Dear
Readers,
Welcome
to my web site! I’m so glad you dropped by
for a visit. I hope you’ll take a few minutes and look around.
Since the last time that I updated my site, a lot has happened.
You’ll
find lots of info about my “Charlotte
LaRue Squeaky Clean” mysteries, and even some cleaning
hints from Charlotte
herself, plus a section that contains a few of Charlotte’s
and my favorite
recipes. Oh, and one more thing. I really enjoy reading comments
that my visitors make, so please take a moment to sign
my guest book.
I suppose
I should tell you a little about myself. I am a native of Louisiana.
Yes, born and bred there. I grew up in the North Louisiana
town of Minden where I worked on my high school newspaper staff,
and later, on the staff of the Minden Press and Herald. At
that time though, I never really dreamed of becoming a writer.
After
high school, I attended Louisiana
Tech University as a music
education major, and later I also attended Nicholls University.
My dream then was becoming a band director. Instead, I fell
in love with my husband, David, and I'm still in love with
him even after forty-one years of marriage, three grown children
and seven precious grandchildren. But I digress.
Not
long after we married, my husband and I moved to a small suburb of New
Orleans.
What a change for both of us. Most
people don't realize that there's a vast 
difference
in the cultures of North Louisiana
and South Louisiana. Both are unique and have their advantages
and disadvantages. But New Orleans is a world
of its own. I truly love living near the Big Easy. With its
Creole French
and Spanish influence, it's such a unique and interesting city.
I love strolling through the historic French
Quarter then
stopping in at Café Du Monde for Café au Lait
and Beignets. Then there’s the Garden
District with its
streetcars, its enormous historical mansions, and its huge
oak trees that drape across St. Charles Avenue like a green
canopy. New Orleans is nearly 300 years old, but each time
I visit, I find something new and fascinating. Though a hurricane
named Katrina changed it in many ways, the Crescent City survived
and is still just as fascinating as ever.
So
how did I get started writing? A lot of people ask me that
question, and the answer is both simple and complex. Simply,
I was trying to be a good, conscientious mother. More complex,
I've always loved to read, and according to my mother, I've
always possessed a healthy dose of imagination as well as the
belief that I could do anything I wanted to do if I set my
mind to it.
When
my oldest daughter was a young teenager, Harlequin
Presents began arriving through the mail. Without my knowledge, my daughter
had subscribed, and I decided I should read a few to make sure
they were suitable for someone her age. I deemed that they
were suitable, but a funny thing happened. The more I read,
the more I wanted to read. Then I came to a point when I began
to believe that I could write "one of those."
Believing
I could write a book was half the battle. Actually writing
one and getting published was the other half. Well, I did write
one, then I wrote another one, then another, and I'm still
writing twenty years later. But even better, I'm published
and get to share my stories with thousands of wonderful readers
all over the world, including seventeen foreign countries as
well as the United States.
Besides
reading and writing mystery and romantic suspense novels, there
are other fun things I enjoy too. I love meeting and talking
to my readers at booksignings. In
the past couple of years, I’ve become a big fan of LSU
football (geaux tigers!) and the New Orleans Saints (geaux
Saints!). I also love shopping at the malls , and I enjoy watching
and playing tennis. Sailing is fun too, but it’s not
often I have the time or opportunity to do that any more. The
most fun thing of all though, is playing with my sweet grandchildren.
I have seven: three boys and four girls, all ranging in ages from three to twenty.
Once
again, thank you for taking the time to visit my web site.
I hope you’ll come back often. May God bless you, and
remember, "Keep it Clean!"
An Interview with Barbara
