Ok, I know I said my next post was going to be all geeking-out over nerd stuff, but then...well...when you're not really plugged into social media, you find out about stuff in the most interesting ways.  For example: I found out that today is the last day of National Banned Book Week by going to a farmers market.

Check out these bad-ass rebels!  Library board VOLUNTEERS!  Spreading dangerous notions in a public space like a farmers market, in plain sight of children!*

      I also bought Pearwood scented olive oil soap & a bunch of the most beautiful kale I've ever seen, but that's not the point of this story.  The point of this story is banned books.  The very words have an interesting double effect on me.  On the one hand, it brings to mind scenes of movies where books are burned in village squares, which always make me cry.  No, really--scenes in movies where books are thrown on a bonfire make tears run down my cheeks.  My heart hurts to see it.  I have yet to watch a screen adaptation of Farenheit 451, but if I do, I'm sure I'll through an entire box of tissue.
      On the other hand, thinking of banned books raises this delightfully devilish feeling in me.  It makes me want to be all rebellious and go read!  Naughty books, shocking books, historically accurate books, I want to fling myself through the library doors & shout, "Come, you collections of the printed word, hit me with your best shot!  Corrupt my fragile mind!  Plant dangerous notions in my mind!  Make me question the status quo, and doubt the morals of my ancestors!"
      I realize that sounds pretty damn dramatic, but you have to consider how many books I've read that have been banned in one place or another:

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
Harry Potter & fill in the blank by J.K. Rowling
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

      Those are just the ones I could think of off the top of my head without looking at a list online.  Oh, wait, I'm sure Animal Farm and Catcher In The Rye were banned.  And probably The Diary of Anne Frank.  And Lady Chatterley's Lover, right?  I can keep going but it would take me all day.

I feel like if I ever wrote a book that was thought-provoking enough to get banned, I would feel tremendous pride.  Next best thing to winning a Pulitzer, honestly.

      The point is...I'm still waiting to turn into a danger to society.  When are these books going to deliver on their promises & make me an extremist rebel of some kind?!  I mean, at some point, I'm supposed to put down the mug of tea, get up out of my reading chair, & go explode something, or start an underground group of some sort, right?  So far all I've done is go to peaceful protest marches & do my research before I vote.  Oh yeah, & then I vote.  That's not radical, is it?
      I keep wanting to read more.  I suppose that's pretty radical in & of itself.  What's your favorite banned book?  I need some recommendations for after I go read The Handmaid's Tale.
      I think I'm going to make a point of buying a banned book for everyone in my family for their birthday next year.  Ok, now I'm feeling rebellious.


*Also, when the heck did A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein become banned?  Isn't there a poem in there about making a hippopotamus sandwich?

      Just a quick update to say that I sent in my queries and requested pages to the agents from the PNWA conference.  This last week was all about scrupulously reading their requirements & composing my letters.  Oh yeah, and writing my synopsis.*  We all know how much I love writing a synopsis.  Even after checking & re-checking my work to be sure I was following each agent's guidelines, I got a little more light-headed each time I hit "send."  Once it's sent, it's...sent.  No going back.  No more opportunities to tweak or correct.
      So obviously that called for a cup of tea.  Today it's a spicy chai I let steep for 5 minutes, then stirred in an ounce of bourbon.  Some days just call for that sort of thing.  And after all, today is the first day of autumn--time to celebrate!

Today's beverage and this month's bedtime reading.

      Nerdy stuff coming next week--I'm loving the Captain Marvel trailer and the latest space discoveries!

      Hello world!  I still live!  I hope you forgive my long hiatus--I decided that if I was ever going to have a shot at publishing one of my stories, I needed to eschew ALL my other keyboard-related distractions, and practice the BIC (Butt In Chair) approach to writing.  And it worked!  I finally have a polished final draft of my gas lamp novel, coming in at 90k words.

My cat was very supportive of my BIC approach, as you can see.

      Last week I went to the Pacific Northwest Writers Association's big annual conference & pitched to multiple agents.  I am pleased to report that I got three requests for material, & one referral to another agent who was not at the conference.  The only part more awesome than that was all the seriously cool writers I met!
      Preparing for the conference was pretty draining.  Pitching was an exercise in adrenaline.  Both reminded me of the critical role that tea plays in my life.  Tea was my pick-me-up & inspiration while writing.  After pitching my adrenaline dipped, leaving me light-headed, and tea came to the rescue once again.*  So out of gratitude to the leaf & as a means of easing back into my blog, I thought I'd offer a brief review of the proper way to brew tea.
      Let's start with a definition of "tea."  A lot of people think this includes herbal teas, such as chamomile or mint.  Common vernacular aside, these are NOT teas.  They are tisanes.  They can be delicious, & all you have to do is add hot water & steep to taste.  I like to steep my mint in near boiling water for about 5 minutes, then toss in an ice cube for cooling & dilution.  That's all I'm going to say on the matter.
      There is actually a shrub called a tea tree, & it has a leaf all it's own.  When that leaf is harvested, dried, & then steeped, THAT is tea.  That's what I intend to address, starting with 5 general guidelines, followed by steeping times by variety.

