Catch-Up Saturdays — Hullaba Real World Tech & Review

Saturday, July 14, 2018

Roaring Twenties Tech & Culture

Gramps with some “tech” from Hullaba Lulu, Art by Rob Goldstein

Hello, everyone! Welcome to my sanctuary. Or maybe I should say welcome Shieks and Shebas, because this post sort of reviews my Jazz Age Wednesdays serial, Hullaba Lulu.

My “partner in crime” for the #DieselPunk serial is artist Rob Goldstein who creates the illustrations and videos for Hullaba Lulu. Between us we’ve added many real world elements from Roaring Twenties culture and technology.

Today I’m spotlighting the real (though I used some of it in a fantastical way) technology and popular culture items of the Roaring Twenties. Some of these were “things” sent by Rob, others came along as part of my storytelling. This post will also serve as a catch-up review of Hullaba Lulu.

Don’t Bring Lulu

It’s no surprise that music was a big part of the Jazz Age. I created the some of the characters for Hullaba Lulu, inspired by the song Rob told me his grandmother sang to him.

Chapter 1 ― Rose, Pearl, Trumpet

Garter Flask

What 1920s story could leave out things to do with Prohibition? I added a contradiction to a character by giving the flask to “darned nice girl” Pearl.

The Bright Young Things

Volumes could be written about that extraordinary collection of people, the Bright Young Things. That “thing” inspired me to include a fictionalized Tom Driberg in the story.

Chapter 2 ― Garter Flask, Grand Central Station, Bright Young Things

Valentino, Lulu, and Tom Driberg on the street above the emergency exit of the abandoned subway tunnel where Gramps has a speakeasy. Art by Rob Goldstein

Spiritualism — Ouija Board

As they were during the Victorian Era, people in the 1920s continued to be fascinated with spiritualism. Seances, tarot readings, and Ouija boards were popular. When Rob sent the Ouija as a “thing” my imagination went off the rails and I made it part of the control system of Valentino’s train. That was just the beginning of me adding outrageous elements to the train.

Lulu in her secret place (the abandoned subway station), with her Ouija board — turns out it belonged to Valentino. Image by Rob Goldstein

Chapter 3 ― Saltwater Taffy, Raspberry-Red Rouge, Ouija Board

Carl Jung

Jung was a prominent figure of the 1920s. His work has been influential in not only psychiatry but also anthropology, archaeology, literature, philosophy, and religious studies. When Rob mentioned the “red notebook” it took a bit of thinking for me to work it into the story.

Orthophonic Victrola

In 1925 the Orthophonic Victrola was a big innovation in sound reproduction. That real 20s tech thing was another real world item I couldn’t resist adding to the diesel-punk tech of the fantastical train.

Chapter 4 ― Ectoplasm, Jung, Orthophonic Victrola

Interior Train control console Valentino victrola sofas

Valentino with the Orthophonic Victrola, which is part of the train’s communication system. Art by Rob Goldstein

The beginning of the fifth chapter was a bit of family history for Lulu and her grandfather. I didn’t touch on social norms, but it was clear that Lulu’s family situation wasn’t typical of the era. Chapter 5.1 — Backstory

Automat

Part two of Chapter 5 gave us more “20s Tech.” Yes, they really had automats and vending machines even before the 1920s! The automats were gigantic, coin-operated vending machines with row upon row of windowed compartments, resembling glass-fronted post office boxes, housing dozens of menu items. I gave the train the automat of my dreams. It even makes cash.

Tilt-A-Whirl

Amusement parks came along in the Victorian Era. Flappers loved them too. Herbert W. Sellner, a woodworker and maker of water slides, invented the Tilt-A-Whirl in 1926 at his Faribault, Minnesota, home. In 1927, the first 14 Tilt-A-Whirls were built in Herbert’s basement and yard. Watch out for the tilt-a-whirl in the story… it’s not normal.

Chapter 5.2 — Automat, Cheeseburger, Tilt-A-Whirl

Tilt-a-Whirl Lulu, Valentino and man_the Spin a Twirl-2.

The tilt-a-whirl in the sideways version of Atlantic City was no ordinary ride. Art by Rob Goldstein

Nagasaki

The Japanese port city of Nagasaki became something of a fantasy in Jazz Age songs, with lyrics only vaguely related to the real city. Several US novelty songs were set in “exotic” locations popular in the era. “Back in Nagasaki” inspired Rob to create a video. It gave me the idea for a group of automaton characters, Dynamite, his crush Hot Ginger, and later, Wicky, Wacky, and Woo. That song also led to Lulu receiving a title from the angel-bots — Giver of Names.

Kodak Brownie

The Kodak company had been making cameras for quite awhile in the 20s. The Brownie was popular. In the story, I had Lulu borrow the one belonging to Gramps. You saw him with it in the title image.

The Garçonne Look

Improvements in women’s rights, and changes in fashion brought about the “tomboy look,” (favored by author Margaret Mitchell) and the more sophisticated Garçonne Look. For either, women wore menswear inspired clothes, including trousers, or simply men’s clothes. Rob dressed the Lauren character in the Garçonne Look.

Lauren, Lulu’s mother… to avoid spoilers that’s all I’ll say. Ar by Rob Goldstein

Chapter 6 — The Garconne Look, Tarot Cards, Kodak Brownie

Ferris Wheel

That ride came along before the 20s but it made a great “thing” for the story, not to mention a couple of cliffhangers. The original, sometimes also referred to as the Chicago Wheel, was designed and constructed by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr.. With a height of 80.4 metres (264 ft) it was the tallest attraction at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois, where it opened to the public on June 21, 1893.

Bubblegum

Lulu is a little… well, let’s be honest. That flapper can be a bit crass. She gets food on her clothes and face, and she burps and hiccups… Bubblegum is her least offensive habit.

In 1928, an accountant invented bubblegum. Walter Diemer, was experimenting with new gum recipes. One recipe was less sticky than regular chewing gum, and stretched more easily. The original bubble gum was pink in color because that was the dye that Diemer had most on hand at the time.

