Guest Post

Guest Chick: Colleen Mooney

Ellen here, and I’m happy to welcome my friend Colleen Mooney to Chicks. Colleen, a native New Orleanian, writes the endlessly entertaining Go Cup Chronicles Mystery Series. Thanks so much for joining us today, Colleen!

HURRICANE HAVOC

I want to thank Ellen Byron and Chicks on the Case for having me as a guest.  Being a guest anywhere right now is quite an honor since any socializing that’s not on Zoom involves masks, hand sanitizer and six feet of social distancing. 

My name is Colleen Mooney and I was born and live in New Orleans. Besides the Covid news, election news and all the other crazy stuff going on, we in the state of Louisiana  have had our share of hurricanes and wild tropical storms.  I think we are on the ninth one this year.  New Orleans was hit by Cristobal and Zeta this year. Cristobal sent us a microburst that derailed my electric fence opener and put the entire fence along one side of my house on a gangsta lean. Zeta, predicted to be a Tropical Storm when it made landfall here, came blasting in as a Category 2 Hurricane, one mph shy of a Cat 3.  It  finished my fence off and I found it flat in my neighbor’s yard.

 I’m not complaining as this is minor damage as hurricanes go. Many others in the southern part of our state did not fare so well.   The first one and the last one of the season (so far) have hit me here in New Orleans, while others ransacked the southwestern part of the state near the Texas line. As I write this, there is one more in the Caribbean meandering around that might hit southern Florida.  Southern Florida is just a minute-in hurricane terms-away from us. Many of you might appreciate my desire to move to another part of the country, although right now amid Covid, I don’t think it’s a great idea. 

Even with all the angst going on in our lives I am about to release Book 9 in my New Orleans Go Cup Chronicles series, CROISSANTS, CRIMES & CANINES. My series is set in New Orleans because I grew up here. Because I worked for a big telecom company for many years, I was transferred to several other cities but always bounced back to New Orleans in between relocations. It was living in other cities when I discovered how many things we do in New Orleans and take for granted are so different from other places I’ve lived, even the Big Apple.  People said I talked funny, and asked for food in funny ways.  Blackened fish was just making its way out of New Orleans when I moved to New York.  I ordered sandwiches dressed…that means to us in New Orleans, with lettuce and tomato.  At a deli in NYC a man asked me if I wanted a regular coffee when I ordered. I had no idea what regular meant so I asked for coffee with chicory.  I’m still waiting for that coffee.

My stories are fictionalized events of what goes on here in New Orleans on what we would call a regular day.  There are no normal days in New Orleans. There is always something to do, even with the virus going on.  Our Mardi Gras is supposed to happen in 2021 and we are told it will be different from Mardi Gras in the past.  Why would that worry us? They are all different from the ones in the past!  We still meet to make our costumes, buy our throws and prepare for our rides, or plan our parade parties.  What if we have to wear a mask? I’ve been wearing a mask to Mardi Gras every year since I was a kid and that’s…let’s just say…a really long time.  

Readers, is there anything you’ve heard about New Orleans, our customs, our food,  our sayings you’d like me to explain? Even if you want me to tell you phonetically how we pronounce things,  Like… Lagniappe?  Pronounced Lan yap. Do you know what it is? If I don’t know the answer to your question,  I know someone who will!

BIO: Colleen Mooney is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal Best Selling Author in a soon to be 9 Book series. Book 9, CROISSANTS, CRIMES & CANINES will be released December 1, 2020. Colleen was born and lived much of her life in New Orleans before her AT&T job moved her to multiple cities but she always bounced back to New Orleans.  She writes a cozy mystery series set in New Orleans called The New Orleans Go Cup Chronicles. In January 2017 Colleen organized a Sisters in Crime chapter in New Orleans, was elected President.  Colleen’s other great loves, besides writing, is a breed rescue group, Schnauzer Rescue of Louisiana that she has been the Director of for 19 years and has placed over 375 abandoned or surrendered Schnauzers. Colleen enjoys Scuba diving and Underwater photography, racing sailboats, driving a motorcycle, and loves snow skiing. Her interests have taken her to places all over the world. She says, “My mother said I was born with a suitcase in my hand!” In New Orleans, she’s been active in many Mardi Gras Krewes, Super Krewes, and organizations and has belonged to the Krewe of Cork, Orpheus, Iris, Tucks, Joan of Arc and the Halloween Krewe of Boo. Colleen says she has never met a parade she didn’t like.  Visit Colleen at colleenmooney.com.

SYNOPSIS: Brandy just wasn’t sure…

 …if the wedding would ever happen.

 Would this murder ruin it again?

 Ava had known Brandy since they were kids. She had a gift for knowing when people lied to her. Brandy never did. When her  FBI trained friend transferred back from New York  to the New Orleans office, her first call was to her old friend. The ad for the apartment looked promising, so off they went.  It wasn’t the best neighborhood.  They could tell by the two gun shots.

 And just like that, there was a murder to solve.

 Dante has made Captain of Homicide, but he still can’t seem to keep his old neighbor and childhood sweetheart from meddling in cases. Who killed Carlos and Nina, and more importantly, why was Brandy going to marry Jiff?

