Tea Talk: An Interview with Lynn Cahoon

I'm pleased to welcome author Lynn Cahoon to the blog today. Her latest Tourist Trap Mystery is entitled Tea Cups and Carnage.

Kathy: Tea Cups and Carnage was released June 7th. What made you decide on a tea focus for this book?

Karen Owen, blogger at A Cup of Tea and a Cozy Mystery, and I started chatting after she started reading my books. She told me I so needed a tea shop in South Cove. Now, Jill, my main character, didn't like the idea of competition, so we adjusted Kathi's plan for Tea Hee during the writing stages.


Kathy: I love the name of the new specialty shop in South Cove. Is Tea Hee based on a real shop, or is it purely fictional?

There is a Tea Hee shop in the UK, (I just googled it) but Kathi's shop in the book is totally fictional. I love the play on humor. I was leaning toward something around the Mad Hatter's tea party since with all the tables and different sets in the shop. I love referencing my favorite fairy tales in the series. You'll see Cinderella in a few too.


Kathy: How does tea play a part in your writing?

I have to admit, I'm a big iced tea drinker in the summer. Winter, I love having a cup of tea sitting by me at night while I'm crafting a story.


Kathy: I'm partial to unsweetened iced tea and lapsang souchong. What about you? How do you like your tea?

Me too. At least the first one. I ordered an iced tea in NC last summer and about spit it out all over my son's car when I took a big drink. It was sweet tea. I learned to be more specific that week. LOL


Kathy: Do you have a favorite type of tea? Any you don't particularly care for?

My favorite hot tea is either an apple cinnamon blend or oolong. I always order tea when we're eating Asian. It's just part of the experience. And I think that's the point, tea probably more than coffee is the experience. When it's raining and cold outside, a cup of tea will warm you and your soul. Enjoying a cup of tea is different than just drinking a soda or a glass of water. It feeds a different part of your being.


Kathy: In addition to drinking tea many people collect tea cups, tea pots, and other tea things. Do you collect any tea accouterments?

I don't. I'm trying really hard not to be a collector. I did find some miniature tea sets a few years ago during one of my trips. I wish I still had them.


Kathy: Do you consider yourself a tea connoisseur, a tea neophyte, or simply a person who enjoys tea?

I'm a simple girl. I just like tea. I drink beer when I'm out, I like cotton rather than satin and lace, and I like a good cup of tea.


Kathy: Do you have a favorite tearoom, or place to enjoy tea?

I never heard of tea rooms before I moved to the St. Louis area. I have one in my new home town that I've been looking for an excuse to spend some time at. Tea Cups release just may be that excuse. :)


Kathy: What does tea mean to you?

I think I hit on this earlier. It's a different expression of life. Food is a big theme in my books, some would say too big of theme, but they are usually men and don't get it. Tea is like a good soup. It doesn't just hydrate your body, it feeds your soul. In today's fast paced world, we don't have a lot of experiences that we take time to enjoy. I'm always rushing here or there. But give me a cup of tea and my body and mind relaxes, at least for that few minutes. It's the warmth, and the smell, and the taste, they all work together to focus you.

And we all need a little time for tea.

Here are links - Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Cups-Carnage-Tourist-Trap-Mystery-ebook/dp/B015BCRWQG/

Nook - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tea-cups-and-carnage-lynn-cahoon/1122650759?ean=9781601836311

Goodreads -http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5857424.Lynn_Cahoon

Twitter - https://twitter.com/LynnCahoon

Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/LynnCahoonAuthor

website - http://lynncahoon.com/

Amazon author page - http://www.amazon.com/Lynn-Cahoon/e/B0082PWOAO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Tea Talk : An interview and Giveaway with Krista Davis

I'm delighted to welcome author Krista Davis to the blog today. Krista's newest book in her Domestic Diva series in entitled The Diva Serves High Tea. How perfect that we talk tea today, the book will be released Tuesday, June 7th.

Kathy: As followers of this blog know, I generally drink unsweetened iced tea or hot tea made gong fu style. What about you? How do you like your tea?

