Nola Bound: Hot & Steamy
Chasing Ghosts in the City of the Dead at a romance and erotica convention
This past weekend, I traveled to New Orleans for a Romance Writers’ signing called Hot and Steamy in Nola. It was a four-hour drive, and I had plenty of time to think and listen to music. I even listened to my friend’s new podcast along the way. Along the way, I passed 100-foot crosses on the side of Interstate 20, humongous Donald Trump banners, and churches that would make you think better about where your tithe money went. But that’s what it is like living in a rural red state, a state full of ghosts who can’t stop praising their past: a past that they never experienced or had any stakes in.
As I made my way South down US Highway 55, I passed waters that were beautifully yet disturbingly covered in hyacinth, a colorful floating plant that had invaded much of the local waters. Hyacinths are prohibited in other states because they cover the waterways and limit boat traffic, recreation, and flood control. As obstructive as they can be, the floating hyacinth creates a biodiversity hotspot. Bees and butterflies are attracted to colorful and vibrant flowers, and birds use them as a perch to watch the water.
My mind wandered as I drove, looking out across the water. I couldn’t help thinking about the Battle of Lake Pontchartrain, a naval battle fought during the Revolutionary War between a sloop-of-war from the British Royal Navy and an American privateer schooner or the CSS Louisiana, which blew itself up to avoid being captured by Union forces during the Civil War. With a major blow to the Confederacy, Union forces, led by Admiral David Farragut, grabbed a major port, trade center, and stronghold for the future of the war, which ended only four years after it began. Four years of hate were promoted by the rich to keep the poor fighting so that the rich, set in their ways, could stay richer. It’s not much different from today.
Created as a rallying point for Confederate ideals, the Lee Monument was erected in 1890, twenty-five years after the war ended. Meant to celebrate the Jim Crow laws of the day and to force African Americans to remember every day, every day that they passed through Lee Circle, that they were a people set apart and would never be equal. In 2015, the Lee Monument was brought down intact and moved to an unknown location. Lawmaker Karl Oliver posted on Facebook that removing Confederate Monuments should be punishable by lynching, further proving the theory that it was always about hate and never about heritage.
The Confederacy lasted five years. How can something so short stay in the hearts of Americans with such short attention spans? It really got me thinking about this newest generation, a group that learns everything from social media and YouTube. How do we still have Confederate ideals in 2024? How do we still have Americans flying Confederate flags if they never knew what it was like to work for a man with slaves, much less own slaves, because, let’s be honest, only about 18% of the white population could even afford them? Why fight for that? Why fly a flag for that? The Confederacy was not your heritage. Wheel of Fortune is your heritage. Saturday Night Live is your heritage. The NFL on ABC is your heritage. MASH is your heritage.
Last night, after the long drive, I stopped over for some authentic Mexican with my friend. I ordered the blackened shrimp and fish tacos with rice and beans. What’s that got to do with New Orleans cuisine? Spain ruled New Orleans for forty years before giving it to France to settle a debt. New Orleans is a town of eight different cultures. There is a little African, Cajun, Creole, French, German, Irish, Italian, and Spanish in all of us. Even though shrimp tacos originated in California and Mexico, the “blackening” of seafood started in New Orleans in the 1970s and changed how we grill seafood today. Paul Prudhomme almost wiped out an entire species of fish over it. Blackened redfish started a revolution and became the steak of Louisiana, making a name for itself at the popular New Orleans staple Mr. B’s.
I’d been writing exclusively on Medium and a little on Substack, and this year, in February, I released my first book on Amazon. It was terribly stressful to release a book the same day I would arrive in England, but I knew it was time to reach out to a bigger audience. After a few weeks, I let it go free for a week, and it was number one for a few days, which filled me with shock and gratitude since it wasn’t really a novel, just a collection of short stories about vampires, witches, and werewolves.
I knew the algorithm would get more excited if I released something else soon after that, so I put Training Matthew out, a weird multi-kink short story that was pretty successful on Medium. I’ve discovered that the Medium and Amazon readership is a different monster altogether, but don’t let it go to your head. We should never be in competition with other writers. We create, and we should be our own worst critic. That is the only way we can evolve. Never take criticism from someone you wouldn’t ask for advice.
I was asked if I wanted a table, but with it being so last minute, I asked if I could just volunteer and help out as needed. When I arrived, I was welcomed with hearty handshakes by authors and volunteers I’d never met but had spoken with on Facebook about the event. We went right to work filling VIP bags. The event runner really made me feel welcome as an author, allowing me to drop my bookmarks into each bag and pass them out to readers as business cards. I learned a lot about events like this.
Besides a book cover illustrator I met from Shreveport, I would have been the only male author in attendance. I wouldn’t say this particular event was dominated by the fairer sex because after the doors opened, it wasn’t just husbands helping, waiting patiently, and walking slowly behind their wives with wallets open. They were choosing and buying books and merchandise as well.
I finally had my author moment when a reader approached me, telling me I looked very familiar. I asked if they followed me on FB or maybe from the Hot & Steamy group page, and she told me it was the Smuthood group, a page where some of my Amazon postings have been shared by others. She told me all about Training Matthew and that she loved it. She told me couldn’t wait to read Violations. Even though I didn’t set up a table, I brought author copies and produced one from my backpack. I don’t know who was more excited, her or me, but I had a warm heart and smiled for the next hour. Hours later, another reader recognized me as the Crushed guy and asked if Logan was also there.
I felt like I had finally arrived after meeting some great authors, some I’d never heard of and two I have been close with since being on Twitter. Hanging out with my “stepsis,” Skylar Quinn, was definitely an education. If you have a table, it is extremely important to have a sales pitch, a paragraph, or a blurb memorized so that you can explain each product while not giving away too much.
Had dinner with some great folks, readers, vloggers, and bookstagrammers across the way from the Sheraton after the event. Ordering an alligator po’boy was definitely on my to-do list while I was in town, but after a night of painful stomach cramps, I think I’ll think twice next time. I’m not sure if it was undercooked or left out too long. The flavor was okay, but I’ll leave the rest to your imagination. If you’ve never had an alligator tail, I highly recommend it. You can find it in most grocery stores down here or order it, and it will arrive in freeze-dried packaging. Just ensure you marinate it in mustard overnight in the fridge before deep frying in panko. Season well with whatever you would normally coat on a porkchop or use your favorite Cajun seasoning.
I could not chase as many ghosts as I had intended on my trip as this is the city of A Warm Place, my newest offering on Amazon, but since Morgan Lance is a foody, maybe I chased my Louisiana roots. New Orleans is known as the city of the dead, but if you look at the lights of Bourbon Street and the music, you will find life and joy and a couple of homeless guys sleeping it off on the street gravy on the curb. I had a great time.
Thanks to Skylar Quinn for letting me hang out and learn. To Meg Becker for the book and a great brunch Sunday with your “The Man.” Also, a big thanks to Crush Publications for the cool date night book!
I enjoyed spending the day with you too stepbro. I hope you learned a lot while watching me work. It's def an art form, selling, and it is one of the hardest parts of being an author. Selling yourself.