Cakes & Ale Episode 31: Book Club – Origamy by Rachel Armstrong

Welcome to the the Cakes & Ale Book Club! Every month we will be bringing you a mix of discussions and interviews about recent genre fiction we’ve been reading. This month, we cover Origamy by Rachel Armstrong, published by NewCon Press.

Origamy is the story of Mobius, an extra-dimensional being who is part of a ‘circus troupe’ of weavers able to explore and manipulate the fabric of space-time.

This original and surreal science fiction tale follows Mobius’ attempt to learn the mysterious art of origamy and face down the dark menace which has appeared to threaten the very threads of the universe.

Origamy fuses mythic modes of storytelling with cutting-edge scientific concepts. Beautifully written and brimming with ideas, this book is unlike any other we have read in a long time.


Direct download: Episode 31 Book Club: Origamy by Rachel Armstrong

We give you our thoughts on the novel and bring you an interview with Rachel, who tells us about her academic research as Professor of Experimental Architecture at Newcastle University and how her multi-disciplinary approach imbues both her science and her science fiction. You can find out more about her research work on her faculty website and follow her on Twitter. You can also watch some of her fascinating Ted Talks below:


Stay tuned to our Twitter feed to find out what our next book club choice will be!

If you enjoy our podcast, please subscribe to the Time for Cakes and Ale podcast, leave us a review, and let us know what you think by getting in touch on Twitter, Facebook and here on the website. We’d love to hear from you!

News from Time for Cakes and Ale!

Hello Listeners! We’ve recently migrated our podcast to a new hosting service. If you already subscribe to our mothership podcast, Time for Cakes and Ale, your feeds should automatically update. If you subscribe through an app, it might be worth refreshing our feed too. We look forward to bringing you even more of our podcast… Continue reading News from Time for Cakes and Ale!

Cakes & Ale Episode 30: Avengers: Endgame

HERE BE SPOILERS!

We’re well and truly in the endgame now, as the Infinity Saga draws to a close with an epic final chapter, Avengers: Endgame.

In this bumper episode we race through the time-twisting plot, picking out highlights from the movie and discussing whether Endgame is a satisfying conclusion to the story. With so many heroes saying goodbye to the MCU we also talk about the emotional journeys that the OG6 have been on and examine the tragic and triumphant character arcs – and where the remaining Avengers might go from here.


Direct download: Episode 30: Avengers: Endgame

We’d love to hear your thoughts on the movie! What storylines would you like to see explored in Phase 4? Are there characters you’d love to see introduced?

If you enjoy our podcast, please subscribe to the Time for Cakes and Ale podcast, leave us a review, and let us know what you think by getting in touch on Twitter, Facebook and here on the website. We’d love to hear from you!

Cakes & Ale Episode 29: Interviews from Eastercon 2019

We’ve just returned from Ytterbium, a.k.a Eastercon 70, the annual UK science fiction convention. During the convention we had the great pleasure of chatting to a wonderful range of con-goers to create a snapshot of the kind of conversations you’d hear down at the bar, from writers to publishers, fans, reviewers, academics and con-runners. We wanted to catch the atmosphere of a con and we certainly captured the background sounds of one! We had tremendous fun putting this episode together and we hope to bring you another one of these bumper convention episodes from Worldcon 2019 in Dublin. Enjoy the episode!


Direct download: Episode 29: Interviews at Eastercon 2019

Below is a list of our guests with links for where to find out more about them and their work.

Juliet Kemp: Twitter / Website

Ali Baker: Twitter / Website

Dave L Clements: Twitter / Website

Emma Newman: Twitter / Website

Daniel Bensen: Twitter / Website

F. D. Lee: Twitter / Website

Claire Rousseau: Twitter / Radio Free Fandom Podcast / YouTube 

Noel Chidwick (Shoreline of Infinity): Twitter / Website

Emil Minchev: Author page

E.M. Faulds: Twitter / Speculative Spaces podcast / Website

Ruth E. J. Booth: Twitter / Website

Ian Whates (NewCon Press): Twitter / Website

A previous episode that may be of interest is our 2017 Small Press Day special – featuring Shoreline of Infinity, Mayamada and NewCon Press – which you can listen to here.

If you enjoy our podcast, please subscribe to the Time for Cakes and Ale podcast, leave us a review, and let us know what you think by getting in touch on Twitter, Facebook and here on the website. We’d love to hear from you!

Cakes & Ale Episode 28: Book Club – Paris Adrift by E. J. Swift

Welcome to the the Cakes & Ale Book Club! Every month we will be bringing you a mix of discussions and interviews about recent genre fiction we’ve been reading. This month, we cover Paris Adrift by E. J. Swift, published by Solaris Books.

Paris Adrift is the story of Hallie, a student who runs away from her life in England to seek escape and adventure in Paris. Taking a job on the night shift at Millie’s, a rowdy bar staffed by misfits and drifters, she begins to find a new family. But there is something strange in the keg room: a presence that draws Hallie in, an anomaly in time, waiting to send her spinning into the Paris of the past, and of the future. And as Hallie comes to terms with this new reality, other forces are in play around her – seeking to influence the fate of the whole world.


Direct download: Episode 28 Book Club: Paris Adrift by E.J.Swift

We give you our thoughts on the novel and bring you an interview with E.J. Swift who tells us about writing Paris Adrift and her upcoming projects. E.J. Swift is the author of many novels and short stories including the Osiris Trilogy. You can find out more about her work on her website and follow her on Twitter.

Stay tuned to the end to hear what our next book club choice will be!

If you enjoy our podcast, please subscribe to the Time for Cakes and Ale podcast, leave us a review, and let us know what you think by getting in touch on Twitter, Facebook and here on the website. We’d love to hear from you!

