scenes from the wild west (creole wilde west, that is)

[louismaistros]

Friday I did a signing at the book tent at the Jazzfest, and managed to get some pretty good shots of the Creole Wild West Mardi Gras Indians in action. They were, for me, the best thing about the festival.

Comments

[gairid]

Not only a great writer but an amazing photographer! These pictures are wonderful!

[louismaistros]

Well, thank you very much! There's a few more here if you're interested:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lgmaistros/sets/72157617224193005/

[realthog]

Great review, Louie -- congrats!

Had to giggle about this bit, though: ". . . no formal training as a writer . . ." You mean you didn't go to college to study writing like all the other authors have?

Myself, I have a BWrit in Punctuation and Paragraph Structure, focusing for my doctorate on Irrigation of the Semicolon.

[louismaistros]

Thanks for the congrats, Paul!

And yes, I am being heralded as a sort of idiot savant for being a high school grad with a working class background -- I think this is a harmless kind of observation with a certain charm.

Apparently, you are supposed to possess a thing called an "MFA" before you are allowed to write fiction deemed "literary." Had I known the rules, I might have tried to write a "legal thriller" or some such shit instead.

I honestly had no idea I was a "literary" writer till I started getting rejections stating, "Sorry, too literary for us!" To which I'd reply, "Why, thank you!"

And so it goes.

[realthog]

Do you mean to say, Miss Austen, that you have absolutely no writing qualifications at all??!!??

[louismaistros]

Ha! Well, no, actually. There was a time when people gave me a whole buncha shit about that. Now it is suddenly "earthy fodder." You see, I am the voice of the everyman. Yer darn tootin I am.

[claws_n_stripes]

Congratulations on the great review!

Also, those photos are fantastic. Will you be attending the 'fest on any other days?

[louismaistros]

Thanks!

Unfortunately, I think I'm going to have to pass on the rest of the fest -- Money is a bit too dear right now, and I'd be a jerk if I didn't bring the wife and kids along, which would make it even more obscenely expensive. Plus, we live just two blocks from Frenchmen Street, so Jazzfest kind of comes to us for free, anyway.

Are you still on the West Bank? I'll be doing a signing at the Barnes & Noble in Harvey on Saturday, March 23 at 2 PM if you feel like stopping by and saying hey.

[claws_n_stripes]

Yes, because if you're going to be there on March 23, that means you have a Tardis or other time machine and I would have to be some kind of idiot to turn down that kind of invitation.

Yes, I know you meant May 23. :-P It'd probably be easier for me to come down to Metairie on May 4, though, as well as sooner.

[louismaistros]

Yes, May 23! But I do have a time machine, of the Wellesian variety.

I hope you can make it on the 4th, and I look forward to meeting you!

[katje0711]

Great pics! A friend of mine bought me your book and I'll be getting it when I see her next month!

[louismaistros]

Thanks -- and I'm glad you're getting a copy of the book. Let me know what you think of it... unless you hate it, in which case don't let *anyone* know ;-)

[katje0711]

Heh. I doubt I'll hate it.

[clariyt]

Fabulous pictures there Louis - I've missed you. So glad to hear the launch of the book has been so successful. Excellent stuff:)

[louismaistros]

Thanks, Clariyt!

Sorry I haven't been on LJ too much lately. I've been spending more time on Facebook if you do that.