Fabulous! An Opera Buffa

THE BOOK: Fabulous! An Opera Buffa.

PUBLISHED IN: 2018

THE AUTHOR: Laury A. Egan.

THE PUBLISHER: Tiny Fox Press.

SUMMARY: A talented opera singer, Gilbert Eugene Rose, moonlights as a drag queen and diva divine, Kiri De Uwana, in order to pay his rent. However, Gil is dying to become famous on the New York operatic stage; unfortunately he might get his wish when he lands lead roles as a soprano and tenor in separate productions and is also hired to sing Handel by a dangerous female gangster who is at war with the producer of one of the two operas. Suddenly, happy-go-lucky Gil finds himself stranded in the middle of Mobster Boulevard, aflutter in heels, dresses, and wigs, with only his wits for protection and a new romance for inspiration. A delightful divertissement for our somber times.

THE BACK STORY: I was sitting on my deck one morning and suddenly a voice winged in. It belonged to Gil, who was very funny and very persistent so I rushed to my computer and began writing, whereupon Gil instantly came through, channeled from somewhere unknown, and so did his pal, Gal Friday—their looks, mannerisms, and comic voices. I was totally entertained by this cast of crazy characters. The book took less than a year to write, but I revised the manuscript many times after the draft was complete.

WHY THIS TITLE?: The story is madcap, an over-the-top tale. And, yes, simply fabulous! The sub-title refers to a comic opera.

WHY WOULD SOMEONE WANT TO READ IT? It is a divertissement and a perfect literary repast for these serious times. Although the main character is a gay male, this book will appeal to everyone who enjoys laughing.

REVIEW COMMENTS:

“A campy, hilarious, fast-paced indulgence that’s addictively entertaining…Dynamic, colorful characters add flair to a story full of snappy dialogue and rapid-fire action. The book’s tone is primarily one of effervescent joy, but Egan also manages to incorporate serious themes of personal identity.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Audacious and brilliantly adventurous, this book reads like a madcap opera, illuminating a beautifully controlled zany cast of characters. Egan reminds us of how essential such fun and joyful storytelling can be, leaving us smiling and wanting more.”—Martin Hyatt, author of Beautiful Gravity

“When Laury Egan turns her hand to any genre of fiction, she makes it sing. This farcical romp is a colorful, spritely swirl of multiple identities, mobsters, mismatched paramours, and musical shenanigans of operatic proportions. Such delicious fun!”—Karla Linn Merrifield, author of Psyche’s Scroll

AUTHOR PROFILE: Fabulous! is an outlier for me. Usually, I write psychological suspense or suspense tinged with a bit of romance (lately, I’ve moved into literary writing). However, I always respect when a character comes through, and Gil was too amusing to ignore. My first title, Jenny Kidd, is set in Venice and is written in the Patricia Highsmith tradition as is a more recent book, A Bittersweet Tale (2019). In between, my stories were collected: Fog and Other Stories, a few of which are wryly humorous, and a YA novel, The Outcast Oracle. In March 2020, The Ungodly Hour, a mystery/romance set on Mykonos, was published. Four volumes of poetry have also appeared in limited edition.

AUTHOR COMMENTS: I needed a break from dark, twisted stories, though there are numerous plot twists in Fabulous! I believe all readers need a similar opportunity to enjoy a good romp.

SAMPLE CHAPTER:

CHAPTER ONE

Kiri De Uwana © Copyright Laury A. Egan 2018

My psychic medium told me that it was just a matter of time. Although Madame Clara didn’t elaborate on the details and said that her timelines might be a trifle off, she was absolutely positive that 2009 would be the year, confirmed by the Ouija board spirit enumerating 009. Well, that was good enough for me, Kiri De Uwana, diva divine! The bright lights were going to become downright dazzling.

