By Rhoda Rage
Charles Baran’s debut novel, Rhoda Rage and the Goldfish Letter, set in and around Wilton Manors, has all the trappings of a gripping whodunit – engaging characters, colorful locations, and exciting situations that are based, if not so much on reality, on a joyful fantasy of a diverse community that works together, plays together, and . . . solves mysteries together. Last month, the protagonist of the novel, drag superstar Rhoda Rage, had a chance to interrupt Charles’ work on book number two, Rhoda Rage and the Prickly Situation, to find out how a former Fire Island houseboy, hotel manager, interior design professional and full-time actor, became a published author.
Rhoda Rage: Hello Charlie. May I call you Charlie?
Charles Baran: You always do.
Rhoda Rage: Congratulations on the publication of your first novel. I’ve been hearing great things about it.
Charles Baran: Thank you, Rhoda. It’s been exciting to say the least.
Rhoda Rage: Where are you from?
Charles Baran: I grew up in Elmhurst, Queens in the 60’s and 70’s. A one-hundred-percent Polish family in Archie Bunker-land. Everything was covered in plastic including the fine china. Every piece was in its own zip-lock bag!
Rhoda Rage: You’ve led a very adventurous life. Give us a little background.
Charles Baran: Well, we can go way back to the summer of 1980 when I was a houseboy in a fabulous house on Neptune Walk in the Pines. I cooked, cleaned and scrubbed the floors for five guys who were really terrific. And I did it all while wearing a Patricia Field hot pink tutu and a pair of glittery heels. It was an amazing time. Claudette Colbert used to visit the house next door. 1980. That was the last summer before AIDS hit. The next year, well, everything changed.
Rhoda Rage: What did you do after Fire Island?
Charles Baran: When I got back to my 200 square foot apartment on West 85th Street, my world crumbled. With no job, no money, I was desperate. I called my friend Tex in Key West and cried. He told me to pack my heels and my Morticia Addams tube-top and get down to Duval Street! So, I did. I made sandwiches at La Bodega on Simonton. Then I climbed the Key West ladder to success and became a busboy at La Te Da. That was a BIG step up. Although AIDS loomed in the background, it wasn’t consuming our lives. No one knew anyone who had died . . . yet. We partied hard at The Monster and Delmonico’s and slept the day away on the Dick Dock Pier by the Casa Marina.
Rhoda Rage: Such stories! You should write a book!
Charles Baran: I have. It’s called Rhoda Rage and the Goldfish Letter.
Rhoda Rage: And I’m in it!
Charles Baran: You most certainly are. It took me a year and a half to get you down on paper. I transformed you from a concept in my mind to a fabulous drag superstar doing nightly shows at the Alibi and solving mysteries with the handsome, and straight, Officer Phil.
Rhoda Rage: Is Officer Phil a real person?
Charles Baran: None of the people in RRATGL are real, but I have used many, many names of good friends throughout the book and turned them into waiters, doctors, EMT workers, bartenders, and what have you. So, someone reading this interview may just find themselves in the book!
Rhoda Rage: Let’s hope you don’t get sued!
Charles Baran: I don’t think so. I didn’t use last names.
Rhoda Rage: How fun. What’s the story about?
Charles Baran: One sunny Tuesday morning, the quiet streets of Wilton Manors are turned upside down by sweet old man Salvatore D’Angelo getting knocked down by a speeding red van while out walking his adorable Pomeranian, Gooch. Did I mention Sal’s a Jerry Herman fan? Huge! His home is a shrine. Anyway, at the same time as the hit-and-run, an unsavory character in a tan trench coat is seen unlocking the door to To The Moon gift shop, directly behind which, is the home of beloved resident Big Molly who, minutes later, is found dead, slumped over her bacon and eggs which were just delivered from the Myth Gastrobar. Are all these occurrences connected? Well, you’ll just have to read the book and find out.
Rhoda Rage: And I solve the mystery, right?
