New ebooks, events this week

Ebooks

A Louisiana family is forced out of their home and must deal with inner turmoil in an increasingly segregated California city in “Le Midnight Roux” by Charles Jolivette, available for the Kindle through Amazon.com.

The second installment of “The Medium and The Mortician,” this one known as “The Skull,” an Ebook by Allyson Schram and Jan Risher, is now available through online bookstores and at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/74708.
Shane Hebert has published “Lord of Redemption,” a follow-up to “The Ballad of Corey Robichaux.” The book takes place in the Bayou Lafourche area of southeast Louisiana and is available through www.smashwords.com.

Blog debuts

            I have unveiled a blog to correspond with my column, allowing for lengthier reviews, photos and information that comes to me via authors, booksellers and librarians on a constant basis. I will be giving away a copy of my latest book, “Exploring Cajun Country: A Tour of Historic Acadiana” to a person chosen randomly from the first 50 followers. Visit http://louisianabooknews.blogspot.com/ and join the conversation.

Casa Azul

            Megan Burns and Dave Brinks (shown right) will read from their work, followed by an open mic, at 7 p.m. Thursday at Casa Azul Gifts in Grand Coteau.

Both Megan Burns and Dave Brinks coordinate 17 Poets! Literary and Performance Series at the Gold Mine in New Orleans. Brinks is editor-in-chief of YAWP: A Journal of Poetry and Art, publisher of Trembling Pillow Press and founder of The New Orleans School for the Imagination. He is the author of six books. Burns is a poet, performer, essayist and editor of the poetry magazine Solid Quarter. She has published two chapbooks, “Frida Kahlo: I am the poem” and “Framing a Song.” This free, community event is appropriate for mature teens and adults. For more information, visit http://casaazul.homestead.com.

Faulkner finalists

The Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society has posted the list of finalists, short lists, and semi-finalists in all categories for its 2011 William Faulkner - William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition on the Society’s web site: www.wordsandmusic.org.

 The Faulkner Society offers cash prizes, gold medals and expense-paid trips to New Orleans for winners to receive their awards during the Society’s fall
festival, the 2011 Words & Music, a Literary Feast, Nov. 9-13 in New Orleans.
Winners will be posted on the web site on or about Sept. 1.



Book events

            Keith Spera will sign copies of “Groove Interrupted: Loss, Renewal and the Music of New Orleans” at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Octavia Books, and Amanda Eyre Ward will sign copies of “Close Your Eyes” at 6 p.m. Saturday at Maple Street Bookstore, both in New Orleans.

            Mystery Writers of America is hosting a full-day writing seminar Oct. 1 at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans. MWA-University is offered throughout the country for members, but is open to the public and applicable to all genres of fiction writing. Cost is $50 and includes instruction by published authors and college professors. For more information, visit http://www.mwasw.org.