Blog

Full Moon Over Noah’s Ark. Ararat With Rick Antonson

The word Ararat brings to mind an adventure into myth and history and in this episode, I talk to Rick Antonson about his journey to the fabled resting place of Noah’s Ark, as well as some of the research into Biblical history and ancient myths of the flood.

My ARKANE thrillers center around Biblical archaeology, history, and myth, so this was a particularly exciting interview for me!

Rick Antonson is an author, professional speaker, and world traveler. Today, we’re talking about his book, Full Moon Over Noah’s Ark: An Odyssey to Mount Ararat and Beyond.

Show notes

The history, mystery, and myth surrounding Ararat and Noah’s Ark
Versions of the flood story
The complications of climbing Mt. Ararat
The lure of (slightly) dangerous travel
What travel might look like in the future
Recommended books

You can find Rick Antonson at RickAntonson.com.

Pilgrimage. The Architecture Of Faith With Derry Brabbs

Unusual Places

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Great cathedrals are places of awe and wonder, no matter your religious belief.

Whenever I visit a new place, I always go to the cathedral or church, or place of worship in the area. There is always something new and interesting to be found and you can get a particular sense of a region that way. I also love to take photos of religious architecture and sculpture, much of it crafted by devotion over many generations.

In this interview, I talk to Derry Brabbs about places of pilgrimage across Europe and why they attract so many, even those with no particular religious faith.

Derry Brabbs is one of the UK’s finest public photographers with over 30 illustrated books to his credit. He’s also an author and speaker, and today we’re talking about his book, Pilgrimage: Great Pilgrim Routes of Britain and Europe.

Show notes

The popularity of pilgrimage in our secular times
The lesser-known routes of the Camino
The resurrection of stonemasonry to repair historic cathedrals
Highlights of beautiful churches and cathedrals
The joys of the unexpected on a pilgrimage
Seeing the world through a camera lens and learning to be in the right place at the right time to catch the light
Recommended books

You can find Derry at DerryBrabbs.com.

A Time Of Birds: Cycling Across Europe To Istanbul With Helen Moat

Unusual Places

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Would you cycle across Europe on a ‘sit up and beg’ bike with little experience and no map reading skills? Helen Moat talks about how her adventure unfolded in an inspiring interview that will have you reaching for the guide books and considering where you could travel next.

Helen Moat is an author and freelance travel writer for Wanderlust and BBC Countryfile, originally from Northern Ireland. Today we’re talking about her latest book, A Time of Birds: Reflections on Cycling Across Europe.

Show notes

Making the decision to plan a cycling trip without much experience
Taking time to enjoy the journey
Starting off on the flats near the Danube and the Rhine
Restoring one’s faith in humanity by staying with strangers while couch surfing
Facing fears about the journey
Choosing the wrong bike for the ride
Slow travel and seeing the world from the seat of a bicycle
Travel as a time of healing

You can find Helen Moat at her website here and her books on Amazon.

Catnip For A Novelist. Traveling For Book Research With Thriller Author Layton Green

Unusual Places

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

There are certain places in the world that are so full of stories, they become ‘catnip for a novelist,‘ as Layton Green talks about in this interview. We delve into the lure of far-off cities, why the occult draws us both, and how to turn a trip to a new place into a book.

In the introduction, I talk about my own experience of traveling for book research and how I find story ideas in new places including Amsterdam, New Orleans, and Bath, plus how synchronicity often happens when I delve deeper into history, culture, and religion.

Layton Green is the award-nominated, international bestselling author of the Dominic Grey thrillers, as well as the Blackwood Saga fantasy series and loads of other books.

Researching The Summoner in Zimbabwe
Why occult and religion continue to inspire stories
Planning travel around book ideas
Tracking ideas while traveling
Writing about a place as an outsider
Some of our favorite graveyards, cemeteries, and museums
Why New Orleans inspires so many stories
Recommended books with a sense of place

You can find Layton at LaytonGreen.com

The Taste Of Place. French Vineyard Life With Caro Feely

Unusual Places

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

“Wine is sunlight, held together by water.” Galileo Galilei

So much of the joy of travel is eating and drinking and I certainly love to try local wines when I visit new places!

In this interview, Caro Feely talks about why she and her husband gave up successful careers to take on a rundown vineyard in a new country, the struggles they went through to build up the business — even down to their blood shed on the land itself. There are a surprising number of ways to die in a vineyard! We also talk about the importance of terroir — the unique taste of a place due to environmental factors — and the different wines they produce at Chateau Feely.

Caro Feely is a certified wine educator writing part-time from the organic biodynamic vineyard and wine school in Saussignac, France that she owns and runs with her husband, Sean. Part Irish, part South African, and now part French, she is passionate about wine and life. Her books include memoir About the Vineyard Life, and a nonfiction book, Wine: The Essential Guide to Tasting History, Culture, and More.

Show notes

Giving up the corporate life for a tumbledown French vineyard
The challenges of starting a vineyard
The surprising ways to die amongst the vines
Terroir and the importance of the land
The different wines of Chateau Feely
Recommended books about vineyards

You can find Caro Feely at ChateauFeely.com

Desert Nights, The Skeleton Coast And The Cry Of The Fish Eagle. Namibia With Angelina Kalahari

Unusual Places

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Hello travelers, I’m Jo Frances Penn and in today’s episode, I talk to Angelina Kalahari about Namibia in southwest Africa. We recorded the interview a few months back as I tend to batch my interviews and so it was well before the coronavirus changed our perspective on world travel.

But perhaps in difficult times, it’s good to hear about interesting places and people and travel in our imaginations. Those of us with wanderlust are staying indoors under lockdown right now and I must admit to sitting down with my photo albums the other night, looking at past travels and wondering at how much I have taken for granted.

Angelina is wonderfully enthusiastic about her beloved Namibia, a country that I have dreamed of ever since I heard about the Skeleton Coast, I think from Clive Cussler in the book of the same name. We talk about the landscape and how the deserts and ocean shore shape the country, as well as its history with Germany and how that impacted the people who live there.

Angelina Kalahari is the author of Under A Namibian Sky, as well as other novels and nonfiction books about voice. A former operatic soprano, professional actress, and stage director, Angelina was born in Namibia and now lives in London.

Show notes

Language origins in Namibia
The different ecological regions of the country including the Kalahari desert
Why the Namib desert sunsets are the best in the world
The Skeleton Coast where the sand roars
German influence on culture, language, and architecture as well as the darker times of colonialism
Food and drink including Namibian beer
Africa as a ‘possessive mistress’

You can find Angelina Kalahari at AngelinaKalahari.com and on Twitter @angelinakalhari

Follow Jo Frances Penn