LatinosUSA

Hi, all:

Today, I bring you a short story by one of my favourite authors and a fantastic blogger to boot.

The Rabbit Hole: A Short Story by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

Unbridled whimsy in a short story. In the whimsical mind of author Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene, the psychedelic rock song by Jefferson Airplane (“White Rabbit”) collided with Lewis Carroll’s novel. A modern slant on the idea went, well… down the rabbit hole, producing an urban fantasy. Carroll’s quote, “We’re all mad here” takes on additional meaning for the young protagonist Liddie and her friends, Katty and Loco Hatley.

About the author:

Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene is certain that the pen is in your hand. After a life shaped by the tragedy of losing a sibling to Mµnchaµsen §yndr◊me by Pr◊xy, along with the abµ§e she herself survived, Teagan took that metaphorical pen into her hand. She wrote her way to a new chapter of life with a successful career authoring and editing technical documentation. With another revision that pen took her to the next chapter, working alongside highly placed Federal executives to compose their communications. However, Teagan wasn’t finished. The pen was still in her hand. In her latest chapter she is an acclaimed multi-genre author, living in a high desert town in the Southwest of the USA. Rescue cats, the §coobies — Velma and Daphne, offer unsolicited advice on all stories, as well as the book covers Teagan designs.

This author’s stories range from paranormal to high fantasy and urban fantasy, to various steampunk (and other types of punk), to mysteries with historic settings. In addition to fiction, she has created the Author Tool Chest series of non-fiction works as resources for writers and anyone who loves language. In free time she enjoys conversations with friends, singing karaoke, and playing her piano.

See her book trailer videos at Youtube.

My review:

I have been following the author’s career for years and enjoy everything she writes. I met her through her blog and her popular three-things series (whereby she creates a whole story based on three things supplied by her readers), and from there, I’ve read her novels, published serials, and her non-fiction books, aimed at authors but a great resource to anybody interested in history, language, and fun to read as well. Her imagination knows no bounds, and she is one of those rare authors who can turn her hand to anything and, in the case of her fiction, manages to create gripping plots inhabited by complex and interesting characters. Her sense of whimsy, her enjoyment of research, and the care she takes in creating worlds we all want to visit make her an instant buy for me.

For all those reasons, I’m always happy to discover one of her books, or, in this case, one of her short stories, that somehow I missed when it was published. And this one is brief and vibrant, perfect to be read between longer books, as it can be consumed in one go, and it will delight anybody fond of Alice in Wonderland.

I didn’t quite get Alice in Wonderland when I was a child, but having read it as part of a book club a few years back, I discovered it anew, and in its original English (as I had only read abridged versions translated into Spanish); a wonderful experience, especially for those who love language and wordplay,

This story, inspired by Alice in Wonderland, takes place in a mental health institution, where we meet Liddie, who can’t remember much about her life before her internment. She is determined to find out who she is. She is helped by a series of characters that will remind readers of some of Carroll’s creations: a man who loves to try on all the hats he can get his hands on; a fellow patient with a very bright smile; a doctor who is always worried about not being in time; a club with a very interesting name; a woman whose picture fascinates and intrigues Liddie. The author’s description explains how the story came to be, and though short, it is beautifully written, and combines angst and confusion with wonder and playfulness. It also leaves us with some memorable quotes, despite its short length. Like this one: ‘Madness is the key to unlocking your true potential.’

This short story is a good way to connect with the author for those with little time who haven’t met her yet. And anybody who follows her will be happy to add it to their collection of her works.

Thanks to the author for this wonderful story, to all of you for reading, following, commenting, sharing, liking, and for always visiting. Keep smiling and take care!