Cakes & Ale Episode 27: Book Club – The Loosening Skin by Aliya Whiteley

Welcome to the first episode of the Cakes & Ale Book Club! Every month we will be bringing you a mix of discussions and interviews about recent genre fiction we’ve been reading, and we’re kicking things off in style with The Loosening Skin by Aliya Whiteley, published by Unsung Stories.

The Loosening Skin is set in a world where, every seven years, people shed their skin – and with it shed aspects of their personality, even their love for one another. Those emotions and memories remain bound up in the old skin, to be kept, or burned, or sold. Rose Allington, a former celebrity bodyguard whose relationship with client-turned-lover Max Black ended abruptly with her last moult, falls back into his world when his old skins are stolen and he doesn’t know who else to trust to get them back. But as the world around her turns to medication to keep their skin from ever shedding again, Rose is determined to be true to herself – even when that means leaving behind everything she used to be.


Direct download: Episode 27: Book Club – The Loosening Skin

We kick off with a discussion about this wonderful book, with comments from listeners who have been reading with us this month, followed by a interview with Aliya Whiteley about her work and career. Aliya is the author of many novels, novellas and short stories in the realm of weird and speculative fiction, including the BSFA award-nominated The Arrival of Missives and Saboteur award-nomiated The Beauty. You can find out more about Aliya’s work on her blog and follow her on Twitter.

Stay tuned to the end to hear what our next book club choice will be!

If you enjoy our podcast, please subscribe to the Time for Cakes and Ale podcast, leave us a review, and let us know what you think by getting in touch on Twitter, Facebook and here on the website. We’d love to hear from you!

Cakes & Ale Episode 26: The Shapeshifting Detective – chat with D’Avekki studios


Join us as we talk all about The Shapeshifting Detective, the latest FMV game from D’Avekki Studios, with the brains behind the game, Tim and Lynda Cowles. The Shapeshifting Detective places you in the shoes of ‘Sam’, a being with the ability to morph into anyone they meet, on the trail of a murderer in the mysterious town of August. A trio of tarot readers seem to have predicted the murder before it happened. But why are they here? And who in this strange town can be trusted, when everyone is hiding a secret?

We’re also joined by two of the wonderful cast members of the game, Anarosa De Eizaguirre Butler who plays Bronwyn Castle, the leader of the tarot readers, and Rupert Booth, who plays local police chief Dupont, to discuss what it’s like acting in FMV games.


Direct download: Episode 26

D’Avekki Studios broke the FMV Guiness World Record with their previous game, The Infections Madness of Doctor Dekker, and return now with a spooky murder mystery in which the player can unlock the hidden truths of characters by asking the right questions while posing as the right people. Tim and Lynda explain how such a labyrinthine game comes together from the original concept to the game design and ultimately the film shoot. You can follow D’Avekki on Twitter and YouTube to find out more and hear about their upcoming plans, and you can also follow Tim and Lynda themselves and the game’s publisher, Wales Interactive.

Anarosa De Eizaguirre Butler is an actress and broadcaster who hosts shows on BarcelonaCity FM every Friday and Saturday. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram.

Rupert Booth is an actor and writer who will be known to listeners of The Tally Ho as a passionate fan of The Prisoner and author of the Patrick McGoohan biography Not a Number. You can find him on Twitter, and catch his previous appearances on the podcast taking about Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling and Fall Out.

Lynda’s tarot book The Tarot Playbook: 78 Novel Ways to Connect With Your Cards is published by Schiffer Publishing.

The Shapeshifting Detective is out now on Steam for PC/Mac, Nintendo Switch, PS4 and XBox.

If you enjoy our podcast, please subscribe to the Time for Cakes and Ale podcast, leave us a review, and let us know what you think by getting in touch on Twitter, Facebook and here on the website. We’d love to hear from you!

Episode 25 – Star Wars: The Last Jedi

SPOILER WARNING!

We dissect the latest movie in the Star Wars saga, The Last Jedi! Join us as we discuss the things we like about it, the things we don’t, and where the franchise might go from here. We are joined by friend of the show Dave Riley who also reveals his favourite films of 2017.


Direct download: Episode 25

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Episode 24 – Cakes & Ale Anniversary!

Happy Birthday to us! Time for Cakes and Ale has been rambling on about stuff we love for a whole year now, so we put together this special anniversary episode all about the past 12 months.

We talk a little about what it was like to start a podcast from nothing, what we learned along the way, and what our plans are for the future of Time for Cakes and Ale, Time for Cherry Pie and Coffee and The Tally Ho.

We also hand out some honorary end-of-year prizes to our favourite things from 2017. Let us know what your picks would be by getting in touch on Twitter and Facebook!


Direct download: Episode 24

Episode 23 – An Interview with Cherry Potts

This week we are joined by Cherry Potts, author and founder of Arachne Press.

Cherry is the author of fantasy novel The Dowry Blade and the short story collection Mosaic of Air. Her work is often inspired by myth and fairy tales, while exploring the politics and humour found in everyday lesbian life. She is also a visiting lecturer at City University teaching creative writing.

Arachne Press was founded in 2012 and has published many YA and poetry titles as well as non-fiction and anthologies, including three collections of stories performed by Liars’ League. Arachne Press has also been at the forefront of live storytelling, running The Story Sessions events around London, and the annual midwinter Solstice Shorts festival which is branching out around the UK in December 2017.

Direct download: Episode 23

You can find our more about Cherry and her work on her website cherrypotts.co.uk and Arachne Press at arachnepress.com where details of upcoming events can also be found.

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