What Does a Character’s Karaoke Song Choice Say About Them? by Mia Manansala

Jenn McKinlay: One of my absolute favorite new mystery series is the Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mysteries. I fell in love with Arsenic and Adobo and I've been addicted ever since. Our friend, Mia, has three in the series out now, and she's here today to tell us more about her latest and there's a giveaway!!!

Mia P. Manansala: I can’t believe I’m already on my third published book when I still feel like such a newbie, but Blackmail and Bibingka, the third book in the award-winning Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series is out now! 

ORDER NOW!

After some of the heavier issues I dealt with in my second book, Homicide and Halo-Halo, book three has all the fun and whimsy and DRAMA that the Christmas season can bring. My protagonist’s wayward cousin is back in town, bringing with him old hurts, new scandals, and, of course, another murder for Lila (my main character) to solve. 

On my Facebook Author Page, I shared an exclusive excerpt of a scene that takes place at a karaoke party at Lila’s family restaurant, Tita Rosie’s Kitchen. It’s meant to be a moment of lightness and fun in the midst of a tough investigation, but there’s much more going on than what’s on the surface. The excerpt starts with my protagonist, Lila, explaining to Dr. Jae Park the significance of people’s karaoke choices. 

This scene was so much fun to write, but a little tricky since my protagonist is a decade younger than me (and so are many of her friends) and has very different musical tastes. I also don’t really listen to a lot of contemporary American music, so I’m not sure what the cool kids are listening to (other than Beyonce, of course. She transcends all generational divides). I also didn’t want to do the thing that’s so common in teen movies/shows/books where I give my much younger protagonist my own music taste because 1) she was a baby when most of my favorite songs came out, why would she have the same taste, and 2) that’s so boring and says nothing about the character. I did cheat a little by having her choose older songs, but I tried to do it in a way that gave a bit more about her backstory. 

Mia at Karaoke!

Lila is an orphan–her parents died in a car accident when she was pretty young (I can’t remember if she was 8 or 10) and has been raised by her paternal aunt and grandmother ever since. Homicide and Halo-Halo had her dealing with memories of her mother, not all of them good. With her song choice in Blackmail and Bibingka, I wanted to reveal a bit more about her father, who hasn’t come up much. From the very first book, I established that Lila liked to sing. It was meant to be a throwaway thing because I needed to give her a talent and I thought it’d be fun if she were a good singer since I’m a terrible one. But as her character grew and deepened, I realized that her love of singing was something passed down from her father. He loved music and was always playing old songs around the house and singing along to them, so she grew up listening to and loving the music her father loved. And after he passed, those songs were a way she could still feel close to him. 

In the second book, I mentioned her singing “Witchy Woman” by the Eagles and in Blackmail and Bibingka, her song choice is “Ribbon in the Sky” by Stevie Wonder. Why those songs? Because they were among my own father’s favorites. He passed away in 2018, but I love finding ways to slip bits of him into my books. 

Because I write culinary cozies, I always say that a plate of food is never just a plate of food–it symbolizes so much more. The same could be said with song choices. 

Well, at least in fiction. I mean, there’s nothing particularly deep about me singing Backstreet Boys songs at karaoke, right? 

I’m giving away a signed paperback copy of my latest book, BLACKMAIL AND BIBINGKA, to one lucky commenter! To enter, let me know what your karaoke song is (or would be, if you’ve never done karaoke before). U.S. only. 

Mia P. Manansala (she/her) is the author of the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery series. The first book, ARSENIC AND ADOBO, garnered starred reviews from Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Shelf Awareness, and has won multiple awards. 

The New York Times stated, “Manansala peppers the narrative with enough red herrings to keep readers from guessing the killer, but the strength of the novel is how family, food and love intertwine in meaningful and complex ways,” which are common themes in her writing. 

 She is the winner of the 2022 Anthony Award for Best First Novel, 2022 Macavity Award for Best First Mystery, 2022 RUSA Reading List for Mystery, 2021 Agatha Award for Best First Novel, 2021 Chicago Reader’s Best New Novel by a Chicagoan, 2018 Hugh Holton Award, the 2018 Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award, the 2017 William F. Deeck - Malice Domestic Grant for Unpublished Writers, and the 2016 Mystery Writers of America/Helen McCloy Scholarship. 

Find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @MPMtheWriter Or check out her website: www.miapmanansala.com