Tea. Toast. and Trivia.

S5 E11: Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene on Dead of Winter and Creating Epic Stories

“As the moon cast its light on simple grave markers, the air was split by a sliver of pale gray light. It shimmered like the giant star sapphires of ancient Tiglath.

Thunder pealed.

The splinter of light seemed to bulge forward and retract, again and again, until it shattered as if lightning had struck. The sound reverberated through the ground. Gravestones toppled.”

Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene, Prologue, Journey 1 Forlorn Peak

Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia.

Thank you for listening in.

I am thrilled that Teagan Geneviene has joined me on Tea Toast & Trivia to discuss her epic narrative, ⁠Dead of Winter⁠. The adventure is presented in a series of 14 Journeys that begin in the Flowing Lands at Forlorn Peak. The heroine, Emlyn, is a 12-year-old girl who sees and hears spirits. She receives a supernatural warning that she knows is not about the weather: “Winter is coming!”

Teagan makes brilliant use of serialization to enhance a reader’s experience, encouraging us to savour the narrative and to reflect with expectation to what comes next.

I finished Dead of Winter during a horrendous snowstorm which added atmospheric energy as the storyline moved into the final scene.  I marvel at Teagan’s ability to bring together a magnificent epic with elegance, humour, and compassion.  I laughed and cried, worried, and fretted over what was to become of Emlyn, Zasha, Osabide and all the characters that she brought to life.   

Thank you for joining Teagan and me on Tea Toast & Trivia. And a special thank you, Teagan for sharing your insights and experiences in creating “Winter Is Coming.”

I invite you to meet up with Teagan at Teagan’s Books . You are only an internet click away from meeting up with Emlyn, her teacher Osabide, and The Watcher.  You will  be swept away on an exciting adventure.

It is time to put the kettle on and add to this exciting discussion.

Until next time we meet, safe travels wherever your journey leads you.

Music by Deskant "As Loch Awe Weeps

https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/6PagpxgiQC/

Music by Edgar Hopp "Guarded Skies"

https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/ibxNuh7UM4/

Epidemic Sound

S5 E10: Brian on Transitions

Thank you for listening in!

Life is full of transitions, from the small daily changes to the major life-altering events. Navigating these transitions can be challenging and overwhelming, but it’s a necessary part of growth and progress. Whether it’s starting a new job, moving to a new city, or experiencing a personal loss, transitions can be difficult to navigate.  Perhaps when we experience uncertainty and ambiguity, that is when we do our best work.

Embracing new stages in life is recognizing that change is inevitable. It is our opportunity to experience a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world in which we live and engage.

Brian, my brother, came back to continue the discussion on embracing a greater journey.  Today, we are looking at transitions and life cycles. How to navigate the stages of life. (This podcast was recorded during the months of a Canadian Winter. Brian lives in Alberta known for cold weather and sunny skies. I live in Vancouver rainforest.)

So put the kettle on and add to the conversation on TeaToastTrivia.com. I am your host and I am looking forward to sharing this moment with you

I will be taking a short break from blogging and podcasting to head out into an adventure.  I and will be back soon and look forward connecting over the blogosphere. During this time, comments will be closed. Thank you for your understanding.

Music by Eric Williams "When I'm Out With You" Epidemic Sound

https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/uHpfYQgRg0/

S5 E9: Macbeth’s Witches Chant with Shehanne Moore and Catherine Cavendish

Thank you for listening in.

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

The 400th anniversary of the first folio of Macbeth is set to take place in 2023. Published in 1623, the first folio is considered one of the most important works of William Shakespeare. It is a collection of 36 of his plays, including Macbeth, and is an important part of the literary canon. The anniversary of this folio will be celebrated around the world, with events taking place to commemorate the work of William Shakespeare and the impact the folio has had on literature and culture.

Catherine Cavendish, writer of Gothic horror and Shehanne Moore, writer of exhilarating historical romances, have joined me to commemorate this momentous milestone. 

