On the second day of our trip to New Orleans, we visited the famed Lafayette Cemetery. My dad served his mission in the Southern States Mission, and he spoke of vaults which housed bodies above ground. These stories fascinated me as a kid! I couldn't fathom people not being buried underground, but the fact is, New Orleans sits about 3 feet below sea level so people are laid to rest in family vaults like these in the pictures. In my new book, Diamonds of the Quarter, the characters visit a nearby cemetery which is just like this. Hopefully the cemetery chapters give just the right amount of shivers to keep fans reading and interested!
When a shadow literally crosses your path.
Lafayette Cemetery, New Orleans
"Saint Louis Cemetery was even creepy in the broad daylight. Family vaults of every shape and size created a neighborhood in miniature; the dead zone. Many of the vaults were crumbling; decaying like the bodies inside of them. They were moss-covered, run-down ruins; in shambles, having no hope in the Resurrection. Others were proud, well-cared for edifices, nearly as stately as their family homes."--Randulet Thibodeaux, Diamonds of the Quarter
I didn't actually visit the Saint Louis Cemetery of New Orleans because it required joining a tour. I typically prefer to wander at my own pace and discover things privately. I think better that way--the quieter way. While I sauntered up and down the rows of vaults, my imagination soared ahead of me, gobbling up creepy details pertinent to my book. In fact, my imagination flew a little further, to other books in the series. Yes, Diamonds of the Quarter will be the first in the Improper Sons series.
After the cemetery, we drove south to Jean Lafitte's swamp. No trip to the south should be complete without visiting the bayous! We took an air-boat tour, which was informational and fun! We had a crazy captain--so we saw crazy things...like him kissing an alligator that he called Tiger. (Not kidding!) We saw two yearling alligators that our captain called "Little Bit." He fed them marshmallows.
"We motored to an eerie, narrow bend in the river. Spanish moss clung to cypress trees which grew on both sides, with their limbs stretched over the water like ancient, grey heads bowing. Uncle Enzo’s eyes quickly worked the scene ahead of us, and with good reason, too. About twenty yards inside the “tunnel of trees” a damn snake dropped off a drooping limb, landing right across my shoulders! The serpent was aiming to send me to the vault with my little brother, but Uncle Enzo’s long hook flipped it back into the water before fangs could find my flesh."--Randulet Thibodeaux, Diamonds of the Quarter
It seemed like every tree in the bayou had its own ecosystem. My imagination took flight with the osprey and heron alike while my brain churned like a Maytag. Crickets, cicada's and bullfrogs serenaded the scenery. For the record, Spanish moss does grow in tangles of algae-seasoned spaghetti...whetting my appetite for future adventures.
I didn't actually visit the Saint Louis Cemetery of New Orleans because it required joining a tour. I typically prefer to wander at my own pace and discover things privately. I think better that way--the quieter way. While I sauntered up and down the rows of vaults, my imagination soared ahead of me, gobbling up creepy details pertinent to my book. In fact, my imagination flew a little further, to other books in the series. Yes, Diamonds of the Quarter will be the first in the Improper Sons series.
After the cemetery, we drove south to Jean Lafitte's swamp. No trip to the south should be complete without visiting the bayous! We took an air-boat tour, which was informational and fun! We had a crazy captain--so we saw crazy things...like him kissing an alligator that he called Tiger. (Not kidding!) We saw two yearling alligators that our captain called "Little Bit." He fed them marshmallows.
"We motored to an eerie, narrow bend in the river. Spanish moss clung to cypress trees which grew on both sides, with their limbs stretched over the water like ancient, grey heads bowing. Uncle Enzo’s eyes quickly worked the scene ahead of us, and with good reason, too. About twenty yards inside the “tunnel of trees” a damn snake dropped off a drooping limb, landing right across my shoulders! The serpent was aiming to send me to the vault with my little brother, but Uncle Enzo’s long hook flipped it back into the water before fangs could find my flesh."--Randulet Thibodeaux, Diamonds of the Quarter
It seemed like every tree in the bayou had its own ecosystem. My imagination took flight with the osprey and heron alike while my brain churned like a Maytag. Crickets, cicada's and bullfrogs serenaded the scenery. For the record, Spanish moss does grow in tangles of algae-seasoned spaghetti...whetting my appetite for future adventures.
Jean Lafitte Nature Preserve
RSS Feed