Why New Orleans is Perfect for the First Family
Vampires & New Orleans are like Beans & Rice
There is no denying the fact that New Orleans is known as a vampire hot spot. Most attribute tying vampires with New Orleans to Anne Rice and her fiction series, but the ties and lure of vampires go much further than a best-selling fiction series from the 90s.
New Orleans is the perfect setting for vampires and has seen quite a bit of vampire activity since it’s founding in 1699. It was inhabited by French and Spanish convicts, prostitutes and nuns. The original Ursuline nuns that still are prolific in the city today, are a main part of one of the biggest vampire stories that still resonates through New Orleans. It is thought that their ‘casket girls,’ young girls that came to the city and lived at the convent until they married, bearing with them large coffin-like luggage, actually helped smuggle vampires into the French Quarter. Those vampires were allowed to live in the attic of the Ursuline convent and it is still rumored that they live there today and on occasion escape. This is why the attic doors, which are sealed with “blessed” screws, will slam open on occasion, a common “haunted” sighting in the French Quarter.

The Old Ursuline Convent in the French Quarter. You can see the attic windows in this picture, which are said to “fly” open on occasion, even though they are sealed shut with blessed screws. Archbishopric New Orleans Louisiana DetPub” by Uncredited photographer for Detroit Publishing Company – Detroit Publishing photo via Library of Congress website [1]. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Modern day New Orleans is a much a draw to vampires as it was in the past. Our unique blend of cultures, our open-minded nature, rich grasp of history and ability to embrace the strange and usual, makes it the perfect place to settle for the “paranormally challenged.” New Orleans is the only town that you can find a voodoo shop a few doors down from a cathedral with little to no judgment by the cities residents.
It also helps that we don’t have “last calls” and bars will stay open until dawn and unwary tourist walk about with abandon, open to the idea of meeting a vampire…instead of scared of it. It’s a veritable all-night-buffet for vampires. Night-time in New Orleans is the perfect setting for a vampire.
Mix the debauchery and excess of our visitors and then our 24-hour culture, paired with the uniqueness of our residents to embrace “different” and “unusual” characters as a way of life and a vampire is just another face in the crowd. We don’t stare harder at the guy in period dress…we just think of him as another “New Orleans character.”
But, these are all logistical reasons why New Orleans is the perfect spot for vampires. There is also an intrinsical and almost magical feeling about our city that just screams other-worldliness. If you want to know what gothic feels like, visit New Orleans. The town screams old-world and dark. From our above-ground burial grounds, that we call The Cities of the Dead, to the plethora of haunted tales that are whispered about in private circles and cement New Orleans as one of the most haunted cities in the country…I would think we would attract magical beings like flies to honey.
New Orleans and its dark nature, its obsession with the dead and paranormal and its ability to be accepting of macabre and unusual environments would welcome the Original Family with open arms. As long as they mostly behaved though. Because, even though, we are accepting we don’t take too kindly to people/vampires that don’t respect the city and its residents. So, Klaus better keep that in mind…

The Originals by Julie Plec
Published by Harlequin Enterprises, Limited on January 27th 2015Genres: Fiction, Paranormal
Pages: 352

The Originals: The Resurrection
Family is power. The Original Vampire family swore it to each other a thousand years ago. They pledged to remain together always and forever. But even when you're immortal, promises are hard to keep.
Klaus, Rebekah and Elijah Mikaelson had won it all, only to lose it again by 1788. Control of New Orleans is split between the vampires and the werewolves, much to Klaus's displeasure.
In a dangerous attempt to reclaim his home, Klaus decides to build a vampire army to take out the werewolves once and for all. If he can't have love, then he'll settle for power. Elijah lets his brother take the reins as he turns his attentions to a beautiful and mysterious witch. But Rebekah has had enough of her brothers' love of bloodshed and begins a journey to find her first home and the key to her family's immortality.
As the battles rages on, the siblings must come together and fight for what they believe in most: family.
- Release date: Tuesday, May 26
- Add it on your Shelf on Goodreads
- Get a Copy: Amazon | B&N | IndieBound | BookDepository
The Originals: The Rise by Julie Plec
- The Originals #1
- Release Tuesday, January 27 by Harlequin HQN
- Add it on your Shelf on Goodreads
- Get a Copy: Amazon | B&N | IndieBound | BookDepository
Family is power. The Original vampire family swore it to each other a thousand years ago. They pledged to remain together always and forever. But even when you're immortal, promises are hard to keep.
Arriving in New Orleans in 1722, Original vampire siblings Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah Mikaelson believe they've escaped their dangerous past. But the city is lawless, a haven for witches and werewolves unwilling to share territory. The siblings are at their mercy…especially after Klaus meets the beautiful and mysterious Vivianne. Her impending marriage is key to ending the war between the supernatural factions—and Klaus's attraction to her could destroy the uneasy alliance. As Elijah works toward securing a piece of the city for his family, and Rebekah fights her unexpected feelings for a French captain, will Klaus's volatile desires bring their world crashing down—and tear them apart for good?
The Originals: The Loss by Julie Plec
- The Originals #2
- Release Tuesday, March 31 by Harlequin HQN
- Add it on your Shelf on Goodreads
- Get a Copy: Amazon | B&N | IndieBound | BookDepository
Family is power. The Original vampire family swore it to each other a thousand years ago. They pledged to remain together always and forever. But even when you're immortal, promises are hard to keep.
After a hurricane destroyed their city, Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah Mikaelson have rebuilt New Orleans to even greater glory. The year is 1766. The witches live on the fringes in the bayou. The werewolves have fled. But still, Klaus isn't satisfied. He wants more. He wants power. But when Klaus finally finds a witch who will perform a spell to give him what he desires most, she secretly uses Klaus to unleash a curse—one that brings back hundreds of her ancestors—and begins a war to reclaim New Orleans. As the siblings fight off the attack, only one thing's for certain—the result will be a bloodbath.