Lulu’s bubble got too big and popped all over her face. Fortunately there was an angel-bot to clean her up. Art by Rob Goldstein

Chapter 7 — Pocket Watch, Ferris Wheel, Bubblegum

Pittura Metafisica

Pittura Metafisica: Marked by a strong sense of solitude and melancholy, the uncanny and dreamlike urban spaces and enigmatic iconography were typical of Pittura Metafisica or “Metaphysical Painting.” Valentino is clearly no ordinary man. When he creates that kind of painting, you might accidentally walk right into it.

Videophone

Can you believe they actually had videophones in the 20s? That was one of the most surprising “things” Rob sent. They were first invented all the way back in the late 1800s, but they were refined in the 20s. For more click here.

Chanel No. 5

I try to use all the senses in my stories. This iconic perfume was around back then. Chanel No. 5: In 1921, a very clever designer and businesswoman created a scent that revolutionized the way women smell. About a 100 years later, people still know Chanel No. 5. I let this “thing” belong to Rose. Tom Driberg uses expensive gifts to try and lure her back.

Valentino Lulu Dance Hop Bot on horse RED Cotton Club-5-22-

Lulu crashed Valentino’s Rolls onto the curb of the Cotton Club. Somehow they managed to squeeze in a dance before everything went off the rails. Art by Rob Goldstein

Dancing

Lulu loves to dance. People associate the Charleston with the 20s, but there were many more dances. Her favorites are the Camel Walk and the Lindy Hop. (Click the links for vintage videos.)

Chapter 8 — Chanel No. 5, Pittura Metafisica, Videophone

Bolshies

That’s what some people called Bolsheviks in the Roaring Twenties. It was part of their culture. When Rob sent that word as a “thing” I ended up bringing Russian spies into the story. It seems like they had nearly as much trouble with them in the 20s as we do now…

Chapter 9.1 — Bolshies

Lulu pressed the electric starter in Valentino’s Rolls… but she didn’t know how to drive! Art by Rob Goldstein

Jukebox

The jukebox in the story seems to have a mind of its own. That resulted in another character name being inspired by a song, Cuban Moon.

Electric Starter

Ah yes… more tech! I decided to put one in Valentino’s Rolls-Royce. The first electric starter was installed on an Arnold, an adaptation of the Benz Velo, built in 1896 in East Peckham, England, by electrical engineer H. J. Dowsing. In 1903, Clyde J. Coleman invented and patented the first electric starter in America U.S. Patent 0,745,157.

Chapter 9.2 — Jukebox

Chapter 9.3 — Star of David

Electromagnet

I allowed the automatons a moment of heroism with a rather fantastic electromagnet. The real one was invented in 1825. William Sturgeon’s first one was a horseshoe-shaped piece of iron wrapped with a loosely wound coil. When a current was passed through the coil the electromagnet became magnetized, and when the current was stopped, the coil was demagnetized. It could lift nine pounds with a seven-ounce piece of iron wrapped with wires through which the current of a single cell battery was sent. The one I fictionalized lifted a lot more.

Chapter 10.1 — Electromagnet

Theremin

Music again, but not the ordinary variety! Rob sent this great “thing” and now I want one. It would freak out my cat, so I’ll resist. It’s a real world thing, but I used it in a fictional way, letting its freaky music be “medicinal” to help a sick character.

Originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone or thereminophone, a theremin is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer. It is named after the Westernized name of its Soviet inventor, Léon Theremin, who patented the device in 1928.

Virtual reality photograph of Gramps playing the Theramin

Gramps gets jazz man cool with his shades and tries his hand at playing the theremin. Art by Rob Goldstein

Chapter 10.2 — The Theremin

Egyptomania

Egyptomania took hold long before the Jazz Age, but it was still “alive” and well. I brought this in when I let a certain character come back when he was spotted at an archaeological dig.

Chapter 10.3 — Wave Frequency Machine, Hidden Door

Earrings

When short, bobbed, hair became popular in the 20s it was no short lived thing. Along with a lot of technical innovations I think of the huge changes in women’s fashion as a time of innovation as well. Fashions of the Jazz Age focused on movement. Short hair brought on long earrings, dangling with that desired movement.

Earrings also tied to a real world element with a real life phobia for Nikola Tesla.

Update for Deborah!

Jewelry styles of the 1920s are still popular today. Deborah at Circadian Reflections asked for a picture of the earrings I recently bought. So, here are my fun, long, yellow tassel earrings, reminiscent of the Roaring Twenties.

Chapter 11.1 — Papá

Violet Ray

The Violet Ray is probably the most startling “thing” Rob has sent yet. I can’t take credit for it, wild as my imagination can be. Nope… it’s real.

Invented by Nikola Tesla, the violet ray is a user-friendly, hand-held device that can be used with a variety of glass applicators, such as a bulb, a comb-rake, or a rod, each with a specific purpose. The glass is inserted into the tip of the hand-held section. After being plugged in and turned on, the appliance becomes a high-voltage, low amperage (current) source of static electricity. Its discharge creates a violet color (hence, its name), a pleasant ozone smell – and a sizzling noise.

***

Hopefully I will be able to add even more real world 1920s tech and culture as this story eventually comes to a close. I hope you’ve enjoyed this tech review.

If you haven’t gotten on the train, you can catch up by clicking the Hullaba Lulu category on the right side of the page. You’ll meet Lulu, her Gramps, friends Rose and Pearl, and some other characters as they begin a journey with an enigmatic man who only calls himself Valentino. Listen for the trumpet’s call and the conductor’s announcement, All aboard! That’s here each week for Jazz Age Wednesdays.

Thanks for taking time to visit. I love your comments, so be sure to say hello. You’re the cat’s pajamas!

***

Here’s my shameless self-promotion…

Atonement, Tennessee

Amazon UK

Murder at the Bijou — Three Ingredients I

The Three Things Serial Story: A Little 1920s Story Kindle

This is a work of fiction. Characters, names, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

No part of this work may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

All images are either the property of the author or provided by free sources, unless stated otherwise.

