Thanks for joining me for the opening scene of Brewed in Murder ​, case #1 in the Tea Taster's Guide to the Apocalypse​  series. BOOK BLURB When tea sommelier Miss Sharma Song applies for an apprentice role at the Cozy Tea Shoppe, she has no idea that the job involves murder, mayhem, and other inconveniences. Miss Song is used to savoring the subtle notes of her favorite beverage, but there's nothing subtle about the dead body in the library. Since a woman in her position can't afford to be picky, she joins her new employer Miss Knight in solving the murder while creating tea blends and mending cracked crockery. Did the butler who isn't really a butler do it? Or was it Miss Knight's father who is rumored to be a vampire? And how much Oil of Bergamot should she add for the perfect blend of Earl Grey? Tea isn’t the only thing brewing in the Kenyan town of Nairobi. Freedom fighters and angry gods clash with colonial authorities and dedicated bureaucrats, while a more d...

 

My superpower is also my kryptonite. As a writer, my superpower is — not surprisingly — creativity. For me, this means more than content creation. It also involves learning, growing and evolving through the exploration and application of creativity. So far, so good. Here’s where the kryptonite appears. Let’s say I write a cozy mystery, steampunk series set in Victorian Nairobi. (The series is as fun as it sounds.) And I follow up that series with a couple of tangentially-related cozy mystery series which are also set in Kenya. It shouldn’t come as a shock to learn that I now have an audience of cozy mystery readers. Because of course that’s what happens when you write more than twenty books in one genre. Such a result is not only desirable, but expected. It would be peculiar if after writing so many cozies, I’d built up an audience of alien erotica fans instead. Conventional wisdom and commercial sensibilities would suggest I write more cozy mysteries to keep up with my current audien...

I'm in no danger of ever becoming a crazy cat lady (allergies prevent it). In addition, I'm already a dog lady, the level of crazy being in direct proportion to the number of dogs multiplied by their weight (or something like that). However, I now strongly suspect there's a conspiracy to turn me into the infamous Crazy Teapot Lady . If you haven't heard of this title or syndrome before, you have now. During a visit to family over the 2023 Christmas holidays, I received not one but four teapot gifts. Yes, four. As if I have a shortage of teapots (which I don't).  Because before these gifts were given, I already had in my possession at least a dozen teapots. That's right. A dozen. Because one can never have enough teapots, I suppose. Or because I just can't resist. Or they're better by the dozen. Please don't judge me. Here are the additions to my collection: Anyway, I might have to put a moratorium on future teapot acquisitions. Either that, or build ...

I recently posted about chickens. And not in a good way. (I have a chicken phobia, but don't tell them that.) But today... Well, today has got to be one of the best international days ever. Because 4 December is  International Cookie Day . I'm not making this up. I mean, I'm creative, but not  that  creative. You know how they (humans, not chickens) say truth is stranger than fiction? Yup. That. The existence of a day dedicated to cookies begs the question: how does one celebrate such a delicious day? Bake cookies. Buy cookies. Decorate cookies. Tour cookie factories and bakeries. Host a cookie swap party.  However you celebrate, just make sure you actually EAT some cookies. What's your favorite cookie? More importantly, what type of tea do you drink with that cookie? Cheers Vered “Cookie Monster” Ehsani

We need to talk about chickens. ( Warning: if you suffer from any chicken-related phobias, the following details and photos might trigger you. You have been warned. ) Did you know that 9 November is World Chicken Day ? It's true.  However, the existence of a day dedicated to chickens raises a few important and possibly existential questions. 1) Who decides these things? 2) Why a day for chickens? What does that even mean? Do we protect chickens on that day, or eat as many as we can? 3) Can I propose a World Tea-&-Chocolate Day ? Anyone want to second me on that, leave your vote in the comments section below. Chicken Day poses serious issues for me. I have a chicken phobia. There. I said it.  Don't be fooled by her innocent demeanor. It started in Peru during a bus ride through the Andes. Someone stuffed a flock of chickens under my seat. The chickens weren’t happy about being stuffed anywhere and began making noises which rapidly escalated into a feather-flying tussle. I...

Stories are everywhere. One great way to pick up new story ideas (or as I like to call them, Story Sparks ) is by traveling. Below are a few photos of a trip my husband and I took to Vietnam. Enjoy! Because a number of people have asked about our Vietnam itinerary, here it is in a nutshell. If you just want to see photos, scroll past all the text. We landed in Hanoi and stayed two nights at the delightful Golden Rooster Hotel which is in the city’s old quarter. We spent a lot of time wandering around the old city, exploring small alleyways and sideroads, getting lost and found. The street food was wonderful, especially the soups. We walked around Hoan Kiem Lake and also visited the Ethnology Museum and the Temple of Literature. There’s a lot to see and do in Hanoi, and I loved the old quarter. Definitely catch a water puppet show (you can also see a show in Ho Chi Minh). Madeline Cruises then picked us up from our hotel and drove us to Ha Long Bay for our overnight cruise. The food w...