Author Spotlight: Debby Grahl, "Rue Toulouse"

In line with the release of her second novel, the talented Debby Grahl has been nice enough to share her time with us and answer a few questions. ^.^

Thank you again to Debby Grahl for writing a book worth reading and for granting the interview below.

Enjoy!

A Q&A with Debby Grahl

Do you have a specific writing style? 

There are a number of ways authors lay out the idea for their books. Some will write out extensive outlines and some make lists of notes. Me, I write by the seat of my pants, LOL!  I decide on a location, create my characters’ personalities, and know how I want to begin the book, but after that the story just plays itself out. Although I do go back and add some and take things out and do rewrites.

How did you come up with the title? 

My husband and I were staying in The French Quarter of New Orleans at a hotel on Toulouse street. I came up with the idea for the book while sitting out on the balcony watching the many facets of life in the quarter play out below me and thought Rue Toulouse was a perfect title.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? 

I hope the story shows that no matter what walk of life you come from, how many heartbreaks you experience, how many disappointments or how unloved you feel at times, your one true love is out there, and you may find each other in the most unexpected way.

How much of the book is realistic? 

I tried to bring the city of New Orleans to life for the reader. The parade at the beginning of the book is an example of many such before and during Mardi Gras. You can hardly go down a street without hearing a musician playing. The smell of spicy food, spilt beer, and mold does fill the air. Café Du Monde, Chartres House, and Brennan’s are real restaurants. There’s even a house located between Burgundy and Dauphine on Toulouse, which has been turned into apartments, that I used for Remi’s digs. Houma, where Remi’s family lives, is a real place, and you can go on a swamp boat ride, but I doubt you’ll have as exciting a time as Caterine and Remi. And there are definitely gators in the swamps.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book? 

I don’t care how many times an author reads their own work, they always find something they think needs to be changed. In Rue Toulouse, I’d probably add more detail about  life in the French  Quarter, such as the eclectic people and some of the clothing they wear. Honestly it’s not unusual to see a woman with a green painted face playing a keyboard outside a restaurant. Or a vampire walking down the street next to a woman in a ball gown. And it’s not Halloween!

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If you'd like to touch base with Debby, make sure to visit her website or drop her a line on Facebook or Twitter.

Don't forget to check out my review of Debby's second novel, Rue Toulouse, and the book spotlight.