Ep. 146: The Past Is Not in the Past

[00:00:16] Welcome to Ink Drinkers, a literary tea party podcast where we discuss books and drink tea.

[00:00:29] Is it just me or is this like the craziest December ever known to man? I think it's just me.

[00:00:37] I think it's just you. I think I maybe have a little too much going on.

[00:00:45] That's not a bad thing. No, it's not. I guess I should make the announcement on here

[00:00:50] that I finally found a place and will be opening a bookstore. So TBR Books and Tea is coming at you in 2025.

[00:01:02] Woo woo. Yay.

[00:01:04] So excited for you. I can't wait to see the space. I know it's gonna be amazing.

[00:01:10] I can't wait to see it and then see it done. And all the in-between.

[00:01:17] I can't believe it's real. I'm sure. Finally. And it was like, it was there was a lot of anxiety

[00:01:27] leading up to it because like negotiating the lease took so long. And then once we finally signed it,

[00:01:36] it was like, okay, now that it's done, I have 500 things to do all at once. And I'm still in the middle of doing them.

[00:01:47] So it's been, uh, yeah, it's been a crazy December.

[00:01:51] End of the year is just rough in general.

[00:01:54] But even more so when you are opening a bookstore and yeah.

[00:02:00] Yeah. But it's exciting.

[00:02:02] Yeah. It's your dream.

[00:02:02] I'm not like complaining that I've had a ton to do.

[00:02:06] It just is my reality at the moment.

[00:02:09] So let's kick back for a moment.

[00:02:12] Let me take a break from all of my stresses and let's talk about some books.

[00:02:22] Who goes first?

[00:02:24] I think me.

[00:02:26] I think so.

[00:02:27] Okay.

[00:02:28] All right.

[00:02:28] Well, I am telling you about Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb.

[00:02:34] All right.

[00:02:34] I'm going to.

[00:02:35] You're going to have another ginger cookie?

[00:02:37] Yeah.

[00:02:38] Okay.

[00:02:38] Go for it.

[00:02:39] Tea cookie.

[00:02:39] Ginger.

[00:02:40] Yeah.

[00:02:40] What is it called?

[00:02:41] Ginger tea cookie.

[00:02:44] Thank you, Fresh Market.

[00:02:45] Not that they came to me.

[00:02:46] I bought them with my own money, but anyway.

[00:02:50] Okay.

[00:02:51] So Christmas with the Queen, it was on my 10 before the end list and it has the crown vibes.

[00:03:00] Okay.

[00:03:01] And Goodreads also says the crown meets when Harry met Sally in Bridget Jones's diary.

[00:03:10] I don't.

[00:03:13] I guess maybe a little bit when Harry met Sally, but anyway, let me tell you about it.

[00:03:18] Okay.

[00:03:18] So it is December 1952 and the Queen, Queen Elizabeth II, is giving her first holiday address to

[00:03:30] England.

[00:03:32] This is like, we don't have anything like this over here in the United States, but this is

[00:03:37] something that happens every year in England.

[00:03:39] Okay.

[00:03:40] The Queen or King gives a holiday address.

[00:03:43] We don't have that?

[00:03:44] A holiday address from what, like the president?

[00:03:47] Yeah.

[00:03:48] He doesn't like wish the American people, I mean, I've never watched it, but I'm sure.

[00:03:53] I bet he does.

[00:03:54] I guess maybe.

[00:03:55] And I've just never paid attention to it.

[00:03:57] Got to.

[00:03:57] But it seems like it's a-

[00:03:58] If not, what is his team doing?

[00:04:00] It seems like it's a big deal.

[00:04:04] Okay.

[00:04:04] In England, like everybody tunes in.

[00:04:07] Yes.

[00:04:07] I mean, obviously we don't know because we've never tuned in.

[00:04:12] In our 30 plus years of life, our young 30 plus years.

[00:04:17] Yeah.

[00:04:17] I don't know.

[00:04:18] Maybe it is a thing.

[00:04:18] I'll have to Google after this.

[00:04:20] Mid 30.

[00:04:21] So anyway, it's a big deal in England.

[00:04:25] And this is the Queen's first Christmas address.

[00:04:28] As Queen.

[00:04:28] Yes.

[00:04:29] As Queen.