KD: I like unsweetened iced tea on hot days. However, my go-to tea is hot black tea with sugar and two percent milk.


Kathy: Do you have a favorite type of tea? Any you don't particularly care for?

KD: I wish I could find a green tea that I like. The last one was so awful that I gave it away to someone who likes green tea. I just can’t make friends with it. My favorite tea is Newman’s Own Organic Black Tea.

If any readers have a green tea to recommend, please leave a comment with the name and brand!

Years and years ago, one of my dear friends vacationed in England and brought me a tea by Twinings that is called Cutty Sark in honor of the British clipper ship. It was fantastic. I loved that tea and told her so. Over the years, both of us had hunted for it, but it just wasn’t available anywhere. Last Christmas, she was brimming with happiness when she handed me my Christmas gift. She remembered how much I had loved the Cutty Sark tea, and she found it online, available at Twinings in England and ordered it! It’s as delicious as I remembered!

It says it’s “a unique blend of the finest Yunnan and smooth Keemun black teas from China.”
https://www.twinings.co.uk/gifts/tea-caddies/cutty-sark-black-tea-caddy


Kathy: In addition to drinking tea many people collect tea cups, tea pots, and other tea things. Do you collect any tea accouterments?

KD: I have a bit of a piggy issue with china and crystal in general. I could be easily be one of those people who has special china for every occasion, including Halloween. I don’t collect tea items per se, but I have managed to collect a few interesting infusers and pretty tea cups.

Kathy: Do you consider yourself a tea connoisseur, a tea neophyte, or simply a person who enjoys tea?

KD: I don’t think I’m a connoisseur, but I’m certainly not a neophyte. How’s that for an evasive answer? I am a big tea drinker. I love hot hibiscus tea on a cold winter night. My favorite iced tea is black currant. That subtle fruity taste in the cold tea is delicious. I’m enough of a tea nut to make myself a relaxing cup of black tea when I can’t sleep! Yes, it’s true!

Incidentally, I wondered why tea is relaxing even though it contains caffeine. Some clever researchers have determined that black tea reduces stress. So your problems won’t go away, but you may be able to handle them better.


Kathy: How does tea play a part in your writing?

KD: This is a little bit embarrassing, but I *must* have my mug of hot tea on my desk to write. It’s as important as the keyboard. Refilling it gives me an excuse to get up and stretch my legs.

Kathy: Your new book is The Diva Serves High Tea. Does she really serve high tea in the book?

KD: I have to admit to being embarrassed when I discovered that we Americans use high tea incorrectly. At least I did. The fancy tea that we think of as high tea with cucumber sandwiches and scones is actually called afternoon tea.

High tea is named after the height of the table! Who’d have thought that? Apparently, on the days when the servants were off, the wealthy called their dinner high tea because it wasn’t the usual evening meal with an elaborate roast and all the trimmings and side dishes. It was eaten at a dinner table, thus the name high tea in comparison to afternoon tea or low tea which was served on a coffee table.

Working folks picked up the term high tea to describe their dinner after they came home from a long day at work.

Naturally, when I learned this, I alerted my editor, who chose to continue with the title The Diva Serves High Tea. In the book, Sophie serves afternoon tea in honor of Francie’s birthday.

Interestingly, some tearooms in England now advertise their afternoon tea as high tea just for the foreigners who don’t know the proper terms!

Kathy: Do you have a favorite tearoom, or place to enjoy tea?

KD: Alas, there aren’t any tearooms where I live.


Kathy: What does tea mean to you?

KD: Lifeline. I pack it when I travel!


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You are cordially invited to a tea party!

When: June 7, 2016

Time: 4-6:30 pm EDT

Where: Online

https://www.facebook.com/events/1800068960212872/1802506153302486/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity&notif_id=1464384446031878#

Isn't that picture gorgeous?! It's the grand prize at the party! There will be other prizes as well, so do try to attend.  