With the magic of WIFI, we have brought Dundee Scotland, Southport England, and Vancouver, Canada together to whisk you back four hundred years to meet the Three Witches of Macbeth, the trio of supernatural beings often referred to as the “Weird Sisters.” They are believed to be the embodiments of fate and destiny. Are you ready????

And a very special thank you, Cat and Shey, for conjuring the drama and force of the Three Witches and celebrating the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s first folio.

Listeners,  I invite you to meet up with Cat on her website, Catherine Cavendish, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Amazon and  Goodreads,

I invite your to meet up with Shey on her website, Shehanne Moore, Twitter, Amazon and Goodreads.

Thank you for joining Cat, Shey and me on Tea Toast & Trivia.

Until next time we meet, safe travels wherever your adventures lead you.

Music and Foley by Epidemic Sound

S5 E8: Rachel McAlpine A Poet’s Voice on Aging

What is your job?

"What is your job

Welcome to Tea Toast & Trivia.

Thank you for listening in.

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

I am traveling virtually to Christchurch, New Zealand, to meet with Rachel McAlpine, a digital content pioneer, eminent New Zealand poet and author of 30+ books.  She joins me today to discuss her poetry and embracing our evolving journey with joyful anticipation.

Rachel became obsessed with the ageing process from a personal point of view. At 75, when she discovered that her life expectancy was 99, she devised a boot camp for her bonus years. The outcome of this initiative was realistic optimism and a sense of control.  Now at 82, Rachel is helping others to confront the mixed blessing of longevity.  She inspires confidence that we can shape our old age. 

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

Thank you for joining Rachel and me on Tea Toast & Trivia to discuss how to be old.

Thank you, Rachel for sharing your profound insights on how the gift of longevity. This has been a wonderful conversation.

Listeners you can meet up with Rachel on her website, Write Into Life, Amazon and Goodreads.  You are only an internet click away from journeys that enrich the soul.

S.A. Karl "Castor" https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/BUaOZZJ5UG/

Claude Signet "Together Is Better" https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/gPLIAeQ0Cj/

More Than Family "This Way My Dear" https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/qMY1hUHSLT/

S5 E7: Mary Lunnen on Embracing our Inner Wisdom

“I cannot know, none of us can, what the year ahead will bring.  I can make plans and hope that they will become reality. And they may well change through my choice or through circumstances outside my control. My ‘word of the year’ for 2023 is ‘Presence’…To be in the moment as much as possible.” Mary Lunnen, Dare to Blossom January 2023

Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia.

Thank you for listening in.

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

Join me as I travel virtually to Wadebridge, a town in north Cornwall, England, to meet up with writer, artist and Global Life Coach, Mary Lunnen.  I first met Mary through a mutual friend and frequent guest on TTT, Liz Humphreys. Liz shared three “rediscovery cards” in an Instagram Post.  These rediscovery cards are used by Mary for guided meditation and reflection. I was intrigued!  Dare to Blossom Life Coaching with Mary is based around the principle of rediscovering our inner wisdom and awakening to a sense of wellbeing.

It is time to put the kettle on and add to this exciting conversation.

Thank you for joining Mary and me on Tea Toast & Trivia. And a very special thank you, Mary, for sharing your insights on coaching, on seeking an inner wisdom, on embracing the unknown and being open to possibilities.

Listeners,  I invite you to meet up with Mary on her website, Dare to Blossom, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

I know that you will be inspired by the Mary’s story and her dedication to living boldly within a complex, ever changing world.

Until next time we meet, dear friends, safe travels wherever your journey leads you.

Mary’s latest book: Your Compass Rose Speaks

“The culmination of all my work over the last twenty years since establishing Dare to Blossom Life Coaching in 2003, this book offers you a way to explore the tools and processes that I have developed over this time, along with insights of my journey along the way, and stories from those who have joined me.” Mary Lunnen

Music by David Celeste "April in Detroit" Epidemic Sound 

https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/Y3IFt1ExKU/

S5 E6:  Ken Gierke on A Poet’s Voice

warmth of a pale light

found as clouds part

rewarded

while seeking the moon

on a cool autumn night

Ken Gierke, The Moons of Autumn, Word Weaving # 1: A Word Craft Journal of Syllabic Verse

Welcome to Tea Toast & Trivia.

