Pressed To Death by Kirsten Weiss

I feel as though a curse has been lifted and I was finally able to settle enough to read tonight, and read I did, word for word until the end. Pressed to Death by Kirsten Weiss was outstanding.
Not out until March 8th, this advanced reading copy I was granted by net galley was exactly what I needed to get me back into the swing of things! This is the second in the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum Series and something to put on your to be read list!
I love these characters, the rich history found in the items collected by Maddie and properly investigated. I found I was so caught up in the swirling circles of mystery that surrounded Maddie, that when the secondary mystery was reveled it was like a child watching fireworks for the first time! The way that Kirsten writes this story had me hanging on each word, gesture and abnormality. Great relationships, motives and history await the reader in Pressed To Death. This book is a great testament to how paranormal cozies should be written! Fantastic, I loved it and I hate that you have to wait for it! Oh and the cover is spot on for the book!

Perfectly pressed. Perfectly proper. Perfectly deadly. 

Paranormal museum owner Maddie Kosloski thinks she has the perfect paranormal exhibit for the harvest festival―a haunted grape press. But before she can open the exhibit, she’s accused of stealing the antique press. And when her accuser is found murdered, all eyes turn to Maddie.

Solving the crime is the last thing on Maddie’s mind, but her mother insists she investigate. Does her mother have a secret agenda? And why has the local charity, Ladies Aid, seemingly gone gangster?

In this light, cozy mystery, haunted houses, runaway wine barrels, and murder combine in a perfect storm of chaos. Facing down danger and her own over-active imagination, Maddie must unearth the killer 

before she becomes the next ghost to haunt her museum. 

Learn more about this series by clicking here. 

Pre order your own kindle copy or paper back book by clicking here

I can not wait to hear what you all think of it in March! 

Thank you for joining me today for a cup of tea and a cozy review. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com 

On My Table and In My Cup November 5th-12th

Saturday morning and a bit of a later start for me today. We are to move in a a short while and I was up wrapping my china until the wee hours. I have been so busy I have yet to start this upcoming March release by Kirsten Weiss.

I did finish Ellie Alexander's A Batter of Life and Death earlier in the week, I was thrilled with it. Kicked myself for leaving it at an appointment on Tuesday and had to run back the next day and thankfully they had it. I was able to finish and review it, however I was not able to read on election night as I had wished.

I enjoyed Janice J. Richardson's second book in her Spencer Family Funeral Home series. It was a difficult week this week for some close families of mine loosing loved ones this past week, this series is incredibly comforting if you are someone who has ever lost someone close.  

A week ago I was at the Tea Festival in Vancouver and this weeks tea time adventures have been wonderful. I picked up and purchased several teas to try and have enjoyed a few this week.

Whistlers own Namasthe tea company joined my morning tea ritual this week. I enjoyed their breakfast blend and their booth at the festival so much! This is a tea to add to my rotation for sure.

One of the most exciting discoveries I had at the tea festival is the Wize Monkey Coffee Leaf Tea company, the taste of their teas were outstanding, crisp, fresh and invigorating. I am looking forward to seeing this company grow.

Yesterday we took time to honor the memory of all those who have fought for the freedom we so richly enjoy and those who continue to do so in these uncertain times. It is my hope you enjoy your weekend and that you will join me again here tomorrow of a cup of tea and a cozy review.
I would love to hear from you so please leave  me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Remembrance Day Observation

"I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind."- John Diefenbaker 13th Prime Minister of Canada

Today is Remembrance day here in Canada. A day to observe and remember all those who gave their lives for the freedom we cherish here in Canada but also a day to thank those military people and families who continue to keep our country and all its people safe.

Wize Monkey Coffee Leaf Tea, Simply Revolutionary!

I had the most extraordinary experience at the Vancouver tea festival, I discovered a very different kind of tea company, Wize Monkey, Coffee Leaf Tea. Yes you read that right, coffee leaf tea. Above in my cup is their Earl Grey, just one of five flavors offered by this unique and impressive company. I do not drink coffee as you can imagine I was skeptical at first, however three sips of tea in and I was amazed at how clean and fresh tasting Wize Monkey Coffee Leaf Tea truly is. Not made from the traditional tea leaf, there is no Camellia sinensis in these biodegradable pyramid sachets, making them a tisane technically, however just a few sips of this rich full flavored full body hot infusion and you will be pleasantly surprised  and perplexed that it could taste this good and that it is not made from the traditional Camellia Sinensis Leaf!  

While at the tea fair I tasted all but the Mango Party tea due to my Mango Allergy, and I was blown away with how much I enjoyed the delicate and smooth flavors of their Original, Minty Marvel, Jasmine and Earl Grey Tea. My friend tried the Mango party and agreed with others stopped at the Wize Monkey Booth that it was fantastic. 

