Tea. Toast. and Trivia.

“Each day brings a new surprise – another songbird’s voice, new buds emerge, and, finally, wildflowers. Marsh marigolds first, then violets. The drowsy flight of butterflies and bumblebees. Awaken, sleepyheads. The bewildered emergence of the little furry ones. They stare at me with curiosity, and then skitter away, remembering that my kind is to be feared. The early petals wither while new blooms unfurl. Each one more flamboyant than the last.” Julie Riso, Beneath the Winter

I am your host Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

I am delighted and thrilled that my blogger friend and writer, Julie Riso, from her blog “Wish I Were Here” and I are connecting Vancouver and Northern Michigan for a discussion on awakening to nature.

Julie has created a space that welcomes authentic conversations.  She writes that many years ago, she chose to follow an unmarked path – the one filled with detours, dead ends, hitchhikers, kitschy roadside attractions, and unexpected destinations. I knew immediately that I found a kindred spirit.

“Wish I Were Here” is Julie’s travel memoir that explores her journeys through place and time. She inspires readers to live their personal stories and to recognize the connection to nature and all creatures who share our world.

I invite you to put the kettle on and add to this exciting conversation on Tea Toast & Trivia.

And a special thank you, Julie for sharing your insights, your journey, your connection to nature.  You have inspired me, and I know that you have encouraged listeners to recognize that they are forever linked to nature.  Earth is our home.  It is where our story begins and becomes interwoven within the fabric of all that has come before and all that will come after.

I invite you to meet up with Julie on her blog Wish I was Here. It is a place that inspires us to pause, listen to our hearts, discover our dreams and walk with nature in peace with ourselves and with all who walk this earth.

Season 3 Episode 29: Marina Kanavaki on Art Towards a Happy Day

I am your host Rebecca Budd, and I look forward to sharing this moment with you.

I am thrilled that my blogger friend, artist, and musician, Marina Kanavaki, and I have bridged the distance between Athens and Vancouver to discuss how music and art bring joy and beauty to our lives. What would take 12 hours and 41 minutes flight time has take 12 sends by WIFI to join Marina and me on Tea Toast & Trivia.

Music was Marina’s first love. She would crawl up on the piano stool and put her ear on the keys to hear the sounds and their combinations.  Then painting came into Marina’s life, influenced by her father, who was an artist.  His guidance and strong support allowed her freedom to explore her creativity. I invite you to put the kettle on and add to this exciting conversation on Tea Toast & Trivia.

Thank you for joining Marina and me on Tea Toast & Trivia.

Marina’s artistic journey connects music, colour, and symbolism to reach deep into our hearts. Her love of animals and her commitment to animal rights is inspiring.  Marina reminds us that each of us has a creative journey to be explored.  It is not an easy undertaking, but if we embrace our creativity whether it be writing, poetry, music, dance – our lives with be richer, more fulfilling.

A special thank you, Marina, for sharing your insight how and music brings happiness into our lives.

I invite you to meet up with Marina on her blog Marina Kanavaki.  It is a place where music, colour, and symbolism reach deep into our hearts to ignite our desire to embrace a creative journey.

Season 3 Episode 28: Tommy Douglas & All About Canada

I am your host, Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

This podcast is all about Canada, my home.  It is also a story about Canadians. So put the kettle on and add to the discussion on Tea Toast & Trivia.

S3 E27: Sally Cronin on Writing, Marketing and Telling Your Story

I am your host Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

I am delighted and thrilled that my blogger friend and writer, Sally Cronin and I are connecting Ireland and Canada, a distance of over 7,000 kilometers.  What would take 10 hours flight time has taken 10 seconds in the magic of WIFI time.

Sally is a storyteller.  As a child, she used poetry, song lyrics and short stories to bring narratives to life.  She is an indie author and proud to be one. Her greatest pleasure comes from those readers who enjoy her take on health, characters, and twisted endings… and of course come back for more.  Sally’s support and encouragement of the indie community is legendary.   Today, we will be exploring writing, marketing, and telling your story.

And a special thank you, Sally, for sharing your insights and philosophy of writing, marketing and telling your story.  You have inspired me, and I know that you have inspired readers and listeners to embrace a creative journey.

I invite you to meet up with Sally on her blog Smorgasbord Blog Magazine,  which was created to be a watering hole that provides a wide number of topics to chat about. You can reach Sally at [email protected]. It is a place that welcomes lively conversations and fresh perspectives.

