Join Nancy J. Reid and Lisa D. Smith, the mother-daughter travel team on the Love Your Parks Tour and publishers of Big Blend Magazines, for this fun Big Blend Radio wine tasting party recorded onsite at Totem Market & Gifts and Deli, located right near the entrance of Sequoia National Park in Three Rivers, Calfiornia.

Talking about wine, chocolate, art, and Three Rivers as a park travel destination, featured guests include: Pam Lockhart - Totem Market & Gifts and Deli + Sequoia Pacific Holiday Homes, mixed media artist Susan Ardesch - Blue Heron Studio, and chocolatier and confectioner extraordinaire Reni Underwood of Sequoia Goods.

This episode of Big Blend Radio’s Success Express “Writer’s Wednesday” Show features Chelsea Apple, Content Coordinator at Books Forward. Enjoy this fascinating conversation on how and why audio books are growing in popularity, and how digital technology and creativity have merged into a unique audio experience for readers. It’s an exciting time for authors, voice over artists and narrators, digital content creators, and of course, their audience!

A full-service literary publicity company that is part of the veteran JKS Communications brand, Books Forward has been connecting great authors with readers for more than 20 years. Books Forward exemplifies excellence in book marketing and promotion. Representing New York Times bestsellers, national award-winning books, and books that catch fire on social media and in the digital realm, they create ambitious campaigns with unlimited possibilities for sparking national and regional media stories, and creatively cut through the noise of more than 3,000 books published on average each day. They represent some of the finest publishers, authors and books around the world, with clients hailing from 50 states and seven countries.

Featured music on this episode is "Rachel Writes Rock Songs" by the Tall Men Group.

This episode of Big Blend Radio’s “Music Monday” Show features singer-songwriter Deborah Crooks from the California band Bay Station. Hear about some of the songs and stories from their new EP “Beyond the Safe & Sound.”

Named for the historic train station in Alameda, California, near where its core members live, Bay Station organically came together in 2013 after Deborah Crooks and Kwame Copeland began co-writing after years making music as solo artists. They soon brought in fellow Alamedan Steve Waters on lead guitar and vocals. As they did on their previous three releases, Your Own Reaction (2014 under their former name, KCDC), Go Out and Make Some (2016) and Other Desert Cities (2018), they called on Ben Bernstein and Mike Stevens to round out the rhythm section.

Bay Station continues to blend elements of folk, rock, blues and Americana on their fourth recorded collection. Originally planning to head to the east coast to record with Stevens in his Connecticut studio, the band pivoted after the pandemic hit, staying local, and playing weekly porch concerts for their neighbors. Motivated by current events, they began writing new songs and shelving others that no longer seemed relevant to the project.  In mid-summer, they started recording tracks at home, sending digital files to Bernstein and Stevens to complete their parts. Out on all digital platforms, “Beyond the Safe & Sound” reflects on a year like no other.

While some 30% of all marriages end in divorce, that rate goes up to 50% when one of the partners suffers from an alcohol use disorder. On this episode of Big Blend Radio’s Quality of Life show, author Chantal Jauvin discusses her new book “Love Without Martinis: How Couples Build Healthy Relationships in Recovery, Based on Real Stories.” Over the past 5 years, Jauvin has interviewed top specialists on substance use disorders and dozens of couples working through recovery together. Using these true stories, Jauvin set out to model for readers how couples in recovery can go from dysfunctional and/or “codependent” relationships to healthy functioning relationships if they commit to doing the hard work. Out now and available in paperback and as an e-book, ”Love Without Martinis” is a groundbreaking book that acknowledges recovery among couples is a unique and vital need.

Featured music is “Life” by Josh Pfeiffer.

Arizona wine, like other areas of the southwest, goes back to the 1600s and Spanish missions. Today the Grand Canyon State is home to three wine regions with two designated AVAS. The grape varieties cultivated in Arizona range from Spanish to French, encompassing a wide range of styles. Most wineries now lean towards the Mediterranean varieties.

On this episode of Big Blend Radio’s 2nd Friday Food Wine & Travel Show with the International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA), travel/wine writer Cori Solomon gives an overview of Arizona’s wine regions, grape varieties, and wineries. Read Cori’s Arizona Wine article on BlendRadioandTV.com.

