CHERIE CLAIRE

I’m not the biggest fan of book signings. I can speak in front of a crowd, give workshops, teach classes, but sitting in a library or bookstore hawking my books at people is not this introvert’s idea of fun. My author friend Christee Gabour Atwood (right) is as outgoing as you can get — she once worked as a Universal Studios tour guide! When my library announced that they were hosting an Author’s Alley this month, I asked if she would join me in selling books. Of course I wan

It’s easy to get frustrated with modern life. The endless election phone calls and the ones with the annoying silence before a robot speaks up. The hottest September on record followed by a cold snap that eliminated what little fall we might have had. My hot water heater failing right after a $1200 plumbing job that will take another year to pay off. Washington – but let’s not go there. And then, there’s Highway 61. I spent the good bit of last week driving through the Missis

There's a full moon on Sunday, Oct. 13, this year. What better time for the latest installment in my Viola Valentine paranormal mystery series to come out! In 2005, Hurricane Katrina uprooted Viola Valentine from her dead-end job and what she deemed a loveless marriage. Four years later, she and her husband Thibault “TB” Boudreaux are starting over on a Tennessee houseboat, she following her dream as travel writer and TB finishing school at Smoky Mountain University. But the

It's hot in Louisiana so when I hear "Dog Days of Summer" I think of my poor puppy with his tongue hanging out. The expression actually refers to the dog star Sirius rising in the sky this time of year. For you, dear readers, it means a free audiobook! Follow me on Facebook for a chance to win a free audiobook of "The Letter," my historical novella set in South Louisiana that's part of The Cajuns series. Just "like" my Facebook page and post a comment — something like "I woul

Didn't get invited to a wedding this summer? No worries. Here are a few Southern places to get your wedding cake fix. Snowballs in New Orleans No, it doesn’t snow in New Orleans but shaved ice here means something fine and delicious. And snowballs aren’t just ice and flavored sugar, although it’s fine if that’s all you want. Snowballs in New Orleans also come stuffed with decadent things like ice cream and condensed milk or topped with fruit, marshmallows or whipped cream. Ou

This oversized pickup truck drew up dangerously close behind. I knew he was there right away for the rear-view mirror in my tiny Saturn disappeared and all I could make out was this enormous Dodge grill. The anger seeped up my neck and I could feel my face turning red. Tailgating seems to be the norm in Louisiana and when these massive trucks ride my butt it really dills my pickle. I uttered a few unpleasantries and slowed down to give him grief. Within seconds I heard his en

I teach a life writing group in South Louisiana and love hearing the unique Cajun words and phrases of my students who grew up speaking French. And then there's William Thibodeaux, a genealogist and historian and an all-around nice guy who is a wealth of information. I'm sharing William's list of words and phrases that he recently gathered for the Lafayette Genealogy Club. Cajun French Words and Phrases 1. Année = year D’une année à l’autre. From one year to the other. 2.

I have always struggled with how I look. My style veers between comfy mom jeans to flower child hippie to vintage apparel to couch potato. I’m horribly allergic to eye makeup so I wear none after waking up one morning and questioning why I was torturing myself for the sake of Fifth Avenue. My arches curve too high so anything with a heel gives me pain so flats are my mode of transportation. And when pantyhose went out of style I threw a parade. I’m a writer so I work out of m

We need the smallest viable audience, not the biggest possible audience. Seth Godin It’s so easy getting caught up in book sales when you’re an author. When I first started in this business and I received a small advance from Kensington Publishing for “A Cajun Dream” historical romance, I thought I was on top of the world. “Are you going to quit your job?” a coworker asked me. “I don’t make that much,” I told her. Seriously, very few authors — and I mean very few — can comple

Something about the holidays make me hungry for my home town of New Orleans. And yes, you can take that literally. Along with the lights, the caroling in Jackson Square, the bonfires on the levees and the rainy streets that glisten the French Quarter, there’s the food, the glorious food. Ah, just sitting here thinking about roast beef poboys, grillades and grits, crawfish etouffee, seafood gumbo and trout meuniere. Brunch at Brennans (that's bananas Foster being created at ri

