Pride

Jun 2023 24

Charlotte Illes is Not a Detective By Katie Siegel: Review/Giveaway/Excerpt

2023 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Cynthia Chow

Charlotte knew the evening was going downhill as soon as her date said that she’d Googled her. Charlotte was indeed once a “mini Sherlock Holmes,” only without a Watson or cocaine habit (she’d learned to not joke about the last part). No longer a ten-year-old famous for successfully solving crimes operated out of a detective business in her family’s garage, Charlotte is now an aimless twenty-year-old Gen Z-er still living at home while futilely looking for a job that gives her a sense of purpose.

Jun 2023 24

Q & A With Nick Vargas From The Source LGBT+ Center

2023 Articles, Helping Hands, Lorie Lewis Ham

by Lorie Lewis Ham

As we wrap up Pride month, this week we have an interview with Nick Vargas, who is the Director of Development and Strategy at The Source LGBT+ Center in Visalia. Nick is also one of the Co-Founders of The Source which opened in 2016.

Jun 2023 21

Don’t Forget the Girl

2023 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Rebecca McKanna

In my novel, Don’t Forget the Girl, one of the central themes is vulnerability - when and how we let people really see us. One of the characters, Chelsea, allows people to misinterpret her sexuality. Her most formative romantic relationship was with a woman when she was a teenager. However, they kept it a secret, and once the other woman died, Chelsea never felt right telling that story. With that omission of her romantic history, people read her as straight rather than bi, and she never corrects that misconception, even though sometimes it feels lonely.

Jun 2023 21

Palm Springs, An Oasis

2023 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze

by David Pederson

My tenth murder mystery, Murder at the Oasis, takes place in Palm Springs, California, in 1946. It features Mason Adler, a gay private detective, and his decorator friend, Walter Wingate, as they travel from Phoenix, Arizona, to Palm Springs for a relaxing getaway that turns out to be anything but.

Jun 2023 17

Queer We Are Podcast

2023 Articles, Lorie Lewis Ham, Mysteryrat's Maze, Podcasts

by Lorie Lewis Ham

KRL strives throughout the year to support the LGBTQIA community whenever and however we can, but we make an extra effort during Pride month! This month we are reviewing LGBTQIA mysteries, featuring members of local LGBTQIA groups such as The Source, interviewing a local drag queen (in this issue), and more! This week we chatted with mystery author Brad Shreve about his new podcast Queer We Are!

Jun 2023 17

Queer Mystery Coming Attractions: July 2023

2023 Articles, Coming Attractions!, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Matt Lubbers-Moore

Although Pride Month is almost over and everyone who participated in lots of little ways by either running a booth, marching in a parade, attending multiple city Prides, or protesting, is likely to be exhausted. But we can’t stop fighting for our rights. We can’t stop demanding corporations continue to stand up for all LGBTQ+ peoples, for politicians who marched in the parades, and got their pictures taken at Drag Shows to be held accountable for the promises they made, and family members to constantly be reminded which pronouns to use no matter how uncomfortable it is.

Jun 2023 17

Q&A With Local Drag Queen Priscilla McNamara

2023 Articles, Arts & Entertainment, Lorie Lewis Ham

by Lorie Lewis Ham

KRL had the wonderful pleasure of interviewing local drag queen, Priscilla McNamara, for Pride month this year! She is a delight and I hope to get to meet her in person soon!

Jun 2023 14

Mystery on the Menu

2023 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Nicole Kimerling

My new book, Mystery on the Menu is a cozy culinary mystery set in the fictional town of Orca’s Slough, a tiny island tourist destination in Puget Sound. It features Chef Drew Allison, the chef/owner of a struggling restaurant called the Eelgrass Bistro. One day Drew goes in to open the shop and finds his bartender dead in the basement — murdered with Drew’s own personal knife. Drew’s day only gets worse from there.

Jun 2023 10

Rehearsed to Death: A Domestic Partners Mystery By Frank A. Polito: Review/Giveaway

2023 Articles, Cynthia Chow, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Cynthia Chow

As their popular Domestic Partners Home Design TV show goes on hiatus, it’s the perfect time for actor JP Broadway and his fiancé Peter “PJ” Penwell to take to the stage. The bestselling author of teen mysteries, PJ has written the original play Blue Tuesday about two couples impacted by one momentous day. Their local community troupe will be presenting the production and starring JP with a renowned Michigan theatre director coming in to direct.

Jun 2023 10

LGBTQ+ Inclusion In Mysteries: Expanding the Possibilities

2023 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze

by Martha Reed

People wonder why I chose New Orleans as the setting for Love Power, my Crescent City NOLA Mystery. There were a few reasons. One, I had conceived of my traditional Nantucket Mystery series as a trilogy, and No Rest for the Wicked, Book 3 was done. As I cast around for a new setting, something topical, eye-catching, and fresh, I knew I needed a location where my characters could encounter serious problems. With 300 pages to fill, personal conflicts are a great sustaining plot device!