Jazz Age Wednesdays ― Hullaba Lulu 11.2

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Who’s your papa? Art by Rob Goldstein

Welcome everyone. The diesel-punk train has arrived at Jazz Age Wednesdays. It’s great to see all you Sheiks and Shebas! Artist, Rob Goldstein created the pos-i-lutely swell images for this episode. If you need a comprehensive review of this serial, Rob has a post with links to many of the past chapters.

Previously with Hullaba Lulu

When we left Lulu and the crew, Valentino’s train had crashed into a sand dune in Egypt. Pearl apologized for suggesting Lulu and her family weren’t good enough, but Lulu could tell she didn’t really mean it.

Then they saw an automobile speeding across the sands toward the train. The angel-bots acted very excited when they spotted it.

“It’s Papá!” Moon cried.

This time

This episode is low key compared to others. However, we can see that Pearl has something up her sleeve. The story picks up where Chapter 11.1 Papá ended. Now to Chapter 11.2. Do you hear Valentino’s trumpet?

All aboard!

Hullaba Lulu

Chapter 11.2

Violet Ray

The angel-bots gather excitedly to welcome Papá

“It’s Papá!” Moon cried.

Without further explanation, Moon jumped down to the sandy ground and rushed toward the other angel-bots. They bounced on their toes in excitement as the vehicle drew near.

When the automobile stopped a man wearing a top hat stepped out to join the angle-bots.

“Is that?” Gramps began.

“Nikola Tesla?” Pearl asked.

“Bushwa! Is it? Moon said it was ‘Papá.’ He was talking about Tesla?” I asked in surprise.

We couldn’t hear what the automatons said to him but he turned back to his automobile and in a moment, two of the angel-bots lifted out a wooden case. The group started toward the train.

Pearl’s eyes widened as she gazed at the man. She had a familiar look on her face that meant she had an idea. Pearl had a knack for coming up with schemes to get into big parties, or getting free giggle water, or other things to entertain her, Rose, and me.

Pearl by Rob Goldstein

While I wondered what she was thinking, Pearl put a hand to her fluffy blond hair. Then she touched the long fashionable earrings she wore. I thought she was nervous about meeting Nikola Tesla.

“He has phobias,” Pearl murmured.

Dynamite and Moon rushed to the train ahead of the rest of the group. Moon had the wooden case.

“What’s in the box?” I asked the angel-bots.

“It’s Papá’s violet ray machine,” Moon answered. “It will stimulate lymphatic and capillary circulation, resulting in toxins being carried away and the body’s organs being strengthened.”

“This might help Valentino,” Dynamite translated scientist into flapper. “Moon knows how to set up the right voltage for the transformer, the coil, and the glass applicators.”

The control room of Valentino’s train, by Rob Goldstein

“Yes, Señorita. That is how the violet ray works. As the voltage moves through the coil, it is increased, ionizing the gas in the bulb. This produces charged particles that emanate from the bulb’s surface. The high frequency and charged particles are beneficial,” said Moon as he hurried down the corridor with the box.

“Huh?” I asked Pearl.

However, Pearl was gone.

I put out a hand to slow down Dynamite when he moved to follow Moon.

“Will that thing heal Valentino?” I asked.

Dynamite shifted his feet before answering.

“It does nothing to bring Valentino into proper attunement with the train. So no, Miss. It won’t heal Valentino,” Dynamite said carefully. “However, like what you did with the theremin, it should help some. It could give us time to find a cure. After this treatment, you may be asked to use the theremin on him again,” he added. “If you don’t mind, of course.”

I nodded and told Dynamite I would do anything I could.

Nikola Tesla, by Rob Goldstein

Some of the automatons helped the man wearing the top hat up onto the train. Gramps was accustomed to the role of host back at his speakeasy. He politely introduced us, which prompted the man to respond in kind. He was indeed Nikola Tesla. However, he wasted little time on pleasantries and asked the angel-bots to take him to Valentino.

I got the feeling I would be in the way, so I let suspicious curiosity lead the wayme. I went to Pearl’s sleeper car.

As I approached, the door opened and Woo stepped out of Pearl’s rooms. I could hear Pearl’s voice and she was in a lather.

“I’m sorry you made so much work for yourself, Woo. None of these will do. Maybe if you could speak without that accent, you would understand better. I’m afraid you’ll just have to bring more dresses until you can understand what I mean by old fashioned,” Pearl said in a matter of fact tone.

Some angel-bot attendants on the train, by Rob Goldstein

Woo hesitated when she saw me. Her feet shuffled in a way that I had come to interpret as clockwork confusion or maybe anxiety.

“May I assist you, Giver of Names?” Woo asked in a voice that had a very slight Chinese accent.

“So where do you come from, anyway, Woo?” I asked with a glance toward Pearl’s rooms.

“Most angel-bots are actually from the same place, Miss. However, my voice is from Shanghai,” she replied.

Of course, I was curious about the first part of her statement. However, Woo was compelled to get on with her errand for Pearl, so I didn’t trouble her by asking.

Pearl’s door was open, so I followed the sound of her voice into her sleeper car. The first thing I noticed was that the lower level of the car was littered with glad rags of every color and shape, as well as gowns representative of half a dozen eras of history.

Comfy and luxurious accommodations on the train, by Rob Goldstein

The second thing I noticed was that she wasn’t wearing any earrings. Pearl always wore earrings, even when she slept. Daytime or evening, she preferred the longest, flashiest ones she could find. Pearl had a newspaper in her hands when she glanced up at me.

“Pearl, what’s all this stuff?” I asked motioning around the room to all the dresses. “Are you dudding up for something?”

“Lulu, I’m glad you’re here. Maybe there’s something in your fluky clothes that’s out dated enough. Have you got something plain I could borrow?” she wanted to know.

“You’ve got an odd way of asking somebody to help you,” I told her.

Lulu feeling a bit snarky, by Rob Goldstein

“Oh, come on, Lulu. Don’t be that way. You know it’s true. You don’t have an eye for fashion. Look at this,” Pearl demanded as she held up the newspaper and gave it a shake.

“In place of the soft voiced, gentle woman of my reverent worship,” says Mr. Tesla, “has come the woman who thinks that her chief success in life lies in making herself as much as possible like man–in dress, voice and actions, in sports and achievements of every kind,” Pearl read from the newspaper.

