Announcing Tea-spiration: My First Book + Pre-Order

I wrote a book. I can’t believe I just said that. I wrote a book and it’s getting published! After starting to work on this book last year, I can finally share the news with all of you and it feels great! Keeping this secret for that long was not easy. It’s been a long process. There has been a lot of tea leaves, tea cups, crinkled papers and word vomiting, but it’s finally here! Well, almost. My manuscript is complete and now in the hands of my editor and publisher. I’m so excited to share with you today the title of my book, the cover design and more inside details. But before we get to that, I want to explain a bit about why I decided to write this book. 

In case it wasn’t already clear, yes, my book is on tea. However, it may not be what you think right away. My book isn’t where you’ll learn about the history of tea, how to properly prepare your tea, etc.

It is not a textbook.

Given my love for creating with tea, my book also isn’t filled with recipes or crafts.

It is not a cookbook.

Instead, I wanted to write a book that just simply celebrated many of the feelings and moments that tea provides us. Feelings and moments that may be missed or hidden from others. For myself, tea was always something that was perfect for connecting with others, especially with my mother and sister. It was also something I thought was incredible and ignited my taste buds from the very first sip I ever had. For myself, tea was never about needing a quick pick me up. Tea was never about wanting to detox and feel healthy. Tea was never about making sure everything was done perfectly, following every bit of instruction to make it “right”. It was the one thing that I could make my own and enjoy however I liked.

There have been times I used to think there were “wrong” ways to do tea. It stressed me out and actually made me shy away from tea for some time. I would hate when I would have my tea as I usually would and no longer feel satisfied. Just because I may not have steeped it long enough like I should have. I may not have heated my water to the right temperature. I used a tea bag and not loose leaf. I added milk and sugar and didn’t drink it straight. Goodness, the things I’ve done to my tea! But each time, I always enjoyed it. I loved it even those times I may have made it taste like liquid sugar (oops!). My tea brought me so much joy and shouldn’t that be all that matters?

I wrote this book with the idea in mind that many would have it by their side during their personal tea time. Something you could always come back to and pick up – whether you read it all over again or just a single section. Something you could go to for inspiration and get you really thinking about what lies in your cup and everything else that relates back to it.

This book is meant for any tea lover out there. Whether you’re new to tea, a casual tea lover or a tea aficionado. Whether you drink the beverage every day, or just enjoy a cup every now and then. Honestly, it does not matter if that cup happens to be made by a tea bag at this point. No judgement or snobbery will be found here. In fact, my book was inspired by those inspirational quotes you’d find on some tea tags. Like most, I started with tea bags and I looked forward to those tea tag wisdom or “Tea-spiration”. They were my version of a fortune cookie. However, as fun as they are, I later came to realize much more inspiration comes from what’s inside – tea.

Writing a book is a dream come true. Period. However, getting the opportunity to write about a beverage I have loved for many, many years makes it even better. Here are as many details as I can possibly give right now about Tea-spiration.

– About This Book –

Tea-spiration aims to create a quiet movement. Tea drinkers enjoy slowing down and enjoying all the moments with the beverage because it is simply more than just that. In her debut book, founder The Cup of Life, Lu Ann Pannunzio uplifts and inspires readers in a way that does more than just telling them a story about tea and its history. Similar to life, tea is about the little things. Each page is filled with different feelings and moments (big or small) that tea provides us that not everyone may notice to take time and enjoy. The inspirational aspect flows naturally showing readers that sometimes all you really need is a cup, water and some leaves to create your own wonderful tea experience.

Tea-spiration begins with an introduction explaining simply why this book exists and why I felt it should. It is then divided into 4 parts that you can enjoy during a single tea session, resting at the end of each part with your tea. The book wraps up with an overview of special tea moments had during a single tea time. You might say the book has a “Zen” style to it. While that wasn’t the intention from the start, I found that it happened organically when writing about tea.

– Illustration –

The words inside Tea-spiration will be accompanied by some gorgeous illustrations that relate to certain sections in the book. I decided on the illustration route oppose to photography because I felt it suited the theme more and while writing a few tea moments, I was envisioning certain graphics that could only be created that way. A special thanks to the incredible graphic designer working on my book with her amazing talents!

– The Cover –

After a few reworks, I am happy to have a cover that I really believe fits both my book’s style and blog. I also love that it reflects my initial inspiration for the book with the tea tag in a tea cup illustration. The quote on the tea tag relates to the inside contents. While there are many big tea moments (ie. the first sip) there are also many small moments (ie. opening that fresh tea package for the first time) that add up to something incredible.

– Official Release Date –

Tuesday, November 8, 2016.

– How to Pre-Order –

Hooray! You can officially pre-order the book today! When you pre-order the book rather than waiting until the release date, the book will ship out right on the release date, November 8, 2016, and get to your doorstep as soon as possible. You also won’t be charged until the book is shipped.

Pre-order Tea-spiration by Lu Ann Pannunzio at the retailers below:

Amazon.ca  /  Amazon.com  /  Indigo  /  Barnes & Noble 

I’m not done with surprises yet! If you pre-order Tea-spiration by Lu Ann Pannunzio you also have the opportunity to win some awesome tea prizes. Thanks to some wonderful companies I love, I have an exciting giveaway ($270 total value!) for those who are eager. Who wouldn’t love the chance to win some tea grown at Canada’s first tea farm, hand built tea ware, delicious ceremonial matcha, tea gift card and gift card from a yoga lifestyle subscription service.

Simply pre-order the book at any retailer above, take a screenshot of your receipt/order confirmation, and email it to me at luann [at] theteacupoflife [dot] com with your full name and SUBJECT: I pre-ordered your book!

Just like that you’ll get my book and an entry to win one of the great prizes below. If you decide to pre-order more than one copy, you will get an entry for each book bought! (Example: Pre-order 3 copies, get 3 entries in the draw) The pre-order giveaway will end November 7, 2016 and winners will be selected randomly and contacted by November 8, 2016. Please find the full rules for this pre-order giveaway on my book’s landing page.

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED
Thank you to everyone that participated by pre-ordering their copy of Tea-spiration. The winners were randomly selected and have been contacted. They are announced below. Stay tuned for more giveaways to come on The Cup of Life! 

Prize Pack #1 ($125 Value) sponsored by Westholme Tea Farm
– 25 grams of fresh hand harvested single origin Canadian estate grown tea
– Margit Nellemann hand built ceramic commemorative cup
Winner: Amy Lou Taylor

Prize Pack #2 ($80 Value) sponsored by Encha
Encha Ceremonial Matcha Set that consists of:
– 30 grams of Encha Ceremonial-Grade Pure Organic Matcha, from premium 1st harvest in Japan
– Encha Wave Matcha Bowl: ceramic bowl made in USA
– Matcha bamboo whisk
– Black porcelain whisk holder
– Matcha bamboo scoop
– Mini-Encha Latte-Grade Organic Matcha (2g): from standard 1st harvest in Japan
Winner: Sharon Dalgarno

Prize Pack #3 ($65 Value) sponsored by BuddhiBox and Adagio Teas
– $40 BuddhiBox Gift Certificate
– $25 Adagio Teas gift card
Winner: Emily Brock

I hope you’re all as excited as I am for my first official book. Please feel free to share the book pre-order information with anyone you think that may be interested in Tea-spiration and help get the word out. I will be sharing some behind-the-scenes peeks into my book on the blog until the release so be sure to check back here often or also subscribe to my newsletter to be the first to know of any book updates (ie. praises for the book, inside looks, book events near you, etc!) If you have any questions related to the book, please email me or leave a comment below 🙂