Penelope and I met years ago in California and have followed each others ministry. If you love a "tea" you'll love her new book, Tea on the Titanic.  

When did you have the idea to combine the Titanic and Tea?

I have been interested in tea for most of my life, as I was born in England and my Mum was English. I grew up with tea as a way of life. Then I owned a tea business for many years and actually did about anything you could with tea...catering, selling, speaking, writing, travel (taking ladies to England on tea tours) etc. Several years ago, we took several of our grandchildren to the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge, TN. While going through the museum, I kept seeing all these teacups, teapots and the lovely tea "frocks" (dresses) and thought...."There must have been afternoon teas on the Titanic." And, after some research, learned that it was a very popular social way of entertaining in 1912. Plus there were no books about the subject. So I decided to get busy and write "Tea on the Titanic...a 100 years later."

What are some the of interesting things you found as you were doing your research on the Edwardian era?

One of the most interesting was the life of "Molly" Margaret Brown. Here I lived in Denver and had been to the Molly Brown museum, but knew very little about this amazing woman. She did so much for our city and also every person who sails in a ship...she petitioned Congress for new regulations for lifeboats. None of us will ever again be in a sea-going vessel that is short on lifeboats.

Also the opportunity to meet Margaret's great granddaughter has been such a delight. I was able to attend the event when the great granddaughters of Captain Rostum, who was the Captain of the rescuing ship, The Carpathia, came from England to present The Loving Cup to Margaret's great granddaughter, Helen, at the Titanic Museum in February this year. The Loving Cup was a solid silver trophy that Mrs. Brown presented to Captain Rostrum after his heroic rescue of the survivors of the Titanic.

One other thing that was fun, was converting the many recipes from that era that had been in our family. I also experienced a lot of trial and error getting the measurements into cups, tablespoons, and teaspoons, instead of the ounces and grams. But the book is filled with recipes from that era and many have told me they have been encouraged to actually try "Toad in the Hole"!

What is the main message you would like readers to learn from your book?

I have used "Tea" as a tool...to share my faith, to encourage someone when they are down with a listening ear and a cup of tea, and as a way of strengthening my relationship with my grandchildren, children, and friends. I know it's so easy to meet at Starbucks, but we are losing a great deal when we no longer open our homes and share our gifts of hospitality. My book is a "user-friendly" guide to have a tea party at home. I tried to include all the things needed, from accoutrements (tea things), time-lines, recipes, centerpieces, invitations and etiquette. While not everyone may be as crazy about tea as I am, I really believe that we as Christian women, need to open our hearts and our homes, put the kettle on and use this time to help our family and friends get into the "lifeboats" of the salvation of Jesus Christ.

Do you share some personal experiences in your book?

Yes, because I have been so involved in the world of tea since I was a little girl, I have quite a few stories that found their way into the book. Probably one of my favorites is meeting Queen Mary, the current Queen's grandmother, while our family was on a trip to England. We were quite nervous and it was amazing that the Queen put us at ease and shared about her son, who was currently living in New York City. She asked if we lived close to the City...not sure if she wanted to drop in for tea when she came to visit her son (who was the former King Edward VIII) who had abdicated the throne and married an American! My mother, who had grown up loving the Royal Family, was thrilled that we actually had an audience with the Queen...but no tea!