Rougarou Blues is HERE!!! Part 1: The Story

 Finally!

It only took me five years but it is HERE!!

The first book, Rougarou Blues & Other Dogs, Too, in J. Cyprus DeLaure's supernatural crime series known as C-Watch is now available on Amazon.

A little back story first...

About two books into the Rockin' Heaven Down series, someone told me: "Why don't you write something people will actually read?" 

He was joking, of course, but I understand the niche market there is for books on rock music of the ancient past, which is somewhat non-existent, regardless of Gen X-ers praising the old days of hair metal on TikTok. I get it, though. I needed a more genre-specific thing, like a mystery, or some kind of sci-fi/fantasy/etc. story. I had yet to find the inspiration. Until...

Near the end of 2020, everyone's favorite year (haha), The Colonel had started watching the AMC show "Hell On Wheels" streaming on Netflix. He said it was a good show so he started it over so I could join in and catch up. And he was right: It's a great show. I was especially impressed with Cullen Bohannon, played by Anson Mount, who is now known as Captain Christopher Pike on the Star Trek series "Strange New Worlds." (Another good show, by the way. Old School Trek. I like it.) 

One aspect of "Hell on Wheels" was the "bro-mance" of sorts between main character Bohannon and Elam, played by Lonnie Rashid Lynn, aka the rapper Common. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, I had this idea.

Now before I elaborate, I have to mention that, on the TV series front, we are fans of "NCIS" (the orginal) and "Supernatural." As a big reader myself, I am all into Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series; Lillian Jackson Braun's "The Cat Who" series (thanks to my dear friend Christine Cooper); Sue Grafton's Alphabet Series, and Kathy Reich's Temperance Brennan series, upon which the show "Bones" is based. We're big fans of that one, too. Also, we used to keep up with "Criminal Minds." Naturally, I felt I needed to draw on all those influences. Those are BIG POPULAR THINGS, Y'all!!

So...

Let's say we have this former Marine officer (of course), and he looks a lot like Cullen Bohannan but without the super-crusty demeanor, and he goes to New Orleans (of course) to take this job that he doesn't really know anything about except that it's a night-shift police beat. He has no idea that it's a special investigative unit that solves supernatural crimes. His new partner is this suave, super-cool dude like Derek Morgan, so he looks amazingly like Shemar Moore.

However, these guys aren't "hunters" like Sam and Dean Winchester. They solve crimes committed by and against supernatural beings. It's not secret either; it's all out in the open and perfectly normal, just like all the other spooky stuff that goes on in NOLA. And most of that activity goes on at night: The graveyard shift.

Literally...the graveyard shift.

So, what are some other names for Graveyard Shift? (I didn't want to rip off Stephen King that badly.) Googled some alternatives and discovered "Dog Watch." Huh. That's kinda cool. Who were some mythological dogs? Oh! Cerberus. Zeus's three-headed pet. (And Hagrid's dog Fluffy, of course.)

We'll call it Cerberus Watch. C-Watch. Sounds kinda catchy.

TA-DA!!!

I didn't want to start with vampires. Too predictable. Too cliché. Let's go with a creature more especially related to the swamps of Louisiana.

The Rougarou. Let the research begin.

I had ideas. I started writing. I was doing pretty good, too. Then we had a major life-shift in 2021. My creativity ground to a halt for almost a year. When I picked up momentum there was another hiccup. Then right as I was close to finishing, another hiccup.

But things settled again, and it was finally complete and ready to entertain. A Halloween release would have been ideal but a Christmas one is okay. The story takes place in June, anyway so timing didn't matter.

I took advantage of AI one morning and created the main character. I don't remember what I typed in but I was not disappointed.

Who wouldn't want to read about that guy?? 

I didn't have much luck creating the partner, so we'll just settle for a photo of Shemar.

There's a Pinterest board with other representations, so feel free to peruse the cast of characters and various locations:

You might recognize some of the characters, imagined as well as "real." I'm especially fond of C-Watch's digital forensics analyst. I see great potential there (*wink, wink*). His mother would be proud, I think.

The first book of this series is dedicated to Cassie, an avid "Supernatural" watcher, who on the last Friday of her life came into my writing room and took a peek at my storyboard peppered with index cards full of notes. After a brief explanation, she said, "I'd read that!" And I bet she is!

Stay tuned for Part 2 - The Playlist!