New Zorro Anthology Book

BOLD VENTURE PRESS will publish a new ZORRO Anthology book. Release is planned for May 1, 2020. It will feature a collection of brand new Zorro stories by contemporary authors. Here's the lineup in alphabetical order: Diana Barkley; Linda Binder; Bret Bouriseau; Eugene Craig; Scott Cranford; John French; Susan Kite; Joe Lovece; Richard Lupoff; William Patrick Maynard; Daryl McCullough; William Patrick Murray; Pam Poland; M K Ross; and Francisco Silva.
BOLD VENTURE PRESS Zorro catalog currently features  a six-volume reprint of McCulley's original Zorro stories, an original novel by Peter David and Tales of Zorro's Old California.

Mary-Jo Sawyer interviews Tessie Santiago The Queen of Swords.

Mary-Jo Sawyer interviews Tessie Santiago The Queen of Swords.

Queen of Swords with Tessie Santiago

Queen of Swords - Interview with Tessie Santiago – By Mary-Jo Sawyer

In July 2019 Daryl McCullough asked if I would be willing to interview Tessie Santiago. Would I? Of course, as I loved the Queen of Swords TV show. She agreed, and was busy with filming, and raising a new son so we weren’t able to include it with the August 9th 100th Anniversary Celebration for Zorro! I’m so pleased she was able to respond to this quickly. I hope you will enjoy it! My questions are in bold print, followed by her responses.

1) The role of Tessa Alvarado/Queen of Swords in the Queen of Swords was your first starring one. Could you tell us about the experience of auditioning and preparing for the role?

It is truly a Cinderella story in that my life changed almost overnight. I was interning with a casting director for college credits in Miami. There was a nation-wide search for the starring role of the new series Queen of Swords. They were looking for a Latina actor who resembled Catherine Zeta-Jones in The Mask of Zorro. Coincidentally, after being a natural blonde my entire life, I randomly dyed my hair dark brown the week before my audition for Queen of Swords. My family hated my new hair but it worked perfectly for the role. The producers later told me that I might have been overlooked for the role if I had not auditioned as a brunette because they had a very specific “type” in mind to play the Queen. Timing and luck are everything in this business. The opportunity presented itself and I was ready. I had spent most of my school years on a stage and I felt very comfortable in front of the camera. After the producers received my audition tape, they flew me to LA to do a screen test for the role. During my screen test, I saw many well-known actors auditioning for the role and I had ZERO professional experience. Although I was nervous and did not think I had a chance, I gave it my all. Sometimes things are just meant to be!

2) I know you had several stunt doubles for the series, but did much of your own horseback riding and fencing, too. Did you already have these skills, or did you learn them for the show? If you needed to acquire these skills, what was involved?

I grew up in Miami, Florida and spent most of my time on the beach. I can honestly say that before Queen of Swords, I never thought about riding a horse or sword fighting. When I got the role, I went through some rigorous training involving fencing, horseback riding and mastering a whip. Funny story…I trained on an old horse who was very SLOW. When I got to Spain, the horses on set were an entirely different breed. They were GORGEOUS AND POWERFUL. The first time I mounted my Spanish horse, Chico, he bucked me and I went flying. Chico let me know who was boss! I had to disregard the training I received in Los Angeles and had to quickly learn how to communicate with these amazing Spanish horses. My training in L.A. was rigorous but it was my experience on set where I refined my skills. This was also true with fencing. I trained with some of the best in Los Angeles but it was on set, in Spain, where I was able to put all I had learned into practice. I am a pretty good dancer and I believe this helped me pick up fencing more easily. Fencing always felt like a dance to me. It wasn’t long before I was doing my own stunts and having a BLAST!

3) Your QOS character had different sides to her character. There were so many good episodes that showed off your fencing and riding skills. Three of my favorites highlighted other sides: “Counterfeit Queen” (Interacting with your double), “The Emissary” (Playing the aristocrat, the queen, and the femme fatale), and “To Catch a Thief” (where you really showed your humor). Did you have any favorite episodes that you’d like to share a story about, or anything funny that happened on or off the set while filming in Spain?