Thank you for listening in.

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

The Moons of Autumn: A Word Craft Journal of Syllabic Verse, edited by Colleen M. Chesebro and JulesPaige is a profound exploration of Japanese and American syllabic poetry.  The theme of this journal was influenced by the Harvest, Hunter’s, and Frost moons, which are the names given to the three full moons that transpire during the autumn months.   Within the pages of this poetry collection, the diverse mix of syllabic poetry has ignited my desire to explore a poetic journey.

Today, I am delighted that Ken Gierke, whose poetry is featured in “The Moons of Autumn,” has joined me to give voice to his poetry. Welcome to podcast series, “A Poet’s Voice”, which brings words of poetry from across the world to your home.

Ken Gierke retired and moved from Western New York to Missouri.  Time spent on or near the water has always been important to Ken. In a past life, that meant boating and scuba diving. Today, it means kayaking or walking along a river or stream. It may even mean sitting on a shoreline, writing poetry. Ken finds threefold reward in poetry – reading, writing, and the acceptance of his readers.

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

Thank you for joining Ken and me on Tea Toast & Trivia to reflect on the beauty of poetic words.

Thank you, Ken for sharing your insights on how poetry allows us to describe the world around us in unexpected ways.  This has been a wonderful conversation.

Listeners you can meet up with Ken on his website rivrylogr.com and on Amazon. You are only an internet click away from journeys that enrich the soul.

Until next time we meet, dear friends, keep reading and reciting poetry.

Safe travels wherever your adventures lead you.

Music by 

1) Yonder Dale "To All a Good Night" https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/PqpBEBUUhI/

2) Johannes Bornlöf "Burned Letters" https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/Vchv0ZhyC4/

3) Bonn Fields "Love at First Glance" https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/Vchv0ZhyC4/

4) Megan Wofford "Starlight Wonder" https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/CO9LsVYIWT/

S5 E5:  John Quinn on The Dundee Connection with Mary Shelley

“I lived principally in the country as a girl and passed a considerable time in Scotland. I made occasional visits to the more picturesque parts; but my habitual residence was on the blank and dreary northern shores of the Tay, near Dundee. Blank and dreary on retrospection I call them; they were not so to me then. They were the eyry of freedom, and the pleasant region where unheeded I could commune with the creatures of my fancy.

Mary Shelly, In the introduction to the 1831 edition, Frankenstein

Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia.

Thank you for listening in.

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

Who was Mary Shelley?  What is her connection to Dundee?  What influence did Dundee have on her writing of Frankenstein?

I am delighted that I am travelling virtually to Dundee, Scotland where I am meeting up with John Quinn, writer, poet, and lyricist to discuss these questions.

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

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

And a special thank you, John for sharing your insights and your commitment to the city of Dundee and the memory of a young teenager who would give the gift of her book, Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus to the world.

I leave you with this quote,

“Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be his world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow.”

Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

Until next time we meet, dear friends, safe travels wherever your adventures lead you.

Music by Trabant 33 "Fountain of Miracles" #EpidemicSound

https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/hBLXkhqXiS/

S5 E4: Celebrating Up Helly Aa with Sarah McBurnie

January 31, 2023, the last Tuesday of January, the fire festival of Up Helly Aa is happening. A huge torchlight procession of hundreds of Vikings is marching through the streets of Lerwick, carrying flaming torches and singing traditional Norse skalds.

Welcome to Tea Toast and Trivia.

Thank you for listening in.

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

I have arrived virtually in Lerwick, Shetland to meet up with my friend, Sarah McBurnie who was our intrepid guide on our 2018 Shetland adventure.

Up Helly Aa is happening tonight.

Sarah has invited us to celebrate Shetland’s Norse heritage with her.   I have always wanted to attend Up Helly Aa, so join me for a Viking adventure that promises feasting, music, and dancing!

