Tropical storm Lee rolled into New Orleans over the weekend, but did little to dampen the spirits of the revelers… ahem… I mean attendees… at this year’s “Writers for New Orleans” conference.

Friday evening’s celebrations included a wet trek to the Bourbon Vieux. The view from the party room’s balcony provided an excellent vantage point one of the “Southern Decadence” (formerly named “Gay Pride”) parades. A number of lovely, half-dressed men in very wet clothing wandered past throughout the evening and many were more than willing to provide a bit of entertainment in exchange for beads. We party-goers on the balcony provided entertainment as well, dressed as we were in Civil War era clothing.

The following evening provided a reprieve from the storm. Lee decided to give everyone the night off, allowing us the opportunity to meander around the French Quarter and remain relatively dry. I was initiated into the experience of drinking an “Irish Car Bomb.” Apparently, they are the drink of choice for a number of regular conference attendees.

I managed to get a whistlestop tour of New Orleans outside of conference hours and it looked so nice that I look forward to visiting it again in the near future, maybe at the InterContinental New Orleans instead next time.

All of the writers were kind and welcoming. They were generous with their time and insights, readily willing to share their knowledge and experience with a newcomer such as myself.

The conference had fabulous workshops, from negotiating techniques, to screenwriting tips for authors, to a police procedural question and answer session.