Kelle Z. Riley
Chattanooga author Kelle Z. Riley and Cincinnati based photographer, R.J. Rice are taking the use of images in contemporary adult fiction a step further, by creating mini movies and other image-rich representations of a traditional mystery novel. The project, which includes working with Chattanooga-area models and authors, aims to create a new type of storytelling.
The team of Ms. Riley and Mr. Rice plan to film scenes from Ms. Riley’s new Undercover Cat mystery series and turn them into line drawings and mini movies that tell the story of a sleuth on the trail of a killer.
Review for the project:
Like Ms. Riley, the sleuth in the series is a Ph.D. chemist at an industrial research company, breaking the literary stereotype of nosey female sleuths employed in typical “women’s” jobs. Ms. Riley, who also holds a 3rd degree black belt, is a strong advocate of women self-actualizing and breaking glass ceilings when necessary. It’s no accident that her careers and hobbies venture into traditional male-dominated areas. She’s also an advocate of an entertaining story, so her works feature both humor and romance in addition to mystery. Her novels have earned multiple award nominations during the course of her writing career.
Mr. Rice, also trained as a Ph.D. chemist, left the field to pursue his passion in photography. A strong believer that photos capture emotions and memories as well as images. Mr. Rice created a photography training program endorsed by the Professional Photographers of America. His current project is working with authors to extend their visual images in social media and beyond. Mr. Rice was a featured speaker at the annual Chattanooga Writers’ Guild Fall Workshop.
Ms. Riley and Mr. Rice met while graduate students in chemistry, before both branched into their creative careers. Their current project is the first of its kind.
Ms. Riley is a past program chair and featured speaker at the Chattanooga Writers’ Guild as well as a member of Romance Writers’ of America and a finalist in their Golden Heart Award Contest.
Mr. Rice is a past president of the Professional Photographers of Southwest Ohio.
The photoshoot will take place in Ms. Riley’s home studio on Saturday. The modeling talent comes from the Top Talent Management Agency in Chattanooga.