Ellen Byron's Blog, page 10

A CAJUN CHRISTMAS KILLING now available!

The third book in my series just released! The contest in my newsletter ends tomorrow. Read about it here.Or click on the book cover below...

The real-life NOLA places that inspired fictional locales

Some of the places I describe in my Cajun Country Mystery series totally spring from my imagination, but others are inspired by real locations that I take the liberty of fictionalizing. In A CAJUN CHRISTMAS KILLING, the third book in the series, protagonist Maggie Crozat, her boyfriend Bo Durand, and her grand-mere finally have a reason to visit New Orleans. I thought I'd share the real locales behind their fictional counterparts.1.HOTEL MAZARIN. In the book, Maggie learns that a high school friend of hers works at Reveille Orleans Hotel in the French Quarter. My family and I discovered the fantasticNew Orleans Hotel Collection and stayed at two of their wonderful hostelries,Hotel Le Marais and Hotel Mazarin. I used the latter as a prototype for the Reveille Orleans in my book. I was also thrilled to learn there's a company that actually does what Maggie's Uncle Tig does in the book - buy historic properties and turn them into beautiful lodgings. 2. GUMBO SHOP. I've been going to Gumbo Shop since I was in college. I love its ambiance and food. I introduced my husband and daughter to it, and my daughter fell in love with their jambalaya.  Now whenever I go to New Orleans without her, I have to stop at Gumbo Shop to pick up a takeout order to bring home. The restaurant finds it amusing that the jambalaya is  traveling to Los Angeles, and wraps it up for easy transport in my carry-on luggage. In the book, the restaurant Gumbo Ya Ya is based on this eatery. Spoiler alert: the rainstorm that soaks Maggie and Bo when they're having dinner in the courtyard was based on a storm I watched drench Gumbo Shop's real courtyard one night as we waited for dinner.3.LUCULLUS ANTIQUES. In the book, Maggie needs to do some Christmas shopping. She wanders into a culinary antique store, where she buys her mother a nineteenth-century copper saucepan. During a visit to the Crescent City, artist Jan Gilbert, one of my NOLA besties, told me about this magical  shop on Chartres Street calledLucullus Antiques. I wandered in myself, and never wanted to leave. Eventually I had to, but I took a bunch of photos to remind me of the treasures. What better store for Maggie to find a unique gift for Ninette, a noted cook?4.FAULKNER HOUSE BOOKS. This extraordinary bookstore on Pirate's Alley is actually located in a French Quarter home where author William Faulkner once lived. I took some liberties with their stock in my story - they sell fine literature and "rare" books, not used - but it inspired the bookstore where Maggie buys presents for most of her family and friends.5. THE MANSION IN THE GARDEN DISTRICT. Maggie, Bo, and Gran' travel south from Pelican, Louisiana, to investigate the storied New Orleans family that a murder victim married into. I needed the family to occupy a grand nineteenth-century Garden District mansion, and searched for images of one I remembered in particular. In A CAJUN CHRISTMAS KILLING, the wrought iron fence is topped with pineapples, not ears of corn. Why? I'm afraid you'll have to read the book to find out. ;-) I hope you've enjoyed this brief backstage tour, and that someday you get to see these fascinating sights for yourselves. If you've been to New Orleans or Louisiana, do you have a favorite restaurant, shop, or historical site?

Publishers Weekly Starred Review!

Quick post just to share... this! A starred review fromPublishers Weekly.