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Would you like your own copy of The Diva Serves High Tea? Simply enter the rafflecoptor below. If the winner has a US mailing address, the prize will be an autographed paperback. a non-US winner will receive a paperback copy.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tea Talk: an Interview with Brian Pfieffer of Design a Tea

A few years ago I was at an outdoor festival when I saw a couple manning a booth called Design a Tea. Imagine my delight when I saw that not only were they selling teas, but they were allowing you to create your own flavor combinations! I was hooked and have enjoyed their teas ever since. I'm delighted to welcome Brian Pfieffer, owner of this local (to me) company to the blog today.

Kathy: What led you to the world of tea? Have you always been a tea drinker?

BP: It was a crazy dream about 9 years ago that pointed me in the tea world direction and adventure. Instead of taking up tons of your time here- we actually made it a "Topic" in the About Us Tab on our website www.Designatea.com. 

Always been a tea drinker?  That's is a question that people look at me in dismay when I answer. Not at all; well maybe when under the weather growing up. I wasn't even a steadfast coffee drinker. But I will say I've tasted so much tea early on in the R&D phase of Design a Tea... I have no doubt I've made up for it!

Kathy: What gave you the idea to give customers the ability to create their own teas?

BP: It was the quest to figure out that dream that made the realization super clear... at least regarding tea. Choice! We all love the ability to make decisions and having choices to do so is what it's all about. Why let a focus group decide what tea you'll like or not like or for how long to offer it at the stores. 

I did about a year or so of research on the concept and learning about tea... will never learn enough. There were and are companies out there that offered the ability to design tea blends- but it still didn't (to me) seem there were enough "choices" they were offering. Some would only let you mix and match their blends. What fun is that?

Another major component of the mission was we had to be an e-commerce company. Only seemed to make sense to offer this to as many people around the world that might want choice with custom tea designing. Even today we don't have a brick and mortar place open to the public. Which for me is a negative at times, I love people and love goofing around with them. So the good thing about our present operation is I actually get work done. 

Kathy: How did your business start? 

BP: After the concept was figured out and the vision started to become clearer, it started in a spare room in the basement. We are and will remain by choice, a small artisan tea company- we small batch blend to order. We work with other small companies with their signature blends and our wholesale has grown in leaps and bounds. We partner with all sorts of people on the wholesale side from authors to small private label tea shops, even a company in the Caribbean.  With growth we've obviously had to upgrade from that humble basement "pad". By definition, we are still home-based, we had to build another "pad" on the property to accommodate stock and production area and make room for a couple of people... they take up so much room!

There was another aspect of starting our tea business. We found that the world of tea could be very intimidating and even snobby (no offense meant at all to the high-noon tea lovers out there) to the lay person. Like going to a wine tasting with a sommelier. We wanted to break out of that perception. That's in part I think why we started offering the ability to create from such a wide base of flavorings and not focus on the higher end base teas. I guess in a nutshell we are not purists. It's not that we don't want people to enjoy a simple (or complex) cup of high quality Darjeeling or note the subtle differences between green teas and the regions they came from. We want people to have fun with tea, throw the perception of complexity aside and design a crazy mango almond coconut blend- chill it and drink it at the beach. We had a customer a few years back say we are like the Ben and Jerry of tea companies. I wouldn't say that exactly (I don't know Ben and Jerry other than they make great crazy designed ice cream), but it is sort of cute and we do have a good time. 

Kathy: Have you ever looked at someone's mixes and wondered what on earth they were thinking?  

BP: HA, I used to early on. But now, I love it when people think out of the box. That's what it's all about. When people order, say a green tea with honey lemon... I roll my eyes and think, "Come on! You can get that anywhere. Yes, ours will be the best honey/lemon green tea you have ever had (well, I hope), but really, why not honey spice green tea!"

I'm sure many combos don't work. As you all know- tea is like wine- what is one persons elixir of the gods is another persons "find me a plant where I can dump this stuff..." experience! On the up side of customer's concoctions, we have been inspired by a few blends over the years that actually became signature blends for us. Our Backwoods Blend ("Man Tea") is a cranberry/juniper berry black tea. We called it "Man Tea"... because we felt we needed something more manly named than a Ms. Earl Grey or Butterfly blend.