[00:04:29] Because her father has passed away.

[00:04:31] Okay.

[00:04:31] So that's setting the scene for you.

[00:04:33] So we have two other main characters.

[00:04:36] The Queen is a character in the book, but we don't always get her point of view.

[00:04:41] Okay.

[00:04:41] The main two points of view that the book is written from are Olive and Jack.

[00:04:46] So Olive is a reporter with the BBC, but she's a woman in 1952.

[00:04:52] She's not given the responsibilities that she should be given just because she's a woman.

[00:04:58] And Jack, this is kind of fun, he is a chef from New Orleans.

[00:05:03] Oh, nice.

[00:05:04] Yeah.

[00:05:06] So Olive, she requests to go to Sandringham for the royal address with the Queen, but she's

[00:05:19] not senior enough for it.

[00:05:20] But luckily for her, Charlie, who's the guy who always does it, like falls ill and he can't

[00:05:27] go.

[00:05:27] So she's like...

[00:05:28] But luckily for her.

[00:05:30] So she's just the next best thing and she gets to go.

[00:05:34] And she's like running around the Sandringham estate, like trying to find a story that she

[00:05:39] can report on.

[00:05:40] And she's like, let me, I don't know, like go into the kitchens and see what, you know,

[00:05:45] they're cooking up for the holidays or whatever.

[00:05:48] Where she encounters Jack, who she had actually met years before on VE Day.

[00:05:56] Okay.

[00:05:57] When the war was over.

[00:05:58] And they were like friends for a bit and kind of had, you know, some chemistry.

[00:06:06] But they drifted apart for, you know, reasons that you'll discover in the book.

[00:06:11] So it's been like 10 years since they've seen each other.

[00:06:14] Well, not quite 10 years, but maybe like eight years since they've seen each other.

[00:06:19] And they feel the chemistry.

[00:06:21] Now, one thing I do need to tell you about Jack is that he was married, but his wife has

[00:06:28] like very, very recently passed away.

[00:06:31] Tragically, she was like hit by a car while she was crossing the street.

[00:06:35] I know it's tragic.

[00:06:36] Okay.

[00:06:36] Yeah.

[00:06:36] So like he has baggage.

[00:06:39] She actually has a daughter who's, you know, young, like maybe seven-ish years old,

[00:06:45] something like that.

[00:06:46] So she has her own stuff going on.

[00:06:49] So it's like, is it the right time for them?

[00:06:52] Is it not?

[00:06:55] Meanwhile, this is all on the backdrop of the queen giving her speech.

[00:07:00] And the two of them do encounter the queen a good bit.

[00:07:04] And then the book continues forward in years.

[00:07:07] Okay.

[00:07:08] To around the time that the queen gives her address every year.

[00:07:11] And so it's kind of fun because Olive somewhat becomes a mentor for the queen and giving her

[00:07:19] holiday address.

[00:07:20] And the queen's always like, is Olive here?

[00:07:22] Bring, bring her in.

[00:07:24] We need to go over my speech together.

[00:07:27] And then the sort of romance between Olive and Jack plays out throughout the years, which

[00:07:33] is, I guess, where the When Harry Met Sally.

[00:07:35] Sure.

[00:07:35] That comes in.

[00:07:36] So the will they or won't they throughout.

[00:07:39] Did you love it?

[00:07:40] Yeah.

[00:07:40] It was really good.

[00:07:41] It was a five.

[00:07:41] Yeah.

[00:07:42] Yeah.

[00:07:42] Okay.

[00:07:42] Um, I think I gave it four.

[00:07:45] I don't know, but it was high up there.

[00:07:48] Yeah.

[00:07:48] It was just so lovely.

[00:07:49] It was very, very much crown vibes, like I said before, which, you know, how can you

[00:07:54] go wrong with that?

[00:07:55] And the romance was cute and sweet and the queen, you had the queen.

[00:07:59] So what more could you ask for?

[00:08:01] It was all good.

[00:08:04] Well, mine was also holiday themed, um, but it's more of a rom-com.

[00:08:09] Um, it is called, hold on, sorry.

[00:08:14] It is called, All I Want Is You by Fallon Ballard.

[00:08:18] What?

[00:08:18] Fallon?

