Ep. 126: Funnily Enough

[00:00:04] Welcome to Ink Drinkers, a literary tea party podcast where we discuss books and drink tea. What's up Marissa? I don't know why I was...I didn't even realize I was talking like that just now. So Jamie said something in that voice accent, whatever you want to call it.

[00:00:43] Not really an accent. So I just responded back to her with the same. Okay. I don't know where it came from, alright? I like it. God, it would be so annoying if I did a whole podcast like this. Yeah. I'm not, I'm done. I can't even do it.

[00:01:01] I don't like it. I don't like the way it sounds. I don't like it. I'm done. We are fueled up. We had some food. We are drinking a gratitude blend of tea.

[00:01:17] We're going to be grateful for everything and for all of you things and all of the things. All of the people. Just everything. Yes. All of the gratefulness. Gratitude. Okay. I'll allow it. Marissa hasn't slept in weeks. I need a new mattress. Lots of sleep talk.

[00:01:43] But we did all that off podcast. You're welcome. You're welcome. We spared you. Is my mic a little too hot? I think it's okay. It's fine. I'm going to go with it. I just, I shouldn't yell or anything out of excitement because I know I'm going to be

[00:02:01] so excited by whatever book you're telling me about. You will be. It's a good one. Really? No, I liked it. Okay, good. Am I going? Yeah, you're first. You're first. I think you've recommended one of this author's previous reads. It's exciting. Sarah Adler. Yes.

[00:02:22] The book is happy medium. I have no, I don't know. I can't remember. You did. Sorry. I just, you're so, it's not, I didn't, the author name is coming to me but I can't tell you what our, Mrs. Nashes Ashes. Oh yes. So delightful. Okay.

[00:02:39] Well this was delightful as well. Yes. So what is it again? It's called happy medium. Okay. So to kind of go off, I don't remember the name of the book now off hand but I recently read and reviewed a novel about mediums. Yes. With the spitting gold.

[00:02:59] Yes, spitting gold, thank you. So this is also about mediums and a fake medium as well which is kind of what that one was about but this is present day and it's romance and it was just lovely. So, do you have her author profile up?

[00:03:17] I'm just curious what other books she's read. I don't. Okay, I'll look it up later. Okay, I don't. But this, I'll just give you the little from Sophie Cousins says the perfect alchemy of romance, humor and quirky originality. Love it. Yes, which is very encompassing of this book.

[00:03:35] The main character is. That could also describe my book today. Just so you know. Great. Oh, the parallels. Gretchen Acorn is a lifelong swindler. All right. What color that? All right. Fake. She has learned all of her tricks and trades from her dear old father who's just

[00:04:00] recently out of prison. She's trying to distance herself. He finds her since her letter in the mail. She doesn't even open it. She's just like, I don't even deal with him. So she's like a con artist basically and she learned it from her dad. Yeah. Okay.

[00:04:16] Um, she has since in her present day life don't she don this whole existence as a hate medium but she's not she's a con artist. So she has a little business going and she has some wealthy clients and one of

[00:04:33] the clients really makes up most of her income and sends all of her other wealthy women friends to her. And she does all her research and she has a friend ish friend.

[00:04:47] She who I don't know if she works in a nail salon or if she has a hair. I don't remember. She does something and she gets the gossip in this little town that they live in and then kind of they help each other. Got it.

[00:04:59] But Gretchen's rule is that she only takes people's money if she thinks that she can help them. Okay. So she, she's at least a thoughtful con artist. She has, she, this is what she's doing to make a living and to live.

[00:05:17] But she, if she feels like nothing that she's going to do is going to help that person, she will not take them on as a client. Okay. I mean, she, she does whatever she needs to do in her head to make

[00:05:30] her a good ethics in her own unethical job. So her biggest client has tasked, tasked her with helping out another friend of hers who is a guy named Charles Wabell. He owns a farm. It's out of town. He's a really good close friend of hers.

[00:05:51] I think their families were friends. I don't really know all the details, but he owns a farm and he's trying to sell the farm, but he's having some weird paranormal activity at his farm that's tending to scare off potential buyers. Yes. I could see that. Yes.