Kathy: Do you have any tips on creating blends?  

BP: Have fun with it. We do have a sample program for the folks that just aren't sure on their crazy combo. We like when people think out of the box and design a blend that they know they can't find in a store or tea shop. We do like to stress though- if you are Libra or an indecisive person... Design a Tea is NOT the place for you to be.

I do have another tip. When it comes to adding herbs to your custom blend. Keep in mind "most" root based herbs can be bitter or stinky (yes I used the word stinky). So keep that in mind when adding them and that certain herbs can mess with certain medications. We never offer any advice or suggest medicinal benefits of teas and/or herbs. We expect folks will do their own research on them before peppering them in. We ALWAYS know when some article or Dr. Oz style show has talked about this herb or that herb... because we get a spike in requests.

A quick example story. This customer orders 3 large canisters of loose white tea with Valerian (no flavors). For those folks that aren't familiar with Valerian; it's used in most of the "sleep aid" blends, it's supposed to be a pretty potent sleep aid. The downside to Valerian is it is one of the most smelly herb I've ever smelled. Reminds me of an elephant house... 2 hours after feeding. So I email her just to make sure she was indeed looking for a post feeding elephant smelling tea. She replies back saying she saw something about it on television and she has had a difficult time sleeping, etc. And she added that with all the health benefits of white tea... what the heck, lets give it a try. It all made sense I couldn't argue the logic. I asked her if she had ever tasted or smelled Valerian? She obviously said no. It ended up she received a tropical themed passion fruit/pineapple flavored rooibos with Valerian ~ so she could think of that warm deserted island in her dreams. Besides on a selfish note- I would have done anything not to have had to blend 3 canisters up with no flavors and that forsaken herb.   

Kathy: How do you decide what flavors to offer?  

BP: Some of the flavors we carry are along the thought avenue of craziness. Rum flavoring or chocolate- for some that would be a nose snubbing almost sacrilegious thing to do to tea. In some circles I would agree. But this is Design a Tea where the concept is choice. So along with the unique rum chocolates we do have many of the standard base flavors like Almond/Pear/Lemon/Honey...With all the flavors we offer currently AND the herbs, there are literally tens of thousands of combinations as it is. Every time we add another flavor or herb- that number goes up. If we start getting requests for a flavor, we'll try and create that profile. We don't just add flavoring, we use various components to get that profile or enhance a base flavor.

Kathy: Do you have a personal favorite blend?

BP: It really all depends on the mood. I tend to hang around the nuttier flavor profiles. No jokes please.

Kathy: What's your favorite tea accessory?

BP: I have this "Tea Nest" that sits on top of my mug where I toss in my loose leaves. They are beautifully designed and made of cherry wood from Pennsylvania (that sounded like an HSN pitch). As you know there is nothing like loose leaf tea.

Kathy: What does tea mean to you?  

BP: Wow, that's a deep question! So I'm going to make it a simply complex answer... Tea is an experience. The process of making a simple cup of tea isn't simple. You don't just press a button or turn a cap- it's a process. So one has to want it to go through that process. So maybe it's the most "desired" beverage in the world. Get it (desired - want)?


I encourage you to check out the Design a Tea website and try out your own flavor combinations! One of my favorite combinations is chestnut caramel black tea! I've also enjoyed a passion fruit pineapple green tea. I've created several concoctions and plan on creating many more. I may try an apricot ginger oolong next! I look forward to hearing what you make!

Tea Talk: an Interview and Giveaway with H.Y. Hanna

I'm so happy to welcome H.Y. Hanna to the blog today. H.Y. Hanna is an award winning mystery and suspense writer and the author of the Oxford Tearoom Mystery series.

Kathy: Although my interest to dig deeper into the world of tea is relatively new, I've always been a tea drinker. How about you?  Have you always enjoyed tea?

