Zenith of Tea

By R F. Whong

Description:

A cookbook, a glimmer of fairy tale, a spoonful of history, and a teacup of hope.
In the early 1920s, accomplished martial artist Wang Mijen is haunted by her past and the red birthmark that she believes prompted her family to abandon her at six. She survives by robbing ancient tombs and living in a cave concealed from the soldiers. When she saves Joseph Cheung, a Chinese Christian educated in Canada, from bandits, her insecurities whisper that such a man could never love an “ugly” girl like her.
Growing up in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Joseph experienced anti-Chinese prejudice. Still, he helps Mijen move to Canada to avoid danger. In Vancouver, amidst anti-Asian riots and the looming Chinese Exclusion Act, Joseph helps Mijen open a teahouse. As they work together to rescue young women trafficked into brothels in North America, Joseph’s unwavering faith and fight for equality challenge Mijen’s hardened heart.
From China to Canada, can Mijen and Joseph overcome their challenges, rediscover their identities, and open their hearts to each other?
A stand-alone novella in the Apron Strings Tea series, inspired by The Nightingale.

Why the author wrote this book:

Last year (2024), I received an unexpected message from Amy Walsh, asking whether I would like to be part of a multiauthor project. The series takes place in the 1920s and 1930s, and each novella must mention a tea shop, Mrs. Canfield’s Cookery Book (published in 1916), and a fairy tale from the works of Hans Christian Andersen. I hesitated and prayed about it. Could I meet the deadline? What should I write about?
Yet as I pondered, the fragments of an idea took shape. I was drawn to the notion of a young woman—her past a mystery, a telltale birthmark casting a shadow over her sense of worth—forging her way in a hostile world. The themes suggested by the series all came together: tea as a symbol of hospitality and entrepreneurship, Mrs. Canfield’s Cookery Book as a tether to both tradition and reinvention, and Hans Christian Andersen’s The Nightingale, a fairy tale about longing, beauty, and grace.
Bolstered by this vision, I said yes. As I wrote, I learned a lot about the Chinese Exclusion Act in the US and Canada and about how courageous souls dared to believe in a kinder, more loving future. I hope you’ll join me and the rest of the Apron Strings Tea Tales authors for an enchanting journey through history, heartache, and faith.