Season 3 Episode 26: Liz Humphreys and Elisabeth Van Der Meer on the #KaramazovReadalong

Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in.

“Love is such a priceless treasure that you can buy the whole world with it and redeem not only your own but other people’s sins. Go, and do not be afraid.”  Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

I am your host, Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

Today we are working with the magic of technology to bring together Edinburgh, Scotland, Porvoo, Finland, and Vancouver, Canada for a special event – the launch of the The Brothers Karamazov Readalong.

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky has been on my “To Be Read” stack of books for several years but I have hesitated, waiting for the right moment. Then serendipity arrived in the form of an e-mail message from my blogger friend and book aficionado, Liz Humphreys from Leaping Life, announcing that she was organizing a #Readalong of The Brothers Karamazov to coincide with the 200th year anniversary of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s birth. The stars aligned when Elisabeth Van Der Meer, from A Russian Affair, agreed to join the party.  Liz, Elisabeth, and I are inviting you to join us on this reading adventure.

Thank you for joining Liz, Elisabeth, and me on Tea Toast & Trivia.  And a very special thank you Liz and Elizabeth for adding your enthusiasm and insights on The Brother’s Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky.  You have given me courage to open the book that I have always wanted to open.  His words from The Brothers Karamazov will enlighten the journey head., “This is my last message to you: in sorrow, seek happiness,”

You can connect with Liz on “Leaping Life” and Elisabeth on “A Russian Affair.”  You are only an internet click away from entering a world of books and brilliant conversations.

S3 E25: Roberta Eaton Cheadle Reading “A Ghost and his Gold”

Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in.

Bookstores, libraries, and coffee shops are great places for book readings. There is something extraordinary about hearing the voice of an author reading their stories. Their voice and intonation are nuanced by the many hours of effort putting pen to paper.  They created the characters, structured the plot, and lived every twist and turn that creates bumps in the storyline.

Living in the reality of Covid-19, book readings at public libraries and bookstores have been curtailed.  We are learning to embrace technology in new ways.  Welcome the podcast series, “Authors Reading Their Books”, which will recreate the reading spaces in a virtual venue.  I invite you to put the kettle on and join the conversation on Tea Toast & Trivia. I am your host Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

I am thrilled to introduce Roberta Eaton Cheadle who has graciously agreed to be our guest author reading from her novel, “A Ghost and his Gold.” Roberta is a South African writer specializing in historical, paranormal and horror novels and short stories. Keep you lights on because we are about to meet up with a sinister poltergeist.

Thank you for joining Roberta Eaton Cheadle and me on Tea Toast & Trivia. Authors reading their Books.

And a special thank you, Roberta, for giving us insight into A Ghost and His Gold.  You have inspired me, and I know that you have inspired readers and listeners to embrace a creative journey.

I invite you to meet up with Roberta on her blog, Roberta Writes. It is a place where history comes alive with every page turned.

Website: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/

Blog: https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19631306.Roberta_Eaton_Cheadle

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertaEaton17

Season 3 Episode 24: Liz Humphreys on 14 Weeks with Dante Alighieri

“Into the eternal darkness, into fire and into ice.”  Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy: The Inferno, The Purgatorio and The Paradiso

I am your host, Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

My dear blogger friend, Liz, from her blog Leaping Life and I have once again bridged the 7,059 kilometers between Edinburgh and Vancouver to discuss her profound 14-week journey with Dante Alighieri.

I vividly recalled her January 10, 2021 blog post which started out, “It’s a funny old life.  Who would have imagined a connection between one of history’s most iconic and enduring works of literature and a modern novel about travelling the world in a converted bright pink ice cream van.”

Doesn’t that sound like a great first line to a novel?

Liz has a way of igniting my curiosity. There is always an adventure happening on her blog, “Leaping Life.” I am thrilled that she has joined me to share her thoughts on her trek through Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso via Nick Senger’s Readalong. This promises to be an exciting conversation.

So, put the kettle on and add to this conversation on TeaToastTrivia.com.

Thank you for joining Liz and me on Tea Toast & Trivia. And a special thank Liz, for sharing your insights on The Divine Comedy.

Liz has embarked on another readalong voyage – Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero by Henryk Sienkiewicz.  I invite you to meet up with Liz on her blog “Leaping Life.”  You are only an internet click away from entering a world of books and brilliant conversations.

S3 E23: Eglund on the Art of Communication

I am travelling over 7900 kilometers to Berlin, Germany to meet up with my friend, Eglund, journalist and writer.

