All Aboard! The Delta Pearl is here! #ThursdayDoors

Posted on by Teagan Riordain Geneviene
Image collage by Teagan
Image collage by Teagan

Post updated to include series note at the end.

Thursday, May 23, 2024

All aboard!

Open the door to a voyage into opulence, adventure, and whimsy.

My steampunk duology, The Delta Pearl, is now at the dock.  Mystery and adventure await you.

Also the books are at the minimum introductory price through this holiday weekend only.

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Today I have a few doors that are inspired by The Delta Pearl duology.  It is a steampunk riverboat filled with enigmatic people and clockwork creatures.  Let’s begin with this lighthearted excerpt below.

In the following door-related scene from book-1, Émeraude – although quite accidentally – has gotten more than a little tipsy.  She also came upon passengers in a… shall we say, compromising situation.

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Snippet — Puddle Drunk

Image collage by Teagan
Image collage by Teagan

“I was just… I was just about to… Do something, but I’ve no idea what it was just now,” I told them abashedly.

Azalea started to giggle.

“Your hair is a mess, dear Émeraude,” she told me as she moved a strand that had fallen across my eyes.  “I think perhaps you were about to come to our cabin,” she added with another giggle as she stroked my cheek.

“Um, no.  That wasn’t it,” I replied in all seriousness, having completely missed her innuendo.

“Come now, Azalea.  That wouldn’t be right.  It’s not decent to take advantage of an intoxicated woman.”

Laughter sputtered from my lips as her meaning finally registered.

“Oh no!  What kind of governess are you?  Ah, I’m sorry.  You are merely teasing.  Besides, three is a crowd.”

Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires. Argentina. Wikipedia
Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Wikipedia

Then I saw the Dealer beyond the etched glass doors.

“Oh, that’s it.  I needed to see Jaspe,” I replied and hurriedly made my exit.

Unfortunately, I failed to open the glass doors before trying to go inside, and I walked right into them despite the fact that they were closed.  A tiny crack appeared at one of the etched designs.

The young women hurried forward to open the doors for me, giggling the while.  When I was safely inside, they went on their way.

I rubbed a sore spot on my forehead, uncertain why it hurt.  Oh yes, the doors.  Again, I spotted the tiny crack my noggin made in the glass.  I watched in wonder as the Delta Pearl healed the slight damage to her glass.

When I turned back, Jaspe was right beside me.  It startled me.  When I gasped, I hiccupped again.

He’s damnably quite, that one.

“ZAASH paaah,” I began, trying to use the French pronunciation of his name with his New Orleans accent.  “I’m not sure we should be dancing right now,” I told him when he put a steadying hand to my back.  “You’re twirling me around a little too fast.”

“Émeraude, we are not dancing.  In fact, we are not moving at all.  Is the Cook to blame for your inebriated condition?” he asked, sounding rather put-out.

“No, no.  Agate would not do that.  You know how proper she is…  Or I guess she isn’t all that proper at that.  But Agate only gave me tea.  You know I don’t like whiskey.  She didn’t put any whiskey in my tea.”

“Oh?” the Dealer inquired, lifting his elegant eyebrows.

“Oh, no.  It was the vodka,” I explained.

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Here’s another beautifully ornate entrance.

Church Street Post Office Building, New York City. Wikipedia
Church Street Post Office Building, New York City. Wikipedia

These etched windows were too much like the way I imagined that door on the riverboat. I had to include them.

St Nicholas Church Moreton Dorset Derek Voller Wikimedia
St Nicholas Church, Moreton, Dorset. Derek Voller at Wikimedia

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The Delta Pearl

The duology includes The Delta Pearl: A Steampunk Riverboat, and the conclusion of the story, The Geostrophic Pearl: The Delta Pearl Book 2.

The books are available in Kindle or paperback form.  Also, Amazon offers free readers to allow you to read Kindle books on your device of choice.  Including android.

Please note:  Due to Amazon policy changes there are no illustrations.  I had illustrated both books when that change took effect.  The series description mentioned the illustrations.  I have removed that, but Amazon still states that the series is illustrated (even though they weren’t going to allow it.)

Universal Purchase Links

The Delta Pearl: A Steampunk Riverboat, Book 1

Kindle:  relinks.me/B0D4NPS5LP

Paperback:  relinks.me/B0D4Q1J94Q

The Geostrophic Pearl:  The Delta Pearl Book 2

Kindle:  relinks.me/B0D4R6MB1Y

Paperback:  relinks.me/B0D4TR686Q

♣ ♣ ♣

Thanks for opening this door.  Friendly comments are encouraged.  Questions about The Delta Pearl are welcome too.  Hugs!

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Thursday Doors is a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. It’s hosted by Dan Antion.  Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time).

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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 used with permission, or from free sources.

Copyright © 2024 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

All rights reserved.

82 thoughts on “All Aboard! The Delta Pearl is here! #ThursdayDoors”

  2. Recoleta Cemetery is ironically an amazing place for stunning, out of this world doors! Only once you open them and enter, you don’t exit! 🤣 I enjoyed wandering Recoleta’s labyrinth of paths alleyways on my visit to BA.

