Department of Tourism
Louisville Native Is Finalist in Mystery Festival

OWENSBORO, Ky. -- Kentucky born author Lance Rucker is one of five finalists at the International Mystery Writers' Festival in Owensboro. His screenplay Albatross, co-written by colleague Timothy Perrin, is a surprising political thriller that traces a love affair through a blackmail scheme with intriguing world-wide political implications.  Albatross will be performed at the Riverpark Center on June 14 at 2 p.m., June 15 at 4 p.m. and June 16 at 8 p.m.

Rucker, who has also written a series of three mystery novels, will hold a Master Class about Screenplay Writing Teams: The Mystery of it All, on June 14 at 11 a.m, along with Tim Perrin at the Museum of Science and History.  The two met at a screenwriting workshop in 1985 in Vancouver, Canada, where Rucker now lives.

Born and raised in Louisville, Rucker attended Seneca High and Bellarmine College.  He is the author of the Brandon Drake series of mystery novels (Intimate Falls, No Secrets, and Final Labyrinth), three screenplays, and four volumes of sensuous prose and poetry.  Lance has been a competition ballroom dancer, an actor, an aikidoist, an inventor, and is a world expert in dental clinical ergonomics. He is also married to one of the foremost sex therapists and relationship counsellors in western Canada. Whatever mystery writing and sex therapy have in common is their special secret, and it seems to be working!  His website is www.lancerucker.com.

The International Mystery Writers' Festival is being touted as the "Sundance" of the mystery writing world.  There are six stage plays and five screenplays named as finalists out of approximately 1,000 submissions. One of the plays is by William Link, the creator of Columbo and Murder She Wrote. Another is by Ed McBain, who published about 200 novels during his career including the hugely popular 87th Precinct series, as well as writing the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.

During the festival, all the finalists' work will be performed live three times. At the end, Angela Lansbury will get an award from the Governor Ernie Fletcher, and the best of the plays and screenplays will receive awards in a televised ceremony.  The founders of the festival were alarmed that the mystery play, once a main staple on Broadway, Toronto and London stages had all but disappeared.  They started the festival and competition to encourage new writers to tackle writing mystery plays and screenplays. For more information: visit www.newmysteries.org on the internet or contact Helen Yagi (604) 736-5517, or hyagi@shaw.ca, or Travis Estes (270) 687-2770, or travisestes@riverparkcenter.org.
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