#AADNOLA Author Spotlight: Erin Kellison + Giveaway!

Hello everyone and big thanks to Damaris for inviting me here today. I am thrilled to be attending AAD in New Orleans this year. I had so much fun at AAD last year, and I have a special place in my heart for New Orleans because I went there on my honeymoon. Actually, I surprised by poor fiancé (I say poor because we were utterly broke) by charging plane tickets and a B&B reservation to our credit card. We are still probably paying it off. We were twenty (had met in high school) and so over-the-moon in love.

Flash forward almost 20 years later, and here I am getting ready to return to New Orleans for the AAD conference. I love AAD because everyone, readers and writers alike, have the same kind of crazy.  I get to hang out for several days with the coolest people in one of the most intriguing cities in the world.

I write books where the supernatural collides with the contemporary world, where magic (what I call Shadow) is real and present every day. New Orleans has a rich history of paranormal and supernatural activity, so I have a natural interest in the city. Here are some of the paranormal stories of New Orleans that resonate with me:

Jacques St. Germain – a mysterious, wealthy man in New Orleans society in the early 1900s, St. Germain held wild parties at his estate while not eating a thing and drinking only “wine” (later found to be blood by police). St. Germain was never apprehended but was later believed to have been the Count de Saint-Germain, a wealthy man of Europe’s high society in the 1700s, and who was still seen roaming the continent even after his supposed death.

The Gardette-Laprete House – site of brutal murders that were never solved. It is said that you can still hear the sounds of the victims and the music they were playing on the night they were killed.

The Axeman of New Orleans – a series of grisly axe murders in the early 20^th century had the city on edge. The “Axeman” eluded police for almost a year, eventually publishing a sort of manifesto in the local paper in which he/she claimed to be a demon from Tartarus who loved jazz music, so much that he/she promised to spare any household that had a jazz band playing. The Axeman was never caught or heard from again.

The St. Louis Cathedral – According to legend, on some rainy nights before dawn, the voice of a man can be heard singing a Christian hymn in the air between the St. Louis Cathedral and St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. The man was Father Dagobert de Longuory, aka Pere Dagobert, a local 18^th century priest who looked after everyone in his diocese with care. One night, a group of rebels were killed by Spanish soldiers, and denied a Catholic burial. Dagobert somehow managed to steal the bodies away from the Spanish, give them their proper rites, and bury them in the cemetery. It is believed that the spirit of Pere Dagobert still watches over New Orleans.

I can hardly wait for AAD—the con is all good things at once.  New Orleans is a sentimental favorite of mine and I get to share it with fantastic people.

Please come find me at:

Erin’s website: www.ErinKellison.com.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ErinKellisonAuthor

Twitter: www.twitter.com/EKellison

Giveaway


Erin Kellison is giving away a copy of her latest release in her Shadow series -- Fire Kissed!

Fae Fire

It is Kaye Brand's power to wield. But outcast from her kind, she's been selling herself to the highest bidder—money for her survival in exchange for a magic glimpse into the flames of the future.

Angel Ice

One of the angelic Order, Jack Bastian has no use for a female like Kaye, as provocative and unexpected as her blazing beauty. Yet he has no choice but to hire her to uncover the secrets of his sworn enemy and her former fiancé, Ferrol Grey.

Magekind

War is inevitable between the defenders of the Order and the mage Houses who threaten to engulf the world in Shadow. For Jack, mage-born Kaye is off limits, no matter how hot the impossible attraction between them. But in the coming darkness, beset by danger and desire, everything is about to change...

This giveaway is open INTERNATIONAL and will end one week from today! (Or a little after since I've been super busy lately :0) ).

To enter all you have to do is simple leave a meaningful comment below. Make sure to include a way for me to reach you if you should win!

HUGE thank you to Erin, for stopping by Good Choice Reading today!!! <3

Good luck everyone!