Tuesday News—Congratulations to This Year’s RITA and Golden Heart Finalists!

The Harlequin American Romance authors are thrilled that two of our own are 2009 RITA finalists for Contemporary Series Romance:

Texas Heir by Linda Warren
The Right Mr. Wrong by Cindi Myers

And congratulations to two of my fellow Noodlers! Anne Mallory is a 2009 RITA Finalist for Regency Historical Romance with Three Nights of Sin, and Cynthia J. Eernisse Chase is a 2009 Golden Heart Finalist for Historical Romance with The Other Brother.

Thanks again to everyone who attended my Mad Writer’s Tea Party last week! You made it a special day!

Until next time
Lee

Winners of the Mad Writer's Tea Party Giveaways!

Thank you all for making yesterday's tea party so much fun! And congratulations to the winners of the random drawing for giveaways. Click here to see the list of prizes, complete with photographs.

If Teapots Could Talk
Diane St. Jacques

polka dot mug & Murchie’s tea
Sara

mini tin of Angelwater
Theresa Ragan

mini tin of Philospher’s Brew
Estella

mini tin of Casablanca
Jane

Dragon Tears (shaped tea)
Terry Odell

Sacred Ember (shaped tea)
Gillian Layne

And as an added bonus, I'm tossing in a copy of my second book.
With This Ring (ebook format).
The winner is Cheryl S.

Congratulatons to all of you!

Winners, please send your name and mailing address in an email to lee-at-leemckenzie-dot-com and I'll send your prize to you.

Enjoy!

Until next time,
Lee

The Mad Writer’s Tea Party—For the Love of Tea Parties

Thank you for stopping by The Mad Writer’s Tea Party. Sit down and let me pour you a cup. One lump or two? Milk or lemon?

I’ve been a fan of tea parties for most of my life. Witness this photo of me from a very, very long time ago, taking tea with my doll, Sweetie Pie, and our stuffed collie.

Yes, this really is me. Little Orphan Annie meets the Campbell’s Soup Kid.

It’s hard to tell from the photo, but that’s a lovely Blue Willow china tea set. It’s long gone, but I still have the furniture. Over the years, my children have had numerous tea parties at that table, sometimes with real tea and sometimes with the make-believe kind.

Have you noticed how good imaginary tea can be? I hope you’re enjoying yours now.

When I was a teenager, I started collecting a real set of china.

It’s hopelessly impractical, but it looks so romantic and it’s a perfect tea service, don’t you think? For grown-up tea parties with real tea, of course.

As I wrote these tea blogs, I tried to remember tea parties in various books I’ve read over the years. I didn’t come up with a very long list, but I have to say my all-time favorite is in Anne of Green Gables. Remember the disaster when Anne invited Diana for tea?

“Oh, Marilla, can I use the rosebud spray tea set?"

"No, indeed! The rosebud tea set! Well, what next? You know I never use that except for the minister or the Aids. You'll put down the old brown tea set. But you can open the little yellow crock of cherry preserves. It's time it was being used anyhow—I believe it's beginning to work. And you can cut some fruit cake and have some of the cookies and snaps."

There was also half a bottle of raspberry cordial in the closet and Marilla said they could have that, too. Of course Anne unwittingly gave her friend a bottle of homemade current wine. Diana drank three glassfuls and became completely intoxicated.

For Afternoon Tea, it’s quite common to offer guests a glass of sherry, but usually just one, and a small one at that!

Poor Diana. In the film version, she staggered home and threw up in front of the minister’s wife.

In my first book, The Man for Maggie, it seemed perfectly natural to have a heroine who drank herbal teas and ran a natural spa. I was especially thrilled when the Silk Road tea shop and spa agreed to host my book launch party. Isn't that a beautiful display of teapots?


If you're planning a summer tea party, your guests might enjoy a nice tall frosty glass of iced tea. This one’s delicious.

Green Tea Lemonade

3 parts freshly steeped green tea
1 part lemonade concentrate
ice

Put the ice in a pitcher. Pour the green tea over the ice, add the lemonade concentrate, and stir. Fill those tall, frosty glasses and garnish with a twist of lemon or a spring of mint.

You’ll find a wonderful recipe for Lemonade Concentrate on my website. I much prefer it to the frozen kind from the grocery store.

I’m giving away a variety of my favorite teas today, and most of them are organic teas from Silk Road. To be eligible to win one of these awesome prizes, simply post a comment.

After you've done that, please follow these links to find out about Afternoon Tea on the Harlequin American Romance Authors blog, and some interesting tidbits about exotic teas on the Wet Noodle Posse blog.

