Y'all Come!
by Heather
Okay, I can’t help it. It’s my day to blog—so it is a bit of an advertisement, but for a really good reason, I promise.
Decadent, haunted, decaying elegance.
That’s one of the best and most alluring descriptions I’ve heard regarding the incredibly historic city, New Orleans, Louisiana.
I love it! Now, it’s a strange place, one of those places where people go and fall in love, or go—and decide not to go back. It’s a mixed bag of unbelievable architecture, Americana, history, debauchery, music, art, and so much more.
I was there one weekend years ago with my family, filming a trailer for a book about to come out
then called Ghost Walk. That same week, Katrina came in and ripped up South Florida—and continued across the Gulf to kill and destroy all along the coast, with flooding destroying homes and lives in the grand old city.
My dad brought me there when I was very young. (No, Dad and I did not go cruising down Bourbon Street!) I saw the old houses, the cemeteries—the “Cities of the Dead,” the cathedral, the art—and I heard the music. It began a lifelong relationship for me. After Katrina, I acquired another child when schools there shipped their students out. I have friends I cherish there, and in Houma and Lafayette, and family over in Baton Rouge.
So . . . after the storm, I’m talking with friends and they were bitter, of course—NOLA was failed by the city, the parish, the state, and the federal government. But they were ready to pick up the pieces, and to pick up the pieces, they needed to get back to work. So . . . thus was born Heather Graham’sWriters for New Orleans. www.writersforneworleans.com
The conference is at cost, and we started it out with . . . hm. Who uses New Orleans? Writers! So writers will want to keep the city going. Except that the con wasn’t going to be for any particular kind of writer, just writers. Then, hey, who cares if you write? Maybe you read. Okay, if you don’t read, you probably eat, so come to NOLA, and enjoy the parties we put on! Whatever, come!
Now we do some great panels, with great guest speakers. We have editor/agent appointments. Helen Rosburg of Medallion Press is putting on a champagne welcome party this year, and Kathy Love, Erin McCarthy, and F. Paul Wilson are doing an evening bash—guess your Civil War characters—to go along with the theme of our Saturday night dinner theater—Civil War Zombies for Peace.
Please come! Just check out the website (writersforneworleans.com,) contact Connie, and come spend some money in a city that is so unique, and so profoundly American. The grand—decaying and elegant—city survived the storm and the oil spill and now, the economy is taking its toll. So, if you’ve ever been fascinated by the cemeteries, the architecture, the music, the art—come!
We have fantastic rates at the Monteleone—$105 a night for three days before, the conferenceand three days after the conference.
Head out to the plantations! The trailer we did here for the Krewe of Hunter series was filmed out at the Myrtles, where our group had the whole house and the Peace River Ghost Trackers to film and explore.
There’s so much!
You all come on down!
Heather, there is nothing on earth like your writers conference in New Orleans. What fun if every TLC reader showed up at the Hotel Monteleone!
Posted by: Harley | July 25, 2011 at 01:35 AM
Sounds like such a great time! You ARE publicizing it on Facebook, aren't you??? Hope it is wonderfully well attended this year!
Posted by: Laraine | July 25, 2011 at 02:02 AM
I cannot think of a better thing to do! I'll pass the word, of course.
Posted by: Reine | July 25, 2011 at 03:35 AM
Slight hijack: today's guest interview is TLC's own Nancy Martin! http://www.wmsimon.blogspot.com/
Heather, a worthy cause, one of the greatest cities in the world... what more can anyone ask for? I managed to run in for a bit last year, going to try and schedule it this year! How can anyone resist the band going full out with "The Man Behind the Mask"?????
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbT8n_ay4fM
P.S. Thanks to last year, the Hotel Monteleone figures prominently in SPIDER'S DANCE.... just sayin'....:)
Posted by: William | July 25, 2011 at 06:13 AM
New Orleans is fascinating! I was just there for the ALA convention. But driving out to see the devastation that still hasn't been cleaned up--that's what has stuck with me. What a tragedy.
Uh, William? It's Nora, not Nina. Guess the Blackbirds aren't your cuppa, hm?
Posted by: Nancy Martin | July 25, 2011 at 08:00 AM
Au contraire, Nancy. That's what happens when I type an intro at 430am pre-coffee...:) It's been fixed!
Posted by: William | July 25, 2011 at 08:22 AM
Drat it, that's the weekend we're having my daughter's shower. Here.
When will they invent the astral projection machine that will allow us to be two places at once? That would be way more useful than a new iPad version!
Posted by: Karen in Ohio | July 25, 2011 at 09:11 AM
I want to add my enthusiastic support of Heather's conference. It's a terrific mix of writers and readers with lots of great information and tons of fun.
I'm very sad that I won't be there this year. :-( You all will just have to laissez les bon temps rouler sans moi.
Posted by: Mary Stella | July 25, 2011 at 10:23 AM
I love NOLA. And I would love to come to the Con, but my current plan is not to venture south of the Mason-Dixon line until after the frost.
Will keep an eye on the weather though - and if things cool down, I will see you there. You can find me dancing in the street anywhere there is live music!
Posted by: Kathy Reschini Sweeney | July 25, 2011 at 10:47 AM
Heather, your event sounds fabulous.
I would love to travel to NOLA someday.
All the best!
Posted by: marie | July 25, 2011 at 11:08 AM
Civil War Zombies for Peace!! LOVE IT... going to the site, instantly..xoxo
Posted by: Hank Phillippi Ryan | July 25, 2011 at 11:11 AM
What a terrific conference, Heather, and for a worthy cause. I was back in New Orleans for ALA and loved the city and the people. They've done a splendid job of rebuilding, mostly on their own, as you pointed out.
Posted by: Elaine Viets | July 25, 2011 at 02:12 PM
Kathy Sweeney...I wanna go with you!
Posted by: Pam aka SisterZip | July 25, 2011 at 02:24 PM
Karen, that would be like bi-temporal status epilepticus!
Posted by: Reine | July 25, 2011 at 03:59 PM
I was just there in May for the Food & Wine festival and had a blast. It's such an unique place to visit.
Posted by: Rocky Mountain Woman | July 25, 2011 at 05:30 PM
Wish I could join you! Bonne chance, and all that jazz.
Posted by: Nancy Pickard | July 25, 2011 at 06:28 PM
Thank you! I haven't been able to log on because I just came from another great con - Necon, and then a night at the Lizzie Bordon house in Fall River, Mass. The ghosts thought it would be great to mess with the Internet. Thank you all - if you can or can't come - for the support.
Posted by: heather graham | July 25, 2011 at 09:46 PM
Unfortunately, again I didn’t find the man of my dreams.
Posted by: black lipstick | July 25, 2011 at 11:19 PM