My novel Cold Tea on a Hot Day was written under a different working title, one that has long since been lost to memory. My publisher rarely has liked a title I’ve chosen. Generally an editor from very high up will call my agent and say: “Marketing doesn’t like the title. We have to have a new one, yesterday.”
This happened one hot summer, July day. A new title was a Must. “Something that sounds bestselling,” of course. In two days.
After wracking my brain, making a list of titles that no one liked, I went to the kitchen and meandered around. My dear husband had been outside in the Oklahoma sun, poked his head in and asked for a glass of sweet ice tea. I decided to brew up a pitcher. Using a long-handled wooden spoon, I stirred the ice cubes around, listening to the clink. And I thought: “There’s nothin’ like cold tea on a hot day.”
Bingo! One of my most favorite of all titles, and the book that finally made onto the USA Today best seller list.
If you’d like to read my story of becoming a true tea-lover, if you are a devotee to good tea, pop over to The English Tea Blog, to read my post Confessions of a Tea-Drinking Southern Belle.
Blessings,
CurtissAnn, who just finished a cup of Ceylon tea, laced gently with a bit of lemon and agava syrup.
Curtiss Ann Matlock 
11 responses to “Or How One Little Red-Neck Girl became So Fond of Drinking Fine Hot Tea”
Oh, hi, CurtissAnn. It’s so lovely hearing the behind the scenes stories of books I’ve read and enjoyed!
It also scares me to death and I simply am not made of the stuff that would allow some “editor from on high” to decide the name of my book is wrong. LOL!
You are brave!
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A great post about how titles are chosen and how much we all love our iced tea in the summer. Love you, Dee
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Being from a family where the coffee pot was always full, I didn’t learn to appreciate hot tea until my daughter was grown and developed a taste for hot tea. How she escaped being a coffee drinker, I’ll never know. Now my cabinet is full of just about any kind of tea desired. As a matter of fact, I had chai last night.
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Curtis Ann, It’s been such a long time since I’ve visited you….or you ME! 🙂 I did not realize you had actually moved. I hope you’re loving your new location.
This book you featured sounds so intriguing….it MUST be that splendid title you selected.
Hope all is well with you! Dana
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CurtissAnn, I miss you. “Cold Tea on a Hot Day” was one of my favorites. I remember all the cute tea note cards you would send. Those were great. A little packet of tea with your words of great wisdom.
I hate titles. I have to come up with titles for sermons and they almost always are awful. I’m glad I don’t have anyone saying, “no, come up with another one.”
I have a couple of favorites on flavors. My long time favorite is Peppermint, and that is the one I run to, especially when I am feeling down. Then my two other ‘favorites’ are Bengal Spice by Celestial Seasonings and Vanilla Chai by Bigelow. Awesome.
Blessings to you and Bigstreetrod!
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Darling, how kind of you to write. You reminded me of those tea cards. I enjoyed them. And thanks for the recommend of the Bigelow Vanilla Chai. I’ll see if it is gluten-free. You and Mike stay warm with the tea. Surely winter’s last blast. Hugs, CurtissAnn
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I just picked up a new tea for me a couple of hours ago, Celestial Seasonings Red Tea in African Orange Mango flavor. I had it as a cup of hot tea with stevia sweetener. Yum! It’s snowing tonight…
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Denise– thanks for the tip on the new flavor! I see you wrapped warmly and enjoying. CA
Sent from my iPhone
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I love both hot and cold nowadays. I get thirsty for tea every time I pick up one of your novels and start catching up with my friends in Valentine. They drink a lot of cold tea in that town!
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We drink iced tea the year round here in Missouri and also hot tea. I even bought a tea pot when we were in England I got so carried away with tea, it looks nice in the china cabinet! We drink a lot of Nestea for iced tea and the bags of different flavors for hot tea.
Enjoy your blog as well as all of your books I have read. Do you have a new one coming out any time soon?? Sincerely, Marilyn Morse
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You are all so kind to mention my books. The next installment of the Valentine tales will be published in June of this year.
Funny, but I see a progression through my books, with more mentions of hot tea in ‘Chin Up, Honey’. Maybe it depends on the season in which I’m writing.
Hugs,
CA
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