Hi friends! Another AAD guest – and another reason for us all to be jealous ;D. Today, as you see, we’ve got Cat Grant! And those pictures are ones she took herself. Cool, right?

I won’t lie—one of the prime motivators for me to attend this year’s Authors After Dark was the fact that it’s in New Orleans. I went to NOLA for the first time last October for GayRomLit, and promptly fell in love with the city.

The French Quarter is a 24-hour party, with live music pouring out of practically every bar and café. I’m sure the con itself will keep us all busy, but you’ll kick yourself if you don’t take at least one day to sight-see. Walk over to the Café du Monde for coffee and beignets, and make sure to take a detour through Jackson Square. I met Sherry Dooley, an amazing folk artist, displaying her paintings there, and bought one that’s now hanging in my dining room!

If you get the chance, go on the walking tour of the stately homes of the French Quarter. Oh, those gardens and wisteria-draped balconies! Most of the homes have been around since the nineteenth century (some even earlier!) so it’s a great peek into the city’s history. And don’t forget Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo on Bourbon Street. (I can only imagine what the TSA thought when they x-rayed my carry-on bag and saw the three voodoo dolls I bought!)

And then, there’s the food. Gumbo. Red beans and rice. Incredible seafood. You haven’t lived until you’ve had eggs Sardou for breakfast! Give yourself permission to go off your diet—you won’t regret it.

As for the con itself, I’m looking forward to dishing on contemporary and GLBT romance, as well as doing the BDSM and ménage readings. (Although I’m a bit nervous about the latter!) Oh, and the book signing! I should have a couple new paperbacks to sign (Power Play: Resistance and Riptide’s rent boy anthology, which includes my novella, Priceless) and a whole bunch of free goodies for everyone who stops by my table.

Until August, take care, and as they say in NOLA—laissez le bon temps roulez! 🙂

Cat Grant lives by the ocean in Monterey, California with one persnickety feline and entirely too many books and DVDs. (There’s a reason her friends call her place “The National Archives”!)

Her two-book m/m BDSM series, Power Play: Resistance and Power Play: Awakening (co-written with Rachel Haimowitz) , will be released on April 9th and June 11th, respectively. Her rent boy tale, Priceless, is coming in May. All three books are now available for pre-order at www.riptidepublishing.com.

You can get in touch with her at her website, facebook, twitter, and goodreads.

Ms. Grant has also very generously offered up a copy of one of her backlist books – so tell us. What would you most like to see or do in New Orleans? Or at any of the romance conferences that take places throughout the year? Which one would you choose to go to? Where do you hope AAD will be in the future?