Every episode of Queen of swords brought new and exciting experiences. I can honestly say that this is the show I’m most proud of. I enjoyed all aspects of playing the Queen of Swords/Tessa but I especially loved finding the humor in my character. I started to understand the importance of rhythm in comedy and got better at it with every episode. Don’t get me wrong, I also loved being in a good fight scene or acting in a dramatic scene, but it was the comedic moments that I explored within my character that made it really fun for me. Finding the humor also gave the more dramatic scenes, and even the fight scenes, more colorful levels that made them far more interesting in my opinion. Anthony Lemke was a master at giving his character these levels. He was the bad guy you loved to hate…and he was funny! I loved watching him and Valentine Pelka doing a scene together because they were both so frightening and yet so charming! As far as the stuff that happened off-camera…my love interest, Peter Wingfield, played a prank on me when we had our first on-camera kiss. During the first take of this kiss, he passed a Tic Tac into my mouth and I swear I thought he had lost a tooth! I somehow stayed in character, and kept what I mistook for his tooth inside my mouth, until the director yelled “cut”! I didn’t want to embarrass him by announcing he had lost a tooth, so I remained professional and kept this Tic Tac in my mouth until I realized everyone was laughing…and the joke was on me!

4) Since the QOS, you’ve acted in a variety of TV shows and movies including “Good Morning, Miami,” and “Kitchen Confidential” to the more recent role of Luna Vargas on “Scandal,” to name a few. Could you share some of your favorite experiences?

Good Morning Miami was a blast! I was working with such talented comedians, and I had so much fun tapping into my Cuban zany side for that role. This sitcom was filmed using multi-cameras in front of a live audience...and I loved it. There’s nothing like the energy of a live audience! It’s both terrifying and electric. It was like performing live on stage again. Scandal was an interesting experience because although it is not a comedy, there is a definite pace to the show. I had to talk fast and fierce. It took a lot of energy and focus just to get my lines out! I enjoyed the challenge.

5) You were nominated for an ALMA award in 2001. Could you share about your experiences as a Latina actor in auditioning and securing acting roles in the climate of Hollywood?

The climate of Hollywood is constantly changing. I was very fortunate to build my career during a time when audiences were demanding characters that were more diverse. We are such a diverse country and Hollywood has been slow to represent this. That being said, things are getting better. People in the industry have become more educated and are less likely to lump all Hispanics into a stereotypical image. These days, I rarely get asked to play a character with an accent so that I appear "more Hispanic". The changes are small and slow to come, but at least they are moving in the right direction.

6) Do you have any upcoming acting projects coming up that your fans would love to know about?

My biggest role right now is being a mom to my baby, Jaxon. I’m taking a little time off to enjoy him because he’s growing up so quickly!

7) Congratulations on the birth of your son! What are some of your favorite things about being a mom?

I love everything about being a mom! Well, maybe not the sleepless nights. I have never known a love like this. You hear other parents talk about it, but it wasn’t until I had Jaxon that I truly understood how amazing this love is. It’s also terrifying to be responsible for another human being! I just love to watch how he observes everything with the wonder and newness that we as adults no longer have. He is such a joyful baby. I feel so blessed to be his mother. It’s truly a gift.

8) With a son, and a husband also working in film, I have to ask the age-old question: “What do you do to help balance work and family life in the Los Angeles area?”

It’s not easy! We definitely spend a whole lot of time traveling for work. Even though that can be stressful (especially with a baby), I love that we get to share all these wonderful experiences as a family. Jax is exposed to so many new people and places, and even though it’s unconventional, I think it makes for an interesting upbringing. In addition, my husband and I are very selective about the job offers we accept, because we are so aware of how precious this time is with our son. Neither one of us wants to miss all those “first moments”

9) Fans will be interested to learn you’re also an artist. Your pictures are colorful and meaningful, and the pet portraits will melt any animal lover’s heart! What has been the inspiration for some of your paintings? Are you still painting, and if so, do you have any upcoming shows? Is any of your art for sale to the public?

I love painting! It still amazes me to think that I was completely unaware that I possessed this hidden talent until I was 30 years old! It makes me wonder what other gifts may be lying dormant in all of us. Painting has become a necessary creative outlet for me. It feeds my soul. My inspiration comes from many different sources like my love for animals, my colorful Cuban culture and the faces of people in my everyday life. I love painting portraits! I take several commissions a year depending on my schedule and I have a few pieces left for sale from my last show “Matadora”. That show was inspired by my experiences while living in Spain and the strong women in my life. My website, www.TessieArt.com, features all the pieces from that show along with my dog portraits and other various works

Tessie Santiago as The Queen of Swords

Zorro The Legend Begins Full-Cast Audio Drama

American Radio Theater's Zorro The Legend Begins full-cast audio drama is now Available from Bearmanor Media. It's being called the most fun Zorro radio drama of them all. It's loaded with swashbuckling fun. Action, Adventure, Romance and comedy abound is this nearly 5 hour long show.

