Release date: June 19, 2018; novel
Drag Shows and the Case of the Missing Drag Queen
Thank you, Michelle, for the opportunity to tell your fans about my upcoming release. It’s not a romance. My attempts at writing love stories readers will enjoy have failed miserably. Instead, it’s a lighthearted mystery chocked full of interesting and memorable characters.
Friendless Luke lands a job tending bar in the Garden—a three-story venue with rooms designed to appeal to different segments of the LGBT community. Luke works in the Gilded Lily where drag queens perform every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. The cast includes the dark and lovely Simone, the queen of the cathouse Kitty Galore, the trailer park fairy Pixie Wilder, the pride of the Bluegrass Miss Ruby Dubonnet, and guest performers from near and far.
No other form of entertainment compares to a good drag show. Hell, even bad drag has entertainment value. There’s so much to it: hair, makeup, clothes, shoes, song choice, lip-syncing, engaging the audience and sucking them into the illusion. Perfecting the total package takes time.
No two queens are alike. As with strippers in a titty bar, performers want to stand out from the other queens. Styles run the gamut from raunchy to refined with everything in between and then some. RuPaul’s Drag Race is a fun show with top-notch performers. Still, behind-the-scenes drama aside, nothing compares to a live show.
Building a story around drag shows was a lot of fun. Writing dialogue for such colorful personalities was a blast, and finding songs for the queens to perform brought back a lot of memories. I hope reading the story will be as fun as writing it was.
Blurb
Broke, saddled with a mountain of debt, and dependent on his Aunt Callie's support, aspiring writer Luke Tanner has returned to Kentucky to put his life back together after a failed five-year relationship.
On his twenty-fifth birthday, Luke meets diminutive Pixie Wilder, a long-time performer at the Gilded Lily. After headliner Ruby Dubonnet doesn’t show up, Pixie takes her place as the star of the show—a motive that makes her a suspect in Ruby’s disappearance.
Luke reluctantly agrees to help his new-found friend clear her name. He and Pixie set out to find the missing drag queen, and in the process, put themselves in danger.
Cover Artist:
Alexandria Corza
https://www.seeingstatic.com/
Buy Links (Now available for preorder)
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Case-Missing-Queen-Tanner-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B07C94VK8S
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1128301067?ean=9781640806672
DSP Publications
eBook: https://www.dsppublications.com/books/the-case-of-the-missing-drag-queen-by-michael-rupured-459-b
Paperback: https://www.dsppublications.com/books/the-case-of-the-missing-drag-queen-by-michael-rupured-460-b
Michael Rupured writes stories true enough for government work about gay life from the 1960s to today. This life-long Southerner was born in Fayetteville NC, grew up in Lexington KY, and after 18 months in Washington DC, moved to Athens GA where he’s lived since 1999. By day, he’s senior faculty in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Georgia. He’s an avid fan of the Georgia Bulldogs, the Kentucky Wildcats, and any team playing the Florida Gators. In his free time, Michael tinkers with his garden, plays with Toodles (his diabetic chihuahua), and keeps up with his many friends around the country. Previous novels include Until Thanksgiving (thriller), No Good Deed (mystery/thriller), Whippersnapper (regional), and Happy Independence Day (historical).
Visit his website (http://rupured.com), follow on Twitter @Crotchetyman), like his Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMichaelRupured/) or shoot him a message (mrupured@gmail.com)