HYH: Oh yes, I don’t drink coffee – tea is my poison! ;-) Well, as a Chinese person, tea is something we practically grow up drinking from the bottle. We drink it with meals, instead of wine or cold drinks (the Chinese believe that it’s bad for your health to have cold drinks with hot meals), and we drink it after meals, to help the digestion. We also drink it at other times to help calm, soothe, refresh, warm, invigorate, heal, nurture… you name it!


Kathy: You're more apt to find me drinking iced tea, even in winter, but I also drink hot tea. I drink in the more Asian style, drinking my tea neat, never adding cream or sugar, or anything else (aside from ice for my iced tea). How do you like your tea?

HYH: It depends on the type of tea I’m drinking. If I’m drinking Chinese or Japanese green tea, then definitely, yes, no milk or sugar. You just don’t with Asian teas. It would be like adding sugar and milk to beer or wine! ;-) The only time you might sweeten an Asian tea is if you’re having cold barley tea in summer – that is very nice slightly sweetened.

If I’m having English-style tea though (my favourite is Earl Grey), then I like to have it black but with sugar. I used to take TONS of sugar in my tea – a relic from growing up in the Middle East where they have their teas VERY sweet – but I’ve gradually weaned myself off now so that I only have half a teaspoon.

I also enjoy certain herbal and fruit teas. I like a peppermint or mint tea after dinner and occasionally a berry-flavoured fruit tea or a lemon tea – but the fruit tea I love most of all is Turkish apple tea. But I wouldn’t add anything to these “special” teas – I think you’d ruin their natural, distinctive flavour if you did.


Kathy: Do you have a favorite type of tea? Any you don't particularly care for?

HYH: I think I just answered your question above – haha! My favourite English tea is Earl Grey – love the fragrance. My favourite Asian tea is probably jasmine or chrysanthemum green tea (again, love the perfumes) as well as “gen-mai” tea – which is a type of Japanese green tea with roasted rice kernels – very light and fragrant. And as I said, I have a weakness for Turkish apple tea.


Kathy: In addition to drinking tea many people collect tea cups, tea pots, and other tea things. Do you collect any tea accouterments?

HYH: I don’t know if I actively collect them but I do have a terrible weakness for mugs! I seem to keep buying them wherever I am – if I go travelling, the most likely souvenir that I will bring back is a mug. ;-) We don’t have any matching ones or a nice set, either – it is a complete hotch potch of an eclectic collection!


Kathy: Do you consider yourself a tea connoisseur, a tea neophyte, or simply a person who enjoys tea?

HYH: Oh no, nothing that grand! Just someone who enjoys tea – and drinks gallons of it on a daily basis! But ask any Asian person and tea is a huge part of their life.


Kathy: How does tea play a part in your writing?

HYH: Well, I drink copious amounts of it when I’m working on a new book – or any other time really! It’s the first thing I have in the morning – I’m not a morning person and usually can’t utter anything more than grunts before I have my first cup of Earl Grey in the mornings. ;-)

 
Kathy: You write a cozy mystery series featuring a tearoom. Would you tell us about your series?

HYH: Sure! The Oxford Tearoom Mysteries are a fun, humorous mystery series featuring a spunky heroine named Gemma who has given up an international corporate career to come back to England and open a quaint little tearoom in the Cotswolds.

Together with her cheeky little tabby cat, Muesli, and a host of quirky characters, including four meddling old ladies from the local village, Gemma becomes embroiled in solving various mysteries, set against the fascinating backdrop of the historic university city of Oxford. She also struggles to make her fledging business a success, deal with her exasperating, match-making mother and choose between the two dashing men in her life: the sexy CID detective, Devlin O’Connor and the handsome doctor, Lincoln Green.

