Sunday, March 31, 2019

New Orleans native Colleen Mooney highlights unique side of city in her 'Go Cup Chronicles' mystery series


Today’s guest blogger to Louisiana Book News is the prolific Colleen Mooney of New Orleans. Mooney is the USA TODAY and Wall Street Journal best-selling author of “The New Orleans Go-Cup Chronicles” and founder of the city’s Sisters in Crime chapter. Her latest book is "Politicians, Potholes and Pralines." She's also an author who diligently raises money for animals.

First, I’d like to thank Chere Coen for asking me to be a guest on her blog. 

“Politicians, Potholes and Pralines” is book six in my series, “The New Orleans Go Cup Chronicles.” It was quite a few years ago I got the idea for the first book, “Rescued By A Kiss,” when I lived in New York. I started it, then I moved back to New Orleans, started a new job, and then Katrina came along delaying me finishing the first book. When I was close to completing it, the second one popped into my head and it’s been going like that ever since. New Orleans, where my books are set, is a never-ending source of entertainment and inspiration. Recent collapses in tunnels dug throughout New Orleans in the 1960s gave me the idea for this story.

All my ideas come from unusual people and situations I experience in New Orleans on a regular, if not daily, basis. I pull ideas from the small things we, as natives, tend to overlook. When I lived and worked in New York, I had a King Cake delivered to my office during Mardi Gras. I was explaining about the doll in the cake when I noticed everyone looking at me like I was crazy until someone got the doll in their piece. Then, they looked at me like I had two heads. I decided not to tell them about the Drive-Thru Daiquiris shops.

It was while answering questions about Mardi Gras or some of the traditions we have here that gave me the idea of writing a story about what we take for granted and the world sees as unusual. I decided to use the kiss/flower exchanges the gentlemen walking clubs are known for in Mardi Gras parades and taking it one step further. I added the gentleman asking the pretty girl to meet him at the end of the parade. She does, and the adventure begins.

One of the first things I do when a friend comes to visit me in New Orleans is take them to a drive-thru daiquiris shop. Many don’t believe it until they are holding drinks, sitting in the car and driving away.

There are more fun things to do in New Orleans than anywhere else. I have lived in other cities — New York City, Atlanta and Birmingham — but I am a New Orleans girl, born and raised. I like writing about what we do differently here to share with fans for a fun read. Several readers have emailed me asking for recommendations for places to go in New Orleans for a good crawfish boil or Crawfish Monica because they plan to visit. I love hearing from readers. They gave me the idea to add a page on my website for the places I enjoy visiting and why. Check it out at www.colleenmooney.com.

Follow Colleen Mooney on Facebook and join the fun at Louisiana Ladies of Mystery Facebook page.






Louisiana Book News is written by award-winning author Chere Dastugue Coen, who writes Louisiana romances and mysteries under the pen name of Cherie Claire. Her first book in each series is FREE to download as an ebook, including "Emilie," book one of The Cajun Series, "Ticket to Paradise," book one of The Cajun Embassy series and "A Ghost of a Chance," the first Viola Valentine mystery.


Saturday, March 30, 2019

Louisiana libraries launch local author contest


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Louisiana libraries have joined BiblioBoard to host a local author contest that will accept submissions of adult and young adult fiction to be recognized as the top independently-published eBooks in Louisiana.

Winners in each category will receive $500 as well as:
  • Inclusion in Indie Louisiana, a digital collection of local authors on BiblioBoard Library
  • Honors at the 2020 Public Library Association Conference in Nashville, Tennessee
  • Opportunities to promote the winning title at Louisiana public libraries
  • Inclusion in a full page spread in Library Journal, one of America's oldest and most renowned trade publications for library news
The creation of the Louisiana Author Project gives librarians a chance to engage with a growing group of fresh literary voices as well as an opportunity to play an active role in the discovery and promotion of new works.

For indie-published authors, the contest is a fantastic prospect to elevate their careers and businesses. Along with the accolade of the award and its perks, being recognized by librarians creates credibility and visibility in the growing marketplace of digital content and indie-published books. Winning authors will reach hundreds, if not thousands, of new readers via the library and can leverage being an award-winning indie author for additional marketing opportunities.

Each book that is submitted to the contest must be:
  • Independently-published
  • In the category of adult or young adult fiction
  • Written by a Louisiana resident
  • Available in either PDF or ePUB format
The contest will accept submissions April 1, 2019, through May 31, 2019. Authors can submit at https://indieauthorproject.librariesshare.com/louisiana/

For more information on BiblioBoard, visit https://library.biblioboard.com/about

Thursday, March 28, 2019

Louisiana Readers' Choice Award winners announced


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The State Library of Louisiana announced the winners of the 2018-2019 Louisiana Readers’ Choice Awards, which include graphic novels winning both the grade 3-5 and grade 6-8 lists, and for the first time ever, a tie for first place for the teen readers’ choice list. With the program in its 20th year, Louisiana’s young people read more than 72,276 books and cast 22,741 votes this year alone. 

The 2018-2019 Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice winners are:

Grades 3-5
The Bad Guys No. 1 (Scholastic) by Aaron Blabey

Grades 6-8
Ghosts (Scholastic) by Raina Telgemeier

Grades 9-12
Aging Out (The RoadRunner Press) by Alton Carter, Illustrated by Tim Jessell
Scythe: Arc of a Scythe Book 1 (Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers) by Neal Schusterman

Honor titles include Wish (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) by Barbara O’Connor for the grade 3-5 list, Projekt 1065 (Scholastic) by Alan Gratz for the grade 6-8 list, and Heartless (Feiwel and Friends) by Marissa Meyer for the teen list.

“The Louisiana Readers’ Choice program is not only a great way to introduce students to some fantastic reads, but encourages an interest in the democratic process by allowing them the opportunity to vote on actual voting machines,” said Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser.

“We are so proud to have delivered this premier program to school-aged children across Louisiana for the past 20 years,” said State Librarian Rebecca Hamilton. “One of our central goals has always been to promote literacy, and the Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Awards does just that, providing students with high-interest titles selected by public and school librarians from all regions of Louisiana.” 

Winners are selected from diverse booklists carefully chosen by committees of school and public librarians from across the state, and many students cast their ballots on voting machines supplied by the Secretary of State’s Voter Outreach Division.

An awards ceremony for honored book authors will be held at the Louisiana Book Festival on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019, in Baton Rouge. For more information about the program, including previous winners, how to participate, and additional resources such as free bookmarks, posters, study guides, etc., visit the Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice webpage.



Louisiana Book News is written by award-winning author Chere Dastugue Coen, who writes Louisiana romances and mysteries under the pen name of Cherie Claire. Her first book in each series is FREE to download as an ebook, including "Emilie," book one of The Cajun Series, "Ticket to Paradise," book one of The Cajun Embassy series and "A Ghost of a Chance," the first Viola Valentine mystery.