the worse it got) was deplorable. Of course, I followed the job to DC anyway. Seems the Kepler people were right. If I had gone on up to NJ or NY, I hate to think how it would have been. LOL. Oh, and the software disc mysteriously disappeared after a mover asked what it was…

      Liked by 3 people

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  16. Fantastic interview, Teri and Teagan! Just what I needed to make me feel like a real slacker! 😄 Good Golly, Ollie! How in the heck do you even find time to EAT, Teagan? I’m am truly impressed with the sheer volume of what you do.

    Loved your interview answers, especially the one about the knife. It’s good you recognize you can’t trust yourself with one. 😆 Oh, and I get everything pre-sliced, too, but it’s more because I’m lazy. 😂

    Off to share this on The Write Stuff before hubby gets home from work, and I have to start assembling our pre-packaged, pre-sliced, and pre-cooked dinner. (Told you. Lazy. Now if I could figure out how to get the dishes pre-washed, life would really be good! 😉 )

    Much continued success to you with all your creative endeavors! 🤗

    Liked by 4 people

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    1. Ha! Marcia, “Assembling” is my kind of cooking — when I’m feeling energetic. I get sick of them, but I’m most likely to throw a Lean Cuisine into the microwave and be done with both cooking and cleanup. (You’d think I’d have a shape other than “ROUND” with those, but nooooo…)
      Pre the covid shortages I used paper plates. But that forced me to use regular dishes, LOL. Or at least when I’m not having one that came frozen in a plastic tray.
      I admire great cooks. But when I think about all that prep and cleanup for just me… I just ask, what’s the point? So here’s to dinner via assembly! Big hugs!

      Liked by 3 people

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      1. We think a lot alike. I CAN cook, and not too badly, but I hate it. I figure anything that uses up that much time and energy needs to be varnished and hung on the wall to admire! 😄 And if I’m feeling tired by the end of the work day, I’m quite happy eating on paper plates, too. Anything that gets me out of the kitchen and into the Comfy Chair with a book is all good by me. 😆 I’m with you on the frozen dinners, too, at least for me, only mine are Atkins, so there’s no sugar and very low carbs. I do usually make sure Mark gets something more akin to “real food.” He gets surly, otherwise. 😮 😂

        Liked by 4 people

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  17. Pingback: #BadMoonRising – Post 29 Featuring Teagan Riordain Geneviene | The Write Stuff

  18. How wonderful to see Tega here, Teri. I like how you mentioned “Teaganize” – a verb we are so familiar with and have come to enjoy understanding.

    Teagan, I liked your answers, and if you decide to do a spinoff featuring Zasha and Tajín, I will get in on that right away.

    I hope you both have a great weekend.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Dan. 🙂
      That’s right — I remember you mentioning the Tajín character before. I see him as a (what was the term they used to use?) a man’s man — lots of friends, down to earth. Perhaps, even though they were close, the emperor of Bandihar thought it was just as well that Tajín went off on his own. Otherwise he may have accumulated a threatening number of followers… Just spinning ideas. Thanks for visiting. Now that my Internet is up, I might have that great weekend. If it stays up. Big hugs.

      Liked by 4 people

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        1. Haha — good one. It does feel like that, quite often. I still haven’t gotten to the bottom of what is causing it. But it knocks me onto my “bottom” every time it happens. If I can keep a “Net” and find some focus and some energy, maybe I can give Fang and Dilly a new chapter before Halloween is over.

          Liked by 3 people

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    1. Thanks so much, Paula. I put many hours of thought and work into making the images. Be sure to start with “Journey 1, Forlorn Peak.” It’s much shorter than the rest, but a good way to get exposed to the world of this story.
      Here are “universal” links:
      Kindle: relinks.me/B08RBBVRGX
      Paperback: relinks.me/B08R7RH4F5
      Happy Halloween!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  21. alexcraigie

    I’m really enjoying Dead of Winter and it’s exciting waiting for each new installment to appear! As for apple dunking, we use a different bowl for each contestant (the deepest for the oldest) and they wait with their hands behind their backs for ‘go’ and the first one to surface with one is the winner. No sharing of germs; lots of simple fun!
    Not many more to go now, Teri. 😦 x

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Alex, thanks so very much. One of the several reasons why I kept the epic on the shelf for ten years was that I wanted to rewrite the ending — or rather the part with the arch villain. (There are basically 2 endings, one for the action and another for the overall story. I’ll keep that overall conclusion from the original.) With Journey 11, I begin to add more new material than I have in the others, leading up to that rewritten ending.
      Thanks for including the description of apple bobbing. Hugs!

      Liked by 2 people

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  22. Victoria Zigler

    I loved your answers, Teagan. I recently put all your books on my to-read list, and can tell from this interview I’m in for a treat when I get a chance to buy and read them.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. I’m delighted you enjoyed the interview, Victoria. Thanks for joining us. Dividing the epic into novelettes helps manage the amount of reading. As someone with little reading time, I think it makes it easier to keep up with where one leaves off, than one huge book. Happy Halloween!

      Liked by 1 person

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  23. Pingback: The Armadillo Files, Episode 11 — Featuring Christine Robinson – Teagan's Books

    1. Hi Chuck. Sorry to be late with this reply. The monthly novelettes have pros and cons, but for me, there are definitely more pros, both for the reader and the writer. I do a new cover every month, but that wouldn’t be necessary. Amazon will apply a single cover to the overall series.
      For me personally, the biggest advantage was about the editing. I cringed whenever I thought of editing a 1000+ page manuscript. But the novelettes let me separate it into manageable chunks. Plus it keeps me on an editing schedule. Many thanks for commenting. I hope you had a great Halloween. Hugs!

      Liked by 1 person

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    2. Haha! Thanks, Hugh. You’re a wise man. Even scarier is my machete-ax. I risk using it now and then for backyard gardening (when my back allows), but it’s darned good for keeping the creepy perv across the street on his own side of the road, if I answer the door holding it. Bwahahahaha!
      Hugs on the wing.

      Liked by 2 people

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