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Laissez les bons temps rouler!
 By Julie Leto Or as they say in the French Quarter, “Let the Good Times Roll!” Only, it’s hard for the good times to roll in New Orleans anymore, thanks to a hurricane named Katrina. You remember her, right? Talk about a bitch. But over time, we tend to forget the devastation and destruction that is still raw and fresh in a certain city a lot of us love. Many friends of mine just returned from the city where they went for a conference. It’s not the same. The rebuilding is not getting done…at least, not at the pace most of us would expect. It breaks my heart. No, I don’t live in New Orleans. But I set a lot of my books there. So do a lot of authors and frankly, I personally know of two authors who had to scramble after Katrina in order to rewrite books because the city they were portraying no longer existed. I, too, was affected–not with an original work, but with a reprint collection of two of my previous books that is being re-released this month under the title, NEW ORLEANS NIGHTS. When I realized the unforunate timing might affect my sales–I was pretty bummed. And not just for obvious reasons. It hurt that this amazing city wasn’t going to be enjoyed by readers for a while. I knew there was nothing I could do to delay publication, so I decided instead to make the publication count. The search for a charity to take a donation based on my personal earnings from this re-release wasn’t easy. The first VERY well-known charity didn’t want anything to do with my book because–gasp!–it had sex in it. The second equally well-known charity not only balked because of the sex, but they wanted a guarantee of a $20K donation. Well, hate to break it to you guys, but category romance writers do NOT make that kind of money…especially not on reprints! I was incredibly discouraged–on many levels. (I was betting that if Stephen King wanted to donate proceeds, neither charity would have objected to the VIOLENCE in his books, but that wasn’t the point.) I had one last shot. I did some Googling and found a charity that was grass-roots. I emailed with the director, asked him point-blank about the sexual content, and when he said it didn’t bother him, I knew I’d found my group. Now, let me say that the whole journey wasn’t over there. There was a lot of legalities to work through and I commend both Mike Latino of Renew New Orleans and Harlequin for supporting my need to give a little back. I wrote a letter to be included in the book that explained my choices and convinced Harlequin to even put a “Help rebuild New Orleans, See inside” logo on the cover. (And anyone who has dealt with Harlequin knows that this alone is no easy feat–not that they aren’t generous, but production there is a huge machine and any change from the norm requires Herculean efforts.) And clearly, my efforts didn’t quite measure up to Olympian standards. You see, everything was in place. Contracts signed. Covers done. Books delivered…and the letter was somehow left out. ::sigh:: So that’s why I’m writing this in my blog. Not to complain about production gaffes that happen time to time, but to bring you the message that was supposed to be printed in the front of my book and the one readers will undoubtedly look for when they see the “Help Rebuild New Orleans…see inside” message on the front cover. So here’s the letter, as it was supposed to appear. If you see the books in the store and you haven’t read the stories (or want to revisit them in the new format, which also includes my New Orleans set short story, ROCK AND ROLLING, never before in print), know that picking up a copy will result in a donation to this very worthy organization. I will warn you that my home page still does not have the information promised below up. That’s because I wasn’t sure what was going to happen once the letter was left out of the book. It will be up by the end of the week, hopefully, and I’ll announce it on my Marisela blog. Here’s the letter: Dear Reader, Every time I’m glued to the Weather Channel or CNN, captured by hurricane coverage, I cannot shake the replay of John Bradford’s oft-quoted, “There but for the grace of God go I.” I live in Florida. For the past two seasons of deadly storms, my city has been spared, though my state has not. And as I watched Katrina rage through the Gulf toward New Orleans, one of my favorite places, I remember feeling as if the country was about to lose something precious and irreplaceable. I fell in love with New Orleans quite unexpectedly. The whole drunken debauchery thing really didn’t appeal to me, but from the minute I stepped into the French Quarter, I knew the city was so much more than Mardi Gras and Bourbon Street. (Not that I don’t love both Mardi Gras and Bourbon Street…I do! My favorite bar is Jean Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shoppe. The Voodoo daiquiris are amazing.) I’ve set several books in the city, starting with the two you have in your hand. Even now, months before this book’s release, memories of the tragedy have started to fade for those not directly impacted by the storm. Not to me. New Orleans must be rebuilt and I’m determined to do my part to make that happen. To that end, I’m aligning myself with an organization called Renew New Orleans Foundation, a group determined to help several local charities in their quest to rebuild. They are small, grassroots and dedicated. If you visit their website (renewnola.org) you will see which groups they are supporting…and you can make a donation. For as little as $5, they will send you a colorful “Renew New Orleans” bracelet and you’ll be doing your part to help our neighbors in the South. A portion of my personal proceeds from NEW ORLEANS NIGHTS will go to the Renew New Orleans Foundation. I’ve already made an initial contribution of $500. If you visit my website at www.julieleto.com, you can find out more about how you can share in the booty I received from this donation. New Orleans made the lagniappe famous…if you want to know what that is, visit me on the web! I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me help the citizens of New Orleans bring such a special city back to life. Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez! Email Julie at julie@julieleto.com 9 Responses to “Laissez les bons temps rouler!” |
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May 1st, 2006 at 7:11 am
Julie, I commend you for wanting to so something for N.O. It’s been awhile since I think most of us have thought of the city, and it’s sad how little has been done.