[00:08:19] Fallon Ballard?

[00:08:20] She's back?

[00:08:22] So this was also on my, uh, list.

[00:08:25] It, it, it was, okay.

[00:08:29] It was cute.

[00:08:30] I, I don't know.

[00:08:32] I don't know if it's because I've read a lot of holiday books in general and it just

[00:08:38] missed a little bit.

[00:08:39] Okay.

[00:08:40] Um.

[00:08:40] Missed a little holiday magic.

[00:08:42] Yeah.

[00:08:43] Yeah.

[00:08:43] So Jessica, um, and her ex-boyfriend Nick are both romance writers and, um, he is a different

[00:08:53] kind of romance writer, which Jessica would say is not a romance writer and that he should

[00:08:58] not be in that category.

[00:09:00] Because his books don't have happy endings.

[00:09:02] Because they don't have happy endings.

[00:09:03] Not romance.

[00:09:04] Yeah.

[00:09:04] Um, they have been apart for the last five years and his career has really picked up and

[00:09:13] soared.

[00:09:13] And she is, um, working as a barista part-time so that she can pay her bills.

[00:09:20] So.

[00:09:21] Okay.

[00:09:22] Yeah.

[00:09:23] They both are with the same publisher and, cause they signed one around the same time

[00:09:28] and, uh, when they were together and he's just like the golden boy kind of.

[00:09:33] This feels like a major recipe for disaster.

[00:09:36] Yeah.

[00:09:36] So.

[00:09:37] So.

[00:09:38] So.

[00:09:38] There is a holiday press junket conference something or other at this hotel and, uh,

[00:09:46] her, no one really knows fully that they dated or like the extent of their dating history.

[00:09:52] Cause I think they dated for a couple of years.

[00:09:54] Okay.

[00:09:54] And, um, but it's been five years.

[00:09:57] So if they did know, it's kind of like, you know, whatever, no one's really thinking about

[00:10:00] this.

[00:10:01] And so they asked Jessica if she would present the award for best author of the year under

[00:10:06] their umbrella under the publishing company.

[00:10:08] And of course it happens to be him.

[00:10:10] Yeah.

[00:10:11] She feels like she can't say no because, you know, her career isn't fantastic and she's

[00:10:15] always trying to get out and about in front of the right people.

[00:10:18] And she feels like if she were to say no, it looks bad on her.

[00:10:22] And then she'd have to explain why.

[00:10:25] And she doesn't really want to do that.

[00:10:27] So his, his team tells him like his assistant is like, uh, Jessica is the one that's presenting

[00:10:32] the award.

[00:10:33] And he says, you know, is she okay with that?

[00:10:36] And they're like, well, you know, she agreed to do it.

[00:10:38] So he messaged, he emails her and he's just like, I'm really glad that we can put, you

[00:10:43] know, the past in the past.

[00:10:44] And, um, I hope we can be friendly basically towards each other.

[00:10:48] And she sends like an email, like, I hate you without saying that.

[00:10:52] Pretty much like that.

[00:10:53] She basically says the past is not in the past.

[00:10:56] I don't want to be doing this.

[00:10:58] Please stay away from me, essentially.

[00:11:01] And he's like, okay, sounds good.

[00:11:05] So they get to this conference and they go to check in.

[00:11:09] And at first they can't find his reservation.

[00:11:12] And he's just like, what?

[00:11:13] Cause he had extended, he was going to stay for a week just to have like a sort of vacation

[00:11:17] timeframe.

[00:11:18] And, um, they finally find his room, but they tell him that it's not going to be ready until

[00:11:22] midnight.

[00:11:23] Like they're like way overbooked or something or something really weird.

[00:11:26] And, um, they let him use like the showers and the gym or whatever to get ready.

[00:11:31] Cause he has to get ready to give his, like to receive the award.

[00:11:34] Um, she makes sure that she wears like a knockout dress.

[00:11:37] Right.

[00:11:37] Of course.

[00:11:38] And, um, when she goes to check in and she got there late.

[00:11:43] So when she goes to check in after the event, they're like, we don't have a reservation

[00:11:46] for you.

[00:11:47] And she's like, well, check again, you know, because someone was supposed to make it for

[00:11:51] her.

[00:11:51] What is with this hotel?