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  4. Teagan,

    I remember this series well. It was lots of fun coming here on the weekend to read the next episode. I totally enjoyed the excerpt. Thank you!

    Congratulations on releasing it as a book!

    The opening image is spectacular. You are so talented.

    Also, the Church Street Post Office Building is a wonderful example of its era’s architecture.

    Sending best wishes and great balls of flaming hugs!

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Resa, I’m so glad that you were part of the serial version of this story. You suggested wonderful “things,” including the tempest prognosticator, which became a valuable scene element. Actually, I’ve been finishing up a post about that for the weekend!
      Haha. Let’s be careful with the flaming hugs. We’re under a fire weather warning here. Great balls of glowing hugs back to you. 😀 You’re a gem.

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  5. My favorite door is the cemetery one. I’ve never seen anything like it. And I really like the way you made your collage illustrations look like the doors open to a different dimension.
    And congratulations on your book! I’m so sorry about Amazon’s new rules. (K)

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    1. Thanks for all your supportive words, Kerfe. That particular cemetery had a good number of photos on Wikimedia Commons. To me, that Art Nouveau door looked like something organic, like an organism. It didn’t really match the book door I had in mind, but I couldn’t resist it.
      There are some amazing examples at this website. A ton of pictures and not all of them are what I have in mind, so there would be a lot of scrolling — but worth it.
      https://www.decopix.com/nothing-is-impossible-buenos-aires-art-deco-art-nouveau/
      Thanks for opening this door. Hugs.

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  8. I almost walked through one of our screen doors here yesterday, so I could somewhat identify with walking into those glass doors…although screens tend to give much better when impacted. The Delta Pearl is now open for business, and I wish you great success with it, Teagan. It sounds like a delightful steampunk adventure!

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    1. I’m glad to read the word “almost” in that comment, Bruce. 😀 Emeraude gets her clumsiness from me. Thanks for your kind words. The story really is unbridled whimsy. And unlike most steampunk, luxurious from the gemstone clockworks, to the music, to the Delta Pearl herself. Hugs.

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    1. No, that is not the policy. They refuse to permit anything that has in any part used AI technology, including images or even parts of images. As I had said, my greater concern was good intentioned people mentioning “CGI” images in a book review, and it causing a big problem with Amazon, who now does not permit even a part in a collage being from a CGI. I guess the next thing will be that we can only use whatever writing software they support.

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      1. I understand now. I’ve read there were a ton of AI books that made it through their checks and balances. Then, the books were reported. I’d not heard about the images not being allowed because they were AI generated. I’ve heard book covers are being made this way. I wonder if those are out now too? The wording is strange. Computer generated images are found on Canva! Thanks for the explanation.

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        1. Sort of, I guess. Crazy-stupid, can’t talk straight drunk. I’ve seen “giddy” or “gushing inside” included in the meaning. Puddle or puddled implies unable to stand on one’s own. It seemed like a term Agate would use. She’s rather boisterous, and flirty, yet still conservative in her own way, and motherly.

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  14. Congratulations on the launch, Teagan. Love your doors and the doors you shared from other sources. One of the things I enjoy visiting some cemeteries, here or in Europe, is seeing the mausoleum doors. 🙂

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    1. Many thanks, Darlene. I saw that we’re close to having Amanda’s next adventure ready too. Congratulations.
      I’ve been busy, but mostly with the reformatting caused by Amazon. I started writing that story in 2016 and (mostly) finished in 2019. I did add a little new content this year though. I’m always hoping to get more of the finished and nearly finished stories out there. Thanks for opening this door. Hugs.

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      1. Good things take time. (easy for me to say!) I’ve been a bit stressed about this Amanda book but we’re almost at the finish line. I would open any door you present!!

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      1. A long long time ago, I can still remember how Teagan started writing a book… So bye bye to those 8 years that’s gone by. No Chevy’s on the levees, just a steamboat, surprise!

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              1. We have the new HVAC unit’s installed at the office. They are getting them hooked up now. Building maintenance and projects at work and home are never ending.

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  23. Congratulations, Teagan! I know how hard you’ve been working on the illustrations, and I am sure that even without them, the story will do wonderfully, because your imagination brings it to life. I look forward to it, and I know I’m not the only one! ♥

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  25. This is such good news, Teagan. I have been waiting to read this story in book form since the serial ended. This is my favorite of your stories. It’s loaded up and I am sitting alongside the river.

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    1. I can understand that, Michael. I’ve stopped writing serials (just the occasional multi-part short story, but no more of those than necessary), although it was for different reasons. Thank you for your kind words here. Hugs from Daphne, Velma, and me.

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    1. Dear Rebecca, that’s music to my ears. Because of Amazon’s policy change I couldn’t publish the illustrated version I spent the last 8 months working on. I hope my descriptions suffice to bring the story vividly to life. Hugs on the wing! ❤

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