My
husband David and I first visited New Orleans in 1989 and fell in love with the
city. I’m a history buff by heart so I found the old Spanish architecture with
its wrought iron balconies enchanting. It was a few years ago, while sitting on
one of these balconies, that the idea for my book, Rue Toulouse, came to me.
There’s
a saying, “Only in New Orleans.” And this is so true. As I sat on my balcony
overlooking Toulouse street, I could see a musician setting up on the corner.
Soon the clear sounds of his saxophone filled the night. The smell of spicy
gumbo from the restaurant across from me wafted through the air. The clip clop
from a horse-drawn carriage passed beneath me, its driver thrilling his
passengers with tales of the ghosts that haunt the city. A man painted silver
walked along juggling oranges, while a bicycle cab hurried by. A group of
laughing tourists carrying red go-cups went into a bar and the long low whistle
of a boat on the Mississippi wailed in the dark.
As I sat
there taking it all in, I thought what a wonderful place to set a story. From
its diverse people to its incredible food—such as hot sugary beignets, po boy
sandwiches, and crawfish etouffee. Every kind of music from funky blues to
jazz, rock 'n roll to country. From haunted houses to above-ground cemeteries.
As I
drank my glass of wine and munched on voodoo chips, the characters in Rue Toulouse began to come alive in my
mind. Hopefully, I’ve brought a little of this wonderful city to life for you
while you read about Caterine and Remi
Fashion
designer Caterine Doucette attends a masquerade ball dressed as a shimmering
ice princess where she encounters ex-cop Remi Michaud, disguised as the
handsome pirate Jean Lafitte. The princess and the pirate come together for one
unforgettable night of passion.
When
Caterine inherits the family’s exclusive boutique, Ma Chérie, an attempt is
made on her life, for someone in the Doucette household will stop at nothing to
possess what they feel is rightfully theirs.
Remi,
working for a private security company, sets out to unmask Caterine’s would-be
assassin, but finds himself torn between his desire for her and painful
memories of another socialite’s betrayal. Falling for Remi, Caterine struggles
with old embedded pain, leaving her afraid to open herself to love.
In the
heart of the Big Easy, the two must learn to trust one another if they’re to
survive in a world of family greed and ruthless revenge.
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR:
Debby
Grahl lives on Hilton Head Island ,
South Carolina New
Orleans , New York City, Captiva Island
in Florida , the Cotswolds of England, and her
home state of Michigan
Her
first published book, The Silver Crescent,
won the Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewers’ Choice award. Her second book, Rue Toulouse, a contemporary romance set
in New Orleans, was a finalist in the National Excellence in Romantic Fiction
Award and was selected as a May, 2016, ‘local read’ by Hilton Head Monthly.
Decorated to Death is a holiday mystery cozy. She
also has stories in three anthologies, The
Haunted West, Never Fear/Christmas
Terrors; and Ebb and Flow from
the local Island Writers’ Network.
Debby
was featured in the January, 2016, Hilton Head Monthly article ‘Intriguing
People of the Lowcountry’. She is a member of Romance Writers of America,
Florida Romance Writers, and First Coast Romance Writers.
Her
latest book, His Magic Touch, was
released December 5, 2018, by Wild Rose Press.
Q: Do you have a specific writing style?
A:
There are a number of ways authors lay out the ideas for their books.
Some will write extensive outlines, and some make lists of notes. Me, I write
by the seat of my pants, LOL! I decide on a location and create my characters’
personalities, and know how I want to begin the book, but after that the story
just plays itself out. Although I do go back and add some and take some thing’s
out and do rewrites.
Q:
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
A:
I hope the story shows that no matter what walk of life you come from,
how many heartbreaks you have, how many disappointments, or how unloved you
feel, your one true love is out there, and you may find each other in the most
unexpected way.
Q:
How much of the book is realistic?
A:
I tried to bring the city of New Orleans to life for the reader. The
parade at the beginning of the book is an example of many such before and
during Mardi Gras. You can hardly go down a street without hearing a musician
playing. The smell of spicy food, spilled beer and mold does fill the air. Café
du Monde, The Chartres House, and Brennan’s are real restaurants. There’s even
a house located between Burgundy and Dauphine on Toulouse, which has been
turned into apartments, that I used for Remi’s digs. Houma, where Remi’s family
lives is a real place, and you can go on a swamp boat ride, but I doubt you’ll
have as an exciting time as Caterine and Remi. And there are definitely gators
in the swamps.
Q:
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your
latest book?
A:
I don’t care how many times an author reads their own work, they always
find something they think needs to be changed. In Rue Toulouse, I’d probably add more detail about life in New Orleans.
Such as the eclectic people and the clothing you see them wear. Honestly, it’s
not unusual to see a woman with a green painted face playing a keyboard outside
a restaurant. Or a vampire walking down the street next to a woman in a ball
gown. And it’s not Halloween!
Q:
Do you have any advice for other writers?
A:
My advice would be if you think you’d like to write, do it. But unless
you’ve already had some type of writing classes, take some online courses.
These can be extremely helpful, they’re convenient because you do them from
home, and they’re not costly.
Also,
there’s a number of groups which offer writing contests. These are a great way
to get feedback on your manuscript.
You also
need to become very very thick-skinned. No one likes rejection, but in the
writing world you must get used to it and know how to deal with it gracefully.
Wine helps.
Amazon /
Kindle Author Page
Barnes
and Noble / Nook
author
website
author
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Thank
you, Debby, for being my guest this week and sharing your writing experiences.
3 comments:
Samantha, thank you so much for having me today.
I love New Orleans--fantastic place to set a book. Best of luck with it!
Jennifer, thanks for stopping by.
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