Ellen Byron's Blog, page 13

  When I wrote Plantation Shudders, a mystery set in Cajun Country, it was a given that the book would include recipes. Gumbo, jambalaya, etouffe, boudin – I don’t think any region in America is as defined by its culinary accomplishments as south Louisiana. And I think filmmaker Kevin McCaffrey, the creative force behind the documentary, No One Ever Went Hungry: Acadian Food Traditions Then & Now, would agree.   In this mouthwatering piece of filmmaking, everyone from shrimpers to hog farmers

  When I wrote Plantation Shudders, a mystery set in Cajun Country, it was a given that the book would include recipes. Gumbo, jambalaya, etouffe, boudin – I don’t think any region in America is as defined by its culinary accomplishments as south Louisiana. And I think filmmaker Kevin McCaffrey, the creative force behind the documentary, No One Ever Went Hungry: Acadian Food Traditions Then & Now, would agree.   In this mouthwatering piece of filmmaking, everyone from shrimpers to hog farmers

I fell in love with the elegant architecture of Houmas House the moment I saw it. I researched the plantation’s history and learned that it fell into disrepair after The Great Depression. Houmas House seemed destined to molder and decay until all that remained was a ruin.  But in 1940, Dr. George Crozat bought the house and grounds to renovate as a summer home.  Gradually, the estate began to attract tourists and filmmakers. In 1963, the legendary Bette Davis film, “Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte,”

My first mystery, Plantation Shudders: A Cajun Country Mystery, will soon be published, and it's thrilling for so many reasons. I get to share my fiction with readers. I gain entry into a wonderful community of writers. But perhaps most exciting of all - I get to spend money on stuff!!! Stuff that's more professionally known as "promotional materials." Like these:   You need to understand that I’m not someone who spends money willy nilly. That’s against my frugal Capricorn nature. But give me

My mother, an Italian immigrant, was in love with historic American architecture, and she shared her passion with all of us. We spent family vacations touring sites like Williamsburg and Sturbridge Village. Our library was full of books about everything from 17th century New England saltbox-style homes to 20th century New York City apartment buildings. But there was one book in particular that completely captivated me: her worn copy of Ghosts Along the Mississippi: The Magic of the Old Houses of

My mother, an Italian immigrant, was in love with historic American architecture, and she shared her passion with all of us. We spent family vacations touring sites like Williamsburg and Sturbridge Village. Our library was full of books about everything from 17th century New England saltbox-style homes to 20th century New York City apartment buildings. But there was one book in particular that completely captivated me: her worn copy of Ghosts Along the Mississippi: The Magic of the Old Houses of

Only in our house is someone talking to the dog when they say, "Hey, no tongue!"

I do. I totally heart her. Because I have the musical taste of a fifteen-year-old girl.

Irony is having the song, "Pumped-Up Kicks" come on the radio as you're driving your kid to school after getting a robocall from the principal saying some student tweeted death threats to the school.  The lyrics "all the other kids better run, better run, outrun my gun, run faster than my bullet" were never more appropriate.

 I got really excited about how well new batteries worked in the TV remote.  And then I got super-depressed about how excited I got about batteries.