“Plus, you know he has phobias. He’s scared to death of human hair and earrings! Nerts! Can you believe it? Who could be afraid of earrings?” Pearl exclaimed.

“Why are you so upset? Bushwa! Why do you even care?” I demanded.

“Mr. Tesla is a chaste man. I can leave with him and not damage my reputation. I’m sure I can get him to agree to take me home,” Pearl explained. “However, he’s also quite a catch, and he’s the cat’s particulars too. His ideal woman doesn’t exist in this century, but I can make him think I’m her.”

Annoyed, Lulu imagines shaving Pearl’s head, by Rob Goldstein

“I get it, Pearl. Nikola Tesla is an odd bird, but you want him to think you’re a Sheba. In that case there’s two things for you to do. One ― don’t wear any earrings,” I began and Pearl nodded. “And two, shave your head.”

At that comment Pearl started some very loud hysterics. I admit to having the uncharitable fantasy of holding her down and shaving her head.

Summoning all my self-restraint I went to the radio in her room. After being handed off a couple of times, I managed to reach Woo. I asked the angel-bot for a more specific dress and hat.

“Yes please, Woo. In Pearl’s size. A gown that’s Victorian, but rather simple. And in either white or a pastel. Yes, I know the kind of hat I asked for doesn’t go with a Victorian gown, but just humor me. That’s right. Not a regular hat, but a turban. And get it to match the gown if you can,” I requested.

Pearl Wearing Turban, by Rob Goldstein

***

The End

***

Horsefeathers! It seems like Pearl really is ready to leave the train. She’s dead set on making a play for Tesla too. I think Valentino isn’t the only one who needs help!

Will Tesla’s violet ray buy Valentino enough time? If it’s not a cure, then what are they going to do to heal him? Tune in again next week!

Real World Notes

The Violet Ray. Invented by Nikola Tesla, the violet ray is a user-friendly, hand-held device that can be used with a variety of glass applicators, such as a bulb, a comb-rake, or a rod, each with a specific purpose. The glass is inserted into the tip of the hand-held section. After being plugged in and turned on, the appliance becomes a high-voltage, low amperage (current) source of static electricity. Its discharge creates a violet color (hence, its name), a pleasant ozone smell – and a sizzling noise.

I hope you’ll click over and check out Rob’s blog. You’ll find more fabulous images there, and terrific blog posts too.

Stay tuned for more spontaneously written fun. The remaining things Rob sent to drive Chapter 11 are Sarcophagus and Remote Control. Your guess is as good as mine for what I’ll do with those things.

I hope you will be at the station again next week to catch the diesel-punk train.

Thanks for visiting. You’re the oyster’s earrings!

Iset full black gown Lulu - Goddess-3 (1)

Don’t forget this mysterious woman. I don’t think she blinked in just for the heck of it.

***

Now some shameless self-promotion for my other 1920s books — the original “three things” stories about Paisley Idelle Peabody, aka Pip, and her friends.

Murder at the Bijou — Three Ingredients I

The Three Things Serial Story: A Little 1920s Story Kindle

All images are either the property of the author or provided by free sources, unless stated otherwise.

See You Again (Atonement in Bloom)

Thanks to the inimitable Donna Parker for reviewing my soon to be released, Atonement in Boom. I was as blue as the story’s “blue rose of the impossible” — but not anymore! Comments are closed here, because I want everyone to browse Donna’s wonderful blog.

Donna’s posts are filled with a unique and marvelous sense of whimsy. She is back from her break and in rare form. Please do visit. Hugs!

yadadarcyyada

Sorry I’m not sorry…Not sorry I took a blogging break to question myself. I was seized with a feeling, a feeling that I had nothing else to say…I know that doesn’t stop some folks, but I didn’t want to waste my time or yours, you know, overstay my welcome.Then lately, everything I read or watched seemed to have the theme of atonement, redemption – maybe my brain was begging to reclaim my blog, atone for not believing in myself, redeem my poor little lonely blog sitting here, hoping against hope, to be read, so I thought, what the heck, a few more posts couldn’t hurt (er, famous last words?).

Not sorry a couple of wonderful bloggers/authors, Teagan and John knew just how to lure me back, putting down Reese’s Pieces, or in this case, books/ARCs, to lead me back to blogging (Be Good).

Teagan Riordain Genevienehttps://teagansbooks.com/ …

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Whose Line Is It? Mine?

Saturday, July 14, 2018

Welcome, everyone. There was an improvisational comedy show (1998 – 2004 or so) that always cracked me up. I thought it was the best exercise in creativity that I’d ever seen. It was “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” Drew Carey, Ryan Stiles, Wayne Brady, and Colin Mochrie could take any “line” and work hilarious magic.

Those guys created characters, scenes, and songs on the spot, based on a line they were given. Yet here I am… I already have the characters and scenes, sometimes even a song — all I need is that line… That illusive opening line!

Why should that be so difficult? Horsefeathers! It’s worse than dating, or meeting the CEO of a big company for the first time. I struggle with the opening line for days weeks forever. Then I wonder how important it actually was.

Today I thought I’d share what I came up with for my Atonement, Tennessee series. For the first book I began the prologue with this: Dawn’s light cast shadows that shifted amid branches of magnolia and mountain laurel, and danced upon statuary and grave stones.

Lilith explores the Sunhold cemetery in “Atonement, Tennessee”

However, my wrongly wired brain complained, that was the prologue! Did that qualify as the opening line? So, I struggled all over again with a line for Chapter 1. It’s hard to sound all fancy-dancy when writing in first person so that was even harder. I finally settled on this: I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, ready to savor the moment.

Of course, when I started writing book-2, I went through all that self-torment again. Worse, I needed to be consistent and keep the magical prologue. That meant I would go through that double wringer again for Atonement in Bloom. The prologue begins: Lilith sat bathed in moonlight atop the stone wall, watching small bats dart about, high overhead.

Then Ralda Lawton, takes over as narrator. Chapter-1 starts like this: It had seen better days, but who hadn’t?

If I don’t enjoy writing that opening line, then what is my favorite line to write? “The end.” Naturally I enjoy writing every line in between. It’s just that the first one’s a doozy.