[00:06:08] So she pays Gretchen 10 grand to go and cast out any, any spirits that might be holding up the cell of this property. Yes, of course. Yes. So she shows up thinking she's meeting some old man who's similar in age to her client.

[00:06:29] Um, but instead a really hot guy, who's her age. Yeah. He opens the door and he is Charles Wabell, but he's Charlie and Charles is his grandfather and his dad. They're all Charles Chuck. Please, please don't call me Charles. That's my father's name. Mr. Wabell.

[00:06:49] Um, so he's quite attractive. Um, he read off the bat realizes, you know, Debra said, she's like Debra sent me and she does her whole spiel and he's just looking at her and he's like, Oh, you're a charlatan. Got it. And he is ticked that she's there.

[00:07:08] He basically tells her she's not welcome to get off of his property. He's going to call the cops. She says some choice words to him as well. Um, she says she's already been paid. She kind of threatens him in a little bit of a manner and

[00:07:24] he's just ticked. She goes to leave. She had just gotten out of her lift or Uber or whatever they have in this little town that they're in and she it's just Joe from, from, uh, from down the road. He does all the drop offs and pickups.

[00:07:39] So the person next in line to pick her up is the same guy that just left like a few minutes ago. Yeah. Right. So she places the call, you know, um, buys the ride and all of a sudden, uh, she sees this guy walking by her and

[00:07:55] for a second she's like, Oh, it's Charlie. You know, he's coming back to say something else rude to me and she's like, I'm leaving. I'm leaving. You know, like I'll ticked and then she walks through him. Oh, okay. And she gets a complete chill through her body.

[00:08:13] Well, he walks through her cause he just keeps walking. Right? I did not see that coming. And then she, her whole body gets frigid. She's freezing and she's like, what in the, you know, and the guy turns around and he's like, you can see me

[00:08:29] and she's freaked out. She's like, what is going on? I don't even understand what's going on. And he's like, you can see me and she realizes that he's dressed in like britches as he calls him in like this 1920s garb and she's just like,

[00:08:46] of course I can see you. What are you talking about? And he's like touches her again and she gets like, she's freezing and his, you know, hands go through her and she's just like, this is really weird. He's all excited because no one's been able to see him

[00:08:58] or hear him and however long he's been there. I mean that would be very, like I'm happy for him. He tells her his name is Emmett. Is it Emmett? Emmett or something similar. It's Emmett. He has a name and he tells it to her. Yes.

[00:09:19] So he then tells her that there is a family curse on the property and that when he tried to leave years ago, either his aunt, I think it was his aunt or I don't know, another family member cursed him to,

[00:09:32] if he ever decided to leave that he would die and he would be stuck on the property. Like he would not, he would not. His soul would be stuck on the property. Yeah, and that is what happened. So he has been sabotaging the cell of this property

[00:09:50] because the next way bill in line to do the same thing and try to sell the property not to another way bill or that it's inherited in the family also drops dead and then soul is stuck to the property and he doesn't want that to happen.

[00:10:05] Oh no, so he's trying to save Charlie. Oh, how kind of maybe Emmett. I love the ghost. Yeah. He's a little, he's a little spiky here and there. He does a few things that you're a little questionable. He like kicked the lady down the stairs.

[00:10:21] It was coming to the property and she's like, you can't kill anyone. He's like, I'm sorry. She just seemed like they really loved the place and I had to make sure that we got him out quickly. They were talking about making my, you know,

[00:10:33] Charlie's room into a nursery and I was like, uh-uh, that's not happening. So anyways, he's pretty funny. He loves to watch trash TV. That's hilarious. Also he loves the golden girls. Oh my God. He's like, can you please tell him to not turn the TV off

[00:10:45] because I can't touch anything without, you know, going into the poof. Like if he actually physically touches something, he disappears for like 10 minutes. Oh no. And he doesn't know where he is, but he just calls it the poof. And so anyway, so she actually now is talking

[00:10:59] to the other side. A ghost. She's a real medium now. And her job now is to convince Charlie to not sell the property while also trying to keep up the ruse that she is a real medium, even though she's not, but now she's talking to a spirit.

