You’ve undoubtedly heard of American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, the First Lady of Song, but you likely don’t know much about her early life. My guest this week aims to change all that. Diane Richards is an author, playwright, singer, producer, and the Executive Director of the Harlem Writers Guild, which launched and supported Dr. Maya Angelou’s writing career, Diane’s novel “Ella” is a fictionalized biography spanning two years of Ella’s life, from her mother’s death in 1932 to her breakout performance at the Apollo Theater in 1934. Diane, herself, is a talented dancer and singer, performing at Carnegie Hall and singing backup for Whitney Houston. Her lyricism pours through the pages, as Ella falls from one unbelievable tragedy to another, an ode to the tenacity, resilience, and talent of Ella Fitzgerald  as powerful as any gospel. https://www.diane-richards.com/https://www.instagram.com/thedianerichards/https://twitter.com/DianeRichards_ Join us on Patreon: patreon.com/parisundergroundradioFind Us OnlineWebsite: https://www.parisundergroundradio.com/storytimeinparisFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisundergroundradioInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisundergroundradio/ CreditsHost and Producer: Jennifer Geraghty. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter: @jennyphoria; Website: http://jennyphoria.comMusic CreditsHip Hop Rap Instrumental (Crying Over You) by christophermorrow  https://soundcloud.com/chris-morrow-3​  Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0  Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/2AHA5G9​  Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/hiYs5z4xdBU​ About UsSince well before Victor Hugo looked up at Notre Dame and thought, "Huh... what if a hunchback lived in there?" authors have been inspired by Paris. The Storytime in Paris podcast will help keep this tradition alive with short interviews and readings from your favorite contemporary authors with a French connection.  Every episode will feature five questions, asked by you, our authors' biggest fans, and answered live on air. Then, our authors will treat us to a reading of an excerpt from their book. Who knows? Maybe you'll even be inspired to write your own Great French Novel. Happy listening! 

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