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Christmas In July: Yes, Please–It’s a Celebration!

Hello friends. A couple of days ago I told you how I’d drop everything and
teleport to the colder months if I could… Oh, I’m still of the same heart.
I’ve met some nice, cool people and the celebration continues here on
WordPress for a few weeks.

How cool is this!

I heard about this event through a post in Robbie’s blog and bee-lined to the
source to investigate. Perhaps you’d do the same? There’s plenty of talk about
books. And I just purchased a gem of a Christmas book. Yay!

And what’s more, I read and posted my review on Amazon for the whole world to see.
Here’s what I said:

Hullaba Christmas: Lulu and the Snatched Santa by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene is a diesel-punk
fantasy novelette--a first in this genre for me. I enjoyed it tremendously. "pos-i-lutely."

Its backdrop is an abandoned subway station in the 1920s and it's refreshing to read how highly
some of the characters felt about Christmas, particularly, Santa Claus. I, grownup as I am,
believe and love the idea of Santa Claus--that was my greatest incentive for reading this novel.
And as I read, finding "fairies and whatsits all looked so bright and peaceful" made me smile.
I was also charmed with the phrasing, "It’s pos-i-lutely amazing."

From the book's description, I understand this story picks up from the one that came before,
and while I had no confusion with the characters that appeared in the story, not knowing their
backstory didn't stop me from enjoying this novelette. It's as complete a story as they come.

I'm not sure how things are in this genre: are all the characters automatons? I figure Lulu was
human: She ate and drank like one—she was fond of "giggle water," and even burped and hiccupped
like one and probably farted too. And Santa? Anyway, that's beside the point. This story was
engaging, full of whimsy, and very entertaining.

Giggle Gorge and Glitter Gorge are the locations and the residents of these places "had not
agreed with one another in decades, they came together through their bitterness and hate."
Moreover, "the corrupt would-be rulers started dropping propaganda flyers all over the gorge
and the Serene Forest, telling the people and creatures that Santa Claus had abandoned them.
And that Christmas was cancelled!" The horror!

And how advanced for her time is Lulu. Obvious in this conversation:

"We didn’t make any mistakes," I said flatly./
"That’s preposterous!" the bot sputtered. "A sewing kit to a boy? Didn’t you even look at
the check box for the child’s gender?/
Then a guitar to a girl? And that is only the beginning!"
/
"No phonus balonus. Every last one of those presents went to the right child."/

A very entertaining and moral-based story with a great resolution--I liked it a lot; glad I
purchased it so I can recommend it highly.

As a poet with a year-old book out, I know that reviews on Amazon feel like Christmas.
And that’s what I want to tell you about further down.

But first, here are
the Universal links to Teagan’s Series Link: 

Kindle: relinks.me/B0D33MN3NJ
Paperback: relinks.me/B0D8WR8T5B

Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Merry in July…

To join in the celebration please check Teagan’s latest post for details

Thanks, dynamic Ms.Teagan Riordain Geneviene for this fabulous idea.
*
We’re requested to include a Christmas decoration, so here’s my contribution:

  • Dining room table overflowing with Christmas decorations.

Also, this is a great place to showcase my baby which turns one.
So,
without much ado, my friends,
here’s the Amazon link to In The Shadow of Rainbows.
Please take a look at what people are saying about my baby
and if you’re interested, let me know and I’ll share it with you.

Here’s the one that brought me Christmas this week:
Please visit trE’s website to read my 41st+ book review on Amazon.

And here’s how I celebrated on Instagram:

Thank you so much for visiting.
Stay in the shade. Bee cool.

Selma Martin
Follow me

This Post Has 11 Comments

  1. Selma, you gem! What a wonderful surprise to see your review of Hullaba Christmas. I’m so excited! I’m delighted that you enjoyed the story. In answer, diesel-punk (and particularly steampunk) often features automatons and clockwork. The defining point is the level of technology. Diesel-punk stories would not have tech things beyond the level of the “interwar period” (the end of WWI and the beginning of WWII). Yes, Lulu is most definitely human. 😀

    This post is wonderful through and through. My favorite summer thing is fresh homegrown tomatoes, so I loved that photo.

    Congratulations on the marvelous reviews for your poetry book. Wow! Hugs.

    1. Selma Martin

      You’re amazing. Great writing. Thanks. Wishing you a world of success. Stay cool.

  2. Kate Duff

    Teleport here Selma, very cold and frosty today.

  3. rajkkhoja

    Very interesting review for Hullaba Christmas. I’m so excited., Selma!

      1. rajkkhoja

        🙋

  4. Robbie Cheadle

    Hi Selma, I love your Christmas table. It’s gorgeous. I’m so pleased you enjoyed Teagan’s book, she is a great writer. Congratulations on the birthday of your book baby.

    1. Selma Martin

      Trice Thank you dear Robbie. It all came through because of you. Thanks b

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