Lee

This Week with the Wet Noodle Posse

March is winding down, but the madness continues at the Wet Noodle Posse.

Monday: Diane Gaston—Villains: How Much Insanity Is Too Much?

Tuesday: Lee McKenzie—The Mad Writer's Tea Party

Wednesday: Diane Gaston—Heroes: How Much Damage Is Too Much?

Thursday: Delle Jacobs—TBA

Friday: Q&A Day—What Keeps You Sane in the Sometimes Chaotic
Writing Business?

I hope to see you at the tea party tomorrow!

Until next time,
Lee

The Mad Writer’s Tea Party

I hope you’ve marked The Mad Writer’s Tea Party—Tuesday, March 24—on your calendar! I look forward to “seeing” you at this three-blog event.

Do you know which tea—white or green—has the most antioxidants? Or why some of the world’s best teas are grown high elevations? You’ll find out those things and more, and I'll be sharing some luscious tea recipes.

I also have lots of great giveaways, and I thought I’d take a moment to tell you about them.

Mini Tins of Tea from Silk Road

Angelwater—Tea of Serenity (subtle, sweet and mellow)
ingredients: spearmint leaves, lavender blossoms, rose petals, elder flowers, red clover

Philospher’s Brew—Tea of Enlightenment (luscious and lemony)
ingredients: lemongrass, citrus peel, rosehips, lavender blossoms




Casablanca—Moroccan Oasis (sweet spearmint and intense green tea)
ingredients: Chinese green tea, spearmint leaves

Shaped Teas from Silk Road

Dragon Tears—Tea of Prophecy (jasmine flavour with subtle green tea smoothness)
Hand-tied green tea rolled into the shape of small pearls that unfurl into the shape of a tear. Once the pearls, also known as rosettes, have unfurled, the pattern of the leaves foretell the future.

Sacred Ember—Iignites the Spirit (complex and nectar-like flavor)
A high-altitude Chinese white tea. This handcrafted tea symbolizes inner power and courage. It flowers under water to reveal a flame-colored lily blossom at its center.

If Tea Pots Could Talk
by Muriel Moffat

Copyright 2006, 80 pages. Chapters on “The Art of Making and Taking Tea” and “Afternoon Tea at the Fairmont Empress.” There’s even a recipe section.

A Colorful Polka Dot Mug

and a 12-bag packet of Murchie’s Empress Afternoon Blend—a lovely blend of China, Darjeeling and Ceylon teas.
How can you win one of these wonderful prizes? Simply visit me here at The Writer Side of Life on Tuesday, March 24 and post a tea-related comment. Then follow the links to the Harlequin American Romance Authors and the Wet Noodle Posse blogs. For each comment you post, your name will be entered in the draw. A list of winners will be posted on Wednesday, March 25, here on The Writer Side.

Special thanks to Silk Road for allowing me use their beautiful photographs.

Until next time,
Lee

Tuesday News

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Are you wearing something green today? I do not have a lot of green clothing, but I will tie on a lovely green and white scarf my daughter gave me.


Be sure to mark your calendar for The Mad Writer's Tea Party on March 24. I’ll be posting tea-related blogs here on The Writer Side of Life, as well as on the Harlequin American Romance Authors and Wet Noodle Posse blogs. You’ll find tips for making and serving a perfect cup of tea, and there’ll be some great prizes! I hope you’ll join me!

And my website has been updated, including a few new photos on the Buzz page.

Until next time,
Lee

Tuesday News—March Has Arrived!

Which means spring can’t be far off, right?

March is already shaping up to be a busy month. Here’s what I have for you so far.

Be sure to check out this month’s author interviews on the Harlequin American Romance Authors blog.

Holly Jacobs—March 6
Michele Dunaway—March 12

Barbara Vey is throwing an anniversary party to celebrate two years with Publishers’ Weekly. Drop by Barbara's Beyond Her Book blog from March 9 to 14 to take part in the fun and to be eligible for some great gifts, including a cyber gift basket from the Harlequin American Romance Authors. You'll find the official invitation here.

On March 11, in honor of St. Paddy’s Day, please join me at the Wet Noodle Posse for a cyber pint of beer. I’ll be serving up some weird ones, and I promise none of them will be green!

And on March 24 I’m hosting The Mad Writer’s Tea Party. I’ll be posting tea-related blogs with the Harlequin American Authors, the Wet Noodle Posse, and here on The Writer Side. I’ll have tips on brewing a perfect cup of tea, a discussion about exotic teas, and I’ll be giving away some great prizes!

What did I tell you? There’s lots happening! I think we've all come down with a case of spring fever!

Until next time,
Lee