Monday, July 20, 2015

Music Monday - "Pata Pata" - Miriam Makeba (1967)

When I am working, I listen to XM Radio.  I love their '60's on 6 channel, and it is frequently on here.  "Pata Pata" by Miriam Makeba is a song that I always turn up.  I knew very little about the song or artist, and wanted to learn more.

Miriam Makeba (1932 - 2008) was a South African singer and civil rights activist.  She is the musical artist who first popularized African music worldwide.  "Pata Pata" was released in 1967.  The title means "touch touch."  It charted at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1967.

Miriam  Makeba had a full life, including winning the Dag Hammarskjold Peace Prize, performing at the 1974 Muhammad Ali - George Foreman "Rumble in the Jungle" fight, starring in the movie Sarafina!, and touring the world with Paul Simon for his Graceland album. 

Here is a wonderful video of Miriam Makeba performing on The Ed Sullvan Show in 1967.  Enjoy!

Author Interview and Giveaway: Flora Lively and a Date with Death by Joanne Phillips

A Date With Death: Cozy Private Investigator Series
(Flora Lively Mysteries Book 2)

Publisher: Mirrorball Books (April 15, 2015)
Print Length: 183 pages
ASIN: B00W7GUVQI
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Synopsis
Amateur sleuth Flora Lively is back to investigate another mystery, and this time the body count is rising …

When Flora’s best friend returns to England with a Spanish film crew in tow, Flora is thrilled to land a job on set at a glamorous country house. But when a member of the crew is brutally murdered, and the priceless Infanta Tiara stolen, suspicion falls on everyone at Hanley Manor – including someone far too close to home.

When an arrest is made, Flora is plunged deep into a puzzling mystery, with no idea who she can and cannot trust. Surrounded by suspicion and bitter rivalries, she must keep one eye over her shoulder at all times. Because the murderer is about to strike again …

A Date With Death is a cozy English village mystery, ideal for readers who love cozy reads with romance and humor, and British mysteries on Kindle.

(Book #2 in the Flora Lively British cosy mysteries series) 

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Birdhouse Books Interviews Joanne Phillips 
Birdhouse: When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

Joanne: I realized when I was very young - I would retreat inside my head and have imaginary conversations, make up characters and settings, the kind of thing most children do. I loved to read, and I loved studying books at school, and I think the compulsion to write has just always been there. Some people are born to write, and that describes me.
Birdhouse: What was your favorite book as a child?
Joanne: There was a book about a unicorn, I think it was called Elidor. I loved that, and the Magic Faraway Tree series. And everything by Enid Blyton.
Birdhouse: What is your writing day like?  Do you have any interesting writing quirks?
Joanne: I’ve recently started trying to be more productive by not looking at email until after midday. It’s so easy to get caught up in emails, or social media, so by eliminating the temptation I can get on with work more effectively. After taking my daughter to school, I listen to the Archers on iPlayer (long-running Radio 4 drama serial) and then set to work. When I’m in writing mode - as opposed to planning mode, or marketing mode, or any other mode - I can write around 5,000 words a day if I get the time. Some days I’ve written 10,000 words, other days I struggle to get 500 I’m happy with. But you have to write. You have to just sit down and do it.
Birdhouse: What was the most surprising thing you learned while creating this book?
Joanne: That there are so many different ways of saying things in Spanish! I had the phrases double translated so they were accurate, but even the translators and Spanish-speaking beta readers couldn’t agree on the correct terminology for some things.
Birdhouse: Who are your favorite authors?
Joanne: I love Edie Claire for cozy mysteries, Anne Tyler for epic drama, and Carole Shields for fiction that inspires me.
Birdhouse: What is your next writing project?
Joanne: I’m currently editing my next book, Keeping Sam, which is women’s fiction, and then I’ll be working on the next Flora Lively book, The Sign of Seven.

 About The Author
Joanne Phillips lives in rural Shropshire, England, with her husband and young daughter. She’s the author of romantic comedies Can’t Live Without, The Family Trap and Cupid’s Way, and the Flora Lively series of contemporary mysteries. Can’t Live Without was an Amazon top 100 bestseller in 2012 and her books regularly appear on category bestseller lists. Before becoming a writer, Joanne had jobs as diverse as hairdresser, air hostess and librarian, but now divides her time between writing and finding creative ways to avoid housework. She’s a fan of super-dark chocolate, iced coffee and Masterchef. 

Author Links
http://www.joannephillips.co.uk
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/joannephillipsauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/joannegphillips
Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Joanne-Phillips/e/B0083UEG86/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2862086.Joanne_Phillips 

Purchase Links
US: http://www.amazon.com/Date-Death-Murder-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00W7GUVQI/
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Date-Death-Murder-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00W7GUVQI/

Giveaway
Winner will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card.
a Rafflecopter giveaway