I purchased the Wize Monkey Discovery Pack and brought it home to savor and try full cups of each flavor on my own and I choose the Earl Grey Sachet first. There is the right balance of bergmot flavor and yet no acidic taste even after leaving the tea bag in the pot steeping longer recommended 2-3 minutes. I also like that these tea bags can be reused up to three times with great flavor. I think it is important to note that this is a lightly caffeinated tea, making it a great choice for afternoons. It is Non-GMO, Handpicked, and farm-direct from Nicaragua. I asked one of the company founders to share a bit about the company so that you may see why I got as excited as I did, when finding this very unique and brilliant new company.

KMOT:  Thank you Max for joining us today,I was amazed with the products when I came to your both at the tea fair. What made me stop was the video stream you had playing from the plantation where your tea is made. Can you talk a little about the farm and your partnership with this plantation?  

WM: "Our partnership is essentially a vertical integration with the grower himself in order to ensure that we always keep the growers in mind and also to ensure we have the best possible product and ability to innovate as a team, instead of being buyer vs. grower, which is the norm across tea and coffee industries." 

KMOT: One of the things that caught my attention was the working relationship you have and are building with the farmer as well as your dedication to the workers. Creating jobs year round for these workers as you grow is going to make a monumental change to how the Nicaraguan workers live and their migration patterns can you expand a bit on how you have been able to grow?

WM: "Last year we had employed 25 people to work in the off-season for the harvest, and this year we've gone to over 100, so the impact is materializing as we speak. The locals are happy because they see the extra income as an opportunity to improve their situation and also learn a new trade and craft where they can add more value in regards to processing the leaf and creating the final product, versus just shipping half-processed beans to roasters in other countries and not capture the added value or learn that step of the trade."

KMOT: How did you choose the current flavors offered in the Wize Monkey line?

WM: The current flavours were chosen so that we have a diverse offering of fruity, effervescent, floral, citrus, and our original CLTea. That way, we're sure that everyone can enjoy at least one version of our award-winning Coffee Leaf Tea.

KMOT: Is there plans to offer your tea line loose leaf?

WM: "Eventually we'll get our flavours in loose leaf on the website, but for the moment our hands are incredibly full managing 7 different SKUs."

KMOT: Please share anything you would like my readers about your company and tea line. 

WM: "Creating this social venture has been such an incredible and enlightening experience. We have a very emotional and loyal connection to the people we work with in Nicaragua, and if we have an opportunity to thank them in any way or help them achieve their goals, we are obligated to do so. We've never faced harder challenges than this, in regards to creating a new product from scratch, and what motivates us is the work ethic of those we work with down south. Sometimes we're absolutely swamped and look at each other and ask ourselves if we're going to survive all this stress and pressure, but we remind each other to think of how hard our colleagues and extended family works in Nicaragua, and that fuels our passion to continue and overcome said challenges. All in all, we're incredibly grateful to be in the position to make actual long-term change as it's something that we're both very passionate about. And of course, it's pretty fun to discover and pioneer something that has never been done in history... needless to say it keeps us on our toes! " 

Thank you Max for sharing about Wize Monkey Coffee Leaf Tea. If you would like to learn more about how you can bring the Wize Monkey Coffee Leaf Tea to your own home, Please click here for the Wize Monkey Website.

Thank you so much for joining me here today for a cup of tea and a cozy tea review. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

A Batter Of Life and Death by Ellie Alexander

I have spent the last few days reading A Batter of Life and Death by Ellie Alexander. Such a great story and mystery this was. My friend Lisa K got me into Ellie's series and I am so glad she did. Reading this cozy about about a mother daughter bakery in a small Shakespearean themed town in the heart of Oregon, really took a bit of the sting of the events of the last few days away. A great cozy can transport you to a time and place of the imaginary town, wrap you up in it's own drama and make you forget with the turn of each page the reality in which you live. A Batter of Life and Death was for me a great escape and delicious mystery. Set in the fall, main character Jules is enjoying being home after working on a cruise ship for 10 years, the crisp fall weather inspires her mood as much as her welcome smells and tastes October brings, pumpkins, apples, caramels and spices all things you associate with fall you feel in this book, crave in this book and enjoy in this book. It is not all rosy though for Jules and her mother. A pastry reality show rolls into town and disrupts the normal cozy and quiet off season in Ashland. Jules finds herself caught up in the show and quickly in another murder. This mystery speaks to the old saying about too many cooks in the kitchen!

I really enjoyed this book and was so glad that the story was not predicable, it felt genuine and more based in real reality instead of tv reality. 

It's autumn in Ashland, Oregon-'tis the season for a spiced hot apple cider with a serving (or two) of Torte's famous peach cobbler. It's also the perfect time for Jules Capshaw to promote her family's beloved bake shop by competing in The Pastry Channel's reality show, Take the Cake. The prize is $25,000. But as Jules quickly learns, some people would kill for that kind of dough. Literally.

Then, just as Jules dusts off her Bavarian Chocolate Cake recipe and cinches up her apron, the corpse of a fellow contestant is discovered-death by buttercream. What began as a fun, tasteful televised adventure has morphed into something of a true-crime detective show for Jules and everybody else on set. Who could have killed Chef Marco, and why? Can Jules sift out the killer before someone else gets burned?