Image by Chris Graham

Reviews!

Frankly, I’ll never be satisfied with an opening line. So, I’m going to focus on the positive. Even though it’s been a few years since I published “Atonement” I still get excited about lovely reviews. I’m downright giddy because recently it has gotten two! Romance author, Jacquie Biggar posted a review from her blog.

Author of mystery and suspense, Mae Clair posted this review at Amazon.

Like odd? Like quirky with a generous dollop of magical realism and whimsy thrown in? Then you’re going to love the little town of Atonement, Tennessee and the people (and others) who populate it. Vividly imagined, this is a light but intriguing tale filled with eccentric characters and imaginative plot lines. The shifting narrative between the main character, Esmeralda, and her cat, Lilith (told in 3rd person POV) works surprising well. A truly delightful and “magical” story!

By the way, Mae and Jacquie both have new releases. Be sure to visit their blogs to learn more!

If you have any questions about the “Atonement-verse” feel free to leave them in a comment. Also, do you have a favorite opening line from a book you love? Leave that in a comment too. I love to hear from you.

***

Here’s my own shameless self-promotion…

Atonement, Tennessee

Amazon UK

Murder at the Bijou — Three Ingredients I

The Three Things Serial Story: A Little 1920s Story Kindle

All images are either the property of the author or provided by free sources, unless stated otherwise.

Jazz Age Wednesdays ― Hullaba Lulu 11.1

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Rose and Valentino boarding the train back at the abandoned subway station. Now Rose has left the train. Valentino is gravely ill. Read on to find out what happens next!

Welcome to Jazz Age Wednesdays. Summer is in full force and so is the diesel-punk train! It’s great to see all you Sheiks and Shebas here at the station.

You already know that this story is unplanned. I write it spontaneously as artist, illustrator, and “co-conspirator” Rob Goldstein sends new groups of “three things.” However, that doesn’t mean that once I get a thing I don’t have to figure out how to evolve what exists of the plot to make it go with the thing. (Did that make sense?) This time it was taking me awhile to do that — get the characters, location, and the events that have happened so far — to mesh with the next thing. So this episode doesn’t have a true thing. I simply gave it a title.

Valentino calls us to the station with his trumpet, by Rob Goldstein

Previously with Hullaba Lulu

Due to sabotage to the Tesla coil, Valentino’s train passed into a painting. Heroic efforts by the clockwork angel-bots brought everyone back onto the train. However, they’re all still worried about Valentino. Back at the Cotton Club he said that he didn’t have long to live. Valentino’s health continues to diminish because of the damage to his connection with the train.

As the train traveled, Lulu caught a glimpse of mysterious and huge multicolored wings.

Finally the train thudded into the sands of Egypt. However, outside there were two Egypts and one of them was upside-down — people there were the opposite of what they were in our world. Rose spotted the opposite version of Tom Driberg there and she parted company with us to be with him.

The story picks up where Chapter 10.3 ended. Now to Chapter 11.1. Do you hear Valentino’s trumpet?

All aboard!

Hullaba Lulu

Chapter 11.1

Papá

LuLu in Egypt 3 Valentino Gramps foreground

Valentino, Angel-bot, Lulu, Gramps and others, by Rob Goldstien

My hand was on the door to the “upside-down” Egypt. I couldn’t just let Rose leave to be with Tom when he had caused so much trouble for her. He willingly put her life in danger for the sake of his espionage.

Yet when I saw the way that Tom looked at Rose I removed my hand from the door. The angel-bot, Moon, had said people in that Egypt were the opposite of what they were in our world. The expression on that Tom’s face was one of innocence and pure love.

“Señorita,” Moon began but he didn’t seem to know what to say.

“No one has ever looked at me like that,” I murmured.

“Señorita, are you unwell?” Moon asked.

I used the back of my hand to wipe my nose and sniffed, mumbling that I was fine.

Lulu by Rob Goldstein

Then I fell flat on my rump.

The train shifted dramatically to one side. Only moments before, it had crashed into a sand dune. I supposed it was not stable. Neither was Valentino. Abruptly I was worried about what harm the unexpected motion might have caused Valentino. He was already deathly ill.

A fluttering sensation deep inside my ears caused me to shake my head. It was the oddest feeling, and it wouldn’t stop. The fluttering was like having a tiny bird caught inside my head.

It caused me to think of the large multicolored wings I glimpsed before. Right after seeing those wings I had felt something thud against the top of the train. I wondered if that impact led to its shift of position. Did whatever it was hit the train?

My head started to buzz. The lights flickered sharply, almost like the flash of a camera.

For an instant I saw a gorgeous woman wearing a long white gown. Her black hair was like a smooth sheet of onyx. In contrast to her elegance, I thought her little hat was funny. Or maybe it was a crown, but it mostly looked like a tiny chair on top of her head.

Mysterious for sure, but good or bad? Rob Goldstein

Her eyes narrowed dangerously when I met her appraising gaze. There was nothing funny about the look she gave me.

The lights flashed again and she vanished as quickly as she had appeared. I shook my head again. The fluttering sensation was gone. After seeing that woman appear and disappear, I felt my head for a bump. I didn’t remember hitting my head, and I hadn’t had a drink all day, but nobody could just pop into existence and then vanish like that. I was sure I must have been seeing things.

Feeling disoriented, I struggled to my feet and looked outside. The shift caused the train to tilt. The ground was several feet below the door. I wondered if I could jump that far without hurting myself.

I watched in unmoving astonishment as dozens of angel-bots swarmed out of the train. It looked as though the clockwork attendants were trying to right the train.

My foot caught on something and I fell again. I saw Gramps headed toward me.

“Lulu, are you all right?” my grandfather asked.

Gramps effortlessly pulled me to my feet. My grandfather’s speakeasy didn’t really need a bouncer when he was there. He was still a strong man. I wasn’t sure how I got my klutziness, but it didn’t come from him. His big mustache was perfectly groomed and his bowtie was straight. I doubted that he even stumbled when the train tilted.

Lulu, Gramps, and Valentino, by Rob Goldstein

“I should go check on Valentino,” I told him.

