A bunny suit, an accident and Easter play into Raleigh author’s tall tale

“A Rabbit’s Tale” (Amazon) by Raleigh author Diogenes Ruiz is a tall tale starring Juan Arias, whose boyhood dream was to be a photographer for National Geographic. As an adult, he is living a rather mundane life until he is asked to dress up in a bunny suit for a children’s party.

The bizarre accident that follows is not life-threatening, but it is very life-altering — and includes a murder plot.

“What led me to write the book is the fact that so many people who celebrate Easter don’t have the foggiest idea what it is about,” says Ruiz. “That includes some of us Catholics. … My second reason was the complex and unpredictable connections that happen throughout our lives. We sometimes call them coincidences, but more often than not they are much more.

“Sometimes bad things happen to good people, and since life is full of paradoxes, I just had to explore the question, ‘How can the worst day of your life, be the best day for your eternal soul.’ ”

For writers

Registration is open for the N.C. Writers’ Network 2018 Fall Conference set to take place Nov. 2-4 at the Hilton Charlotte University Place. For the first time, this conference will offer a full slate of sessions designed specifically for writers of stage and screen. Also available will be a “Business of Writing” track for those ready to take manuscripts to market. Randall Kenan, a 2018 inductee to the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame, will give the keynote address. For more information and to register, visit www.ncwriters.org.

Events

▪ On Sept. 20 at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, Charlotte author Patrice Gopo will be in conversation with Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, a Durham writer and activist, about her newest book, “All the Colors We Will See: Reflections on Barriers, Brokenness, and Finding Our Way.” Their topic is “In Conversation: On Race & Faith in thew New South.” Gopo is the recipient of the NC ARts Council Fellowship in Literature. The event at Qauil Ridge starts at 7 p.m.

▪ Page 158 Books in Wake Forest is hosting two author events on Saturday, Sept. 29. Author Lizzie Lange will read from her children’s book “The Adventures of the Missing Sock” (Wisdom House Books) at 11 a.m. Lange is an assistant professor at William Peace University. Then At 2 p.m., Winston-Salem author Chris Harltey will discuss his new book, “The Lost Soldier” (Stackpole Books). The book offers a perspective on World War II based on a soldier’s letters and his wife’s diary.

Triangle-area authors: We want to hear about your new book. Send information to bookbeat@newsobserver.com. As space permits, we will mention self-published books by local authors that are for sale on commercial sites.

This story was originally published September 30, 2018 at 11:53 AM with the headline "A bunny suit, an accident and Easter play into Raleigh author’s tall tale."