[00:11:53] Um, Nick happens to be at the front desk because he's going to check in because it's

[00:11:58] like midnight and he overhears this situation.

[00:12:01] And so, um, there's a blizzard that has come in while they were at the award ceremony

[00:12:07] and all the streets are blocked and they're completely sold out.

[00:12:11] And so he offers for her to stay in his room.

[00:12:17] Sounds like a really great idea.

[00:12:20] Mm hmm.

[00:12:21] So, um, we go back in, back in time to when they dated kind of, and she's like a real Christmas

[00:12:27] person and he never really was until he started dating her.

[00:12:29] Like she just loves the Christmas holiday and her family has always loved Christmas.

[00:12:33] And, um, we, we gather, we see what happened and he never explained why he ended it.

[00:12:42] And what I didn't like about it is that they specifically discuss in the book how in romances

[00:12:49] people get really annoyed when it's a communication issue, like you have said.

[00:12:54] And she discusses this, like the character Jessica says, people don't like that.

[00:12:59] And then that's what it was of the actual book.

[00:13:02] And so I was like, I don't understand.

[00:13:04] Like, why would you do that?

[00:13:06] And, uh, it sounds like I need to stay away or I will just be frustrated.

[00:13:11] It was frustrating.

[00:13:12] Like I was just, this, this is, um, the characters, like they're, they're, you know, still very

[00:13:20] attracted to each other.

[00:13:22] They're trying to be, you know, respectful.

[00:13:25] He's trying to be respectful because he's the one that broke up with her.

[00:13:27] She's trying to not come off like super bitter and hurt.

[00:13:30] Um, they're in the same room together.

[00:13:34] And so where does the Christmas play in?

[00:13:37] Is it just that she loves Christmas and it's Christmas time?

[00:13:39] It's Christmas time.

[00:13:40] Yeah.

[00:13:40] Well, so pretty much, I mean, for the most part, that's really what it is.

[00:13:44] I think, I think whenever they broke up, it was also Christmas time.

[00:13:48] Okay.

[00:13:49] Um, so it's kind of like five years ago at Christmas, now at Christmas.

[00:13:52] And they talk about the Christmases that they spent together where they were dating and like

[00:13:56] the first one they had together where it was just them and she ended up not going home

[00:13:59] and they had a really good Christmas together.

[00:14:02] And then the second Christmas they went to her parents' house for the first time.

[00:14:05] So when you go back in time, it's like a lot at Christmas time.

[00:14:08] And then at the end, it's Christmas.

[00:14:11] Yeah.

[00:14:11] You know, like, um, once they leave the conference and all that and like once you get back into

[00:14:16] like daily life, it in, the whole book ends at Christmas.

[00:14:19] Gotcha.

[00:14:19] Yeah.

[00:14:20] Okay.

[00:14:20] So, um, yeah, it wasn't that it was bad.

[00:14:23] I just, I don't know.

[00:14:25] It just wasn't a five.

[00:14:26] It didn't have the magic.

[00:14:28] Yeah.

[00:14:28] It was okay.

[00:14:29] I just want to sit here and say Fallon Ballard, Fallon Ballard over and over again.

[00:14:32] I don't know why I love that name so much.

[00:14:35] It makes me very happy.

[00:14:39] Well, you want to talk about the tea?

[00:14:40] Yeah.

[00:14:41] This is, will you tell me about it?

[00:14:43] Okay.

[00:14:43] Did you take a sip yet?

[00:14:44] I did.

[00:14:45] Okay.

[00:14:45] I've had sips.

[00:14:46] Okay.

[00:14:47] So this is Flor Deli Tea Co. tea.

[00:14:51] It's called the Friendship Blend.

[00:14:53] It's a small batch hand-selected artisan tea from Amy, Louisiana, which is about an hour

[00:14:58] from Baton Rouge where we live.

[00:15:01] It's a black tea.

[00:15:02] It says black tea from the heart.

[00:15:03] Um, Michael and I went on an anniversary trip about two weeks ago and we wanted to stay

[00:15:10] close and we weren't sure where we wanted to go.

[00:15:12] And I think I've talked about this on the podcast already.

[00:15:14] Yeah.

[00:15:14] I'm like, you're repeating yourself.