Listeners, thank you for joining Sarah and me on Tea Toast & Trivia.

And a special thank you Sarah for sharing the excitement of Up Helly Aa.   You were an excellent guide on our visit to Shetland and I’m looking forward to meeting up with you again on Tea Toast Trivia.

Listeners, I invite you to connect with Sarah on her website, See Shetland. Sarah conducts exclusive guided tours with personalized itineraries for visitors to Shetland from all over the world.

We came as visitors to experience this amazing place and left as friends, thanks to Sarah and the many people we met along the journey through the Shetland Islands. You are only an internet click away from a remarkable adventure that will take you from birdwatching, archaeology to the celebration of Up Helly Aa

Until next time we meet dear friends, safe travels wherever your adventures lead you.

Music by Kikoru  "Clouds Over Mountains" #EpidemicSound

https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/EbaDeotpAO/

S5 E3: Celebrating Robert Burns & Address to the Haggis

Some hae meat and canna eat,

Robert Burns is one of the most important figures in Scottish culture and history. Every year, Scots and people around the world come together to celebrate the life and works of the beloved poet. There are many reasons why we should celebrate Robert Burns and his contributions to Scotland.

Regarded as the national poet of Scotland, Robert Burns writings celebrate Scottish culture and identity. He wrote extensively about the history of Scotland, and his works are often seen as a representation of the struggles and triumphs of the Scottish people. He was a great advocate for social justice. His poetry and narratives are often used to inspire people to strive for a more just and equitable society.

Robert Burns’ poetry is varied in its themes and styles, and his writings have been adapted to numerous musical genres. His best-known works include “Auld Lang Syne,” “To a Mouse,” “Comin’ Thro’ the Rye,” and “A Red, Red Rose.” These poems are beloved for their romanticism, their humor, and their insight into the human experience.

Come and join the celebration!

Music by Traditional "Auld Lang Syne (Traditional Version" #EpidemicSound

www.epidemicsound.com/track/H9ncuJOolx/

S5 E2: On the Road with Bryan Davis and Cary Hubbard

“Cars are almost part of my physiology. I grew up playing amongst the dusty shelves of my family’s auto parts store. In my reckless youth pushing our delivery trucks to the point of mechanical failure was the best way I could find to learn about cars and how they worked. As a responsible adult I channel that interest into connecting with fellow enthusiasts through events, writing and social media.”

Bryan Davis, Esoteric Automotive Antiquarian

Welcome to Tea Toast & Trivia.

Thank you for listening in!

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

I am travelling virtually to Albuquerque to meet up with Cary Hubbard of Cary’s Garage, who you know from the Project Z Car Revival podcast series at Tea Toast & Trivia.  From Albuquerque, Cary and I are winging our way across to New York to connect with Bryan Davis, Automotive Writer, and Social Media Manager.  Bryan is known as an Esoteric Automotive Antiquarian who is dedicated to the history, design, manufacture, and “roadability” of the unloved cars of the Malaise Era.

Cary and Bryan are the podcast hosts of Motors and Martinis that take us on amazing road adventures. What is an Automotive Antiquarian?  What is the “Malaise Era?”  And how can there be unloved cars?  These are the questions that will be answered today.

This is going to be a great discussion so put the kettle and join the conversation.

Thank you for joining Cary, Bryan, and me on Tea Toast & Trivia.

And a special thank you, Cary and Bryan for a brilliant discussion on memorable cars and memorable moments.

I invite you to meet up with Cary and Bryan on their podcast Motors and Martinis where you will find them talking about cars and all things esoteric.  Bryan’s website, Bryan Raab Davis will link you to Malaise Motors, the Little Facebook Group the Could.  Join Cary on his YouTube Channel, Cary’s Garage, which is dedicated to his love of Vehicles. Cars, Trucks, and Motorcycles. His cars come from all corners of the globe!

Cary and Bryan have promised to come back for another road trip adventure.

Until next time we meet, safe travel wherever your adventures lead you

Music by Plain Stroll "Leave the Lights On." #EpidemicSound

https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/9oOwDuHvGF/