Featured music is “Summer Wine” by Shelley King

This episode of Big Blend Radio’s “Writer’s Wednesday” Show with Books Forward features Julie Ryan McGue who discusses her debut memoir, “Twice a Daughter: A Search for Identity, Family & Belonging.”

Julie McGue is adopted. And she is also a twin. But because their adoption was closed, she and her sister lack both a health history and the names of their birth parents — which becomes pertinent for Julie when, at 48 years old, she finds herself facing several serious health issues. McGue’s poignant and hopeful memoir chronicles the complex search for her uncharted family history.

Featured music is “Where the Rain Falls” by Kimia Penton.

This episode of Big Blend Radio features Long Island singer-songwriter Chris St John who shares some of the songs and stories behind his highly anticipated debut album “I’m Dreaming.” Over the last quarter century, St. John has truly led a diverse and successful professional career in the field of law as a prosecutor, judge and practicing attorney.

Now, his dream of lateral success in the music business is starting to become a reality. His album “I’m Dreaming” includes 13 original songs plus a cover of “Peggy O,’” and a musical score that connects two compositions. Chris St John’s music draws from multiple genres, utilizing an array of instruments. Each song leaves the listener intently waiting for the next surprise.

Thanks to the National Parks Arts Foundation for sponsoring this episode.

This episode of Big Blend Radio’s Quality of Life show features a conversation with Jenny True, a nationally recognized columnist for Romper, where she publishes advice on pregnancy and parenting, as well as on her popular blog Jenny True: An Excruciatingly Personal Mommy Blog, which was a finalist for the Mom 2.0 2019 People's Choice Awards. Jenny talks about some of the content covered in her new book “You Look Tired: An Excruciatingly Honest Guide to New Parenthood,” a totally honest, tell-it-like-it-is guide for new moms and parents who don't want any more advice.

Featured music is “Who, Who” by The Joiners.

Join Nancy J. Reid and Lisa D. Smith, the mother-daughter travel team on the Love Your Parks Tour and publishers of Big Blend Magazines, for Big Blend Radio’s Champagne Sundays MOTHER’S DAY Show, airing live from Madison, Wisconsin.

Featured guests:

- Shelley Whizin - Author of “What Do You Bring to the Table?”

- Lea Brovedani "The Trust Architect" Author & Speaker

- Glynn Burrows - Owner of Norfolk Tours and family history expert

- Dr. Jackie Eubany - Author of “Women and Heart Disease”

- Steve Schneickert - Hollywood Historian and performer

- Sarah Elliston - Author of “Lessons from a Difficult Person”

- Judi Cohen - Luxury off-the-beaten path world traveler and writer

- Margot Carrera - Fine art nature photographer 

- Angela Laws - Community Manager of Trustedhousesitters.com

- Steve & Karen Wilson - The Lion and the Rose Bed & Breakfast

Plus hear Steve Schneickert's Hollywood History of Women Activists segment, and music by Mom singer-songwriters Nicki Kris, Shelley King, and Lizzie Harrah & The Madisons.

Join Nancy J. Reid and Lisa D. Smith, the mother-daughter travel team on the Love Your Parks Tour and publishers of Big Blend Magazines, for Big Blend Radio’s Toast to The Arts & Parks Show, airing live online from Madison, Wisconsin.

On This Episode:

- Fort Union National Monument - Park Superintendent Lorenzo Vigil discusses Fort Union’s rich cultural and military history, as well as the visitor experience. Located in northern New Mexico, Fort Union was the largest frontier military post and supply center of the southwest. It also was the hub of commerce, national defense, and migration at the final stretch of the Santa Fe Trail.  

- National Parks Arts Foundation - NPAF Founder Tanya Ortega shares some of the upcoming 1-month artist residency opportunities in national park units across the country, as well as the Foundation’s new fundraising initiatives.

Plus, we will rebroadcast Steve Schneickert's National Parks Hollywood History segment. Featured music and poetry: “Prayer for the Past” by Evren Ozan, “Spirits Still Remain” by Mike Moutoux, and “Clouds Alive in Wild Paint” by Mae Edwards.