The books give readers a glimpse not only into village life in one of the most beautiful corners of England but also the secret world behind the college cloisters and dreaming spires of the world’s oldest university. They’re the perfect read for cat lovers, British mystery fans and fans of culinary mysteries (with a yummy recipe included in each book!) – and have been described of being “worthy of Agatha Christie” with plots which leave you guessing until the last page. My books are also known as “page turners” so beware if you decide to start one late at night – readers are always saying they stayed up half the night, reading “just one more chapter”!

You can find out more about the series on my website: http://www.hyhanna.com/books/oxford-tearoom-mysteries/  - or pick up a copy from Amazon: http://www.hyhanna.com/oxford-tearoom-amazon-seriespage


Kathy: Why choose a tea focus for your mystery series?

HYH: Well, since my series is set in England and features a lot of British culture, it’s inevitable that tea would come into the equation! :-) Tea is more than just a practical activity to quench thirst or even provide a quaint afternoon ritual – for the British, it seems to be the cornerstone to their social lives. No matter what happens – from the wonderful to the terrible, the thrilling to the devastating, the response is invariably an offer of a cup of tea! ;-) An invitation to tea seems to bridge all social occasions – less formal than an invitation to lunch or dinner but also less “significant” and without the romantic overtones of an invitation for a drink. It can be all things to all people and suit any situation.


Kathy: Is Little Stables Tearoom, based on a real tearoom or is it purely a product of your imagination?

HYH: It is partly inspired by some real tearooms I have been in while living in England (see below) – but it is very much a product of my imagination.


Kathy: Do you have a favorite tearoom, or place to enjoy tea?

HYH: When I lived in Oxford, there was a beautiful old-fashioned tearoom in the nearby Cotswolds village of Burford. It was wonderful to go for a long country walk, especially in autumn or winter, and then to arrive, cheeks flushed, fingers tingling with cold, at this tearoom and sit down in the cosy interior for a cup of tea and a traditional British cake or scone, whilst looking out of the window at village life going by. I didn’t go that many times but the few times I went made a huge impression!

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For more information about  H.Y. Hanna, please check out the following links!

Amazon Author Page: http://www.hyhanna.com/amazon-authorpage
Website: http://www.hyhanna.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hyhanna.books
Email: contact@hyhanna.com

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H.Y. Hanna has graciously offered an e-book copy of A Scone to Die For, the first Oxford Tearoom Mystery, to one lucky reader.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tea Talk: an Interview & Giveaway with Laura Childs

I'm pleased to welcome Laura Childs to the blog today. Laura is a New York Times best selling author who writes several mystery series as well as a thriller! Laura's longest running series just happens to center around a tea shop in Charleston, South Carolina.

Kathy: Although my interest to dig deeper into the world of tea is relatively new, I’ve always been a tea drinker. How about you? Have you always enjoyed tea?

LC: I’ve pretty much been a tea drinker all my life - really since college. I went to a private school where we had sit-down dinners at night served by waitresses. They would come around and pour fresh-brewed tea and I grew to love it.


Kathy: You’re more apt to find me drinking iced tea, even in winter, but I also drink hot tea. I drink in the more Asian style, drinking my tea neat, never adding cream or sugar. How do you like your tea?

LC: I never add cream or sugar, I think it masks the subtleties of tea.

Kathy: Do you have a favorite type of tea?

LC: I’m a huge fan of Japanese green teas – especially Genmaicha and Bancha. But when I want to go a little crazy, I select a tea with a kick – something with citrus, lemongrass, or cinnamon blended in.


Kathy: In addition to drinking tea many people collect tea cups, tea pots, and other tea things. Do you collect any tea accouterments?

LC: If I see a particularly charming teacup in an antique store I will buy it. But my husband is the teapot collector. Dr. Bob (professor of Chinese art history) has over 100 Chinese Yixing teapots. They are these adorable little purple clay pots that are often adorned with dragons or foo dogs.


Kathy: How does tea play a part in your writing?

LC: Well, since I write the Tea Shop Mystery series, it plays a huge part. I visit tea shops to sample new teas and treats, am always buying new teas, and I collect books about tea. Of course, I drink tea while I’m writing. A little caffeine always helps to rev me up!

