Tales of Diversity

Nov 2020 14

Ten Seasonal Stories Unlike Any Others: Festive Mayhem

2020 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze, Sharon Tucker, Tales of Diversity

by Sharon Tucker

What I love about each holiday season is that each is unlike any other before. The celebrations themselves usually stay within certain parameters but including different people in the mix or going to a new place during the season adds verve and just might open our perceptions. This is true of reading holiday stories from a variety of authors’ points of view, and in Festive Mayhem: Ten Stories of Holiday Mystery, Crime and Suspense (2020), Carolyn Marie Wilkins has collected works that celebrate diversity.

Nov 2020 7

Valley BMX Olympian Brooke Crain Rides Through a Rough 2020

2020 Articles, Sports, Steven Sanchez, Tales of Diversity

by Steven Sanchez

The year 2020 has undoubtedly been a rough one for everybody. I don’t need to make a list of what has transpired during the last few months that hasn’t already been talked about, and thrown in our faces every day. It’s been quite an adjustment for all the people who have had to cope with just existing in this first year of the new decade. Some have found a way to thrive; some, unfortunately, have had a tough time. There are those who are just taking it day by day, and taking the good with the bad. For Valley resident and Olympic BMX rider, Brooke Crain, this year has been one heck of a ride.

Nov 2020 7

The Player By Joe Cosentino: Review/Giveaway/Guest Post

2020 Articles, Lorie Lewis Ham, Mysteryrat's Maze, Tales of Diversity

by Lorie Lewis Ham
& Joe Cosentino

When asked to review The Player I was immediately intrigued by the premise and said yes, and boy am I glad that I did. The Player is actually two separate cozy mysteries together, The City House and The Country House. They feature music teacher Andre Beaufort and playboy ghost Freddy Birtswistle.

Nov 2020 4

Love Power A Crescent City New Orleans Mystery

2020 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze, Tales of Diversity

by Martha Reed

One of the great joys of writing a new mystery series is meeting the unknown cast of characters being introduced into this freshly imagined world. A reader can rely on a certain amount of trust that the author will offer insights into the human condition in addition to creating characters that are interesting enough to follow for 300 pages. An author doesn’t have that initial luxury; we operate on blind faith knowing we can put a final polish on a character through editing.

Oct 2020 28

Looking Ahead, Our Eyes Wide Open Presented By College of the Sequoias

2020 Articles, Lorie Lewis Ham, Movies, Tales of Diversity, Theatre

by Lorie Lewis Ham

As the arts community continues to look for creative ways to share their talents in a Covid world, many theatre companies are turning more and more to streaming shows. This includes the performing arts department at the College of the Sequoias which will be posting a show called Looking Ahead, Our Eyes Wide Open, on November 1. We chatted with Chris Mangels, Professor of Theatre and Cinema at College of the Sequoias, to learn more.

Oct 2020 3

A Body to Dye For By Grant Michaels: Review/Giveaway

2020 Articles, Lorie Lewis Ham, Mysteryrat's Maze, Tales of Diversity

by Lorie Lewis Ham

A Body to Dye For is the first book in Grant Michaels’ Stan Kraychik mystery series. This book was originally published in 1990 and last year was republished by ReQueered Tales as part of their efforts to preserve gay and lesbian fiction. This book was nominated as the Best Gay Mystery at the 3rd annual Lambda Literary Awards in 1991. Sadly, Grant is no longer with us, but his wonderful stories live on.

Sep 2020 5

When Friends Share a Passion for Reading: The Story Behind ReQueered Tales

2020 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze, Tales of Diversity

by Alexander Inglis

It’s not every day that you wake up one morning and say: “Why don’t I start a mystery publishing house?” It was almost like that with ReQueered Tales, an indie publisher of LGBTQ fiction started in the early spring of 2019. Three online friends – we’ve still never met in person – chatting in a Facebook gay mystery group were bemoaning the number of gay mystery novels that had slipped out of print. After some due diligence, ReQueered Tales was born.

Sep 2020 5

Pauper and Prince in Harlem by Delia C. Pitts: Review/Giveaway

2020 Articles, Lorie Lewis Ham, Mysteryrat's Maze, Tales of Diversity

by Lorie Lewis Ham

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.

Jul 2020 29

Writing the Nicky and Noah Mysteries: Book Ten Drama Runway

2020 Articles, Mysteryrat's Maze, Tales of Diversity

by Joe Cosentino

“You gotta work it!” Don’t you just love a fashion show? The anticipation in the air, flashing lights, pounding music, enticing runway, gorgeous models, captivating clothes, and revealing costume malfunctions. I find runway shows mesmerizing. So I couldn’t resist setting the tenth novel in my popular Nicky and Noah mystery series during a fashion show.

Jun 2020 27

Interview with Local Designer Erin Rana

2020 Articles, Arts & Entertainment, Lorie Lewis Ham, Tales of Diversity, Theatre

by Lorie Lewis Ham

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.