An exclusive interview with Louisiana's legendary Edwin Edwards

Four-term former Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards turns ninety today. His past achievements and peccadilloes - including a prison stint - are well documented. I chose to focus on the present. Read on to find out what the nonagenarian politician is doing these days, and his take on the current political climate.Me: Governor, what have you been up to the last few years?Governor Edwards: When I first got out of prison, I spent a lot of time going around the state making speeches for pay and selling copies of my biography. Later on, Trina [Edwards’ third wife] and I got into the real estate business, and that’s what we’re doing now mostly. We work together, but she handles most of the residential listings and I handle most of the businesses and commercial enterprises.Me: How’s that going?Governor Edwards: It’s good. It’s enough to supplement my retirement income and give us a comfortable living.Me: What do you like about being a real estate agent?Governor Edwards: It gives me an opportunity to work with my friends and people I know, and people who are interested in buying a home or establishing a business. It’s an opportunity to deal with people and the public, and of course that’s been my strong suit all my life.Me: You have a four-year-old son, Eli, with your wife, Trina. You also have four children from your first marriage. Is fatherhood different for you this time around?Governor Edwards: Very much so. Unfortunately, young men such as I who were busy in a profession and earning a living don’t realize that life doesn’t last forever. Sometimes we don’t pay as much attention to our young children as we should. In part, I’m guilty of that. But my four older children, all of whom are over sixty years old, and I are very close. We’ve always had a good relationship. They all live here in Baton Rouge and we talk and see each other on a regular basis.Me: What is something special you enjoy doing with Eli?Governor Edwards: I guess everything. (Laughs.) We have a water slide in the backyard and he spends a lot of time on that. We also have swings and I spend a lot of time swinging him. He loves bubbles, so we have a couple of bubble machines. We sit and watch the bubbles come out. I put him in the golf cart and ride him around the golf course [where we live] at least three or four times a day, and also at least one time a day to the local grocery store for an icy Coke.Me: What are some special activities you enjoy as a family?Governor Edwards: We just got back from a cruise to some Caribbean islands. We also spent a week in Florida. And a friend of mine has a very fine guest ranch in Mississippi, so we spent a week there. We spend a lot of time together, but always with Eli.Me: What do you appreciate about your life now?Governor Edwards: Not only is Trina a loving and attentive wife, she’s been very helpful to me because I’m getting on in years. She’s more than a soulmate, she’s like a nurse and a companion to me. But also, she’s a wonderful mother. I know that if I die in the next few years, my child will be left in good hands.Me: You’re going to be ninety years old. What’s your key to longevity?Governor Edwards: I’m very lucky. I have very good genes. My mother lived to ninety-six, my father to seventy-six. I have two grandparents who lived to be over a hundred years old. Because of my upbringing and my own personal discipline, I never used tobacco of any kind, never drank anything. Let me repeat that, I never drank any alcohol and I never used illicit drugs. Frankly, I’ve taken care of myself. I have only one bad habit. I love hog cracklin's.Me: Do you have an exercise regiment?Governor Edwards: Yes. I run after Eli.Me: You have a great sense of humor. How did you develop your wit?Governor Edwards: Some people say I’m just half-witted. (Laughs.)Me: What are you most proud of in terms of in terms of your political legacy?Governor Edwards: I’m the only person who’s ever been elected governor of Louisiana four times. That’s a great achievement and makes me very proud, considering my humble beginnings. Even when I was in prison and since then, repeated polls have shown me and continue to show me as the most popular former governor, and I’m very, very honored by that.Me: Is there anything you did as a governor that you’re particularly proud of?Governor Edwards: In my first term in the early 1970s, I did something nobody said I could do: write and get a new constitution adopted. We were the first state in twenty-five years to do that on the first try. The constitution is still in effect and has helped us to reduce the size of government, which reduces the cost of government and makes it more effect and more responsible.Me: Do you have any thoughts about our current political climate?Governor Edwards: When I was in Congress, we had Republicans and Democrats, and we met in principled compromise and got things done. Now, if the Democrats are for it, the Republicans are against it, and vice versa. That’s not the way to run the government. The government is to serve the people and those who are elected need to understand that.Me: Parting thoughts?Govern Edwards: People ask me from time to time what I think is wrong with the country. There’s too much animosity between people of different ideologies. In part, I think it’s because when Congress and state legislatures divided the districts so that they would accommodate either parties or races, they created other districts that had just the opposite. When I was in Congress, I had a district that was 35% black and 65% white. I had to be very careful to represent the best interests of both parties. Now so many people represent only all white districts or all conservative districts, and they have little regard for the liberals and the poor and needy and other people outside of their party. On the other hand, some represent only major black districts and don’t have enough regard for the concerns of white folks. My point is, legislatures and members of Congress should represent districts that combine what is great about America – people of every stripe and religion and economic status - and give them every opportunity to make life better for themselves.A90th birthday celebration for the governor will take place on August 12th at the Renaissance Baton Rouge Hotel. To purchase commemorative artwork and souvenir photos, click here. 

Sharing Side by Side... with Sondheim

I write on a multi-author blog called Chicks on the Case. Here's a recent post I wanted to share about how an experience I had  withBroadway legend Stephen Sondheim that I turned into a moment I'm giving a character in book four of my Cajun Country Mystery series, MARDI GRAS MURDER. Just click above or on the photo of Mr. Sondheim to read the post.