[00:15:17] But for those just, you know, happening on this episode.

[00:15:20] Just randomly tuning in.

[00:15:20] Um, but he found this tea farm and supposedly they are, not supposedly, they are very, um,

[00:15:30] there's not a lot of them in the United States.

[00:15:32] Right.

[00:15:32] Um, and so to have one in Louisiana is very unique.

[00:15:36] Um, and so we went and had a tour and a little tea tasting and it was a really cool operation.

[00:15:42] It's a small operation.

[00:15:43] They pick all the leaves by hand, which is crazy.

[00:15:47] I don't know how tea is normally picked.

[00:15:51] I don't either.

[00:15:51] Maybe that's so normal.

[00:15:52] So I'm like, that sounds amazing.

[00:15:55] But what if it's just typical?

[00:15:57] And it totally might be.

[00:15:59] But, um, just the way she explained it, I was like, oh my gosh, that's intense.

[00:16:04] Yeah.

[00:16:04] Uh, so anyway, so this, um, friendship blend, um, let me see where it says.

[00:16:12] I don't know if I need to read all of this.

[00:16:15] There's a lot of text on the back.

[00:16:16] Please don't read it all.

[00:16:18] But I want to know like what's in it.

[00:16:19] Like what am I tasting?

[00:16:22] Um, combined with our black tea with its honey and golden syrup notes.

[00:16:27] So it's, it's actually, I think it's two teas.

[00:16:30] So let's just see.

[00:16:33] So it says their travels led them to Myanmar in the far East.

[00:16:37] So there's supposedly, it's a blend.

[00:16:39] That's why it's called friendship because it's a blend of two different teas.

[00:16:42] So it's their tea and a tea from Myanmar.

[00:16:45] Gotcha.

[00:16:45] So they discovered a small family owned, um, tea company like their own and who shared

[00:16:50] the same passion and dedication to exceptional tea.

[00:16:54] And, um, it says their tea was reminiscent of whiskey aged in oak sherry barrels with woody

[00:16:59] notes and hints of raisin and marshmallow combined with our black tea with its honey and golden

[00:17:04] syrup notes.

[00:17:06] Harmony.

[00:17:06] This delicious blend produces a golden ruby red liqueur.

[00:17:11] So beautiful.

[00:17:12] In fact, we named this tea friendship blend in honor of the beautiful friendship in this

[00:17:17] quest has led to enjoy.

[00:17:18] That's actually really cool how they like created this with another small tea company, um, across

[00:17:25] the world.

[00:17:26] But I, once you read out what's in it, I was like, okay, that's, it's the whiskey, like

[00:17:34] aged whiskey barrel.

[00:17:36] Yep.

[00:17:37] That I'm tasting first, but I'm also getting the honey.

[00:17:41] Yep.

[00:17:41] I agree.

[00:17:42] Um, but I could not have pinpointed that if you hadn't told me.

[00:17:46] I was just like, what is this?

[00:17:48] I mean, now that I literally, that's so crazy how your brain, how our brains work.

[00:17:51] Cause whenever I read honey and I took a sip, I just got like full honey in my mouth.

[00:17:56] Yeah.

[00:17:57] But I think that's why, I mean, this is a very good, very smooth, um, drinkable, drinkable

[00:18:02] tea.

[00:18:02] Every day tea.

[00:18:03] But something was not hitting right for me and I don't like honey.

[00:18:08] And that's what it is.

[00:18:09] Ah, I see.

[00:18:10] I was like, what is in this that's bothering me?

[00:18:12] Honey.

[00:18:12] And it's the honey.

[00:18:13] And see, and I love honey.

[00:18:14] I know you do.

[00:18:15] So if you really like honey and honey flavors, um, and this might be a really good tea if

[00:18:19] you're not feeling well.

[00:18:20] Yeah.

[00:18:21] You know, um, the ingredients are black tea.

[00:18:27] Yeah.

[00:18:28] It's different from our, no natural flavors.

[00:18:31] Well, and you know, I like that.

[00:18:32] I appreciate that.

[00:18:34] Thank you, Florida Lee Tea Co. for not adding natural flavors to our tea.

[00:18:39] My goodness.

[00:18:40] Um, but still very cool that they, I love the story behind it.