Kathy: Back in 2001 Death by Darjeeling, the first book in your Tea Shop Mystery series, was published. Devonshire Scream, the 17th book was just released. Would you tell us a bit about this series?

LC: These are cozy mysteries (think kinder, gentler mysteries) that feature Theodosia Browning, the owner of the Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston, SC.

She’s a feisty small business owner who, along with her tea shop dog, Earl Grey, gets involved in murder, kidnappings, art heists, etc. The books are very fast-paced with critical action always taking place in the first chapter. This propels Theodosia and her regular cast of characters into a story that often features overwhelming odds, yet always yields justice in the end.

Interestingly enough, I found my “voice” for the character of Theodosia within the first few lines I ever wrote. I could even picture her sitting in her quaint little tea shop with balmy breezes wafting in off the Cooper River. From there it was easy to weave in her tea sommelier, Drayton, and her young baker, Haley, and set them on course for a murder mystery.


Kathy: Why choose a tea shop and a focus of tea for your series?

LC: I was looking for a fun theme to kind of “anchor” a cozy mystery, and tea had just started to take off like a bottle rocket. Tea shops were popping up like errant mushrooms, ladies were rediscovering tea parties, and tea parties were even coming into vogue as charity fund raisers. A tea theme seemed like a very fertile niche that had never been written about before - and I’m all about that!

Kathy: Were you quite knowledgeable about tea prior to writing the series?

LC: I’d always been a tea drinker. But when I started traveling to China, Japan, and Indonesia with my husband, I began to do tea tasting in a serious way. Still, I can’t claim to be any kind of expert – there’s so much I don’t know yet!


Kathy: Is the Indigo Tea Room based on a real tearoom or is it purely a product of your imagination?

LC: The Indigo Tea Room is a montage of the coziest tea shops I’ve ever visited in the U.S., Asia, and the UK.


Kathy: Do you have a favorite tearoom, or place to enjoy tea?

LC: There are terrific tearooms all over the place. But one of my most memorable tea experiences was in Kyoto, Japan. After visiting Kiyomizu Temple - built in the 1600’s upon a lovely mountain – my husband and I wandered down a narrow, winding street filled with tea shops. We went in one and sipped hot green tea and ate wafer-thin cookies and slices of baked yam in a 400 year-old tea shop. It was fantastic!


Kathy: What does tea mean to you?

LC: I find tea drinking to be a very relaxing experience. You take time out of your day to prepare a cup of tea, you’re enveloped in this lovely cloud of steam which is almost akin to aromatherapy, and then you sip your hot, subtly flavored beverage. It’s quite contemplative.

For more information about Laura Childs check out her website: http://www.laurachilds.com/

Laura has graciously offered a copy of her latest tea shop mystery, DEVONSHIRE SCREAM to one lucky reader. Simply leave a comment on this blog post talking about your favorite type of tea. Leave your comment no later than 11:59 pm Saturday, March 26, 2016 along with an e-mail address so that I may contact you should you win. Sorry US addresses only.

Tea Talk: an Interview with Lorraine Bartlett

I'm pleased to welcome Lorraine Bartlett to the blog today. Lorraine is a New York Times Best Selling author who writes under her own name as well as pen names Lorna Barrett and L.L. Bartlett. She writes the Booktown Mystery Series, the Victoria Square Mystery series, the Lotus Bay Mystery series, the Jeff Resnick Mystery series, and more. She also happens to love tea!

KJK: I generally prefer my tea iced, although I do drink it hot as well, but I never add sugar, cream, or milk. What about you? How do you like your tea?

LB: I drink black tea, hot, with milk. I gave up sugar when I was seven, because my Dad didn’t have sugar in his tea. I went a week without it, then put sugar in my tea and wanted to barf—it was too sweet. After that, I never again liked sugary drinks. (Except for cocoa—but I don’t like it strong.)


KJK: I love all sorts of teas, but am partial to lapsang souchong. Do you have a favorite tea?

