Eccentric Tea Woman

The first time I met author Eva Vanrell was in New Orleans at Wizard World. She arrived in style, dressed in a kimono, ready to sign her books. Some time later, we connected and became close friends and sisters. Her first book, The Butterfly Crest , is one that will stay with you for a very long time. Partially because of the characters, partially because of the plot, but mostly for the detailed descriptions of everything in this book's "universe". She makes you feel as though you are truly within her book and not just a passing spectator. The story is thus: attorney Elena Vicens in New Orleans lives a somewhat interesting and quiet life, until everything changes when she receives a message regarding a safety deposit box that belonged to her deceased mother. Elena, not expecting anything in particular, travels to Japan with her friend and "family" member Cataline to learn more about this item. Japan is a second home to Elena, and so she settles into th...

Sharon Smallwood, owner of Serendipity Sue's , is a fellow alum of World Tea Academy. I enjoyed her responses to my questions and I hope you will as well! My name is Sharon Smallwood.  I am 58 years old, married, with 8 grown children, and 21 grandchildren between my husband and me.  I retired two years ago from a brief career as a Hospice chaplain.  Not intending in the beginning of my adult life to seek a specific career, I chose to raise my family.  I did, however, have many different jobs in order to supplement the family income, from food service to retail, medical and dental to education, providing personal care to chaplaincy, along with various home-based businesses, which were reasonably successful. I’ve always had the drive, but not always the support, in my ventures.  In 2013, after only 27 years of off and on college attendance, I received my BS in Psychology. So, how did I arrive at tea?  During the months prior to retiring, the wom...

Sometimes, a good cup of Tea does help your mood if you are feeling low, sad, or under the weather. That was certainly the case with me and 365 Summer Herbal Tisane made by Royal Tea New York . I had the pleasure of meeting some of their people at the 2019 World Tea Expo and was happy to receive several samples of their Teas! First Sniff: I took a deep sniff after opening the bag and WOW! Hints of citrus, spices, grass, and mint welcomed me, and I knew that this tisane was going to be an experience. I used three tablespoons of the blend and let it steep for four minutes in my TARDIS French press. The bag's instructions called for 5-10 minutes of steeping, so do whatever you think is right for you. I like to tell people that there is no definite length of time when it comes to steeping herbal tisanes. First Slurp: I sniffed the liquid and immediately thought - this is sunlight in a cup. I wasn't wrong. The first slurp gave my mouth a balanced mixture of lemongrass and...

While sitting at my corporate job, the thought came to me - why not interview Tea lovers and find out their stories? I love connecting with people, listening to them and why they do what they do. And of course, I DO love Tea.  And so, Tea Is a Good Friend of Mine was born! I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I do - much thanks to those who shared their tales with me. Let's begin! I met Leif Hassell several years ago through a mutual friend. When I started this series, he was quick to say yes and I'm glad he did! Welcome, Leif! (very cool oil painting of Leif) W hat’s your name and what part of the world do you live in? Leif Hassell, and I live in Little Rock, Arkansas. How long have you been drinking tea? What’s the story, morning glory? Most of my life. I never developed a taste for coffee, but like any good Southern boy, I was practically weaned on Sweet Iced Tea. I enjoyed hot tea in the winter, but boyhood of watching Star Trek le...

I recently travelled to New England to visit family and friends, all the while continuing my role as a Tea Traveller. I know I drank my weight in Tea (grin). On my last day in Boston, I finally visited the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum . For those of you who have no idea what or whom I'm talking about, Isabella Stewart Gardner was a patron of the arts in all aspects in the late 1800s/early 1900s. She built a museum in 1899 and moved into the fourth floor in 1901 as she continued to support the arts with her ever growing collection. If you ever find yourself visiting Boston, or you have just moved to that area, do yourself a favour and visit that museum. As I walked into the courtyard area, I remembered that I kept saying, "Wow." I'd never seen such a beautiful home and museum before and at one point I whispered to myself, "Isabella, I HAVE to know you better." When I left some time later, I had to stop in the gift shop and it was there that I discover...