Welcome, welcome to the ReCooper8 Christmas Special blog post, to accompany the Christmas Special ReCooper8 Broadcast, beaming out to a radio near you on:
Thursday 19th December @ 8pm
Sunday 22nd December @ 10pm
Thursday 26th December @ 8pm
on Arrow FM, 92.7FM, or click listen live right here.
I’ve got a great gin-infused* show for you tonight, featuring an interview with the lovely Johanna Knox, locally based author of The Flypaper series for young (and indeed not so young!) readers. We have a great chat about the first in the Fly Paper Series, The Flytrap Snaps, the art of writing in the midst of a busy life and future plans. I would strongly recommend The Flytrap Snaps, and the most recent book in what will be an eight-book series, The Sundew Stalks, as a Christmas present for any keen reader age 7 and up. Cracking pace, great characters, and enough twists and turns to keep you reading well after you should have turned your lights out! Here’s where you can purchase them:
The Fly Papers books are available in Wellington at Marsden Books in Karori and The Children’s Bookshop in Kilbirnie, and also at Unity Books.
It’s a little trickier in the Wairarapa now that Craft Country is no more, but hopefully Almo’s in Carterton will be stocking a few more, and potentially Mr Feather’s Den in Featherston. You can also buy online at the publisher’s website, http://www.hinterlands.co.nz/
Johanna’s has also recently published a beautiful natural history title, The Forager’s Treasury, which is available in all good bookshops (again, I’d thoroughly recommend it as a gift for someone special!).
In preparing the interview for the show, I asked Johanna for a few of her favourite tracks. Dramophone by Caravan Palace, a French Electro Swing and Gypsy Jazz band, was the only one that survived the edit, but that must not stop you having a listen to the rest of Johanna’s recommendations! Check out this feature length track and video from masters of the dark musical arts, Kaizers Orchestra, and, if you fancy a boogy, you really can’t go far wrong with a bit more from Caravan Palace!
More music from Humming House, the obligatory Christmas track all about snow, The Shot Band, and tittle tattle about arts in the Wairarapa!
Thank you to all my wonderful guests this year! You’ve inspired me and entertained me and I feel privileged to have spoken to each and every one of you. Thank you for listening, whether that be on the radio or the internet on the 3rd and 4th Thursdays of each month, by clicking on my interview files, or by downloading the podcast! I’m really looking forward to launching myself into 2014, and bring you more of the wonderful voices, stories and music of this region and beyond! Best wishes to you all, I hope you and your families have a very Merry Christmas, and here’s to a happy and healthy 2014!
*No gin was harmed in the making of this programme.
ReCooper8 