Guest Post: Collecting Vintage Children's Books
I really enjoyed writing a guest post today for Mother Daughter Book Reviews. You'll find the link above, and I hope you'll stop by and leave a comment! Pictured above -- Ramona the Pest, Henry Huggins, and Ribsy the dog, all from one of my favorite authors, Beverly Cleary.
A southern girl chatting about books, ephemera, life, love, dogs and all things vintage!
Monday, August 17, 2015
Music Monday - "Li'l Red Riding Hood" by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs (1966)
"Li'l Red Riding Hood" was a novelty hit in 1966. It made it to number 2 on the Billboard Top 100. This song was sung by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. Sam the Sham was actually Domingo Samudio. He hauled his music equipment in a 1950's vintage hearse! Here is a fun performance video from 1966, interspersed with an old Betty Boop cartoon. I thought this fun, quirky song would be a good music break today.
Do you remember this tune? What is your favorite novelty song?
Do you remember this tune? What is your favorite novelty song?
Author Interview and Giveaway: Black Cat and the Accidental Angel by Elaine Faber
Black Cat and the Accidental Angel
Cozy Mystery
Paperback: 246 pages
Publisher: Elk Grove Publications (April 1, 2015)
ISBN-13: 978-1940781112
E-Book ASIN: B00W4J9ZVU
Synopsis:
When their carrier is left behind following an MVA, Thumper awakes with amnesia. His companion says, “Call me Angel, I’m here to take care of you.” Why she won’t share their history or tell him his real name is a mystery.
No sooner than the cats are taken in by John and his daughter, Cindy at a vineyard and Emu farm, strange and progressively harmful pranks begin to occur, threatening Cindy’s safety.
A surprising discovery and an unexpected meeting with a stranger brings about changes to their lives. Black Cat (Thumper) struggles to remember his past and yearns to return to his family, but Angel insists they must stay and help John resolve his financial troubles. As the summer progresses, Black Cat experiences despair, shame, loss, and finally acceptance and joy. But, when a final threat to Cindy arises, Angel risks her life to protect the child she has come to love, and Black Cat learns there are more important things in life than knowing your own name.
When their carrier is left behind following an MVA, Thumper awakes with amnesia. His companion says, “Call me Angel, I’m here to take care of you.” Why she won’t share their history or tell him his real name is a mystery.
No sooner than the cats are taken in by John and his daughter, Cindy at a vineyard and Emu farm, strange and progressively harmful pranks begin to occur, threatening Cindy’s safety.
A surprising discovery and an unexpected meeting with a stranger brings about changes to their lives. Black Cat (Thumper) struggles to remember his past and yearns to return to his family, but Angel insists they must stay and help John resolve his financial troubles. As the summer progresses, Black Cat experiences despair, shame, loss, and finally acceptance and joy. But, when a final threat to Cindy arises, Angel risks her life to protect the child she has come to love, and Black Cat learns there are more important things in life than knowing your own name.
Birdhouse Books Interviews Elaine Faber
Birdhouse: When did you realize
you wanted to be a writer?
Elaine: I think I’ve been a
writer since I was a child, writing poems for my mother. I began writing short stories in high school
on my little manual typewriter. I still have a folder full of brown, dog-eared
pages from this time. One of these days, I’ll look them over, revise some of
them and spring them on an unsuspecting world.
Birdhouse: What was your favorite
book as a child?
Elaine: I read Heidi and Little
Women as a young girl, and To Kill a Mockingbird as a teen, but the book that
most influenced my writing career was
Paul Gallico’s Silent Meow, a book with photographs of Mr. Gallico and his wife
and a cat that ‘took over’ the family. The book is supposed to be written by
the cat! It was the first book I ever read from the cat’s point of view and the
concept fascinated me. I think the concept for my novels, Black Cat’s Legacy,
Black Cat and the Lethal Lawyer, and Black Cat and the Accidental Angel, where
Thumper tells part of the story from his point of view, came from this early
exposure to Mr. Gallico’s wonderful book. Yes, it’s still on my shelf in a
place of honor.
Birdhouse: What is your writing
day like? Do you have any interesting writing quirks?
Elaine: I suppose I’m a pretty
boring writer. Don’t get up at 4:00 AM to write. Don’t
write longhand in a yellow tablet or use a manual typewriter any more. Don’t
play the Grateful Dead in earphones.
Writing is supposed to be fun. I write new stories when the mood
strikes. I’m at my desk every day, either writing, editing, promoting, working
on a guest post, beseeching cooperative bloggers for interviews (LOL) or
whatever else the day requires. I work on my ‘craft/business’ every day in some
manner, but have no particular requirement for XX number of words per day. That
doesn’t sound like fun to me.
Birdhouse: What was the most
surprising thing you learned while creating this book?
Elaine: As with all my books, the
characters surprise me with their unexpected twists and turns. Often the
characters behave in ways that I had not planned. We know that in a Cozy, you
can’t kill a cat or a child, but there is a scene in Black Cat and the
Accidental Angel, where a character is in a life-threatening situation with
seemingly no way out. I always figure it out, but there are times when I may
sit with chill bumps on my arms, scratching my head and saying, “Now, what the
heck shall I do?”
Birdhouse: Who are your favorite
authors?
Elaine: I love Elizabeth Peters, who writes a mystery in Egypt during 1930-40’s.
Of course, Agatha Christie and Ellery Queen are favorites. I love John
Steinbeck who can turn a phrase so beautifully. I love many cozy mystery
writers too numerous to name.
Birdhouse: What is your next writing
project?
Elaine: My current WIP, a
humorous mystery, Mrs. Odboddy, Home Town Patriot, is scheduled for next
spring. It is set during WWII in hometown United States. I’ve added many
little-known historical facts about that era with the humorous exploits of an
elderly eccentric lady who sees conspiracies and Nazi spies around every bush.
As she attempts to bring the scoundrels to justice, she encounters stolen
Hawaiian money, six chickens, a casket company and an old lover from WWI.
Thanks for the opportunity to share my books with your readers. I hope
they will check them out on Amazon.
About The Author
Elaine Faber’s short stories are
published in magazines and multiple anthologies. She is an active member
of Sisters in Crime, Inspire Christian Writers and Cat Writers
Association.
Elaine is author of the Black Cat Mysteries involving Thumper, the cat who solves mysteries with the aid of his ancestor’s memories: Black Cat’s Legacy; Black Cat and the Lethal Lawyer, and Black Cat and the Accidental Angel.
Elaine lives in Elk Grove with her husband of 51 years. (That’s a marriage of 51 years, not a husband of 51 years). They share their home with four house cats, the inspiration for her Black Cat Mysteries. A portion of the sales proceeds goes to animal rescue programs.
Author Links
Website: www.mindcandymysteries.comElaine is author of the Black Cat Mysteries involving Thumper, the cat who solves mysteries with the aid of his ancestor’s memories: Black Cat’s Legacy; Black Cat and the Lethal Lawyer, and Black Cat and the Accidental Angel.
Elaine lives in Elk Grove with her husband of 51 years. (That’s a marriage of 51 years, not a husband of 51 years). They share their home with four house cats, the inspiration for her Black Cat Mysteries. A portion of the sales proceeds goes to animal rescue programs.
Author Links
Facebook: http://facebook.elainefaber2
Purchase Links
Amazon
B&N
Book 2 in this Series
Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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