He's also great company on road trips. So please welcome him to the blog!
The Queens of the Gilded Lily
The Case of the Missing Drag Queen is a
lighthearted mystery set in 1982. Much of the action takes place at the Gilded
Lily in Lexington, KY where our hero, Luke Tanner, tends bar for drag shows
every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. Writing a story set in my hometown
with a large cast of drag queens was almost as fun as a good drag show.
I’ve
seen hundreds of drag shows and watched thousands of drag queens perform since
my first trip to a gay bar in 1979. The venues ranged from a cleared dance
floor for shows in smaller clubs to the showroom at the Connection in
Louisville with a grand stage and theater-style seating for several hundred.
Talented performers who really know how to put on a show were the inspiration
for the queens of the Gilded Lily.
Ruby
Dubonnet, the headliner at the Gilded Lily, is the Pride of the Bluegrass.
She’s a seasoned professional with a huge following and a penchant for highly
dramatic performances. Nothing is the same after she disappears.
Pixie Wilder, the Trailer Park Fairy,
takes Ruby’s place as the headliner. She’s tiny for a guy and a bit of a
redneck with a thing for rhinestones, short skirts, and country music. Some of
Ruby’s loyal fans think Pixie is behind Ruby’s disappearance.
Simone (the Dirty Duchess of Broadway) and
Kitty Galore (Queen of the Cathouse) round out the cast of regular performers
at the Gilded Lily. Guests include Cammie Towers (Sophisticated Lady), Mimi Von
Sant (Madame on a Mission), and drag king Butch Manley (Man About Town). More
stars come out for the big Halloween bash.
Luke Tanner, our reluctant hero, doesn’t
want to get involved. Pixie talks him into helping her clear her name. The
harder he tries to walk away, the deeper he gets sucked into The Case of the Missing Drag Queen.
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.
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Author Bio
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)
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