Berlin is a center of politics, culture, media, and science, home of the world-famous Berlin Opera, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Museum Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Berlin is on my must-see places to visit once travel comes back.  But for now, I am enjoying my virtual visit with Eglund.

Eglund is an engineer and publicist. He worked as a science journalist and reporter in Africa for several German newspapers. Since 2005, his focus has been on the environmental initiatives. As a specialist journalist for renewable energies, he works within media related to the ecological energy transition, first of all about solar energy.

Eglund first appeared as a writer in 1993 when he won the essay prize of the Mayor of Berlin-Kreuzberg for his short story “The nun and dying”. In 2009 his novel “Die Glöckner von Utopia” was published, in which he processed his experiences during the last years of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and especially during the turning point in autumn 1989 in Dresden, Leipzig and East Berlin. His second novel, Zen Solar, was published in 2016. This year, his third novel: Nomaden von Laetoli will be published.

In March 2011 Eglund founded the culture blog Berg.Link, which he designed together with Urs Heinz Aerni from Zurich.

We live in a world that offers many ways in which to connect and share knowledge and experience. As a journalist and writer, Eglund values authentic communication that fosters life-affirming conversations.  What does it mean to communicate?  What messages do we send? And do we know how to listen? These are the questions that will be discussed today.

I invite you to put the kettle on and add to this exciting conversation on Tea Toast & Trivia.

Thank you, Eglund, for sharing your insights on communication within a world that offers us technology for global connection.   And a special thank you to Klausbernd Vollmar for introducing Eglund to Tea Toast & Trivia.

Dear listeners, thank you for joining Eglund and me on Tea Toast & Trivia.  Stay tuned for Eglund’s return for another stimulating conversation.

S3 E22: Darlene Foster Reading Amanda in Spain: The Girl in the Painting

Bookstores, libraries, and coffee shops are great places for book readings. There is something extraordinary about hearing the voice of an author reading their stories. Their voice and intonation are nuanced by the many hours of effort putting pen to paper.  They created the characters, structured the plot, and lived every twist and turn that creates bumps in the storyline.

Living in the reality of Covid-19, book readings at public libraries and bookstores have been curtailed.  We are learning to embrace technology in new ways.  Welcome to the podcast series, “Authors Reading their Books”, which will recreate the reading spaces in a virtual venue.  I invite you to put the kettle on and join the conversation on Tea Toast & Trivia. I am your host Rebecca Budd, and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you.

I am thrilled to introduce Darlene Foster who has graciously agreed to be our guest author reading from her novel, Amanda in Spain: The Girl in the Painting (Amanda Travels #2) which is available on Amazon.   I am looking forward to meeting up with Darlene and joining Amanda on one of her many adventure.

Thank you for joining Darlene and me on Tea Toast & Trivia. Authors reading their Books.

And a special thank you, Darlene, for sharing your insights and philosophy of writing.  You have inspired me, and I know that you have inspired readers and listeners to embrace a creative journey.

I invite you to meet up with Darlene on her blog Darlene Foster’s Blog, which she created for writers, readers, travelers, dreamers, friends and friends she has not met yet.  It is a place where stories dwell.

Darlene’s Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/DarleneFosterWriter/

Darlene on twitter https://twitter.com/supermegawoman

S3 E21: Elisabeth Van Der Meer & Dave Astor on Enduring Literary Themes

“Literature is the art of discovering something extraordinary about ordinary people and saying with ordinary words something extraordinary.” Boris Pasternak, Russian poet, novelist, and literary translator

Why do specific narratives endure? Writers and readers come to these stories over and over again.  Is it because the characters are memorable and compelling? Or is it the dialogue, action scenes, or unfolding love that engages?  What transforms an ordinary storyline into an extraordinary critical success that attracts readers beyond the life of the writer?  The answer: A strong literary theme.

Today, I am thrilled that we are joining Porvoo, Finland, Montclair, New Jersey and Vancouver, British Columbia.  Elisabeth Van Der Meer and Dave Astor have joined me in connecting three times zones within seconds to bring you a discussion on “Enduring Literary Themes.”

Thank you for joining Elisabeth, Dave, and me on Tea Toast & Trivia.  And a very special thank you, Elisabeth and Dave for adding your insights on enduring themes of literature. This has been another exciting conversation. You can connect with Elisabeth on A Russian Affair. You can connect with Dave on Dave Astor on Literature.   There is always an adventure in reading waiting for your arrival on Elisabeth and Dave’s blogs.