One of my husband’s favorite activities is traveling. He loves visiting new places and seeing new sights. Of course, that was impossible during the pandemic. This April we finally decided to take a trip. Because we’re still not so sure about going to foreign countries, I suggested New Orleans–which is close to going to a foreign country while still being in the U.S. It’s not a new experience for us, but I figured knowing the lay of the land would be an advantage. The first time I went there was in 1985. I know because we went to research a suspense novel I’d set there. It was called In Search of the Dove, and it was the third book in a trilogy that revolved around a secret government agency called the Peregrine Connection. I researched the unique NOLA cemeteries and voodoo shops. My hero stayed at the same boutique hotel where we stayed. Later he got drugged and shoved into one of the cemetery crypts. The heroine figures out where he is and rescues him.
I’ve returned over the years, usually to research other books. Here’s one, At Risk, I wrote for my Decorah Security Series.
It’s about a young chef who is trying to bring in some extra cash by hosting voodoo ceremonies in her restaurant dining room. Unfortunately she gets into a lot of trouble when one of her guests is poisoned and the cops are sure she did it. On the good side she does reconnect with the man she loved and lost ten years ago.
This trip was just for fun–to celebrate my birthday. It started out with a bit of frustration when we were trying to find the Chris Owens (a Bourbon Street performer who died recently) Easter Parade. Even though we had the parade route, we weren’t sure where to pick it up. We came to a big public building with wide steps, where it looked like something interesting was going on. But what? A group of men all in Elvis wigs and costumes (plus bunny ears) were gathering together and greeting each other. It turned out they were the Rolling Elvi. I took a picture with a couple of them,
Lucky for us, they were also waiting for the start of the Chris Owens Parade. Cars and floats began lining up, and then the parade began.
The participants were tossing things into the crowd. Unfortunately, I got hit by a flying carrot (for Easter, get it). But Norman and I also scored several strings of beads, and I got a teddy bear, which I intend to give away the next time I have a contest.
Of course, one of the things we went to NOLA for is the food. How about this artfully arranged plate of lobster dumplings from GW Fins.
the number one rated TripAdvisor restaurant in town. If you want reservations, make them well before you get to town. We lucked out because we ran into a guy in our hotel who knew somebody who could get us in on short notice.
Another memorable restaurant was Atchafalaya in the Garden District. I loved their patio and the planters with mixtures of flowers and herbs.
My latest book, now on preorder (Amazon, Changeling Press) is Harri Unbound.
It’s about a young woman who’s kidnapped and sold into slavery, but she makes her escape using her magical power. The problem is, her sister is still in the clutches of the kidnappers, and she vows to rescue her. Luckily a swashbuckling young noble volunteers to help her.
You can sign up for my Newsletter at www.rebeccayork.com. Newsletter subscribers are eligible to enter my Contest and win some nice prizes, including that teddy bear I got at the NOLA Easter Parade.
Join the Authors' Billboard Newsletter mailing list and get a newsletter filled with new releases and books on sale every Friday.
Start out your subscription with a free book!
NY Times & USA Today best-seller, Rebecca York, is the author of over 150 books. She has written paranormal romantic thrillers for Berkley and romantic thrillers for Harlequin Intrigue. Her romantic-suspense series, Decorah Security, is set at a detective agency where agents have paranormal powers or work paranormal cases. She also writes an Off-World series where each story is a science fiction romance taking place on a distant planet in the far future. She also writes the Unbound series for Changeling Press.
View website
