The Goddess at Work: Inspired by Exotica

Posted on January 27, 2013 by tikigoddess

Aloha from Paradise,

I’ve been working on some new scenes for THREE TO GET LEI’D, Book 3 of my Tiki Goddess Mystery series and while I work I’ve been listening to and inspired by vintage exotica music classics. So inspired that I wrote a scene where the madcap Hula Maidens perform a hula number to the song “Kalua” and they dare to dance while holding flaming coconuts. (Rest assured, nothing good happens as a result.)

Kalua begins with native drum beats reminiscent of exotica, a musical genre that followed Les Baxter’s album Ritual of the Savage (Le Sacre du Sauvage) released in 1952.

Tribal rhythms and exotic sounds on his classic “Quiet Village” transported folks living in the USA’s newly laid out suburbs to whatever exotic paradise their minds could conjure. They began calling their patios and screened in porches “the lanai,” building tiki bars, shaking up frothy, tropical concoctions in shiny aluminum cocktail shakers, and maybe even planting a Tiki or three in their back yards.

In 1957, Martin Denny covered Les Baxter’s “Quiet Village”, with exotic bird calls and a vibraphone instead of strings, establishing the sound of the loosely (very loosely) Polynesian style music.  In 1959 Denny’s “Exotica” album reached #1 on Billboard’s charts. Arthur Lyman and Juan Garcia Esquivel are two more favorites of the genre. Now a host of new exotica performers like Don Tiki and Kava Kon are following in their footsteps.

Exotica albums are filled with the sound of bird calls–perfect for inspiring more hilarious scenes in the Tiki Goddess Mystery series that feature the now famous taste-testing parrot, David Letterman.  Big-cat roars and shrieking monkeys, weird sounds of sirens “ooo-oooing,” chants, vocalized animal calls and growls blend with the haunting sounds of vibes, congas and bongos, bells and more.

Freaky Tiki? You bet.

Time to Get Freaky

So whether you’re a fan of the Tiki Goddess Mystery series, a collector of all things Tiki, or hopefully both, why not take a time-out, kick back, and listen to some classic exotica music?

No telling what taboo you might be inspired to break!

Tiki On,

The Tiki Goddess

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Off to a Tiki Start for 2013!

Posted on January 6, 2013 by tikigoddess

Aloha All,

New readers and old friends have found The Tiki Goddess Mystery series thanks to a wild and crazy December of Amazon promotions for both MAI TAI ONE ON and TWO TO MANGO. With specials running all month long both books climbed the best seller lists and MAI TAI ONE ON even went to #1 on the Free book list for Amazon Kindle downloads.

Well, of course, you might say. Why not? After all, it was free. But considering the long long list of free books available for Amazon kindle downloads … 54,714 at this moment to be exact…I was actually stunned when I got the news … and it takes a lot to stun a Tiki Goddess!

What does that mean for me and for the fans of the Hula Maidens? Well, it means more folks will be reading TWO TO MANGO and waiting anxiously for book #3, THREE TO GET LEI’D. They’re already threatening to riot if there’s not another book signing party at the Tahiti Nui soon!

For the next few weeks I’m going to be finishing up the manuscript and getting it off to my fabulous publishers at Bell Bridge Books, Deb Smith and Debra Dixon. These women had the vision it takes to believe that books set in Hawaii will sell if offered to readers. Nothing like some success to light a fire under this Goddess. Sure, I’d rather be dancing hula and working out with the old cocktail shaker than writing, but there are more tales of mystery, murder and mayhem to be told and someone with a whacky but adorable bunch of friends needs to be writing them.

So for now, a hui hou! ‘Til  we meet again…wish me luck.

The Tiki Goddess

 

 

 

 

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Two to Mango Party a Smash!

Posted on October 26, 2012 by tikigoddess

Aloha!

The TWO TO MANGO party was a smash hit! So great in fact that it’s taken me months to recover from signing all those copies of TWO TO MANGO and we even sold a pile of MAI TAI ONE ON copies (Book 1 in the Tiki Goddess series).

Hula Maidens in Disguise (Could that be Kiki and Flora?)

For those of you who weren’t there, you missed the inspirational Hula Maidens in great form! Not only did they come in costume, but some of them came in disguise. And why not? They danced their hula toes down to the nubs as they sipped likiko’i tequinis, mai tais, mango rum punch and of course, white wine.

