Plus ça Change – April 26, 2026 There are chapters, and then there are chapters. I suppose it depends upon what sort of “thing” you’re writing about. Mine are family stories, tales of life, the universe, and everything, set back in time. I want the characters to be real people… Continue reading
Plus ça Change – April 11, 2026 The chapter I’m working on is very much “author’s conceit,” in that I’m jonesing to write this. It is history that presents a wonderful vehicle for the narrative. Abraham Lincoln visited New Orleans twice as a young man. There is legend that on… Continue reading
The Legend of Marie Laveaux These are the research articles and musing of my discoveries writing Laveaux: Mother. The oppression of slaves and free people of color in antebellum New Orleans has certain parallels in these days of modern times. The Making of Laveaux: Mother
Plus ça change – April 4, 2026 I have fun with this blog, toward two ends. I love to share what I discover from history. I also like to write about the process of writing, and that’s what this one is. I’m working on Chapter 10 (for now) in Laveaux:… Continue reading
Plus ça change – April 2, 2026 Real life is not neat with solid lines, clear boundaries, and binary conditions. Marie Laveaux owned slaves. That’s a fact. Many free people of color owned slaves. It was common. As horrific as this is to our sensibilities, this was the air within which… Continue reading
Plus ça change – March 30, 2026 On Dec 27, 1827, Père Antoine dedicated a chapel in New Orleans, to Saint Anthony of Padua. It looks a bit different today than in 1827, but it is still standing, at the corner of Rampart and Conti. This was the second Catholic… Continue reading
Plus ça change – March 28, 2026 I got to a point where I have a couple of chapters downstream I can work on, but one of those changes drastically. After those two, I was pretty much clueless. I have the history, but I don’t have the fiction. I’m sufficiently… Continue reading
Plus ça change – March 16, 2026 A funny thing happened on the way to the keyboard this morning. We’ll see how it turns out. Writer boy wasn’t feeling particularly motivated. There are, of course, ups and downs. I’m reminded of an earlier career writing deeply technical training materials for software… Continue reading
Plus ça change – March 13, 2026 This is why I like research so much, it takes me down such interesting paths. Next up in my thinking will be the dedication of the yellow fever mortuary chapel, Dec 27, 1827. Père Antoine presided (he’s quite old). Marie was a major… Continue reading
Plus ça change – March 11, 2026 This is an inside joke from my critique group, a wonderful bunch of people. Every author dreams of thousands of readers of published novels. But we all start small. No draft survives the light of day. Polished words are not automatic. The author… Continue reading