Giveaway Info:
The team at Harlequin has put together an EPIC prize pack for this tour! One lucky winner will receive the following:
- Harlequin Tote Bag
- OPI Lincoln Park After Dark Nail Polish
- The Originals Books 1-3
- Seasons 1-4 of The Vampire Diaries on DVD (please note season 1 is Blu-Ray).
Please enter via the Rafflecopter form. Giveaway is open to US/Canada.
Tour Schedule:
Monday, May 11th – Parajunkee – New Orleans Post
Wednesday, May 13th – Alice Marvels – Klaus
Friday, May 15th – PBC – Review
Monday, May 18th – Bewitched Bookworms – Vampire Post
Wednesday, May 20th – Life With Two Boys – Quote
Friday, May 22nd – Fiktshun – Elijah
Monday, June 1st – Addicted Readers – Quote
Wednesday, June 3rd – Coffee ands characters – Vampire Post
Friday, June 5th – Two Chicks on Books – Vampire Post
I’ve been wanting to read these for aaaages!
Originals has a good storyline and quite a bit of history in New Orleans. Never been to New Orleans. Kind of neat to see the city through Originals.
I actually prefer the Originals over Vampire Diaries. I would love to have a chance to read these books.
Awesome! I never get tired of reading about vamps! As long as the plot is good of course!
I love The Vampire Diaries and The Originals. I would love to someday visit New Orleans.
I really really love this giveaway! Thanks for the chance!
Email: felicidad11tan@gmail.com
I’ve read the Vampire Diaries books and was very excited to see The Originals get their own books. Love the covers too.
WOULD LOVE TO VISIT NOLA AGAIN ITS BEEN AWHILE SINCE I HAVE BEEN THERE. GLAD SO MANY SHOWS ARE FILMING THERE NOW.
I love when books go with a show.
I’d also love to visit NOLA 🙂 thanks for the awesome giveaway!
I would love to spend some time in the French Quarter of NOLA. What an awesome place for vampires to live, which explains why The Originals is set there. Anne Rice wasn’t wrong! 🙂
interesting place
I would love to visit NOLA some day! It is the perfect setting for everything paranormal!! Thanks for this great prize!
Omigod, the Originals is the BEST!!! I already have the Rise, but whoever said that having multiple copies of the same book was wrong?
I was just in NOLA over spring break. The French Quarter offers so many different paranormal tours. Unfortunately, we ran out of time on this trip, but hopefully some day I will be able to return with plenty of time to go on a few of the tours.
Thanks for the chance to win a great prize! LOVE the Originals!
Love this giveaway. And I can not wait for the season finale tonight 🙂
Very nice giveaway for a great series. Thank you very much!
Thanks for the amazing giveaway, I love The Vampire Diaries!! I have never watched The Originals!! 🙂
Personally, I have loved The Originals more than TVD, and I love that show too. Elijiah—–swoon!!
I have been dying to read this!
I read the first few in the Vampire Diaries series, and watched the first two season. But then I got a little bored with it. I’m hoping to go back and rewatch it again sometime, and check out The Originals!
I have not read the books but I’ve seen the first season on Netflix and I love it. Can’t wait for more!!!!