BeatNikki’s Café may be one of the most relevant novels I have read this year, with its realistic portrayal of the horrific treatment of the transgender community in the US over the last few years. It is set during the first summer of the Trump presidency.
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!
Fifty-four years ago, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, drag kings and queens, people of color, and white, all had enough and fought back against the unfair and discriminatory treatment they experienced in every civilized sphere: social, economic, and government. The LGBTQ+ community has seen huge expanses in equal rights: marriage, serving in the military, and in some states civil rights protections. However, as the LGBTQ+ community gains rights, the far right continues to attack and try to push the community back into the closet.
KRL interviews a lot of artists and writers, and during Pride Month, we especially like to highlight those in the LGBTQ+ community. This week we are interviewing local poet Aidan Castro. Aiden grew up in Dinuba and recently graduated from Fresno State.
Here is another Rogue Festival show review, with more to follow tomorrow! Be sure to head out to weekend two of this year's Festival starting on Thursday! You will be able to find all of our Rogue Festival Reviews in our Rogue Festival Section here on KRL!
I’d been noodling the idea of doing a story like TERF Wars for a while. But there was always another story that I found more exciting to write.
Pauper and Prince in Harlem is the fourth book in the Ross Agency series. It features private detective SJ Rook, known by most as just Rook. He works for Norment Ross and his daughter Sabrina. Rook is also dating Sabrina, or Brina as he calls her.
During Pride, we are featuring some local members of the LGBTQ+ arts community. This week we chatted with transgender designer Erin Rana from Fresno who is also involved in local theatre.
I have to admit that I don’t typically read books about biker bounty hunters, but when I learned about the book Chaser, it drew my interest and I decided to give it a try. The thing that caught my attention was the fact that the main character is transgender, something you don’t see enough of in mystery fiction. But there’s so much more to this book and this character than the fact that she is transgender. She is a kick ass, capable woman and a wonderful main character.
You know what I like about the holidays? Dressing up! And who likes dressing up even more than I do? Kids! On a sunny Sunday in mid-December, a bunch of kids came together with another group of people who are even more enthusiastic about dressing to the nines: drag queens and kings. The event was Drag Story Time and from designer dresses to plaid pajamas and a pint-sized Santa Claus, everyone looked marvelous.
