Léna is also a Regional Manager for Writopia Lab whose mission is to foster joy, literacy, and critical thinking in kids and teens from all backgrounds through creative writing.

"Well, the question is, what do you want to believe? Do you want to live in a world where things are possible, or in one where they aren't?" Cin, Edges.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Let's Have Tea!

A teacup on a saucer.Image via Wikipedia
I want to have a Tea Party as I write this post. (As in have a cup o' tea dearie? and not the political movement. )

Unfortunately, it will have to be virtual and one-sided, but I feel oh so very chatty, and long to get cozy with you all and talk for hours. However, a warning is in order -  I have a tendency to take conversations in a few different directions! (My husband is forever catching me stopping in mid-sentence and then starting to talk about something else.)

It's almost Thanksgiving, and two weeks until my pub date, (!!!!) and I have to confess that I have let the whole NaNoWriMo frenzy fall by the wayside: indeed, it is hanging limp. But you knew that. However,  going into the realm of fantasy for a few days gave me an AHA! moment and I realized how to fix the problem I was perseverating on in my WIP, giving me fresh energy. Yay! Has anybody else had that experience? It's quite invigorating, let me tell you! (Another confession - this is the WIP I sent to my agent. I realized the problem and asked him NOT to read it! It should be really ready in another two weeks.)

The God Box is awesome.  (See post Mod Podge and God) I'm writing letters every morning, folding them up and letting go. This concrete ritual is just what I need right now.

I have tea and spirituality on the brain probably because I finally shared a pot of tea and scones yesterday in the city at Alice's Tea Cup with Donna Freitas, author of The Possibilities of Sainthood and This Gorgeous Game, also published by FSG. We have been trying to find a time to get together ever since our mutual friend Daphne Grab introduced us, and I found out that she was a Phillip Pullman scholar. I am a Pullman geek. Well, we didn't even get the chance to talk about Pullman yesterday, finding so much else that we have in common - growing up religious, but finding our own ways to God as adults (albeit in different ways), a fascination with religion and spirituality.

Now, enough about me. What kind of tea are you having? (I'm sipping sapchan oolong, with a hint of jasmine.)

9 comments:

  1. I love tea. And British mysteries. It's like I'm turning into an eighty year old woman. And I love it. I have been big on Tazo's Wild Sweet Orange. It is like aromatherapy--it's sunshine in a cup. Also, because I have been sick for-ev-vor, I've been drinking medicinal teas like Breathe Easy. And since I've been stressed, lots of chamomile. Jen Violi gave me some great lavender chamomile tea for my birthday. I've never been much into lavender, but the tea is great.

    So I've been drinking it by the gallons. I'm totally down for your virtual tea party.

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  2. Ooooh . . . wild sweet orange! Three great words synched together equals - you're right, sunshine in a cup! I started reading a fun British thriller series by Zoe Sharp. Need to get book 4 - it's quite a leap from Agatha Christie and not quite as likable as the characters Elizabeth George writes (although technically, she is not English, but is all about England, so she counts!)

    Have you tried liquorice tea?

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  3. Tonight for supper we had Midnight at Missoula which has licorice in it. It is a most unique herbal tea! Breakfast right now is Harney's Cranberry Autumn, luscious black with cranberries and orange I think. November is great for hot tea and moving into dark winter which is for reading and writing. Autumn and Thanksgiving always makes me think of your grandmother, Lena. Reading her work always reminded me of gratitude for many things, including her.
    Happy Thanksgiving.

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  4. I'm about to have ginger snap tea with a generous helping of honey as I watch last night's episode of How I Met Your Mother. I am sick :( And I would love to have a tea party! (Even a virtual one.)

    Also, I am so excited about your pub date!!!

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  5. All of those teas sound divine! I have been sipping green ginger tonight as I catch up on Glee . . . I hope that we will all someday be able to have a real tea party together: in the meantime, feel better soon!

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  6. I have been enjoying reading your blog for a few months now. I don't remember how I came across it... but in these few spare moments I have, I want to let you know that my eight-year old daughter is named after your Gran. We've spelled it differently (Madelyn), and don't pronounce it the French way (though up here in Maine, the French-Canadian influence is still strong).

    I can't put into words the influence her books have had on my life - both the autobiographical memoirs about her family and spiritual life, as well as the "YA" fiction as I was growing up (and that I still turn to, especially when I am troubled or overwhelmed).

    We have not done any L'Engle books as read-alouds yet, but I think she and her brother, who is five, may just be old enough for A Wrinkle in Time this winter. Like I said, we live in Maine, and I am gathering read-aloud ideas for this long, dark winter. C.S. Lewis and Harry Potter are also on my mind - good company for your Gran's book, eh? The couch, some wonderful books, cuddling my kids under the fleece by the wood stove, and some tea (Honey Vanilla Chamomile is a favorite of the kids & mine). I'm looking forward to cozying-down.

    Thank you for writing - the internet is an amazing place - to think that I can read the words of the grand-daughter of one of my heros...

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  7. Hi Christina! Thank you so much for introducing yourself and joining the virtual tea party! How wonderful that your Madelyn is named after my Gran! All of my kids have literary names too . . . I have been reading WRINKLE to my youngest (a kindergartner) and will be writing a special post on Monday in honor of my Gran's birthday!

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  8. Teat is very beneficent and nice drink that is helpful for the refreshment of our mind. I always take tea while i busy in my writesmyessay.org job to refresh my min easily.

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