Charles Baran: That’s right Rhoda. With the help of your four-pound toy fox terrier Wallie. Oh, and with the help of your BFF and occasional nemesis, Robin Kradles.
Rhoda Rage: You mean I have to share the spotlight with that queen?
Charles Baran: Don’t worry. Your bulb burns bright.
Rhoda Rage: How did you get published?
Charles Baran: I pitched the book last year at the Miami Book Fair to Line by Lion Publications. They asked for the first three chapters. Two days later they asked for the book. Three days later I was offered a deal.
Rhoda Rage: What are a few of the accolades you’ve, or should I say we’ve, received?
Charles Baran: Well, for starters, the legendary Charles Busch wrote, “Charles Baran’s debut comic murder mystery is outrageous, campy, bawdy and surprisingly endearing. He gives us a drag queen sleuth in Rhoda Rage as madcap as Mame and insightful as Miss Marple, maneuvering deftly through a South Florida maze of vividly drawn eccentric characters.” And our very own Michael McKeever said, “I adore this book. In it, Charles Baran displays a marvelous gift for mixing fabulous camp with intriguing thrills. Seen through the eyes of a series-worthy sleuth, the mystery unfolds with laughs, surprises and an awful lot of heart. A glorious exploration of life, death and all that glitters in between in Florida’s gay capital, Wilton Manors.” Needless to say, I’m extremely happy.
Rhoda Rage: Where can people buy the book?
Charles Baran: It’s available on the publisher’s website at PixelandPen.Studio and on Amazon plus several other book sellers across the country.
Rhoda Rage: You’re working on book two?
Charles Baran: Yes. I have a three-year contract with my publisher, and they have the right of first refusal. So, I’m typing away.
Rhoda Rage: What’s the new book about?
Charles Baran: The second book is about a murder and a jewel heist that takes place in Cabanas Guest House. It’s called Rhoda Rage and the Prickly Situation.
Rhoda Rage: Are all the locations in your books real?
Charles Baran: Every one. Well, truth be told, in RRATGL I made up the name of a drag bar in Miami, the Pickle and Spice. If it’s not the name of a drag bar somewhere on this planet, it should be. But that’s it. Every place else is real. The Sunshine Cathedral is mentioned Alibi. Rosie’s. Spencer’s Corner. Even Catfish Dewey’s and the old Versace Mansion in South Beach. And, of course, several of the chapters take place in To The Moon. I just love that place and wanted to celebrate it and set a story there.
Rhoda Rage: The book reminds me of Tales of the City. Or a Netflix series!
Charles Baran: Thank you Rhoda. Let’s hope.
Rhoda Rage: Who are your inspirations?
Charles Baran: Bette Midler. I used to sit outside her apartment on Barrow Street every day after high school let out. I was 15 or 16. You could see right into her living room. I distinctly remember her blowing her nose. Yes, I am the original stalker! Also, Truman Capote. I’ve seen him at his worst on the dance floor of Studio 54. And John Waters. Female Trouble is my absolutely favorite movie. I think I’ve seen it thirty times and can almost recite the script verbatim. But my biggest inspiration will always be Joan Rivers. I met her when I worked at The Westbury Hotel in Manhattan. She lived there right after Edgar died and we became really good friends. I helped her learn her lines when she went into Broadway Bound. Her work ethic was unbelievable.
Rhoda Rage: Do you still act?
Charles Baran: Absolutely. I’m doing No, No Nanette in March at The Wick. It’s one of my favorite musicals! All that tapping. Luckily, I don’t have to do any of it! I play the older gentleman role, Jimmy Smith, Nanette’s ward and benefactor. The legendary Jack Gilford played him on Broadway, so I’m absolutely thrilled.
Rhoda Rage: Well, thank you Charlie for the great chat. I think I’ll go back into your laptop now.
Charles Baran: Thank you Rhoda! I’ll be seeing you on the pages of book two!