LB: Black tea—English Typhoo. For a while I was drinking Barney’s Raspberry cream as a treat, but they went out of business and that was the end of it. When I was a kid, my parents drank orange pekoe. (Red Rose tea.) My friend and Cozy Chicks blog sister, Mary Jane Maffini, suggested I give it a try once again. I have a box of Red Rose in the cupboard but haven’t opened it yet.


KJK: You collect tea cups. How did you begin? Do you have any particular favorites? Is there a hunt for an elusive pattern?

LB: When my parents bought our family cottage over 40 years ago, it came with two bone china teacups. I thought they were pretty. But it wasn’t until 20 years later that I asked my mother if I could have them. By then, one of them had been broken. That was my first cup. It got broken when I was having some work done in my kitchen (and the workmen didn’t even tell me they’d broken it. I found it after they’d gone.) It broke my heart. One of my readers found a smaller version of the cup and sent it to me. That was such a kind thing to do.

I haven’t counted, but I must have more than 40 now, including one celebrating Queen Victoria’s 60th year on the throne. That was a birthday gift from Mr. L. Most of them came from yard sales. I buy just about every one I see and have given many of them away. I gave eight of them away when the Cozy Chicks had a Facebook event for Valentine’s Day in 2015.

I have several favorites. Well, maybe twenty of thirty favorites. They’re all so pretty!


KJK: Do you collect any other tea accouterments?

LB: Not a lot. I have a few bone china three-tiered plates, some creamers and sugars, etc. But I do collect chintz china. I don’t have a huge collection—a couple of cups, plates, sugars and creamers, and a small bowl with a matching sugar spoon—in all different patterns. I buy teapots at yard sales because I have a tendency to break them. I have a tea tray (reproduction) with Victorian tiles that’s pretty. And I saw one exactly like it used as a prop in the kitchen on the old (English) TV show As Time Goes By. I have it hanging in my dining room.


KJK: Do you consider yourself a tea connoisseur, a tea neophyte, or simply a person who enjoys tea?

LB: The latter. I like to start the day with a cuppa – and then have more during the afternoon.


KJK: How does tea play a part in your writing?

LB: When I get stuck, I usually go make a fresh pot of tea.


KJK: Are any of your characters particular tea fans?

LB: Tori Cannon (Lotus Bay Mysteries) prefers tea over coffee. She was rather overruled in the first book with the beverage of choice served in her grandfather’s home, but she’ll get her way in the future.

Several of my characters are tea aficionados. Katie Bonner (Victoria Square) always wanted to open a B&B and serve afternoon tea. There is a tea shop on Victoria Square which played a big part in the first book. Kathy Grant (Lotus Bay) has similar ambitions, but she will actually get to open her B&B (eventually). In my next Booktown Mystery, Tricia and Angelia take tea on the Celtic Lady cruise ship. Jeff Resnick owns a pretty china teapot and cups, but not because he bought it. His girlfriend, Maggie, wanted to drink out of it when she visits, and bought it for him.


KJK: What does tea mean to you?

LB: My parents were English, so it’s the first thing I ever remember drinking. We all always started the day with a cuppa tea. I knew when I started Recipes To Die For: A Victoria Square Cookbook that I would have an entire section just with tea recipes. They’re ones I actually use, so it was my favorite part of the book.

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The immensely popular Booktown Mystery series is what put Lorraine Bartlett’s pen name Lorna Barrett on the New York Times Bestseller list, but it’s her talent -- whether writing as Lorna, or L.L. Bartlett, or Lorraine Bartlett -- that keeps her in the hearts of her readers. This multi-published, Agatha-nominated author pens the exciting Jeff Resnick Mysteries as well as the acclaimed Victoria Square Mystery series, Tales of Telenia adventure-fantasy saga, and now the Lotus Bay Mysteries, and has many short stories and novellas to her name(s). Check out the descriptions and links to all her works, and sign up for her emailed newsletter here: http://www.lorrainebartlett.com

Lorraine’s next book, written under her Lorna Barrett name, is Title Wave. (June 14th).