I met Kimberly Richardson at this year’s Bubonicon, and when I saw she was selling tea AND books, I was immediately hooked. She also has a book of short stories entitled Tales from a Goth Librarian.
I love that you make your own tea blends (and they’re quite tasty too!). How did you start making tea in the first place?
Many years ago, I read an article about the benefits of green tea. I tried a flavoured green tea and fell in love with the taste. From there came me trying other kinds of tea, taking part in a Japanese tea ceremony, attending tea festivals, getting certified as a Tea Specialist, and finally making my own blends. My first blend was called Goth Librarian and it remains one of my more popular blends! I wanted to create blends inspired by books, music, art, and science. My tea blends are my way of saying thank you to the various sources of inspiration.
Lovely. I love your Tales from a Goth Librarian series of stories. What is it about the macabre that appeals to you the most?My fascination with all things dark and spooky started when I was 13 when I collected over 300 books regarding vampires. I even wrote a school paper about the theme of blood in the book Dracula. I’d never heard of the Goth subculture before and wasn’t introduced to it until I was in college – thanks to the RPG Vampire the Masquerade. I also always resonated with Lydia from Beetlejuice and how she seemed comfortable with the dead. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than sitting at home on a cold bleak day, reading a thick book, and having endless cups of tea, all the while knowing that a dark and mysterious figure lurks outside (jk). In all seriousness, it’s hard to explain my fascination. I love the dark side and I always will. I’m truly proud to call myself an Elder Goth with a big scoop of Dark Academia.
As you should be! You also write great flash fiction on your blog, Eccentric Tea Woman. What do you love most about writing flash, and what do you find most challenging about it?
Flash fiction is my way of getting rid of a question or a thought that’s been lingering around in my mind. I see the inspiration for stories everywhere, and flash stories are a great “slice of life”. I’ve had many people ask me for more when I post flash stories, and I always tell them NO. I never see beyond what I post. The challenging part is actually starting the piece.
Indeed it is. What are some of your current projects?
I’m working on the third and final book to my murder mystery series, Jackie Verona. The trilogy is set during the time of the Beat Generation, and Jackie is an author, jazz lover, and sleuth. The first two books are A Murder of Gypsies and The Devil’s Music (both are published with ProSe Productions and both are available). I am also working on an anthology titled Violet Windows. Several years ago, I created an online literary journal called Violet Windows and they were well received. I had to stop the journal due to circumstances. Recently, I decided to collect most of the stories and turn them into a tangible anthology. Finally, I’m working on a new tea blend called Imported Tea From Pluto. As I stated before, several of my tea blends are influenced by science and I figured that a blend from the dwarf planet was due!
To buy Kimberly’s books, and/or tea blends, you can go to:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ViridianTeaCompany
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!