Literary Louisiana: Inspiring Tales

Fiction
Ramadan Ramsey: A Novel

by Louis Edwards
Ramadan Ramsey is born in New Orleans, the product of a magical love affair between his mother, a native New Orleanian, and his father, a Syrian immigrant. Ramsey has never known his father, who returned to his homeland unaware of the baby he left behind. Young Ramadan is raised with love by his mother and grandmother, and sets out on an adventure to discover both his ancestry and himself. His journey will take him from the Deep South to the Middle East on an epic quest. Author Louis Edwards is a Lake Charles native; he now lives and works in New Orleans, and is a Guggenheim Fellowship and Whiting Award-winner. “Ramadan Ramsey” is his fourth novel. Amistad, Hardcover, 400 pages, $27.99.

Memoir
Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting

Writing by Mary Gauthier
Grammy-nominated songwriter Mary Gauthier peels back the covers to give readers an inside look at the poetic and healing process of songwriting; a process that has brought salvation, meaning and joy to her own life. After a decade of struggles with addiction, sobriety and performing became Gauthier’s lifelines to success, both in her career and in her personal life. In “Saved by a Song,” the Louisiana native describes her own journey, plus provides a roadmap to creating lasting songs that will inspire and motivate. Gauthier has been featured on NPR Weekend Edition, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Billboard, and CBS This Morning. St. Martin’s Essentials, Hardcover, 256 pages, $27.99.

Fiction
Under the Bayou Moon

by Valerie Fraser Luesse
Set among the swamps of south Louisiana, author Valerie Fraser Luesse brings readers the story of Ellie Fields, a teacher who sets out from her Alabama home to teach in the tiny town of Bernadette. Although initially seen as an outsider, Ellie is soon embraced by the town, and a certain Cajun fisherman named Raphe. She and Raphe embark on an adventure to find and save a legendary white alligator, and find much more along the way. Baker Publishing Group, Hardcover, 352 pages, $29.99.

Fiction
The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You: Stories

by Maurice Carlos Ruffins
Acclaimed New Orleans writer Maurice Carlos Ruffins brings readers an intimate look at the lives, conflicts, struggles and day-to-day reality of characters in the city he calls home. From a couple hitting rock bottom and turning to crime, to an army vet and a runaway teen finding unexpected companionship, to a young man working on the corners of the French Quarter, Ruffin’s latest is a rich, emotional deep dive into everyday people and the world they face each day. Ruffin’s novel “We Cast a Shadow” was a PEN/Faulkner Award finalist, and his work has been featured in the Virginia Quarterly Review, The Kenyon Review, and The Massachusetts Review. One World, Hardcover, 192 pages, $26.

Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Song Writing by Mary Gauthier

Grammy-nominated song writer Mary Gauthier peels back the covers to give readers an inside look at the poetic and healing process of song writing; a process that has brought salvation, meaning and joy to her own life. After a decade of struggles with addiction, sobriety and performing became Gauthier’s lifelines to success, both in her career and in her personal life. In “Saved by a Song,” the Louisiana native describes her own journey, plus provides a roadmap to creating lasting songs that will inspire and motivate. Gauthier has been featured on NPR Weekend Edition, “The New York Times,” “The Los Angeles Times,” Billboard, and CBS This Morning.

St. Martin’s Essentials, Hardcover, $27.99, 256 pages