Dragula: A Transgender Tale

Dragula is a tale filled with sensitivity to personal struggle, raucous humor and musical entertainment. Peter, a vulnerable young man, makes the decision to transition, becoming the gender and human being he was meant to be. Unfortunately, Peter's stage persona of the musical entertainer Dragula draws the judgmental ire of the Right Reverend Bobby Swagger. Reverend Swagger is determined to prove by whatever means necessary that Peter's lifestyle and entertainment choices are sinful and wrong. Finally, Peter finds the courage to open up to those around him, and take an uncompromising stand against bigotry, proving that it's all right to be true to yourself, no matter what lifestyle you choose. Author's note: Dragula: A Transgender Tale conveys a message that is clearly and uncompromisingly stated by the main character: "Bigotry, the inability to tolerate the differences in others, is one of the great flaws of our society!" Moreover, when presenting entertainment that represents individuals of the LGBTQIA community, I have endeavored to be sensitive to the courage these individuals have shown and empathetic to what they have endured by living in a manner that allows them to be true to themselves.

About the Author :
John Arthur Long While spending a full, rewarding career teaching English, Creative Writing, and assorted Drama courses on the high school level in public education, Mr. Long has also pursued a professional writing career that has resulted in several successfully published novels. His first novel, The Sign of the Guardian was published in two separate editions and optioned twice for motion picture production for which Mr. Long co-authored the screenplay. Eve Of Regression, Long's second novel about the search for the grave of the first woman in an African safari adventure, has been translated into several different languages, distributed worldwide as a bestseller and was recently re-issued as a Kindle book titled The Gates of Eden. Mr. Long also authored The Harvard Man, a hard-hitting crime novel about a rejected applicant who becomes obsessed with destroying the esteemed Ivy League university. Long's most recent publication, The Mean, is a contemporary novel that looks at the nature of true learning, the best and worst in public education, the drama of human relationships, and the threat of violence that has recently become such an integral part of our lives. Mr. Long also performed as the narrator for the audio book edition of The Mean. John Arthur Long has also been active as both a writer and a director in theater for his entire professional career. On the academic side of his career, as an acknowledgement of his dedication to public education, Mr. Long was honored by having the high school where he was employed name a wing of the school entitled "John Long Alley" as a thank you for his years of service. On the professional theatrical level, an example of Long's acting skills can be found on YouTube in a parody echoing the Atticus speech to the jury in To Kill A Mockingbird that has Long impersonating an aging Atticus Finch responding to the publication of Harper Lee's Go Set A Watchman. Mr. Long also recently received a Best Director nomination for the Chain Theatre's Off-Broadway revival production of Wait Until Dark. Long is the co-author and audio narrator of a children's book, The Tooth Fairy Legend, a perennial seller which was based on his original family theatrical musical for which he co-wrote the book and music and that Liz Smith called "delicious," in her column about its New York premiere, which Long also directed. Mr. Long's most recent theatrical creation, which he co-authored, is Dragula The Musical, a sensitive yet humorous look at the world of transvestites with the message of tolerance for those who choose to live alternate life styles and Mr. Long authored the project's book version, DRAGULA The Transvespire, under the pseudonym Dijk Stroka, which is available as a Kindle book