Authors collect images of Iberia Parish, start new book on St. Landry

    Acadiana authors Nelwyn Hebert and Warren A. Perrin have published a collection of 200 vintage images and memories of Iberia Parish, part of Arcadia Publishing’s “Images of America” series.

    “Iberia Parish” tells the history of the area from its inception in the mid-1700s by the French, the arrival of the Spanish and Acadians in the mid-18th century when the town was called Nueva Iberia, and on up into the 20th century. The book includes an introduction by historian Shane Bernard followed by wonderful photographs of people, cultural events, festivals, sports, food and so much more.
    The majority of the images have been donated from private collections of local residents, including those of the McIlhenny family, owners of Tabasco. Some photos never seen before include those of Buck Johnson and the town of Derouen.
    The profits from the sale of the book are being donated to the Bayou Teche Museum, the Jeanerette Museum and the Acadian Museum in Erath.
    Perrin will be teaming up with Patrick Morrow and Philip Andrepont to pen a similar book on St. Landry Parish, also by Arcadia Publishing. Photographs are being sought from the public for inclusion in that book, which will also support local museums. If anyone has any photographs to be submitted, they can either make an appointment to bring them to Andrepont Printing, 5043 I-49 South Service Road, Opelousas, La., 70570 or call (337) 942-6385. Photos will be scanned on site or residents may scan ahead with these specifications: resolution 300 dpi; output size at 8 inches wide if inside photo; at least 12 inches high if cover photo; color mode of grayscale (8-bit); and saved as file format TIFF, no compression. Email Philip Andrepont at philip@andrepontprinting.com along with background information about each photograph such as date, place and the names of people and places shown.  All persons or groups who contribute materials will be acknowledged in the book.

Dixie Kane Contest
    The deadline for the annual Dixie Kane writing contest, sponsored by the South Louisiana chapter of Romance Writers of America, has been extended to Aug. 1. For more information, visit http://solawriters.org/.

Anne Rice
    Anne Rice and her erotica stories may get a boost thanks to the popularity of “50 Shades of Grey” by E.L. James. Plume is releasing redesigned editions of Rice’s Sleeping Beauty trilogy from the 1980s, published under her pen name of A.N. Roquelaure, according to the New York Times.
    Sales for the trilogy have been twice as strong during the first six months of 2012 as all of 2011, possibly because of “Grey’s” popularity and the acceptance of erotica, the article states. Rice wrote in the preface of her new edition that the erotica novel “Fifty Shades of Grey” proved that “people in general are ‘out of the closet’ as enjoyers of erotic books.”
    The cover message of Rice’s new edition says, “If you liked ‘50 Shades of Grey,’ you'll love the Sleeping Beauty trilogy.”
   
New releases
    Kimberly Willis Holt, who's originally from Louisiana, has a new book coming out in her children’s series. “Piper Reed Forever Friend” debuts Aug 7.
    John P. Klingman of New Orleans, who holds the Richard Koch Chair in Architecture at Tulane University, has published “New in New Orleans Architecture” with Pelican Publishing. In addition to his books on architecture, he writes for New Orleans Magazine and is a chairman of the Architectural Review Committee of the New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission. 

Book events
    Ron Thibodeaux will sign copies of “Hell or High Water: How Cajun Fortitude Withstood Hurricanes Rita and Ike” at noon Saturday, July 21, at Barnes & Noble Lafayette, 5707 Johnston St.
   
Cheré Coen is the author of “Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana” and co-author of “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” She teaches writing at UL-Lafayette’s Continuing Education. Write her at chere@louisianabooknews.com.