[00:11:17] She's not, but she is. Oh my gosh. So anyways, and of course Charlie is just like this really, he's comes off very guarded, but he's sweet and has a big heart and he would help anyone in, you know, in it tells her the people that Charlie loves,

[00:11:34] he loves forever and would do anything for. And of course she starts to get feelings and you know. She starts to catch the feelings. So anyways, it was just a really good romance and I liked all the characters, Gretchen and Charlie were great.

[00:11:49] And we meet his grandfather who's in like an assisted living facility and we learn a lot about all the members of his family. And it's just, I don't know, it was a really good romance. It sounds so sweet and adorable and I can't wait to read it.

[00:12:03] It was good, you'll like it. Okay, good. Well funnily enough, my book. Funnily enough? Funnily enough. You know when you say words and they don't sound like words? Yeah, I promise you it is one. But doesn't sound like one. I can spell it for you if you want.

[00:12:19] No, no, I think I can figure out how to spell it. Just say it. I can spell. It doesn't sound like a word when I say it out loud. Funnily. Right? Well anyway, funnily enough, my book also has a Charlie. Ah!

[00:12:40] Are you still repeating funnily in your word? In your word, in your head? Okay, well you're going to have to get past that so that you can listen. Funnily enough. So that you can listen. It's also fun to say, sorry, I'm done. Continue. You sure? Okay.

[00:12:58] This book may be a bit obvious for me to review on the podcast. However, some of this author's novels, like maybe her most recent one before this, have not been great. And so I am here to tell you that Catherine Sinner's The Rom Comers is fabulous.

[00:13:20] Oh good, I'm so glad. Like maybe my favorite of her so far. No. Okay, okay. And their, oh hold on, Teddy is wrapped up in some wires one moment. And there is a film aspect to it.

[00:13:36] So I was like, oh no, but then I was like, it's totally fine. I feel like I've said that a lot lately that like the film pieces of books have been fine. So maybe authors are like getting better and doing their research. Maybe because of this podcast. Definitely.

[00:13:52] No, definitely not. Kind of like how you started COVID. I did. I'm sorry. It was an accident. Do you know what? Hold on, let me pause our regular programming to tell you about the Facebook memory that came up in my feed today.

[00:14:09] I can't, it's gone now, but it was something about the George Zimmerman trial and I said, I know, I said that I really wanted to be sequestered away for a month like the jurors in the George Zimmerman trial. What's wrong with me?

[00:14:25] And that was seven years before COVID happened. Man, you just, you just make things happen. Anyway, because I absolutely do not. But okay, let me tell you about the romcomers. So our two main characters are Emma Wheeler and Charlie Yates.

[00:14:47] And Charlie Yates is like a very famous screenwriter. Okay. Like everybody knows Charlie Yates. I assume like Charlie Kaufman, like everybody knows Charlie Kaufman, right? You're like, I have no idea who that is. But yeah. Anyway, I think it's Charlie. What if his name is not Charlie?

[00:15:05] You're asking the wrong person lady. Well, anyway, it's been a while since I've been in the film. Everyone knows him. Everyone knows him, but I may have gotten his name wrong and you have no idea who I'm talking about. But it's the guy that wrote adaptation.

[00:15:18] Anyway, so Charlie Yates is a big screenwriter. Everyone knows who he is. And Emma Wheeler is an aspiring screenwriter. Okay. But she lives in, I can't remember where like Chicago or something like that. So not Los Angeles, obviously, where most of the screenwriters live.

[00:15:38] But she can't leave Chicago because her father has some health issues and she has to take care of him. She does have a younger sister who could help, but she is in college. And so the agreement is that Emma is going to take care of him

[00:15:56] for the first 10 years and then her sister is going to take care of him for the next 10 years. Like they have this in place. They know what the plan is. It's a long time for things to change and for...

[00:16:08] Well, their mom, we also know that their mom passed away. We start to learn details throughout the book about what happened to her. So I don't want to say anything like that, but their mom has passed away. Their dad has serious health issues and needs help.