As always, Julia Witford of the Tahiti Nui made sure the party went off without a hitch and the pizza cuts kept on coming.

 

 

 

 

Robin Savage of Robin Savage Gifts Hanalei kept me busy in the back signing books while the incomparable Beverly and Patrick Kauanui accompanied by the Ukulele Na Haumana O’Namolokama Band filled the Nui with music and dance to the delight of kama’aina and the tourists who walked into the chaos and were

welcomed with open arms.

Goddess Beatte with Author and Autographed Copy

 

Was I surprised when Kauai County Councilman Kipukai Kuali’i stopped by! The bevy of decked out Goddesses enticed him and his entourage to stay, celebrate, and meet a host of North Shore voters.

A good time was had by all, as usual. If there is one thing the Tiki Goddesses are known for it’s having Fun with a capital F. Now it’s time to get back to work on the 3rd book of the Tiki Goddess Mystery series…Three to Get Lei’d.

Until #3 is finished, you can keep on reading Mai Tai One on and Two to Mango. Both are available online as ebook downloads or can be ordered from your favorite bookseller. Check out the pages of this website for links for ordering. Or, if you are lucky enough to get to Hanalei, you can pick up an autographed copy at Robin Savage Gifts in the Ching Young Center.

A hui hou,  (’til we meet again!)

The Tiki Goddess

 

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August 19th Book Signing!

Posted on August 6, 2012 by tikigoddess

Aloha Readers,

Aloha to all of you out there in Tiki land near and far.

It’s time to celebrate the publication of Two to Mango, book 2 of the Tiki Goddess Mystery series with a book signing party!!

Sunday August 19th, 3to 5 p.m., Tahiti Nui Bar and Restaurant…read on for details.

Okay, so the book came out in June, so why wait you might ask? Or not…

We needed to order a box of books. Someone at the publishing house usually straps them on the back of a turtle and sends it on it’s way to Hawaii.

But seriously, this year Belle Books got the copies to me really quickly…but then we had to wait until there was an open date at our favorite venue…a place where we can all congregate…the world famous Tahiti Nui Bar and Restaurant on the North Shore of Kauai.

Some say the “Nui” (as it is often lovingly referred to) is the inspiration for the Tiki Goddess Mysteries…if you don’t live in Hawaii I hope you are  lucky enough to stop by the Nui someday and have a Mai Tai or one of my favorite concoctions…a Liliko’i Margarita.

They say blogs aren’t supposed to run on and on so I’ll get right to the point… IF you are on Kauai and you can stop by…please join us at the Tahiti Nui in Hanalei on AUGUST 19TH, SUNDAY, from 3 to 5 p.m. for some pupus, music, and loads of crazy fun!

No host bar (I don’t sell THAT many books) but we’ll have books for sale if you need one. Or five.

If you need an excuse to put on your Tiki Goddess Garb….(who ever needed an excuse?) then for sure dress up and pretend you are one of the book characters (or maybe you are one of them). Be a Hula Maiden for the day…or you can be the suave Uncle Louie, the devastatingly handsome Detective Roland Sharpe, or you might even want to be one of the victims.

So dust off your leopard print muumuu, your ukulele, and get ready to have some fun island style. Wet your whistle by reading the EXCERPT from Two to Mango…go back to the HOME page and click on EXCERPT.

Hope to see you at the book signing! Have comment or question? Click on Comment below.

Aloha nui,

The Tiki Goddess

 

 

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Recipe for a Two To Mango

Posted on July 13, 2012 by tikigoddess

What’s a Two to Mango? Well, it’s a book on sale now…as you can tell by the pages on this website.

It’s also the name of a champagne cocktail that’s just right for a summer celebration.

Here’s the recipe. For each drink you’ll need:
1 Lime wedge
sugar
2 oz of mango nectar
champagne

Fill a saucer with a bit of sugar. Moisten the rim of a champagne flute with the lime wedge; dip the rim into the sugar. Pour 2 oz of mango nectar into a glass; top with champagne.

You can also drop a piece of mango into the glass before adding the ingredients.

Do you have a favorite champagne cocktail? Leave a comment.

Aloha,

The Tiki Goddess

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