We’re delighted to release this special bonus episode from one of our favourite authors. Now you can hear Joanne Harris reading her charming short story especially for Fable Gazers in this special bonus episode.
Enjoy this delicious, tongue-in-cheek take on Georgette Heyer’s style.
A kerfuffle in the farmyard causes figurative feathers to fly – will Daphne, the dowdy hen, win her reluctant rooster?
Listen to it here:
Get Joanne’s latest book, ORFEIA, now. An exquisite fey fable, it tells of a mother’s journey to find her daughter, no matter what the cost.
Take a gander at this hilarious Heyer pastiche story written by the incomparableJoanne Harris, who says, “I wrote this as a special commission for the Happy Egg company: I’m posting it here by special request, especially for Sara-Mae Tuson, of the Heyer Today podcast. It’s basically a Georgette-Heyer inspired romantic short story, with a cast made up entirely of hens.”
Sara-Mae got to interview Joanne for episode 21 of our epic podcast celebrating the life and work of Georgette Heyer. Joanne mentioned the story in passing, and when Sara-Mae asked where readers might find it (because which Heyer fan wouldn’t want to read a Heyer-flavoured story set in the farmyard??) Joanne was kind enough to put up this link.
“Modesty in all things. A pullet who thrusts herself forward, demands attention, pecks out of turn, is unlikely to gain the respect of any decent rooster.”
“I had such a blast writing that story,” said Joanne. “I was going to call it ‘Pullet For My Valentine’, but decided it wasn’t authentic enough.”
Well, quite.
You can hear the first 12 episodes of Heyer Today on any good pod player or here. Subscribe to get the latest episodes as soon as they’re dropped. And don’t forget to rate, review and recommend us to kindred spirits – it really helps new people to find us.
We’re mid-way through season 2: Heyer Today, and Sara-Mae is frantically editing the second half of the season, which features such luminaries as Joanne Harris, Susannah Fullerton, Mary Jo Putney, Garth Nix and Zen Cho amongst many others.
But we wanted to give you a sneak peak into a future project we’ve been working on in collaboration with Sara-Mae’s band, Scarlet Starlings.
Season 3: The Murmuration will explore the idea of art in captivity. Many artists around the world have been confined and repressed during this period of lockdown – we’re planning to explore the idea of the many meanings of art. This podcast will exist in the space between what the artist intends and what the viewer/listener sees/hears. There’s a multiplicity of interpretations and feelings that are generated with every act of creativity and we want to celebrate that expression for the podcast.
Featuring all 13-14 songs from the band’s upcoming album, we’ll ask an artist or guest to create a new piece of art in reaction to the song, reflecting not only their response to the music, but also their experiences during lockdown. In short, 10-15 minute episodes, we’ll feature some of our favourite poets, podcasters, writers, musicians and visual artists and hopefully create something beautiful out of the devastation we’ve all felt during this difficult time.
The podcast will most likely only come out late 2021, but the album will be coming out soon, so look out for that!
In the meantime, the video above is a fun bit of adorableness featuring babies and children playing ‘Space Man’ during lockdown. It’s a tongue in cheek look at the way, even if you’re confined, you can still escape your circumstances through your imagination.
We can’t wait for the rest of the album to come out as well! Keep checking the Scarlet Starlings website for more news and info.
Charging Moose are a collective started by lifelong friends, Marcus Thorne Bagala and Ned Donovan.
The team “create fun, exciting, high quality media projects across a wide spectrum of interests with a diversely talented group of artists.”
They’re open to collaboration, so do submit your work to them, as they encourage new ideas. If you’re interested in working with Charging Moose, you can reach out to them through their Collaborate page.
“It really is a very silly, black comedy, but I think we need a bit of silliness in these stark times,” she said. “It was so much fun chatting to Rachel and Ned about the project, what my favourite lockdown snack is and more. Plus, hearing the finished product blew my mind. The actors really managed to elevate this Python-esque skit into something hilariously off beat.”
Look out also, for the her interview with Ned and Rachel, coming out next week. In the meantime check out…
We’re taking a wee break to work on the second half of the season and make it as good as it can possibly be. We’ll be back in a few months’ time with episodes 13-25 to finish telling Georgette’s story and solve the mystery of why her books have yet to be made into films. In the meantime, read the books on our reading list, and rate, review and recommend!
It’s another book club episode! This week Sara-Mae talks to Jojo Thomas – a trained Co-Active coach, and master hypnotist, plus Aiden Truss. He’s a novelist and copywriter, who is into sci-fi and edgy post-modern literature. Will either of them fall for Heyer’s delightful, frothy classic? The score so far is six yays to two nays.
Also this week, Georgette faces the media at a Tatler party. She and Pat have a gossip about the literati, and to her chagrin, Georgette is mistaken for Dame Edith Bagnold…
Remember there are spoilers so do read the book before listening…
This week Sara-Mae chats to Heyer biographer and novelist, Jennifer Kloester. As a world-renowned expert on Heyer, they discuss the mysteries of Heyer’s life, her relationship with Ronald, plus Jen’s journey to creating her great work – and the friendships she made along the way.
Listen, as Jen regales us with fascinating stories about fellow Heyer biographer Jane Aiken Hodge and Georgette’s son, Sir Richard Rougier, as she widens the aperture through which we get to see Heyer’s life.
In this week’s book club episode on The Quiet Gentleman, we try and convert ‘corporate misfit’, competitive power lifter and comedian, Dom Patmore, as well as Sara-Mae’s cousin Talitha, who is also a digital strategy mogul and yoga teacher. But will they fall for the charms of this romantic Regency thriller?
Also this week, we find Georgette having the difficult task of breaking off her relationship with long-time father figure and agent, LP Moore…
Remember there are spoilers so do read the book before listening…
This week we chat to film producer Andy Paterson and agent for Georgette Heyer’s estate Peter Buckman, as we try to unravel the mystery of why Heyer’s books haven’t been adapted for the screen. Andy, who has produced such luminous hits as Girl With A Pearl Earring and The Railwayman, chats to us about his latest project, and Peter Buckman elaborates on the more frustrating elements of metamorphosing a book into celluloid…
Heyer Today, the most epic literary podcast ever made, continues with our 4th book club episode. Our convert tally is 3/4 so far, but will this week’s victims, Robert (Global VP of Finance at Impact) and the very right Reverend Caroline Risdon, say yay or nay to our Regency queen?
Meanwhile, Georgette and her son Richard are in the Albany cellars as the doodle bugs fall on London. Luckily, they’re in good company: no less personages than JB Priestley, GB Stern, Graham Greene, Margery Sharp, Harold Nicholson and Edith Evans huddle beside them. Surely, if a bomb destroyed their apartments, London’s literary elite would be decimated!
Voice talent includes: Hedley Knight (JB Priestley and Graham Greene), Cathy Tuson (Margery Sharp), Helen Rose-Davidge (Georgette Heyer), Holly Golding (young Richard Rougier) and Fiona Thraille as Dame Edith Evans
Remember there are spoilers so do read the book before listening…
Join in the fun by checking out our book list here: 
