Episode 304: Talking Degrassi with De-Eevee Pacini

On this episode of Geek4 we're talking Degrassi with podcaster and all-around pop-culture nerd, Eevee Pacini. Eevee explains how an American kid got obsessed with this slice of Canadian pop culture and the community they've discovered through their love of Degrassi. Eevee currently hosts Degrassi: School's In! (available wherever fine podcasts are found) in which they watch old-school Degrassi in order starting with Degrassi Junior High.

Degrassi holds a particular place in my pop-culture heart. Eevee and I met when we both attended a Degrassi Trivia Night at The Alpine in Toronto (shout out to the Alpine - one of my places). Their team - which somehow included Bree Essrig  (?!) - did pretty well; my team... got stumped on all the new-school Degrassi questions. But we kicked the old school questions.

In fact, this the first of 2 episodes on Degrassi! I have another interview with Jocelyn the Degrassi Kid coming up in the next few weeks.

You can find out all the places to support and follow Eevee, including finding their podcast,  Degrassi: School's In on their linktree: HERE

Follow me on Twitter/X  @mwboyce  and Instagram @mwboyce and follow my website michaelwboyce.com/

You can follow the podcast on Twitter @geek4pod and on Instagram @geek4pod

Follow me on Twitter  @mwboyce  and Instagram @mwboyce and follow my website michaelwboyce.com/

You can follow the podcast on Twitter @geek4pod and on Instagram @geek4pod

Episode 303: Locked in a Room with Tom Mead

My guest on this episode of Geek4 is Tom Mead.

Tom is a Derbyshire mystery writer and aficionado of Golden Age Crime Fiction. His debut novel, DEATH AND THE CONJUROR, was an international bestseller, nominated for several awards, and named one of the best mysteries of the year by The Guardian and Publishers Weekly. Its sequel, THE MURDER WHEEL, was described as “pure nostalgic pleasure” by the Wall Street Journal and “a delight” by the Daily Mail. It was also named one of the Best Traditional Mysteries of 2023 by Crimereads. His third novel, CABARET MACABRE, will be published in July 2024.

Tom and I discuss his love of locked room mysteries, a very particular subcategory of the mystery story. He describes his early love of mystery stories in general as well as the locked room mysteries that have become so important to him. Tom also talks about the stories and authors who inspired him to write his own locked room mysteries.

A Wholly Incomplete Locked Room Reading list:

Carr, John Dickson The Hollow Man (aka The Three Coffins)

Carr, John Dickson (writing as Carter Dickson) The Red Widow Murders

Christie, Agatha, And Then There Were None

Doyle, Arthur Conan, “The Adventure of the Speckled Band”

Takagi, Akimitsu , The Noh Mask Murder

Yokomizo, Seishi

Follow Tom on Twitter/X @TomMeadAuthor, on Bluesky @tommeadauthor.bsky.social , on Tik Tok @TomMeadAuthor and Instagram at  @TomMeadAuthor and you can also follow him on GOODREADS.

His three Joseph Spector locked room mysteries are available wherever fine books are sold.

DEATH AND THE CONJUROR

THE MURDER WHEEL

CABARET MACABRE

You can order them at all the usual suspects (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Waterstones), but maybe ask your local bookseller to order it and support the little guy.

Follow me on Twitter/X  @mwboyce and Instagram @mwboyce and follow my website michaelwboyce.com/

You can follow the podcast on Twitter @geek4pod and on Instagram @geek4pod

Follow me on Twitter  @mwboyce  and Instagram @mwboyce and follow my website michaelwboyce.com/

You can follow the podcast on Twitter @geek4pod and on Instagram @geek4pod

If you liked the show, hit Subscribe and please consider leaving a 5 star review. The more reviews we have, the more we show up in searches. Somehow. I think magic.

Or, tell a friend. Word of mouth is still an effective advertising tool.  

I respectfully acknowledge that I live and work on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

Episode 302: Vamping and Masquerading with Alice Bell!

My guest on this episode of Geek 4 is author and video game journalist Alice Bell. From her humble beginnings in South West England, where she’d spending weekends in fields sipping Smirnoff Ice, to her days navigating the intricate world of retail, Alice embarked on a path to becoming a prominent figure in video game journalism. Since 2016, Alice has been captivating audiences with her insightful commentary and passionate writing as a video games journalist. Her tenure as the deputy editor of Rock Paper Shotgun, the renowned PC gaming website, has solidified her reputation as a leading voice in the industry.

Her first novel, Grave Expectations, is a cracking cozy British mystery, and one I highly recommend. Her follow up novel, Displeasure Island, was just released in the UK and should be released in North America soon.

Now calling Cork, Ireland, home, Alice's days are filled with literary adventures, crochet creations, and of course, plenty of video game escapades. Whether she's unraveling the mysteries in detective fiction or indulging in the quintessential British pastime of Midsomer Murders marathons, Alice's passion for storytelling knows no bounds.

And we discuss her deep and abiding passion for the 2004 roleplaying video game, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodline.

You can follow me on social media. I’m at  @mwboyce  on X (formerly known as Twitter), @mwboyce.bsky.social on Bluesky, and  @mwboyce on Instagram. You can find other ways to follow and support me on my website michaelwboyce.com/

You can follow the podcast on X (Twitter) @geek4pod and on Instagram @geek4pod

If you liked the show, hit Subscribe and please consider leaving a 5 star review. The more reviews we have, the more we show up in searches. Somehow. I think magic.

 Or, tell a friend. Word of mouth is still an effective advertising tool.  

Alice’s Lego Tallneck.