Posts Tagged ‘Choc Lit; Rachel Gibson; E.L.James; Lee Child; Florida; New Orleans; Christina Courtenay; Sue Moorcroft; Beverley Eikli; Rachel Daven Skinner; Lynne Connolly; Romantic Times’
To New Orleans via Florida. Yes, a catchy title!
Following Choc Lit’s success at the 2013 Romantic Times Booklovers’ Convention in Kansas City, Choc Lit’s Marketing Director, Lyn Vernham, plus six of her authors, including me, went to New Orleans this May, the location for the 2014 RT Convention.

It’s amazing the people you meet when you step out in New Orleans. Here I am with The Greats of the past: Antoine ‘Fats’ Domino, Al ‘Jumbo’ Hirt and Pete Fountain
And some of the greats of the present day.
Fellow Choc Lit authors Christina Courtenay and Beverley Eikli have already written blogs about our visit to New Orleans. You can read Christina’s blog here and Beverley’s here.
As they’ve so ably and entertainingly covered the basics of the week, and as I don’t believe in reinventing the wheel, my contribution to bringing the convention alive for you will mainly take the form of captioned photos. So here we go!
Since there’s no direct flight from Heathrow to New Orleans, and since I had a cousin in Florida, a State I’d never visited, I opted to change flights in Florida and spend a few days on Florida’s west coast with my cousin before flying on to New Orleans.
HELLO, FLORIDA!

Pride of place goes to the alligator. This was what I’d expected to see in Florida, and this is what I saw on my first morning there. Walking across the wooden bridge to Siesta Beach, I peered over the side and lo, there it was. Having only ever seen an alligator in the zoo prior to that, this was an exciting moment.
Three more shots of wildlife in Florida.
Sadly, I don’t have a photo of an anhinga. Anhingas, also known as snakebirds, don’t have oil glands so they can’t waterproof their feathers. This means that after they’ve been in the water, they have to come out on to the bank, spread their wings and dry out thoroughly for a long period of time. If they attempt to fly while still wet, they can’t get off the surface of the water.
All too soon, it was farewell, Florida, with its miles and miles of wonderful fine white sand beaches …
… and HELLO, NEW ORLEANS, with its vibrant night life, unforgettable jazz and tasty beignets.

The wide Mississippi, which winds crescent-shaped through New Orleans. Though the river water – the water upon which the city depends – is muddy, the purifying system is so effective that the city’s drinking water is the fourth purest in the US

A New Orleans streetcar. Riding from one end of the line to the other is a great way to see the city
And now to the hotel…

The key to my hotel room. Of course.
I think it’s time we had some people in the photos.

What better way to start the day than with breakfast at the Café Beignet? Lyn and Paul Vernham and Beverley Eikli

Strolling along the bank of the Mississippi, Lyn Vernham, Pia Fenton (Christina Courtenay), Sue Moorcroft

The Samhain Saints & Sinners party. Red balloons float above the Sinners, and white balloons above the Saints
On my last full day in New Orleans, I went first to the main cemetery, and then I took a swamp tour.
In the cemetery, I learnt about HAINT PAINT, a blue paint. It’s believed that the dead can’t pass through the blue paint, hence you see blue throughout the city. A number of the TOMBS are painted blue so that the dead are kept within the tomb. Shells and pieces of brick are left around the top of the tomb to be used as currency in the afterlife. People place items used by the deceased when they were alive in front of the tomb on the bottom left hand side. The items are then broken in order to symbolise the transition between life and death.
Blue paint was also used to keep the dead out of the houses.

Reputed to be the resting place of Marie Laveau, the ‘Voodoo Queen’. The voodoo cult is a mystic cult of African origin that flourished in the 19th century.

Burial crypts serve as a cemetery wall. Because of their arched shape, they are known as ‘oven vaults’

The blue door kept the dead out of the houses. They also painted the porch ceiling blue for that purpose

No, there’s no blue on this, but there’s some lovely wrought iron, which is frequently found on New Orleans’ houses
One of the last things I did in New Orleans was go on a SWAMP TOUR.

Wild hogs
During the tour, I cuddled an alligator. Well, perhaps ‘cuddled’ is a weeny exaggeration.

… gave way to smiles when I remembered the camera, and also when I realised how soft-skinned and rather sweet the alligator was.
Well, that’s it! It’s over and out, and farewell to Louisana.