Special Guest – Dwain Lee – Author of Plausible Deception #GuestPost / #Giveaway – Great Escapes Book Tour

Plausible Deception
by Dwain Lee

It is my pleasure to welcome Dwain Lee to Escape With Dollycas today!

Guest Post
by Dwain Lee

Our household may literally be unique – I doubt that there is another out gay Presbyterian minister married to an internationally respected violin maker anywhere on the planet. I’m the clergy half of that duo, my husband, George Yu, is the violin maker. We currently call Louisville, Kentucky home, and we love its progressive urban vibe, seasoned with an Upper South flavor and paired with a good local bourbon. Together, our two very different professions, our equally different personalities, and the dynamics that arise from our personal and professional lives have formed the origin point for my writing.

My debut book, Plausible Deception (www.butlerbooks.com/plausible-deception.html ) arose out of a trip the two of us made to Anaheim, California in November of 2022 to attend a major international violin makers’ competition. There was a particularly terrifying incident that happened to George just after arriving at LAX – which is detailed almost exactly as it happened in the book. Afterward, I joked to him that the incident was the kind of thing you’d read in a book, not live out in real life. Before long, that idea began to take root, and this book is the result.

The book details the fictional theft of the world-renowned Leonora Jackson Stradivarius violin. I hope that readers will find it an engaging and fun mystery, while also maybe learning a little bit about the world of fine violins and violin making. Beyond that, though, I also wanted to give people a look into what life as a married same-sex couple in their mid-60s is really like, as opposed to the inaccurate and often hateful stereotypes that have become so common in our society. Along the way, the plot weaves through other very serious issues, including racism, sexism, and xenophobia. At the same time, there’s a smattering of Dan’s progressive Christian theology present, but all of those are dealt with organically as part of the larger plot, without becoming, well, preachy, if you’ll pardon the pun.

Being married to a violin maker is as interesting as it is uncommon. My husband’s workshop – his inner sanctum, where only a handful of people are admitted entry – is in our home. It’s a former bedroom tucked into the middle of our double-shotgun house, accessible only through our own bedroom. That means part of the house is always filled with the smells of fresh wood shavings, hide glue, varnish, polish, and various other pleasant aromas. Periodically, I’ll check in with him while he’s working on his newest creation, and he’ll take time to explain in great detail all of the incredibly precise work he’s doing – in his line of handcrafted artisanship, tolerances are measured in tenths of a millimeter. Over the years, I’ve picked up a fair amount of understanding of his work, but even now, after many years, his explanations will exceed my ability to understand after a couple of minutes, after which I just need to nod my head thoughtfully and interject “Oh, I see” every so often. There are some things that a person has to do if they want to keep a happy marriage.

Beyond having a house that’s always filled with the pleasant sounds, sights, and smells of the workshop, it’s been a real delight to travel with George and to become friends with many of his associates in that rarefied level or professionalism that they occupy. In addition to events like the ones fictionalized in the book, one such event is their annual workshop held at Oberlin College in Ohio. Each year, a relative handful of the top violin makers in the world converge on the sleepy little college town for two weeks in a remarkable, collegial gathering – sharing tips of the trade, attending technical and artistic seminars, and simply enjoying each other’s company. It was actually in Oberlin that my husband and I first met in person, after extended conversations online. Over the years, we were in Oberlin when both the Supreme Court cases of U.S. v. Windsor and Obergefell v. Hodges – vital rulings regarding LGBTQ+ rights – were announced. We were in Oberlin again when my own denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA) voted to permit LGBTQ+ ordained leaders, and again when the church voted to permit same-sex marriage. Oberlin became such an important place for us that I thought that would be the ideal place to propose to him.

Oberlin was also the first place I came to personally experience the Jackson Stradivarius. Dr. Bill Sloan, its owner, is a good friend of George’s, and Bill would occasionally bring the violin along with him when he attended the workshop. I guess in a way, this book actually has its origins in Oberlin, too.

It’s been a delight to spin a tale that draws on so many of the situations, events, and people that I’ve experienced over the years while serving as dutiful spouse to George, and to have so many of his friends become mine as well. I hope that the book resonates with people not only as a fun mystery, but also as an essay on a handful of more serious issues. They’re also pretty likely to recognize that the book is actually a thinly disguised love letter offered to George.

Thank you Dwain for visiting today.

Keep reading for more information about Dwain and his book. 

About Plausible Deception

Plausible Deception
Mystery/Detective/LGBT/Quozy
Setting: Primarily Los Angeles/Anaheim CA; Louisville KY; New York NY
Publisher: Butler Books (October 15, 2024)
Paperback: 332 pages
ISBN 978-1-964530-02-4

There’s only one Jackson Stradivarius.

Welcome to the arcane world of handcrafted, professional violins. Master luthier Greg Zhu and his husband, Presbyterian minister Dan Randolph, travel to Los Angeles, where Greg’s newest design is competing for recognition from the Violin Society of America. Only a handful of participants know that the Jackson is at the conference, but the owner offers Greg the rare opportunity to examine it—and Greg is the last person in the room before the violin disappears. Greg and Dan team up with the authorities to clear Greg’s name, catch the thief, and recover the priceless violin before it is lost to the arts and antiquities black market.

About Dwain Lee

Dwain Lee grew up in Masontown, Pennsylvania, where his first job was working as a coal miner during the summers of his high school years. He graduated from Penn State University, majoring in architecture, and he owned and operated his own architectural firm in Columbus, Ohio for twenty years. During the thirty years that he lived in Columbus, he raised a family and also served as President and Chairman of the Board of Montana de Luz, an orphanage in Honduras for children living with HIV/AIDS.

Transitioning out of the architectural profession, he obtained a Master of Divinity from Trinity Lutheran Seminary and for many years has served as an ordained Presbyterian minister and pastor. In addition to more typical pastoral duties, a large part of his time in ministry has focused on social justice issues, including LGBTQ+ equality, refugee and immigrant issues, and racial justice.

Dwain has two amazing, wonderful adult daughters, Erica and Andrea. He and his husband, George Yu, an internationally recognized violin maker, currently live in an old double-shotgun house in the eclectic Germantown/Schnitzelburg neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky. In addition to writing, he enjoys spending time with George traveling, gardening, doing never-ending home renovation projects, camping, and yoga.

Author Links: Author’s Website    Facebook: Dwain Lee, Author  

Purchase link: Butler Books  The book will be more widely available in the New Year.

TOUR PARTICIPANTS – Please visit all the stops and be sure to come back on Tuesday, November 26, when I share my thoughts about Plausible Deception. 
November 14 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW
November 15 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
November 16 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR GUEST POST
November 17 – Frugal Freelancer – SPOTLIGHT
November 18 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
November 19 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
November 20 – StoreyBook Reviews– CHARACTER GUEST POST
November 21 – Deal Sharing Aunt – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
November 22 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
November 23 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – AUTHOR GUEST POST
November 24 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
November 25 – Never Hollowed By The Stare – SPOTLIGHT
November 26 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
November 27 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

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