Sunday, June 23, 2013

New Orleans Literary Tour

  There is something about New Orleans, especially the French Quarter, that just makes you want to read…and write.  Maybe it’s the history, the music or the haunted buildings.  Maybe it’s the legacy of Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, and Anne Rice.  Whatever it is, you’re sure to feel it moving in your soul when you walk the humid, colorful streets with names like Conti, Burgundy (emphasis on “gun”) and Bourbon.  Whenever I get to NOLA, I just want to rip my shirt open, scream, “Stella!!!” and pick up a book…or a pen. 


  I just returned from the Horror Writers Convention/Bram Stoker Awards at NOLA’s Hotel Monteleone.  What could be more fun than selling a book about Royal Street than actually doing it on Royal Street?  Even better than signing books, were my slow walks around the Quarter that revealed one deposit of great books after another.  Here are a few favorites.






You can take a great literary tour of NOLA by calling Ms.Inez and asking for a Heritage Literary Tour.  The number is 504-451-1082

Monday, June 10, 2013

WHEN IN NOLA, TAKE A HAUNTED TOUR

   Few things are as much fun as a “haunted tour” in America’s most haunted city, New Orleans.  A quick check with TripAdvisor will show you that the largest, and sometimes most visible, ghost tours aren’t always the best.  For master story tellers, an easy pace, careful research and just plain fun, it’s hard to beat French Quarter Phantoms walking tours.  They offer a variety of tours and most begin at Flanagan’s Pub, 625 St Philip Street in the French Quarter. 

   Strange True Tours is another favorite, with great cemetery tours and a new bicycle tour. 

I’ll be returning to French Quarter Phantoms on Father’s Day, June 16, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. to sign books and I plan to take more tours with both companies while visiting New Orleans.