Happy Holidays

The gingerbread houses are built...

The villages are up...

And the tree is decorated...

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Christmas in New Orleans

We don't often see photos of New Orleans decked out for Christmas. So come with me, and let's go for a stroll. We'll start with St. Louis cathedral and Jackson Square, the heart of the city in the days when we were a French and Spanish colony:

Then we'll cross the street and climb over the levee to the Mississippi River, where the steamboat, the Natchez, is decked out for the holidays.

While we're down in the Quarter, we might as well pop over toward Bourbon Street...

And, not too far away, on the Uptown side of Canal, is the old Fairmont Hotel. Now the Roosevelt, it's long been famous in New Orleans for its elaborate Christmas decorations (it's also a lovely hotel, if you're ever looking for someplace to stay).

Finally, let's hop on the Canal streetcar and head out to City Park for Celebration in the Oaks. It's nothing like what it used to be before Katrina, but still a fun stop. And while you're there, don't forget to visit the Cajun Papa Noel...

I'm almost ready for Christmas, and hope to get some pictures of my tree and villages up soon. How about you? If you celebrate, are you ready?

Sebastian's London: the Gentleman's Carriage

This carriage was actually built in Philadelphia, in 1820, but is essentially the same as the latest smart equipage one would have seen dashing through the streets of Regency London. The first thing I noticed about this carriage is that it is incredibly delicate and tiny. It's a good reminder of just how small people once were. Here's a better view of the interior:

The back is interesting (ignore the junk piled behind it; this wonderfully preserved carriage is sitting gathering dust in an old barn):

And here's a better look at the driver's seat:

Notice the two brass lamps and the springs. And here's the bill of sale (you can click to enlarge for a better view). It makes fascinating reading.

Meandering

We've been having one of the warmest, prettiest autumns that I can remember here in New Orleans this year. So Steve and I decided to spend some time exploring more of the old historic sites in the area.

First up was Port Hudson. Yes, it's another Civil War battlefield (for trivia buffs, it was the longest military siege in American history). But there isn't much left to see today beyond some overgrown old earthworks and a cemetery (thousands of men died here). Now it's probably best known for its hiking trails--miles of them, up and down a series of bluffs and ravines that would not have been fun to fight over.

A good way to work off any Thanksgiving excesses!

Next up was Centenary College in Jackson, Louisiana. Also another battle site, this one lies just a few miles to the west of our lake house. Once, Centenary College was one of the grandest liberal arts colleges outside of New England. In fact, its main academic building was actually the largest in the country.

All that's left today is the west dormitory, and another graveyard (the college was turned into a military hospital during the Civil War).

Once, there were so many colleges, preparatory schools, and finishing schools in Jackson that it was known as the "Athens of the South." No longer...

Is That a Lightbulb I See Before Me, On the Cover of My New Regency Mystery?

Last week I posted the new cover for What Darkness Brings, due out next March:

Then one of my observant readers, Jan, pointed out that there was an electric light fixture in the picture!

If you only knew how many times I stared at that cover without seeing that light! I suppose my excuse (and it's a feeble one!) is that I was so focused on the male figure in the picture, I didn't see much else. I'm prohibited from showing you the original, but I can say that in the first version of the cover, the male figure did not look anything like I thought he should, to put it mildly. He had short hair, and no Mr. Darcy-like sideburns. He was also as pale as a vampire, his hair looked half gray, and he could have been forty-five years old. I sent them photos of Regency-era men's hairstyles and said, Please can you make his hair much longer and darker? And give him sideburns and more color? And tighten up his neck and give him more pronounced cheekbones and make him look a bit leaner and, and, and...

Yet in all that back and forth, I never looked up at the church gable and said, Oh, by the way, is that a lightbulb?

Of course, once it was pointed out to me, the danged thing stuck out like a proverbial sore thumb. I immediately sent a panicked email to my editor, and we've just this morning received word that, Yes, there is time to photoshop that oops out of the cover. I'll be posting the new version when it becomes available. From now on, my editor and I will be going over future covers with a magnifying glass!

So bless you, Jan. And yes, you most deserve a reward! Please see my response in the comments section of the previous post.

Update: Here's the new, corrected version.