A mature tea shrub.

1) Firstly, if you don't like the taste of your tap water, use distilled water.  It's cheap, & it's all my cat will drink, so I have a jug of it on hand at all times.

2) Proportion is always one generous teaspoon of tea to 8 ounces of water.  A tea bag also wants 8 ounces of hot water.  If you get a grande cup of hot water & toss in one tea bag, thinking you'll just let it steep longer, you've just signed yourself up for a weak, bitter brew.

3) If you're using loose leaf tea instead of bags (lovely when convenient), then have a good strainer.  There's a lot of these on the market.  I prefer metal strainers with a fine mesh & plenty of room for the tea leaves to expand.  Alternatively, brew loosely in a pot, then place the strainer over your cup when you pour.

A *few* of my tea things: pots, cups, strainers, etc. The big mug in the upper left reads "I Drink the Tears of my Enemies."  It's for when I'm feeling feisty!

4) Warm your cup or pot before pouring in the water.  If your vessel is cold, it will suck the heat away from your water, messing with your steeping & leaving you with lukewarm tea (bleah).  Also, in very extreme cases, boiling water added to cold porcelain creates cracks, or even explosions.  So while your water is coming to a boil, just fill your vessel of choice with hot water from the tap & let it sit until you're ready to steep.

5) Teas are graded by the size of the leaves.  A really good, high quality tea will be a full leaf, either rolled up into little balls or dried up into what looks like wrinkled pine needles.  Some teas have leaves broken in half, or into smaller pieces, or even in minuscule flakes like ground black pepper.  And yes, some teas are powdered.  Unless you're very serious about your tea, any of these grades will do--what you want to avoid at all costs is a MIXED grade.  A tea that's a tossed salad of full leaves, broken leaves, & tiny bits will have a bitter flavor.  When buying loose leaf tea, look for consistency among the size & shape of the leaves.

My tea shelf this morning.  I'm running low.  The tupperware in the upper right holds Korean roasted corn tea, a treat introduced to me by my significant other.

Steeping Guide
Over-brewed tea is bitter, so pay attention!

Black Teas
     There are a lot of black teas out there, but the general rule for steeping is the same.  My favorite teas are Lapsang Souchong, Earl Grey, & pure Assam.  Bring your water just to the edge of a boil (NOT a full boil), pour over, & steep for at least three minutes, but not more than five.  Then remove the leaves & either toss them or set them aside for a second steeping.
      Most black teas can be steeped a second time.  Again, bring the water just to the edge of a boil, then pour over the leaves & let steep for two minutes longer than your first steep.  The flavor will be different--more mild, usually--but still satisfying.** 

Oolong Teas
      An oolong is a tea that has been cured longer than a green, but less than a black.  When properly brewed it will have a smoother flavor than a green tea.  My favorite is hands down Iron Goddess, but I've never met a full leaf oolong I didn't like.  As with black tea, bring your water to the edge of a boil, but NOT to a full boil.  Steep for two minutes on the nose.
      Oolongs can be steeped a second, & sometimes even a third time with excellent flavor.  Let brew for three minutes on your second steep, four minutes for the third.

Green Teas
      Lauded as possibly the healthiest form of tea, the flavors can vary greatly depending on the blend.  A straight up gun powder green can be very bright--even grassy tasting.  My favorite is Gen Mai Cha, a Japanese blend that incorporates toasted rice (be wary when selecting, as this often has mixed grade leaves).  Bring your water to a strong simmer, but don't let it bridge over into boiling.  I like to steep for one minute & twenty seconds, to bring out the full flavor of the tea without risking bitterness.  My Significant Other, however, was taught to brew tea by his Korean grandmother, & insists on brewing his for five minutes for a strong, potent brew.  I suggest starting with a minute twenty, tasting, then adding more time if desired.
      Quality green teas can be re-steeped up to four times.  I would add an additional thirty seconds of brew time for the second steeping, & then a full minute or more for the third or fourth steeps.

White Teas
      Using some of the most delicate tea leaves & just drying them to perfection, white tea offers the most ethereal flavor of all.  My favorite here is Silver Cloud, light & sweet!.  For this, bring your water to a simmer, & steep for only 50 seconds.  Taste--if it's too light for you, put the leaves back in for 10 second increments until you have the flavor you like.  Remember, this is SUPPOSED to be a delicate tea.  Over-steeping will become very bitter, very fast.
      White teas can be re-steeped up to four times.  Add only 20 seconds of additional brew time for each steeping.

      There you have it!  Now go forth & brew!  Let me know if you have questions, or tell me about a recent tea you discovered, & whether you enjoyed it or no.


*My first instinct was to go to the hotel bar for a gin & tonic, but then my training as a therapist kicked in, & I remembered that in a few more minutes I was going to feel woozy & tired without the help of intoxicating beverages.  So I went for a cup of earl grey and boy was THAT the right call!

**Second steepings of any tea have almost no caffeine.