As I eye the calendar waiting for pub day, I wanted to share my inspiration behind choosing New Orleans as The Time Collector’s central location and share some pictures from my research trip for the book.
When I started imagining The Time Collector, I knew right away I wanted to have Roan, the main character, be from New Orleans. There was no question in my mind New Orleans was his city. Roan is a psychometrist and has the ability to read the past within objects, and I couldn’t imagine a better place for a psychometrist to have grown up than a city steeped in time.
In late 2016 I had just finished edits on The Fortune Teller and it was time to start working on The Time Collector. I’d been to New Orleans twice before in my life. The first time was when I was a young girl, around age 10 or 11. When I was growing up, my mother loved to go antique hunting and find old furniture to restore. We took a family vacation to New Orleans one summer and stayed right in French Quarter. I remember spending several days going in and out of antique shops and out-of-the-way furniture warehouses. For most of my childhood I actually spent many a Saturday or Sunday going to antique stores and flea markets in Texas. All the old objects would ignite my imagination and I would wander around, picking them up, wondering about who had owned them before. Perhaps the seeds for the story began even then.
The second time I went to New Orleans was about fifteen years ago with my husband for the wedding of our dear friends, John & Jackie. In the fall of ’16 when I started writing The Time Collector, I knew I’d need to go back for research. John & Jackie were now living there and invited me to come stay with them. I flew out in December. Before the trip I’d literally written the opening chapters right up to the page where Roan arrives back in New Orleans from his trips to El Paso and LA. I felt I needed to go to New Orleans before I could write any further.
I spent several days touring all over the city with the best guide possible. Jackie is originally from New Orleans and the city is her stomping ground. We spent three days in her car going everywhere.
I would grill her with questions, furiously taking notes and countless pictures. We must have visited most of the antique stores in the city.
With each day I started to envision Roan’s childhood, his storefront, his warehouse… I walked all through the French Quarter and up and down Magazine Street. One evening we caught a wedding line celebration heading down the street, so magical. You can see the bride holding the white umbrella.
After the trip I came home and started writing the New Orleans chapters the very next day. Special thanks to these wonderful two for all the inspiration and help. Here we are together on my last night.
The Time Collector is less than a month away from publication, and I’ll be celebrating the book’s launch in New Orleans on April 16that Garden District Book Shop. I’m so excited to be going back. If you’re in the city please come & join me at 6pm.
And if you haven’t been to New Orleans yet, I highly recommend taking a trip to experience the rich tapestry of culture, art and music. The city is brimming with history that feels tangible. Cheers!
PS: Coming soon, I’ll be sharing Jackie’s personal gumbo recipe. Gumbo is also one of my favorite dishes.