My stiletto heels barely touched the sidewalk as I walked home after the session. I didn’t attend to most of the whistles and catcalls from the hot men on the street, though I did flutter my pink chiffon scarf at one hunky black boy who was pile-driving to beat the band. On another day I might have invited him up for a mint julep, but today I had other things on my mind.

By the way, my name is Gilbert Eugene Rose. Although I don’t advertise my place of birth, I hail from the side of Atlantic City sans glamour. Except for music, my childhood was a perpetual winter, one I hurried through with desperate speed. Being a gay boy and, I modestly confess, a beauty—blond hair the color of sunlight, dark blue eyes like glittering jewels, fair skin perfect as cream, and refined features (nothing too large or too small, ahem!)—I was shunned by the girls because they were jealous and taunted by the boys because I was not sufficiently rough and tumble, though a little tumble now and then held occasional appeal.

My escape happened after high school, when opera called yoo-hoo. I fled to the first of several music schools, leaving my mother to tend to her inebriations (my father had departed many years before). After absorbing the collective wisdom of the finest vocal, diction, and language teachers, I packed my makeup, wigs, and hats and took the bus home—my new home, New York City. That was eleven years ago. Now, at age thirty-four, I am broke, or nearly, but after emptying my purse, turning all of my pockets inside out, and searching through every hidey hole in my apartment, I have just enough cash to pay for a lesson with my voice coach, Anna Marie, who thinks I’m a soprano. Well, sort of. Anna Marie is in her eighties and didn’t eat her

carrots when she was young—if you get my drift. Frankly, I don’t see how she can play the piano in her semi-blind condition, but she plunks away nicely with her arthritic fingers. Anyway, she knows her stuff (even if she can’t tell I’m not a female soprano) and loves my voice and appreciates the perfume samples I liberate from Oscar’s, the department store where I dress the mannequins.

So, here I am, yours truly, knocking on Anna Marie’s door.

She answered after a few minutes. “Kiri, dear! How are you?” (She hasn’t twigged to the fact that I’m not the famed singer, Kiri Te Kanawa, an itty-bitty misconception I see absolutely no reason to correct.)

“I’m just fabulous!” I enthused in my best breathy diva voice. “And how are you?”

Anna Marie didn’t reply, having already set off, cane in hand, in the direction of her gargantuan grand piano, a black whale of a Steinway, which I swear was birthed in situ since I can’t imagine how anyone crammed it inside her miniscule living room. Luckily for Anna Marie, the piano and its bench are easy targets for her to find. I followed her to the Steinway’s curvaceous side, feeling much too big for the space—I’m six-foot-one and a weight we won’t mention, though my figure is somewhere between slender and girlish. All right, a sturdy girlish.

We began warm-up scales. With the low ceiling in the living room, my voice sounded positively stentorian. Of course, I possess a very large instrument. Oh, no, how shocking! You think I meant…well, not that kind, but the other instrument I possess is equally impressive. Trust me.

“So, what would you like to work on today?” Anna Marie asked.

“Well, I’ve heard some very exciting news!”

“Oh, do tell!”

“They’re casting for Così fan tutte—”

“At the Met?” Her hands fluttered into a delighted clasp.

“Not exactly…but definitely, definitely uptown.” No need to say how far uptown. I mean, we’re not talking Albany.

“Your Fiordiligi is so fine!” Her watery blue eyes glistened with excitement. “But I’m surprised you weren’t hired without an audition. I mean, you are Kiri Te Kanawa, after all.”

Not quite, alas.

“We must practice ‘Come scoglio,’ then, dear, “Anna Marie said.

And so we did.

LOCAL OUTLETS: Signed copies: River Road Books, Fair Haven, New Jersey.

WHERE ELSE TO BUY IT: Tiny Fox Press http://tinyfoxpress.com/product/fabulous/

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, local bookstores

PRICE: $14.95 paper / $5.95 eBook.

CONTACT THE AUTHOR: My website and contact: http://www.lauryaegan.com I’m always delighted to hear from readers! Also on Facebook and Twitter (Laury A. Egan)