In anticipation of the publication of my second novel, ONE DROP, the sequel to OUTSIDE CHILD, join me May 30th at 6:30 PM. on a Zoom conversation for a behind-the-scene-look at my writing experience. Find out more about Ladonis's and HeartTrouble's personal journeys and share your own ideas about how New Orleans shaped their characters.
As a reader, I recognized that fictional New Orleans offers a colorful cast of characters ranging from vampires and voodoo queens to delicate belles. As a writer and a native New Orleanian, I wanted OUTSIDE CHILD and its soon-to-be published sequel, ONE DROP, to expose a new voice in contemporary Big Easy fiction. One that has rearely been heard before, a black woman who grew up there. To do that, I drew on my experience growing up in the Magnolia Housing Project in 7th Ward New Orleans to give life to working-class black characters like Big Dee, Preacher Man, Redboy and Tick.
OUTSIDE CHILD revolves around the story of Ladonis Washington - who chose to leave the projects behind to earn an MBA - and her brother HeartTrouble - a small-time con artist whose petty crime rap sheets fill a entire file cabinet at the Criminal Courts building.
To Ladonis, success means discarding her past and climbing to the top of the corporate ladder via her hard-won position as the only black department head at the Floating Palance Steamboat Company. But after her mentor, Tim Ganen, dies a grisly death in the paddlewheel of the company's historical landmark steamboat, Ladonis is caught in the churning of family relationships, her own ambitions, and the depths of corporate corruption. To quote Ladonis, "In this town the good guys are forced to play by the same rules as the bad guys. Makes it hard to tell who is who." Lucky for her, HeartTrouble understands the underbelly of New Orleans business. But he doesn't understand his sister's drive. So it's up to Ladonis to meet her bosses' demands and find out the truth about what happened to Tim - without getting herself and her come-to-the-rescue brother killed.
Unlike other tales set in the moss-draped past of the Big Easy, OUTSIDE CHILD shows the modern reality of the city in its pre-Katrina years through Ladonis's experiences manuerving between two worlds on the tightrope that is her life.
If you are interested in sharing your reader's understanding of how New Orleans shaped Ladonis's character, and hearing more about her personal journey, join me on ZOOM for a "behind the scene look" conversation on SATURDAY, MAY 30 AT 6:30 P.M.
RSVP click here to receive meeting identification information.