Last week I made a whirlwind trip to New Orleans to attend an author-reader breakfast hosted by my publisher as part of the annual Romantic Times Booklovers Convention. It was my first trip to New Orleans. I loved spending time with my publishing team, my fellow authors, and with the amazing readers attending the convention. It was quite a party! One night readers went on a Mardi Gras tour and on another night, a pub crawl. However the only crawling I did was crawling into bed.

I enjoyed several great meals at the Palace Cafe in the French Quarter—-seafood gumbo, bananas foster, grilled tuna, and a white chocolate creme brulee were all outstanding.

My sweet friend Tamera Alexander was there and we had a great time. She introduced me to another lovely author, Dee Gist, who is from Houston. I’m always delighted to meet other writers who call Texas home. Dee was so welcoming and supportive. I felt as if I’d known her forever.

The only frustration with the trip was that it was so rushed I didn’t have any time to explore the Quarter, the iconic above-ground cemeteries, or to ride one of their charming street cars. But I came across a reference to a shady and fascinating part of town that flourished in the late 1800’s, and my author’s imagination started whirring. I’ve already got the title in my head, and my main character. We’ll see what she has to say. Which of course, will call for a much longer research trip to the Big Easy.

If you’ve been to New Orleans, what did you like most about ii? What should I be sure not to miss on my next trip?