Wow, who knew trying to do a good thing came with a price tag ($20K???) Anyway, I’ll be checking out your website, and keeping and eye out for the book. Here’s to you Julie :)
May 1st, 2006 at 10:27 am
It’s too bad trying to do some good has a set price and such a prejudice. I’m sure they wouldn’t of had a problem with Stephen King or even Jackie Collins if they wanted to donate, there hypocrites! Money is money,and things are not progressing down there like many think or believe. That’s so nice that you want to help and I’m glad you found some charity that didn’t have a problem with the place it came from. Since the hurricane story is out of the news,people forget or think it’s all better. Its going to be years before N.O. and all the other cities are rebuild if ever so its so important for people to be reminded and hopefully in this way more can be done.
May 1st, 2006 at 10:45 am
Thanks, Stacy and Dena, for understanding. Yes, it’s out of the news now. Novelists, Inc just had their conference last month in New Orleans and though I wasn’t able to attend (I desperately wanted to, but deadlines prevailed), the stories brought back by my fellow writers were heartbreaking. The rebuilding is clearly caught up in all sorts of bureacratic snafus–very little work is being done. And yet, the people of New Orleans, the ones who have returned, are working hard to get their lives back in order.
If I can help in any little way, I want to.
And you know…hurricane season 2006 is only 31 days away.
May 1st, 2006 at 11:40 am
that is very genrous of you.
May 1st, 2006 at 2:25 pm
I was impressed to see your determination in battling just to be able to donate! Is there some way that the letter can be on the display near the books? Or is it too late to have a sheet with letter inserted into these books? I am afraid I don’t know anything about the business, but as a reader I tend to like to know my money can go to a cause that I support.
Little Lamb Lost
May 1st, 2006 at 2:50 pm
LLL–the books have already been shipped to the stores, so no, they can’t put a letter in the books. Besides, only a really big bestselling author could put booksellers to that much trouble. That’s why I’m posting here and why eHarlequin has a special message up–to try and get the word out. Thanks for your supportive words. Means a lot.
May 2nd, 2006 at 10:34 pm
As a New Orleanian I would like to thank you for your efforts! I would also like to point out that while the rebuilding efforts are very slow in the affected parts of town, the major tourist areas are up and running. The French Quarter, Bourbon Street, and lovely Garden District were all spared major damage. Unfortunately, tourism was our main industry. Many of us are trying to make a living in a hospitality industry that was devastated by the storm. We need to keep the need for rebuilding in the spotlight, but I would also like to point out that we are open for business and ready for everyone to come down and have a great time!
May 2nd, 2006 at 11:16 pm
Excellent point, Melissa! My friends who went to the Novelist’s Inc conference stayed at the beautiful Monteleone Hotel. They said they’d never had such fabulous service both inside the hotel and without and that the French Quarter had never been cleaner, LOL! The restaurants were all up to their usual standards and beyond…the beignets were hot and mouth-watering. I cannot wait to get back there myself. I also know all my friends tipped double…they felt the service deserved it and the city needed it.
May 17th, 2006 at 12:56 am
Julie -
New Orleans is the original sin city, so no reason why a little sex shouldn’t help get her back on her feet again!
Thank you for all your efforts!
Mike Latino
Renewnola.org