 The clues, lies, antics, and a Giant Schnauzer, will keep you guessing, because Brandy and Ava can’t be fooled.

 Get it now for only $.99.  Release date is December lst, 2020.

 BUY LINK

29 thoughts on “Guest Chick: Colleen Mooney”

  1. I loved Bouchercon in New Orleans a few years ago – such fun. I stumbled across a recipe for etouffee last night and had to try and explain it to The Hubby. I finally said, “It’s from New Orleans” and he said, “Why didn’t you just say that in the first place?” LOL

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  3. Welcome to the Chicks, Colleen! Congrats on the latest in your series!

    I love that image you have in the post–hope there are no more storms this year. I’ve never even heard of coffee with chicory. I did make a batch of pralines from Ellen’s previous Cajun Country book, and it was hard work. The consistency was really tough to figure out.

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    1. Thanks on the hope for no more storms, but there’s another one RIGHT NOW heading into the Gulf. Pralines are hard work and you should use a really good candy thermometer. I’ve had many a batch come out like soup!

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  4. Glad you didn’t sustain much hurricane damage. My sister lives in Florida and was projected to be in Irma’s path a few years ago until it abruptly changed course. Happy to say there are no hurricanes where I live. Congrats on your upcoming release!

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    2. We are all watching this one and I hope it’s the last for the season. We thought Zeta was the last one…we have until Nov 30th. That’s the end of hurricane season and I hope someone told the hurricanes the date!

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  7. Colleen, so glad you didn’t sustain more damage! Having arrived in NOLA the day after Zeta and been met with a dark city that reminded me of the NY blackouts I experienced as a kid, it was quite an adventure!

    Love your series. Looking forward to the latest addition.

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    2. One of my favorite times of the year is the spring, April/May, when the French Quarter Festival is here. It has become an international festival and it showcases the Quarter in a most pleasant light. (I think because it’s held in the daytime!)

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    3. See my reply a little further down about fun things to do here. The French Quarter Festival is really one of the nicest outdoor events during April/May when the weather is the best! It’s a free event on top of it!

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  9. So nice to meet you, Colleen! Thanks for visiting Chicks today–and I really admire your bravery facing down all those storms. I have a Mardi Gras question…What exactly is a “krewe”? I know it’s a group, of course, but how does one join them and do you have to be approved as a member? Is it a competitive deal?

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    1. A krewe is the group of members that belong to a specific parade. Some krewes are marching only krewes and some ride floats. They have meetings and parties before the day of the parade, usually nice balls and depending on the size of the krewe, their balls are held in the Superdome.

      Some of the old-line, all men krewes have secret rules for memberships and they have to be “introduced” by another member to be considered. Then there are ones that for a fee, you just pay to join. With the fee, you get your costume, a place on the float and sometimes, a few throws-beads, doubloons, plastic cups, stuffed toys. Usually, we have to buy the throws on top of your membership fee.

      I’ve been in several krewes. I was in a children’s krewe when I was small, some co-ed krewes like Tucks and Orpheus, some all women-Iris, and the Krewe of Cork. Yes, a wine lovers’ krewe. That one marches through the French Quarter after a great lunch at The Court of Two Sisters.

      If you want to know anything else, please feel free to email me at colleenmooneyauthor@gmail.com.

      I hope I answered your question.
      PS They are great fun!

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  10. You had me with “Go Cup Chronicles.” (How could I have missed this series up till now?) I remember how amused I was on my first visit to NOLA to learn that it was illegal to carry a glass of water around the streets, but perfectly okay to take along a plastic cup fill of bourbon-rocks. What a great city!

    Congrats on the new book, Colleen, and thanks so much for visiting the Chicks today!

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    1. Yes, there are several strange things we do here. To beat the open container law in a vehicle, we have Drive Thru Daiquiri shops and they hand you the drink in a plastic cup with the ‘X’ cut in the top, BUT the straw is handed separately. It’s considered a closed container unless you put the straw in it which almost everyone does the minute they leave the drive thru!

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  11. Hi Colleen … your books are new to me, so I’ll be sure to check them out. And hurricanes are scary, as are tornadoes. I have a question for you—why do those silly weatherpersons insist on standing out in a hurricane to show us how windy it is? Pretty sure everyone can tell by the bent-over palm trees and torn-off roofs!

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    1. I’ve wondered that myself. Just watching flying debris is proof for me. After seeing Zeta out of may windows, which was supposed to downgrade to a tropical storm when it hit land in south Louisiana, taking down power poles and some trees along with my fence, I had no desire to go outside. Its winds were clocked at one mile an hour shy of a Cat 3 Hurricane. I would have left if the weather people would have gotten that right!

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  12. Colleen, thanks for visiting with the Chicks today! I always enjoy visiting NOLA. Maybe the Chicks can hang out with you during Bouchercon cm— that’d be fun. And congrats on the upcoming release!

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  13. Thanks so much for being here, Colleen, and congrats on the latest!

    I have learned so much about New Orleans reading your post and all of the questions and answers. I second (or third?) the idea of hanging out during Bouchercon 2021!

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