Steampunk convention, Clockwork Alchemy, is over, and I just wanted to thank all the great people who participated in my presentations and stopped by my table. And a big congratulations to Dawn Tsiao, who won 10 ebooks from me at my table drawing!
I did manage to sneak away from my table on Sunday to check out the tea dueling. In case you've never seen it (this was a first for me, but apparently it's a thing), you face off at a table against your opponent, cup of tea and biscuit (cookie for us Yanks) before you. Holding the biscuit in two fingers, both duelists dip it into the tea for 3-5 seconds (judge's call - this depends on the thickness of the biscuit). Vertical dip. The biscuit must be at least halfway submerged. Then you hold the biscuit up (vertically), waiting to eat your biscuit after your opponent eats theirs but before yours crumbles. It's basically a game of chicken with tea and biscuits.
Weirdly, I found myself really getting into this.
And yes, it's going into a book (I'm thinking Adele's tea room in my paranormal museum mysteries. Adele won't like this).
The judge kept going on about rule books and how we were simplifying things, and at first I thought he was joking. But I guess he wasn't. There's actually an association of tea duelists.
I even found a duel on YouTube:
About the Author:
Kirsten Weiss writes genre-blending cozy mystery, urban fantasy, and steampunk suspense, mixing her experiences and imagination to create a vivid world of magic and mayhem. If you’d like updates on sales and her latest books, follow her on Bookbub!
And if you like steampunk short stories, check out Some Time Later, this year's Clockwork Alchemy anthology. As usual, 50% of the profits are being donated by the publisher to the local library system to promote literacy.
Demons! Vampires! Time Travelers! A Giant Chicken?
The creators of Twelve Hours Later and Thirty Days Later are back for another time-turning read with adventure in the offing, steam in the air, and tongue occasionally in cheek. Join us for new and fantastical stories from fifteen authors, including Harry Turtledove, Kirsten Weiss, Anthony Francis and T.E. MacArthur as we journey through time and genre.
Take a tour of Jolly Olde London where madness may (or may not) prevail and things can get hairy after dark. Take an airship across the sea to the ancient city of Atlantis. Battle demons! Match wits with mystics! Try to resist the seductive power of chocolate or the magic of tiny mushrooms! Maybe even steal a treasure from a dragon.
So put the kettle on, pour a strong cuppa, and curl up on the couch for a rollicking good read with Some Time Later.
The clock is ticking ...