I’m talking New Orleans in the run up to the release of Dead Spaces next month (book 2 in my Big Uneasy series). On Monday I wrote a bit about my transition to New Orleans as a person, but New Orleans also had a huge impact on me as an author.
I wish I could bottle the creative ambience of New Orleans. I don’t have the words to describe what it is like to walk around a place that is more than a place. It is a personality, a creative force that makes you wonder, did the city fuel the artists or did so many creative artists over so many years make the ambience?
You can’t walk two feet in the Quarter without running into street performers and artists line Jackson Square, but I’m an author, so lets talk books. For now. Here’s a few authors whose names you might recognize who were either from New Orleans, and/or who wrote in New Orleans at some point:
- Tennessee Williams
- Anne Rice
- Ernest Hemingway
- Mark Twain
- John Kennedy Toole
- Eudora Welty
- William Faulkner
- Frances Parkinson Keyes
If they didn’t infuse the air with creativity…so I’m back to which came first. lol
I will admit that I also enjoy reading books set in New Orleans and I—now that we don’t live there—particularly enjoy seeing movies and TV shows that give me glimpses of the city. NCIS: New Orleans does a great job of showcasing the city and Scott Bakula. Quantum Leap. Happy sigh. I think he traveled to New Orleans, or at least Louisiana in the show, but I might be wrong about that. Anyway, he’s back. lol
Okay, I’ll admit to feeling a little smug when I know a movie got it wrong, because I’ve been there. There was a chase scene in one where the cars had to have leaped the river to get from point a to crash b. I really enjoyed Deja Vu, but man, did they get the whole “riding the ferry” experience wrong. I guess they needed to, for their plot to work, but it kind of tossed me out of the story. With a thump.
And you can’t talk New Orleans movies without mentioning the Elvis and King Creole. There are those who think Elvis is still in New Orleans.
There’s even a movie CALLED New Orleans. It was filmed in 1947 and stars Louis Armstrong and Billie Holliday. Going to try to track this one down, because Billie Holliday. And Louis Armstrong.
I know, I’ve kind of gotten off the book track, so I’ll bring it back around. What’s your favorite book set in New Orleans OR written by an author from New Orleans. And if you mention a movie, I won’t smack you down. You know I love comments so much that I pick a favorite to receive my monthly AnaBanana gift basket ($25 value). Recipient is announced the first blog post of the new month.
Perilously yours,
Pauline
Releasing next month! Dead Spaces: The Big Uneasy 2