Clicking from the heels of Pearl’s oxfords preceded her. Glittering earrings that skimmed her bare shoulders swung as she walked. Pearl always wore earrings. Sometimes I thought that must be the first thing she put on in the mornings. To Pearl, the longer and more dramatic the earrings the better. However, something had spilled down the front of her beaded gown and her fair hair was mussed.

“Wicky, Wacky, and Woo are with Valentino,” Pearl told me as she walked toward us. “He was raving something, but his speech was slurred. It sounded like he kept asking about something, ‘Is it’ whatever. I asked him ‘Is what?’ but he moaned and passed out again.”

“Horsefeathers. I didn’t know he was delirious. He’s gotten worse then,” I murmured.

Gramps nodded and looked at me gravely.

“Lulu, how will we get home?” Pearl suddenly wailed.

Pearl started crying and Gramps put a fatherly arm around her shoulder. She grabbed my hand.

Pearl by Rob Goldstein

“I’m sorry Lulu. I shouldn’t have said what I did,” Pearl told me with a quick glance at Gramps.

I could tell that she didn’t want me to let my grandfather know what she had said. (Chapter 10.2) Pearl had spoken with heated contempt about “the kind of people” I was from, as she phrased it.

I wanted to shout at Pearl, to point out that she only apologized for saying out loud what she was thinking. That wasn’t an apology. It wasn’t any better than a thief being sorry he got caught. She hadn’t shown any regret for what she felt.

However, I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to even look at her. So instead I pretended interest in Moon’s busy tinkering.

Moon opened a narrow panel next to the door. I didn’t know what the engineering bot was trying to achieve. Moon appeared to know all the mysterious workings of Valentino’s train. With a click and a pop, the exit door opened.

It looked like the angel-bots outside had managed to brace the train to prevent it shifting again. Then one of them pointed toward the Great Pyramid in the distance. Abruptly they stopped their work. All the clockwork creatures moved toward the one who pointed.

Art by Rob Goldstein

A cloud of sand billowed behind an automobile as is sped toward us.

“This is extraordinary!” Moon exclaimed.

“What do you mean?” I asked the automaton.

“It’s Papá!” Moon cried.

***

The End

***

Horsefeathers! Now what? Pearl wants forgiveness, but has no remorse for thinking Lulu and Gramps are second class. A strange woman flickered in for an instant, and she didn’t look too happy to see Lulu. And what the Sam Hill did Moon mean by Papá?

Be at the station next week to find out more.

I hope you’ll click over and check out Rob’s blog. You’ll find more fabulous images there, and terrific blog posts too.

Real World Notes

Earrings. Roaring Twenties fashion, including jewelry had a focus on movement. The popularity of short haircuts resulted in the trend of long and dangling earrings. Earrings became a statement piece in their own right, rather than an afterthought. Here’s an article with lovely pictures.

Did you notice the bit in this chapter about Pearl and those long earrings? Keep an eye out next time for something related to those earrings.

Stay tuned for more spontaneously written fun. Next of the random “things” Rob sent to drive Chapter 11 is Violet Ray. We’ll see where that takes this diesel-punk train and who else comes aboard!

Thanks for visiting. You’re the oyster’s earrings!

***

Now some shameless self-promotion for my other 1920s books — the original “three things” stories about Paisley Idelle Peabody, aka Pip, and her friends.

Bijou front only 2

Murder at the Bijou — Three Ingredients I

Novel-book-The Three Things Serial Story-Teagan Riordain Geneviene-The Writer Next Door-Vashti Q-spotlight-author

The Three Things Serial Story: A Little 1920s Story Kindle

All images are either the property of the author or provided by free sources, unless stated otherwise.

The Punk of I Don’t Know — the Punk of Punk

Saturday, July 7, 2018

Welcome to my sanctuary — an oasis free of politics, religion, and the judgments that often go with both. It’s my safe haven where we can relax in the comfort and encouragement of each other’s presence — free of bullies and passive aggressive princesses. I’m allowing certain “punks.” That’s my prerogative as proprietress and bouncer.

Not that kind of bouncer… Anyhow, since we’re in my sanctuary, I don’t mind telling you that I’m a continuous learner. I have to be, because there are so many things I don’t know about.

After I started writing Copper, the Alchemist, and the Woman in Trousers back in 2015, I realized that I was writing steampunk. (See episode 1 of that serial here.) So I had to learn about that genre.

Small Cornelis steampunk man dreamstime_xxl_87472463

Cornelis Drebbel the Alchimest, purchased at Dreamstime

Later I ran into blogger/author Sarah Zama and found that all sorts of “punk” existed. That included diesel-punk and several others. In fact, the list of “punks” goes on and on. (Sarah has a post filled with gorgeous Art Deco things.) Yes, deco-punk is one of the genres out there too.

The definitions for each punk vary greatly, so I’m not making any proclamations here. Some punks aren’t defined by the era of the technology. I’m not going to dig into those. Here, I’m going to stick with what I can order based on a loose timeline.

A widely accepted example of steampunk is Dinotopia (books and movies).

Some would place diesel-punk as an era following steampunk, and define both according to the level of technology used. Steampunk would be technology at the level of steam engines (as in the late 1800s to the early 1900s).

Meanwhile diesel-punk would be the next step forward, with black smoke from those engines. I’ve seen Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow given as an example of diesel-punk. Diesel-punk has been described as a setting during the “interwar period,” the period between the end of the First World War in November 1918 and the beginning of the Second World War in September 1939.

Also, punks of any kind tend to have a fantasy or science fiction element added to the mix. There is usually an element of rebellion or characters who are outcasts. Now, remember, that’s just one simplified definition.

I only list a few examples. Things don’t always get listed in the “punk” where I’d think they would fall. So I still have a lot of punk to learn.

Characters in Hullaba Lulu wait for the train, by Rob Goldstein

Anyway, I found that I loved writing about these things. So when Rob Goldstein wanted to work with me, illustrating a 1920s series, I was excited to make it a diesel-punk story. Hullaba Lulu was born. To me Lulu makes a good diesel-punk character. She is lovably snarky, rebels against convention, and is a bit of an outcast, just like the song “Don’t Bring Lulu.” That serial continues at my Jazz Age Wednesdays posts.