[00:18:46] Honestly, that's my favorite part of this tea is the story.

[00:18:48] What, how many blends did they have?

[00:18:51] So they had, I think two other teas.

[00:18:54] Okay.

[00:18:54] Um, they had an herbal and then they had a black, like their black tea that is just, just without

[00:19:00] the, without it.

[00:19:01] Yeah.

[00:19:02] So we didn't taste that.

[00:19:03] So again, they were getting ready for an event and so they fit us in.

[00:19:06] Um, and so we really didn't get to do like multiple tea tastings.

[00:19:11] It was just the one that we picked and then, um, yeah.

[00:19:14] Yeah.

[00:19:15] And I bought it cause it tasted good and I knew, you know, the other one, I liked that

[00:19:19] it had a little bit more of a story behind it.

[00:19:20] The other one obviously is fully theirs.

[00:19:23] So it's fully local.

[00:19:25] But, um, yeah, I just, I thought it was good.

[00:19:28] And again, I like honey.

[00:19:28] So I thought it was a good drinkable tea and I didn't realize you didn't like honey.

[00:19:32] It's okay.

[00:19:33] No, I mean, you know, I enjoy trying any kind of tea.

[00:19:35] But yeah.

[00:19:36] Um, and you can buy their tea on their website.

[00:19:39] Okay.

[00:19:40] Um, so again, Florida Lee, uh, Florida Lee Tea Co.

[00:19:44] And it's also like Tea Farm if it, if you can't find it like that.

[00:19:47] Um, they're on Instagram.

[00:19:49] They do really cute events.

[00:19:51] Um, they have like a Christmas, a Christmas tea coming up.

[00:19:54] Um, I think they have one this weekend and next weekend that you can buy tickets for,

[00:19:57] um, if you're in the area.

[00:19:59] That's fun.

[00:20:00] Anyways, um, it seems like they're, they're doing some cool things and, um, there's only three,

[00:20:05] three tea, tea.

[00:20:07] I don't know what you call them.

[00:20:10] I don't know.

[00:20:11] I blend blends or tea.

[00:20:14] No, no, no.

[00:20:14] Three people.

[00:20:15] Oh.

[00:20:15] Working the farm itself to, to get the tea and then process it.

[00:20:21] Um, let's just call them tea mongers.

[00:20:24] But they did show us like their whole operation and like their, you know, the machines that

[00:20:28] they use and how to make the different types of tea and the process of each tea to do a white

[00:20:35] tea and a black tea and a green tea and just the differences.

[00:20:38] Um, it was, it's a neat, it's a neat thing.

[00:20:41] Well, at some point you're going to have to go with me on a trip in like the next month

[00:20:45] or two to see if we can do some sort of partnership with them.

[00:20:48] Yeah.

[00:20:48] Because they said, you know, we're, we're a really small operation.

[00:20:51] We can't do a ton because we don't have a lot, but, um, they have done a few things here and

[00:20:56] there with, um, I think some local people and she was very interested in, in that because

[00:21:02] I did mention the possibility of the bookstore at that time.

[00:21:05] It wasn't a hundred percent.

[00:21:06] So I didn't want to, um, overdo it, but yeah, I mean, I think it'd be cool to have the only

[00:21:12] tea farm in Louisiana and one of like five in the country and sell their tea.

[00:21:18] Very cool.

[00:21:19] Awesome.

[00:21:19] Well, thank you for bringing this back.

[00:21:21] You're welcome.

[00:21:21] It's very appropriate that it's called the friendship blend.

[00:21:23] I know.

[00:21:24] Yes.

[00:21:24] I appreciate our friendship.

[00:21:26] Me too.

[00:21:27] And so.

[00:21:28] Cheers.

[00:21:29] Cheers.

[00:21:30] Thanks for listening.

[00:21:31] Be sure to check out the show notes for the full list of books we discussed today.

[00:21:34] You can find that in your podcast app or on our website, inkdrinkerspodcast.com.

[00:21:40] And please support us by subscribing anywhere you listen to podcasts and leaving a review.

[00:21:45] You can find us on Instagram and on Twitter at inkdrinkerspod.

[00:21:50] Cheers.

[00:21:51] Cheers.

[00:21:52] Cheers.