Learn more about Ellie Alexander and her Bakeshop Mystery by clicking here.
Order your own copy of A Batter of Life and Death from Amazon by clicking here.

Namasthe Tea Company

Today I would like to share a bit about a local tea company that I had the pleasure of learning about at the tea festival here in Vancouver over the weekend. The Namasthe Tea Company from Whistler British Columbia.

The presentation at this table was truly reflective of the company and the area this tea company is based. I was very pleased with the sensory approach of this tea company took and it got my attention right away!

Just take a look at this photo above and imagine being able to experience this tea on a very tactile and special way. I find it fascinating that this company forages for season ingredients in and around Whistler to add to many of their blends!

After tasting two of their tea blends at the table I was so impressed I asked for one of the business cards, I was then asked "Sure which would you like?" I was puzzled and she said, "My tea is my business card" then offered me some from her selection. I chose this mornings Fresh Tracks Breakfast Tea, which is delicious.

You can learn more about Namasthe company by clicking here to visit their stunning website. 
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a tea company review. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Cat Got Your Diamonds, A Release Day Chat With Author Julie Chase

Today is the release day of Cat Got Your Diamonds by Julie Chase, a book I read and loved last week!

Today Author Julie Chase joins us to share a bit about the writing process.

Welcome Julie! 

 KMOT: When you are writing what sustains you? Tea, Coffee, or other? 

JC: Coffee. I run on very little sleep, and I go a little crazy with the coffee while trying to pry my eyes open.

KMOT: When you wrote Cat Got Your Diamonds, how long was the writing process?

JC: "Cat Got Your Diamonds was a story that had been developing in my head, behind other immediate deadlines, for a couple of years. I'd started and stopped it a number of times because it just didn't feel right. I'd played with different versions of Lacy in my head. In one version she was a germaphobe. In another, she lived in a little country town. The story finally came together for me during a trip to New Orleans. I knew the moment my feet hit Magazine Street that this was exactly where she belong, and that those were my heroine's people. From that point forward, the actual writing process took about four months. Each of the two sequels have taken roughly three."

KMOT: I truly enjoyed your characters and how main character Lacy seems to float between her parents southern society and trying to lead a working class life, where did that motivation come from?

JC: " Gilmore Girls, probably! I was a dedicated fan of the show when it was on the air, and one of my favorite aspects was the conflict Lorelai put herself in. She wanted no part of her parents' money or status. None. It was a constant struggle for her, denying her roots, and a bit perplexing to me, but fascinating, none the less. I see that in my books, and I've wondered if the Gilmores helped shape my story. Some days I feel I'm shaped by everything. My heroine, Lacy isn't quite as stubborn as Lorelai. She doesn't have a separate life somewhere else. She makes a place for herself, while being herself, in her mother's society. "

KMOT: The theme of this cozy, a gourmet pet bakery/fashion designs for pets really got me excited, do you sew or bake for your own pets?

JC: " I've never learned to sew, but I'm fascinated by those who can, which is probably how Lacy got to be so good at it. I ask my best friend about her sewing all the time. She's a fantastic seamstress, though she won't admit it. I do enjoy baking, but I never feel I have the time to indulge in new recipes, so I dream about that also. Probably another reason Lacy is who she is. I live vicariously through her as I sit at my desk. Though, I do have plans to bake pet treats at Christmas and deliver them to my neighbor's pets along with cookies for their people. My kids are pretty excited about that."

KMOT:  Please let my readers know anything about yourself, pets, series and writing you would like us to know. 
JC: "Well, I'm a stay at home mother of three. I started writing about 7 years ago when my children were small and constantly under my heels. Today they're 13, 10 & 8. I write while they're at school thriving and being happy, then I drive them to sports and extra things all evening. It's a busy life, but it's a full one. I love that quote: "You think my hands are full? You should see my heart." It fits me perfectly. My office floor is covered in poster boards and markers as I type this. I have to make signs for a the concession stand at today's swim meet as soon as I finish this answer. Then, I get to sell hot dogs and pizza to hungry swimmers and their parents until dinner. Busyness aside, I love being a mother and an author. I'd planned all my life to be the former, but the latter sneaked up on me. I'd never given writing a single thought until I was 33 and looking for an escape from the chaos that was my life then. I read a book and voila! For a few minutes at a time, I went somewhere else. I was someone else. When I finished the book, I decided I wanted to do that too. I wanted to give some other person the gift that the author of my book had given me, so I opened Google and typed, "How to write a book." It's been a long road from there, but I'm determined to reach people that I couldn't otherwise and make them smile. I keep trying that every day. "

To learn more about Author Julie Chase please click here.
To order and download your own copy of Cat Got Your Diamonds from Amazon, (which is out today) please click here

Be sure to mark your calendars for the second book in the series Cat Got Your Cash out this April 2017! 
Thank you for joining us for a cup of tea and a release day chat with Author Julie Chase. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com