                                                Zorro The Legend Begins Trailer

Alta California - 1820
The Pueblo de Los Angeles is under the heel of a dictatorial Alcalde. Luis Miguel Montero is squeezing the life of out the people. No class is exempt. Peons are being beaten and thrown into prison. Indians are being forced into slave labor. And Rancheros are being taxed out of existence. Conditions are intolerable! California’s largest landowner, Don Alejandro de la Vega, has grown weary of the situation and has summoned his son Diego home from the University of Madrid to aid him in overthrowing Montero’s oppressive regime. But to his surprise, when Diego arrives, he finds his son uninterested the community’s problems and unwilling to take up arms. However, Diego's pretense of pacifism is just a ploy to protect his quick-tempered firebrand of a father from the certain destructive retribution challenging the Alcalde's rule would bring. Rather than face the King's representative in open rebellion, Diego has devised a plan to rid the pueblo of this tyrant. By day he is a man of books - interested only in painting, poetry, music and science. But at night, Diego rides as the masked hero Zorro fighting cruelty and injustice. For Zorro to end this reign of terror, he must outwit the scheming Montero and avoid being captured by Sergeant Garcia, Corporal Reyes and the rest of the pueblo’s Lancers.

Zorro: The Legend Begins is a fun action packed swashbuckling adventure dramatized from an original story and based on characters and situations created by Johnston McCulley. American Radio Theater brings to life a delightfully enjoyable tale that every Zorro fan is sure to enjoy.

https://www.amazon.com/Zorro-Legend-Begins-Audio-Theater/dp/1982678593

Zorro Actor Duncan Regehr October Art Exhibit

Duncan Regehr famous for playing Zorro in the Family Channel's Zorro TV series in the 1990s is also a world renowned artist. His art will be presented in a one man show at Petley Jones Gallery in Vancouver BC, this fall. The opening reception, with Duncan in attendance, will be held October 19th.

The exhibition, entitled “At Blinders Wall”, will incorporate art work from different series' of his works. As an added bonus, the opening event will include a reading of his prose and poetry.


A sample of Duncan's artworks and his exquiste use of colors.

American Mythology Announces Zorro Art Book for July 2019

Publisher American Mythology has announced “The Mark of Zorro: 100 Years of the Masked Avenger” in their July 2019 solicitations, an exciting new art book that will collect a century of Zorro artwork, film images, pop culture appearances, and more. See more about the book via the announcement at American Mythology Solicitations

Bold Venture Press' Rich Harvey Gives Zorro Presentation

In commemoration of Zorro's centenary, Bold Venture Press publisher Rich Harvey gave a 30-minute presentation at the annual Pulpfest (Pittsburgh, PA) on Thursday, August 15th. Zorro has accomplished much in 100 years, but Rich managed to compress a century into 30-minutes. Bold Venture Press reprinted all of Johnston McCulley's original stories in Zorro: The Complete Pulp Adventures. Thanks to Jess Terrell for filming the presentation.

https://www.boldventurepress.com/bold-venture-bulletins/a-century-of-zorro-pulpfest-2019-presentation/

ZORRO 100 Year Anniversary Trading Cards.

RRParksCARDS and American Mythology is publishing "The 100th Anniversary of Zorro" trading card series. To support this project visit their website.

The Card series includes:
- A 180 card set broken up into numerous subsets covering a visual history of Zorro from his beginnings in Argosy Magazine through the silent film era, the 1930s/1940s movies and serials, 1950s TV show and the more recent movies as well as the comic books of the 1950s on up through American Mythology's current Zorro Comic Book series. These 180 cards also feature 18 different newly created Anaglyph 3D cards by the maestro of 3D: Christian LeBlanc!

For more information and to support this project visit their kickstarter page.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2020657542/the-100th-anniversary-of-zorro-trading-cards-collection?ref=user_menu&fbclid=IwAR3Gw6ZTUJlLhn3F9IwrLtddVpjXZJYpXo9janQl-QUFD5oywCNPljnYXUU