A warm welcome to author Michael Rupured joining us here at Love Bytes to talk about his new release “The Case of the Missing Drag Queen”.

Welcome Michael 🙂

I’m excited about today’s release of my fifth novel, The Case of the Missing Drag Queen. Becoming an author was never on my to-do list. To be honest, writing a novel looked to be beyond my ability—like playing chess or repairing gasoline-powered engines.

 

Impatience is the problem. Reading directions is not my thing. Where’s the challenge? I act like I know what I’m doing and figure it out as I go. Most the time, nobody knows the difference—myself included.

 

Deciding to start a blog ten years ago started me down the path to becoming an author. Writing to entertain was a blast! Fans said I should write a book—advice that led me to join the Athens Writers Workshop. This talented group included editors, published authors across a variety of genres, an eclectic mix of well-educated aspiring writers, and me. The critiques they gave each other introduced me to conflict, stakes, tension, point of view, and more.

 

The critiques of my work were invaluable, but sometimes more than I was ready to learn. Following their suggestions fixed problems I didn’t always understand. After Whippersnapper was published, I finally got something they’d tried to tell me: A novel is about a main character’s literal or figurative journey.

 

I almost got it with Whippersnapper. The main character should have been one of the guys involved in a May-September romance. Peggy Tucker highjacked the plot and made the story about her. Ignore the cover and blurb and it’s a great story!

 

The Case of the Missing Drag Queen is my first novel that is intentionally about the main character’s journey. I’m slow, but sooner or later, I do learn.

The Case of the Missing Drag Queen

Series: Luke Tanner Mysteries, Book One

Publisher: DSP Publications

Genre: Mystery, LGBT Fiction

Word Count: 60K

Cover Artist: Alexandria Corza

 

BUY LINKS

AMAZON | B&N | KOBO | DSP PUBLICATIONS

 

 

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.

 

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, follow on Twitter and Goodreads, like his Facebook page, or shoot him a message (mrupured@gmail.com).