Cajun Country Mystery Newsletter: Coast or Prairie Cajun

In my latest newsletter, I talk about the fact that there's coastal Cajun and prairie Cajun. Read here to discover the difference... 

A Left Coast Crime Lefty Award

Left Coast Crime is a fantastic author-fan convention that takes place in a different locale every year. And this year, that locale happened to be the gorgeous island of Oahu.I'm behind in my blog posts due to an insane schedule, but I couldn't NOT share about the glorious time I had at this event, from my improvised work station...To the great author-reader get-togethers...To the fab panels..And the Lefty Awards banquet, where I hosted a table of delightfully game guests, and got the best party favor of all... a Lefty Award forBest Humorous Mystery, BODY ON THE BAYOU!It was hard to say goodbye to the great good times, wonderful attendees, and stunning views...But it's a little less painful when you leave out of what may be the nation's most beautiful airport...Yes, that's the courtyard of the Honolulu International Airport.Now that I'm back on track and in town until August, when we'll head out of town on a college tour for the teenager, look for my next post, Marvelous Memories Of Malice Domestic...And if you haven't read it yet,click here for a link to my most recent Cajun Country Mystery Newsletter.Mahalo!

Mardi Gras Memories

In addition to this personal blog, I'm a member of a multi-author blog called Chicks on the Case. I wrote a fun post about my college memories of Mardi Gras at Tulane University for Chicks that I thought I'd sharehere...Laissez les bon temps rouler!

A Christmas Tree of Memories

When I was twelve or thirteen, my dad experienced some business setbacks. He worked in advertising, so this happened periodically. If you ever watched the series,Mad Men, that was pretty much my life growing up. I joke that my dad was Don Draper, if Draper had been Jewish and monogamous.Anyway, because of this crisis, my mother announced that we would no longer have a Christmas tree. She was too stressed to deal with it. (If you're wondering how "Jewish" and "Christmas tree" got in the same blog post, my mother is Italian, born in the old country. Since my dad was an only child and her entire family was Catholic - except for her, but that's another post - so we gravitated toward those holidays, with the occasional Passover thrown in.)The thought of Christmas without a tree devastated me. Except for the gifts - hey, I was a kid after all - it was my favorite part of the holiday. So I announced that I would take over the task. And I did.I've been Christmas Tree Commander-in-Chief ever since.Every year, I craft decorations for the tree...I collect them as well. Christmas ornaments are the perfect travel souvenir, small enough to fit in any suitcase but filled with lovely memories. A conch shell from Cornwall. A handmade tree toy from Mexico. And lots of ornaments from Louisiana. Painted pictures on cypress. Mardi Gras dolls. Miniature bonfires (which figure prominently inBODY ON THE BAYOU, the second book in my Cajun Country Mystery series.)This year, I decided it would be fun to make ornaments inspired by both Louisiana and my book series. Decoupage produced a few cute ones...I even resuscitated a craft I haven't done in years, silk ribbon embroidery, to create an ornament featuring fleur de lis and a magnolia blossom, the state flower of Louisiana...But of all the baubles I've made that commemorate either my series or Louisiana, my favorite is this mini stocking...I did the needlepoint and my friend, Suzanne Welke, did the brilliant finishing work. When I hang this small stocking on our Christmas tree, it will be a wonderful reminder of the state I love and the mystery series I am lucky enough to write.To anyone reading this blog post, thank you so much for your time and support. May your holiday be filled with wonderful memories and beautiful ornaments... this year and always.With love and gratitude,EllenReaders, do you have special ornaments for your Christmas tree, or a favorite holiday memory?

The Cajun Country Mystery Cocktail

It's my book birthday, and I'm celebrating by sharing the recipe for a brand-new cocktail. I have the great good fortune of being friends with one of Los Angeles' premiere mixologists, D Max Maxey, who also happens to be a huge fan of New Orleans. I asked him to invent a cocktail inspired by my series and he happily embraced the challenge. So, with gratitude and much thanks to Max, I bring you...THE CAJUN COUNTRY MYSTERYINGREDIENTS:1 oz Bacardi 8 Rum1 oz Smith and Cross Rum½ oz Dolin Sweet Vermouth½ oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao½ oz Suze1 light bar-spoon AbsintheDIRECTIONS:Build the drink by adding each ingredient to an old-fashioned glass. Add block ice, if you have it. Otherwise, use regular ice. Stir to mix flavors and control the dilution. Garnish with a Luxardo cherry.As they say in Louisiana,laissez les bon temps rouler!!