For a comprehensive article — just one take on the many different explanations of all the “punks” out there, you might check this post, Punkpunk: A Compendium of Literary Punk Genres. I don’t know if I agree with everything stated there, as I said there are almost as many different definitions as there are write-ups. However, it is an interesting read with a lot of information.

Naturally, Wikipedia has a good list as well. It includes atompunk, which I’ve seen called atomic-punk or atomic fiction. That usually has technology from 1945 to 1965, or the Atomic Age. Think of it as retro-futuristic science fiction or “Raygun Gothic.” I’d like to try my hand at that some time.

In case you were wondering, yes, there is such a thing as Tesla-punk!

Image by Teagan R. Geneviene

Leave a comment and let me know what kind of punk you enjoy. I love to hear from you.

***

Here’s my own shameless non-punk self-promotion… at least no punk yet

Atonement, Tennessee

Amazon UK

Murder at the Bijou — Three Ingredients I

The Three Things Serial Story: A Little 1920s Story Kindle

All images are either the property of the author or provided by free sources, unless stated otherwise.

Jazz Age Wednesdays ― Hullaba Lulu 10.3

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Avatars created by Rob Goldstein, added zaniness by Teagan

**To all you Sheiks and Shebas in the USA, happy Independence Day!**

Welcome back to Jazz Age Wednesdays. As you know, the illustrator and Sender of Things for this spontaneously written story is San Francisco artist, Rob Goldstein. (Click here for the entire collection of Rob’s videos.)

Rob let me play with some of his dolls/avarars to make a July Fourth image. Creating it helped me de-stress a little. Valentino is looking a bit miffed as Tesla puts an arm around Lulu and a saluting angel-bot, as fireworks light the sky behind a Tesla tower.

Awhile back, Rob had an image idea with Valentino as an angel, but it wasn’t part of the story. So I told him I didn’t mind if he had his own parallel part of what I call the Lulu-verse — the universe of all the things that make up Hullaba Lulu. That’s been working for us. We work together, Rob illustrating and me writing. Yet sometimes we let things drift into other quadrants of the Lulu-verse. Like the Hullaba Lulu Dreams post. Rob’s latest video is like that too.

With today’s episode of Hullaba Lulu I’ve finally gotten to the other “things” for Chapter 10 of the series. The action picks up where Chapter 10.2 stopped.

Previously with Hullaba Lulu

With some instructions from angel-bot Moon, Lulu made music with the theremin. It wasn’t a cure for his malaise, but it helped temporarily bring Valentino back into tune with his train.

The planchette from the Ouija board drew a triangle and wrote the words “secret chamber.” Then the train thudded into the sand dunes of Egypt!

It’s time for the rest of Chapter 10. Do you hear Valentino’s trumpet?

All aboard!

Hullaba Lulu

Chapter 10.3

Wave Frequency Machine, Hidden Door

Lulu, by Rob Goldstein

I gawked at the Great Pyramid in astonishment. My eyes swept the barren landscape hoping for another glimpse of those multicolored wings ― and the creature to whom they belonged. I couldn’t imagine what could have such wings.

After a moment I turned on my kitten heels and ran toward the nearest exit door of the train. The door had a porthole window, but the Great Pyramid couldn’t be seen from that angle. Rose stood at the door with one hand poised to open it, but she made no move to do so.

“We might finally be far enough away for me to be safe, but we’re in the middle of nowhere and in a desert no less!” Rose cried and banged her fist against the wall in frustration.

Rose by Rob Goldstein

I don’t know what she must have hit, but a panel in the train’s wall slid open to reveal a hidden door. It also had a window, but the view was of a completely different scene. It was a busy archaeological dig.

The clank of automaton footfalls caused me to turn. Moon rushed to catch up with me. The blue-gold engineering-bot had stopped to pick up an odd-looking contraption.

Outside, a familiar face looked toward the train. Rose saw him too and sighed wistfully. It was Tom Driberg. He was a journalist, so perhaps he was there to report on the discovery of some pharaoh’s tomb. However, Tom was also a spy, so there was no telling what he might be doing.

“I guess I wouldn’t be that safe here after all, even in the back end of Egypt. Because I can’t trust myself not to give in to Tom,” Rose murmured. “You know Lulu, he just wasn’t the person he made himself out to be. I thought I had taken up with a madcap reporter. Gradually, before I fully realized what was happening, he pulled me into his world of espionage and deceit. Even when I learned about it, he made it seem like wild fun. I was up to my ears in it before I understood how bad it all was. If only Tom had been the person he made me think he was.”

Valentino and Tom, by Rob Goldstein

I didn’t know what to say to comfort Rose. I gave her shoulder a pat and asked if she’d like to go to the automat and get a gin rickey, but she gazed mutely out the window. As my eyes followed hers I contemplated the contradiction between the scenes outside the two doors. Tom Driberg was at an archaeology dig beyond the hidden door. However, the view outside the main door was only desert sand, with the Great Pyramid in the distance.

“Moon?” I inquired of the automaton. “Why are there two different Egypts outside? Are both of them sideways?”

“Señorita, please do not open that door. It is far too dangerous,” Moon said to Rose and gently touched her arm.

“So, Lulu is right?” Rose asked, dropping her hand from the door. “We went sideways again, like at Atlantic City?”

Egypt Outside the Portal, by Teagan Geneviene

A series of clicks and whirs came from the angel-bot before he spoke.

“Apologies. I don’t speak flapper as well as Dynamite. That Egypt is not sideways. You might say it was upside down or backwards,” Moon explained, pointing to the window of the main door. “People and sometimes events are opposite to what they are in your world. If you knew that man—Tom for a bad man, then out there, he may be a good one,” Moon added and changed the direction of his pointing finger to the portal in the door that was hidden until a moment before.

Rose’s hand went back to the door as she stared outside at Tom. Moon seemed to guess her intention. The automaton’s next words caused me to inhale sharply.