When I first started working as a journalist, one of my assignments was to write ghost stories of New Orleans for the weekly newspaper Gambit. I thoroughly enjoy it and ended up writing additional ghost stories every fall. Then I was on to The Advocate daily newspaper of Baton Rouge and the ghost tales became ones of Louisiana, including odd myths, superstitions and Cajun folk tales. You're probably guessing where this is heading —yes, I incorporated much of that into my Viol

When the weather dips from sweltering to lovely in Louisiana, people exclaim, "It's gumbo weather!" Truth be told, we don't need autumn's chill or winter's cold to cook up a gumbo. We can eat it anytime. We just eat it more during the cold-weather months. In my "Cajun Embassy" series my three main characters meet over a bowl of gumbo at Columbia Journalism School, all homesick for Louisiana. They become lifelong friends and call themselves "The Cajun Embassy." Of course, all

Everybody loves a bargain so here's one to check out. Bookwrapt is selling 99 books for one week only for 99 cents each — and yes, mine is one of them, "The Cajun Embassy" three-book series. AND...each day, they’ll randomly choose 4 books and give away 3 copies each. How do you enter to win? Simple. Visit Bookwrapt's 99 cents Book Fair Page, click on the books in the fair until you find a link that leads to an instant giveaway on Amazon. You’ll have a 1-in-3 chance of being a

Keep self-doubt at bay! “Harry Potter” was rejected by 12 publishing houses before it found a home. Author J.K. Rowling is now richer than the Queen of England. "Lord of the Flies" was rejected 20 times. "Gone With the Wind" 38 times. "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank 15 times. Our beloved "Anne of Green Gables" four times. Stephen King's "Carrie" was rejected 30 times before being bought, then immediately sold into a movie. You can read more about that incredible sto

When writers decide to tackle the enormous task of penning a novel, it's a long road of learning, writing and then rewriting and getting beaten down and rising to start again. Not for the faint of heart. What keeps us sane in this arduous process is friends, people who not only keep you company but read your books and offer solid advice, share vital information and support you in all that you do. I'm lucky in having two awesome friends, Lauren Royal and Glynnis Campbell, who

I'll be joining several authors to speak on self-publishing at the Jefferson Parish Library Self-Publishing Seminar beginning at 9:30 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 25, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon in Metairie, Louisiana. This event is free and open to the public. Here's the schedule. Hope you can make it. 9:30 a.m. Webinar The Self-Publishing Seminar opens with a 60–minute webinar that explain three tools for authors who want to publish their own books. All are

I'm a travel writer in my day job, although I sometimes write travel stories at night and fiction in the morning so it's not a literal title — but, well, you get the picture. Wearing my travel writer hat, I recently visited Oxford, Mississippi, an adorable town that's home to fabulous restaurants, Ole Miss and a remarkable literary history. Naturally, William Faulkner takes center stage. He was born in nearby Albany, Mississippi, but lived most of his life in Oxford where he

I hear songs when I'm writing and since "Trace of a Ghost" incorporated a few supernatural elements, particularly angels, I heard plenty. Here is a song list I compiled when writing this angelic tale and I'm including them here with links to You Tube videos. Hope you enjoy. Angels Among Us, Alabama (Warning: This song may cause water to leak from your eyes.) Calling All Angels, Train She Talks to Angels, The Black Crowes Angel, Sarah McLachlan The Devil Went Down to Georgia,

In "Trace of a Ghost," the third book in my Viola Valentine mystery series, travel writer Viola visits Tom's Wall outside Florence, Alabama. Tom Hendrix spent 30 years building this stone wall in homage to his Native American ancestor, who was sent away from Florence to Oklahoma during the Trail of Tears but walked back home to Alabama. Hendrix passed away last year but I will never forget his hospitality when I visited and his incredible wall that attracts visitors from arou

Like my character Viola Valentine, I'm a travel writer. And also like Viola, the Deep South is my specialty. Last summer I had the pleasure of traveling the Natchez Trace from Tupelo, Miss., to Natchez, the quaint antebellum city at the end of the 444-mile historic highway. I was driving through for inspiration of my latest Viola Valentine mystery, "Trace of a Ghost." Viola takes a trek down the Natchez Trace and traveling with her is an adventurous heiress who’s been dead si