[00:16:26] Emma has written a few very minor screenplays that I don't think they've gone anywhere. Like nobody knows who she is, whatever. But her best friend happens to be both her agent and Charlie Yates's agent. She doesn't know that her best friend is Charlie Yates's agent

[00:16:48] until he reaches out to her and says, Oh, by the way, Emma's specialty is romance movies or rom-com movies. Okay. So Charlie Yates has written a rom-com and it is terrible and it needs help. And so the agent whose name I can't remember,

[00:17:08] which is why I continue to refer to him as her best friend or the agent, reaches out to her and says, I need your help. Charlie's screenplay needs to be reworked and you're the perfect person to do it. Wow.

[00:17:25] So I'm going to fly you out to Los Angeles and you're going to stay with Charlie. He has like a big mansion. Okay. You're going to stay with Charlie for six weeks and y'all are going to fix the screenplay.

[00:17:38] And Emma's like, I don't know if I can leave my dad, but her little sister says, you have to do this. I'm going to help you go. So Emma goes, she gets on a plane. She gets there.

[00:17:48] She gets to Charlie Yates's house and Charlie Yates has no idea what's going on because the agent didn't tell Charlie. He was just forcing it on her. So, um, yeah, I mean at least put her up somewhere else. Yikes.

[00:18:08] Yeah. So she's like, I'm leaving. I don't need this. My father needs me if you don't want me here. I'm not going to stay here. Um, even though she was going to be getting like a very healthy sum of money that was going to be helpful.

[00:18:22] She's not doing it if Charlie does not want her there. Right. And she like over here is a conversation between Charlie and the agent that's not good. So she like goes to leave. Um, but then she ends up, um,

[00:18:35] I can't remember the exact series of events, but she ends up like fainting and Charlie has to take care of her. And you know, things happen and they write a really great wrong code. Yeah, something like that. Okay. Something like that.

[00:18:52] But it was so cute. It really, it had Abby Jimenez vibes because it was so friggin funny. Like it was really, really funny and I adored the characters. The story was great. It was just all around. Absolutely wonderful.

[00:19:07] My favorite Catherine center and I want everyone to read it, but I do have to tell you. Oh no, I thought the release date was in July, but it's already out. Okay. You do have to tell me that it's out now for your viewing,

[00:19:25] but I do have to tell you that it's already out and you can read it now if you want. Let's talk about the tea. Okay. Um, did you see when I took my first sip?

[00:19:37] No, obviously, because I like sipped and like looked at you like, oh my God. So we are not of the fruity tea family generally. We have always said that and yet most of the fruity tea that we try, we're like, well, that's delicious.

[00:19:53] I need to stop saying that. We need to change our tune. This is a black tea with caffeine just for those wondering what's wrong with us. The bag said caffeine. Yeah, anyway, this is by plum deluxe.

[00:20:06] It's a gratitude blend like Jamie said and it is black tea, orange peels, blue corn flowers, strawberries, raspberry leaves, bergamot oil and strawberry essence. What does that mean? What is strawberry essence? I think they just waved the strawberry over and it absorbs the essence. Got it. Uh-huh. Yep.

[00:20:27] Um, it's delightful. It's so good. I don't even know if I like it and I, very good. All of these, I mean, this is it. If you are not sure about fruity blends, this is your blend. This is your gratitude blend. Get it and be grateful for it.

[00:20:47] Plum deluxe. Paid for by plum deluxe tea. Just kidding. I wish. I know. Plum deluxe. We've been doing the shout out pretty regularly. They do like all of our Instagram posts. They do, they do. Maybe we should reach out, Paid ads. Let's do it for our 50 subscribers.

[00:21:10] Let's do it. We reach a lot of people, okay? We need to advertise for you. Anyway, I'm just grateful to have this tea that the tea is so delicious. This time together, these great books. And I'm grateful, yeah. I'm grateful that we both read two really fabulous books.

[00:21:30] Two really awesome Charlies. So true. What is going on? Things are just really fitting into place. What more could you want? Nothing really. Well then cheers. Cheers. Thanks for listening. Be sure to check out the show notes for the full list of books we discussed today.

[00:21:47] You can find that in your podcast app or on our website, intrinkerspodcast.com. And please support us by subscribing anywhere you listen to podcasts and leaving a review. You can find us on Instagram and on Twitter at intdrinkerspod. Cheers.