Pelican Bestsellers (September 2024)

A Taste of the New Orleans supernatural

A bloody romp through the French Quarter, including over 30 delectable recipes by Chef Chris Dunn

New Orleans is filled with mysteries and legends. Ghosts that haunt our city, rougarou (a werewolf-like creature that dwells in the swamps), and vampires. Maidens who were sent from France in 1721 to help colonize the city but were mysteriously turned to vampires on the ship before their arrival. There are also witches—some with remedies and some with curses. They say New Orleans is a melting pot of cultures. If one delves deep into this melting pot, they may just find the supernatural pulling them in deeper still until the food tastes like their favorite memories of home cooking, the unexpected becomes commonplace, and the sharp pain on their neck has them lusting and longing for their lover. Mosquito–Southern Vampires, originally released one chapter at a time as a penny dreadful, is a melting pot of the supernatural. To help create an immersive, mystical experience, at the end of each chapter is a recipe by Chef Chris Dunn from the New Orleans Vampire Café or the Vampire Apothecary, both located in the mysterious beating heart of the old French Quarter.

Marita Woywod Crandle, author and historian, has a passion for historical fiction. She has written several history books as research for her historical fiction work, including New Orleans Vampires: History and Legend and Josie Arlington’s Storyville: The Life and Times of a New Orleans Madame. Crandle also owns several vampire-themed businesses in the New Orleans French Quarter, including Boutique du Vampyre, and two restaurants, The New Orleans Vampire Café and Boutique du Vampyre’s Apothecary. Both restaurants share the same executive chef, Chef Chris Dunn, who offers many of his recipes in this book. Chef Chris creates meals that are decadently delicious, with elegant presentation—the way a vampire would host his mortal guests.