After-Action Report: Left Coast Crime

I have owed you guys a report on Left Coast Crime: Southwest Sleuths for a little while. I have previously written about the hotel, but must say in the spirit of fairness that the manager arranged a partial refund for our troubles. So, that was something.

Anyway, fellow author T.E. MacArthur and I headed off to Albuquerque on our adventure.  My friend John, who worked for me in my newspaper days, and his husband Francis live there. They drove us to Santa Fe (where we visited La Fonda, one of the original Harvey Houses, and saw the Miraculous Staircase of Loretto) and took us out for dinner several times. We particularly enjoyed the Route 66 diner. I also got meet a long-time on-line friend in person; Christie came to the conference and sat at my table for the banquet.

The conference was excellent; I came home with several books (both physical and electronic), having had a splendid time attending panels by favorite authors like  David Morrell and Susan Elia MacNeal. As a bonus, I made new friends.

My own panel was in the last slot on the last day, and I figured we’d be talking amongst  ourselves. I was pleasantly surprised to have a full room!  Unfortunately, there are no photos.

(Photos taken by John and Francis)

Weekend Reads: “Playing With Myself”

Playing with MyselfPlaying with Myself by Randy Rainbow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is just as fast-paced, funny, and poignant as you might expect.

Randy Rainbow pulls back the curtain and shows us his life as a shy, chubby kid with an abusive father — of whom former president DJT put Rainbow very much in mind. His mother and grandmother encouraged Rainbow’s interest in musical theatre, and soon he was performing himself.

Rainbow’s encyclopedic knowledge of musical theatre is, of course, what eventually led him to fame; I’m one of the millions who eagerly awaited each new parody video (all of which, by the bye, are made in Rainbow’s living room, where one wall is painted chromakey green).

This book lets us see the man behind the pink glasses: fanboy, cat lover, and introvert. But it also shows us the clever LGBTQ+ icon at his best; you can literally hear his voice in the text.

I loved every minute of it.

View all my reviews

Bonus Tracks: Ramin Karimloo

I was going to wait until tomorrow to post a By Special Request article, but it turns out that today is the 9-year anniversary of the first time I saw Ramin Karimloo perform outside of theatrical roles (he is currently starring on Broadway as Nick Arnstein in “Funny Girl”). The trip was fraught with adventure, including the police busting a prostitution ring in the hotel where I stayed. Avoid the dodgy end of Lankershim in North Hollywood, friends!

Here are some tracks for your enjoyment!