Ellen
Byron’s TV credits include Wings and Just Shoot Me. She’s written over 200 magazine articles,
and her published plays include the award-winning Graceland. Now she’s writing the Cajun Country
Mystery series. Learn more about Ellen and her books at her website.
My Growing
Gator Jewelry Collection
Every so often I get what my mother calls a bug up my butt
about something. (Although she doesn’t use the word butt. She’s a bit of a
potty mouth.) This recently happened when I became obsessed with
alligator-themed costume jewelry.
My Cajun Country Mystery series is set in, well… Cajun
Country. The swamps and bayous of this fascinating region are rife with
alligators. One day when I was looking for a new way to procrastinate, I logged
onto eBay and typed in “alligator brooch.” I thought it might be fun to buy one
and wear it to the Malice Domestic Convention. Lo and behold, a long list of
options greeted me. So I started to shop.
I bought a number of brooches, many of which I gave away at
Left Coast Crime and Malice banquet tables. I graduated to necklaces, then
earrings, rings, and bracelets. My collection has even
branched out into clothing. When author Sherry Harris posted a picture of a
flamingo sweater she’d found on eBay for a friend, I wrote to her, “Hey, if you
ever find a sweater with alligators on it, LMK.” Within minutes, she posted
three of them. I bought one, and love it.
It’s become such an obsession, that as I wrote this blog post, I got an itch to
do an eBay search, found a great top, bid on it, and won. Score!
Friends get a kick out of my hobby. Author Alyssa Maxwell
recently tagged me in a post where she wore a top decorated with a darling
gator applique. (Alyssa, I so want a shirt like that!) A few weeks ago, I was
in New Orleans to promote my newest book, A
Cajun Christmas Killing, and mentioned my passion for gator jewelry to my
friend Celeste. She said, “Oh, I’ve got a gator necklace I can give you.” I
told her I wasn’t comfortable taking her jewelry. Her response? “No worries, I
have two.” Yes, she had two of these necklaces. #onlyinNewOrleans.
Back to that Malice panel I mentioned earlier. Moderator
Shawn Reilly Simpson sent us panelists a list of questions ahead of time, and
one was “What’s your spirit animal?” Personally, mine is a rescue dog. But I
realized that my series has its own spirit animal: the alligator. So when it
comes down to it, I owe my whole collection to Shawn. I should thank her with
some kind of present. Hmmm… sounds like it’s time to search “alligator jewelry,
clothing, or anything” on Ebay again!
A Cajun Christmas Killing: A Cajun Country Mystery
Maggie Crozat is home in Cajun Country during
the most magical time of the year. But the Grinch has come to stay at the
Crozat Plantation B&B, and he’s flooding travel websites with vicious
reviews. Maggie ID’s him as rival businessman Donald Baxter–until Baxter is
found stabbed to death. With her detective boyfriend sidelined as a suspect,
Maggie must catch the real killer or it will be the opposite of a Joyeux Noel
for her.
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3 comments:
People are going to call you that crazy alligator lady soon, Ellen!
I know, Judy!! LOL!
I LOVE the alligator pin you gave those of us who sat at your table at the Malice banquet last year!!
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