“However, there might well be a very bad version of you there as well,” Moon continued. “She would likely be driven to illuminate any duplicates of herself if you encountered one another. Here,” he said, holding the odd machine with one hand and adjusting knobs with the other. “Allow me please, to check your frequency.”

When I asked Moon what he was about, he called the gizmo a wave frequency machine. The metal box had a cone-shaped device that made a wee-woo-wee-woo sound as it swung back and forth when Moon held it near Rose. After taking a reading from Rose, he pointed the machine to the window with the upside-down-backward Egypt. It wee-wooed for a moment before beeping rapidly.

Moon checks Rose’s wave frequency

Moon pointed the cone-shaped part at a blank wall and it projected a moving image, just like a film in a theatre. It showed a gravestone for Margosha Rose MacDonald. My pal Rose gasped at the site of her own grave.

“All is well, Señorita. The demise of your duplicate there has nothing to do with your own health. In fact, it should be safe for you to go to that Egypt,” Moon stated.

“I wonder what your boss would say about that,” Rose began. “But he’s in no condition to try and order me around. Wait though. If I go there, will I become the opposite of what I am now?”

“No, Señorita. You will remain as you are,” Moon replied.

“What about me, Moon?” I asked the clockwork attendant. “Is there an evil me out there?”

A series of clicks and whirs preceded Moon’s pronouncement.

“No, Señorita. None of the upside-down worlds have duplicates of you or of Valentino,” he said, rendering me speechless.

Gramps by Rob Goldstein

I didn’t realize Gramps was standing behind us until he spoke. I jumped halfway out of my skin.

“What about me, or my late wife, Priscilla?” Gramps asked the angel-bot.

Moon twisted knobs and pointed the cone-thing at my grandfather and at the window. In a moment he projected the image of a large tombstone that bore the names of both my grandparents. I didn’t see anything about Lauren, my mother. I was silent, waiting to see if Gramps would ask about her, but he did not.

“My apologies Señor,” Moon began. “Although it might be safe for you or Señorita MacDonald to go there, it would be unwise. There could be problems should you encounter someone who thought you were dead.”

“And me?” I wanted to know. “Are you saying that I never even existed on any of these upside-down worlds?”

“Señorita, I have no information on the potential consequences of you visiting one of these worlds,” Moon replied apologetically. “I don’t believe Valentino would advise you to go.”

Rose started to open the door, but I caught her arm. Did she mean to just rush out into an upside-down Egypt? Then I saw the expression on her face when she looked at Tom. It was something I wasn’t sure I still had. Hope.

“I would be safe from the Russian spies and Tom Driberg would be a good man,” Rose whispered. “Don’t let anyone come for me, Lulu!”

Rose goes to Tom in the “upside down Egypt,” by Rob Goldstein

Too quickly for any of us to stop her, Rose rushed out the door. I turned to my grandfather.

“Lauren might be out there somewhere,” I began. “A good version of Lauren. Are you going?”

Gramps stood quietly for a moment, looking out the window. We watched as Rose ran to Tom. Deiberg seemed to recognize her. He picked her up in a hug and swung her around. Her expression was joyous. Gramps swallowed hard and then turned away.

“No, Lulu. What would I want with a world where you never existed?” he replied in a rough voice then he walked back down the corridor.

I wiped a tear from my eye and looked outside again. Rose waltzed away with Tom.

Rose and Tom Driberg dance, by Rob Goldstein

A shadow fell over the train. I glanced out the window at the real Egypt. I barely caught a flash of multicolored wings. Then I heard a soft thud, as if something landed on top of the train.

***

The End

***

Real World Notes

Archaeology in 1920s Egypt. Video Digging Into the Past: Egyptian Excavations circa 1920 Metropolitan Museum of Art

Wave Frequency Machine: This “thing” came from the real world in a different way. Actually it isn’t from the “real” world at all. Rob put this video clip in a comment and a “thing” was born. It’s from the vintage TV series, My Favorite Martian.

I hope you’ll click over and check out Rob’s blog. You’ll find more fabulous images there, and terrific blog posts too.

Stay tuned for more spontaneously written fun. The things Rob sent to drive Chapter 11 — Sarcophagus, Remote Control, Violet Ray! Right now, I have no idea where the seat of my pantser pants will fly with those things. Horsefeathers… what the Sam Hill is violet ray?

I hope to see you on our diesel-punk train again next week. Thanks for visiting.

You’re the caterpillar’s kimono!

***

Now the requisite shameless self-promotion for my other 1920s books — the original “three things” stories about Paisley Idelle Peabody, aka Pip, and her friends.

Murder at the Bijou — Three Ingredients I

The Three Things Serial Story: A Little 1920s Story Kindle

All images are either the property of the author or provided by free sources, unless stated otherwise.

Roaring Twenties Tech & Culture

Don’t Bring Lulu

Garter Flask

The Bright Young Things

Spiritualism — Ouija Board

Carl Jung

Orthophonic Victrola

Automat

Tilt-A-Whirl

Nagasaki

Kodak Brownie

The Garçonne Look

Ferris Wheel

Bubblegum

Pittura Metafisica

Videophone

Chanel No. 5

Dancing

Bolshies

Jukebox

Electric Starter

Electromagnet

Theremin

Egyptomania

Earrings

Update for Deborah!

Violet Ray

Previously with Hullaba Lulu

This time

All aboard!

Hullaba Lulu

Chapter 11.2

Violet Ray

Real World Notes

Not sorry a couple of wonderful bloggers/authors, Teagan and John knew just how to lure me back, putting down Reese’s Pieces, or in this case, books/ARCs, to lead me back to blogging (Be Good).

Teagan Riordain Genevienehttps://teagansbooks.com/ …

Reviews!

Previously with Hullaba Lulu

All aboard!

Hullaba Lulu

Chapter 11.1

Papá

Real World Notes

To all you Sheiks and Shebas in the USA, happy Independence Day!

Previously with Hullaba Lulu

All aboard!

Hullaba Lulu

Chapter 10.3

Wave Frequency Machine, Hidden Door

Real World Notes

**Teagan Riordain Geneviene*https://teagansbooks.com/*** …

**To all you Sheiks and Shebas in the USA, happy Independence Day!**