Books, Tea and Magic

Re-posted from A Pilgrim in Narnia  - Brenton Dickieson

According to legend, tea was discovered by Emperor Shen Nong quite by accident. While boiling water in the garden, a leaf from an overhanging wild tea tree drifted into his pot, and the rest is history. Since then, tea has appeared in literature throughout the ages.

It even shows up in genre fiction, a cultural appropriation from Great Britan who borrowed it first from China. Just think of authors like Lewis Carrol and his mad tea party, Jane Austin and the Bronte Sisters, CS Lewis, Tolkien... Kim Wilson writes about it in depth in her book, Tea with Jane Austen:

DC's Harley Quinn takes a cup of tea, no doubt right before kicking arse and taking names! Giffy from The Suicide Squad.

Tea in the Austen novels:

At the center of almost every social situation in (Austen's) novels one finds—tea. In “Emma,” does Miss Bates drink coffee? Of course not: “No coffee, I thank you, for me—never take coffee—a little tea if you please.” In “Sense and Sensibility,” what is everyone drinking when Elinor notices Edward’s mysterious ring set with a lock of hair? Tea, of course. And in “Pride and Prejudice,” what is one of the supreme honors Mr. Collins can envision Lady Catherine bestowing on Elizabeth Bennet and her friends? Why, drinking tea with her, naturally...

From Winnie the Pooh to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Lord of the Rings to Queen of the Damned, the ritual of tea, or perhaps it's potentially magical and even lethal qualities, finds its way into the pages. 

And I've done it myself! In the world of Amassia, we meet the young green-robe savant who raises a warrior phantom, a sun leopard to be exact, and also loves Ochee Tea. What's the attraction? Why not find out for yourself?

My cats are a great help when organizing giveaways in the past!

As part of a giveaway swag for pre-orders of Crown of Bones, Entangled Teen and I are giving away packets of Ochee tea and other cool things. This is the real deal, made by Revenscraft Tea and Magic in Australia, to my specifications. Straight from the pages of the book!

     
     “I have camping and cooking gear.” Belair shrugs.

 “And some food. But most importantly, I brought a full bag of Ochee.”

     I stare at him blankly. “What’s that?”

     “Tangeen spiced tea, of course.” He rubs his chin.  “Don’t say 

you’ve never tasted it.” 

Pre-order Crown of Bones before the release date, Jan 5, 2021, and we'll send you cool swag!

This offer is for the hardback copy only and sent worldwide, for free.

Go here for details on how to pre-order and request your goodies!

Meanwhile, happy solstice, holiday season and New Year! See you on the other side!

xxKim

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About Kim Falconer, Currently Writing As AK Wilder:

Kim Falconer, currently writing as A K Wilder, can be found on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

Or pop over to throw the bones or Raise Your Phantom on the AKWilder.com site.