Hi Kathy, Just finished the first two books in your Cajun Connection series. I was captivated by them. In your supporting data, you've described both setting so well--New Orleans and the San Diego/LA/Thousand Oaks area. What type of research did you do to give you the details you needd?

Kathy Ivan Hi Beverly! First, thanks so much for the kind words about these books. I love writing stories with interesting characters, and to me the setting/location is kind of like a secondary character. I try to breathe life into it, make the reader notice things like the vivid colors, the buildings, even the scents and smells. All of these can trigger emotions.

For New Orleans, I've visited there a couple of times in the past, though it has been a few years the ambience and vitality of the city lingers in my mind. Especially the French Quarter which is bustling with activity and vitality. I drew on those memories as well as did research online, looking at pictures to remind me of what I'd seen and the foods I'd eaten while I was there.

As for Southern California, I actually lived there for several years when I was growing up (through my junior year in high school), so I'm very familiar with the areas, though not San Diego specifically. For that I simply used my imagination along with things I've seen on television. But I have a vivid imagination, and tried to make it realistic to what I thought would fit with the story.

Thanks so much for reading and loving my books!

flag