There are many scary things lurking in the deep south—New Orleans  and the Louisiana bayou to be more specific. Let me begin with the Rougarou,  a werewolf type creature pulled from French folklore. Not scared yet? How about an Acadian fang worm or a shadow croucher?

If you enjoy stories about swamp witches, the supernatural, and having a little scare in your reading then this one is for you. It’s not the kind of tale I’d normally gravitate toward, but I’m glad I did.

Evangeline is a 12-year-old haunt huntress in training. She’s one tough cookie most of the time. Her mother was killed doing the necessary work of a huntress by helping those in need—ones who have creature or supernatural problems in their homes or themselves. Evangeline lives with her grandmother, an expert haunt huntress. They take on a job in New Orleans to help a mother possessed by some horrible creature.

At this point the mystery really takes off. Evangeline learns more about her family and questions whether she really is meant to be a haunt huntress. The final 100 pages is a hold onto your seat ride you can’t put down.

RELEASED: MAY 1, 2018  PAGE COUNT: 320

THE PLOT (from Amazon)

Twelve-year-old haunt huntress apprentice Evangeline Clement spends her days and nights studying the ways of folk magic, honing her monster-hunting skills while pursuing local bayou banshees and Johnny revenants.

With her animal familiar sure to make itself known any day now, the only thing left to do is prove to the council she has heart. Then she will finally be declared a true haunt huntress, worthy of following in the footsteps of her long line of female ancestors.

But when Evangeline and her grandmother are called to New Orleans to resolve an unusual case, she uncovers a secret that will shake her to the soles of her silver-tipped alligator-skin boots.

Set in the evocative Louisiana bayou and the vibrant streets of New Orleans, Evangeline’s is a tale of loyalty and determination, the powerful bonds of friendship and family, and the courage to trust your gut no matter how terrifying that might be.

FIVE THINGS I LIKED ABOUT:  EVANGELINE OF THE BAYOU

by JAN ELDREDGE

1. Julian, the son of the lady Evangeline and her grandmother are trying to help. With his actions and life so different from her own, they despise each other at first. Julian will have nothing to do with supernatural nonsense. Their interactions give the story a nice touch of how friendships are sometimes formed under the worse conditions.
2. A glossary of monsters, ghosts, and assorted supernatural entities is an informative and fun addition.
3. The setting rose from the pages in all its Louisiana charm. It’s truly a magical place.
4. The characters are what make this story special—both human and otherwise.
5. The early pages drop a few hints, although it isn’t until the end that you recall the perfect set-up for how everything ends.

ALL ABOUT THE AUTHOR (From Jan’s web site)

Jan was born and raised in the swampy state of Louisiana where as a child she would often sneak into her older brother’s room to read through his numerous monster magazines and scary comic books, and where she would also gaze at his collection of classic movie monster models like the Wolfman, Frankenstein’s Monster, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon.

In addition to her interest in cats, magic, and assorted eldritch things that go bump in the night, she enjoys researching bizarre superstitions, exploring old cemeteries, and visiting assorted theme parks. Halloween is her favorite holiday, but that probably goes without saying.

Jan now lives in the swampy state of Florida with her wonderful husband, three pleasant children, and four devious cats, in a house that just might be haunted.

Jan Eldredge writes spooky middle grade stories. Sometimes people mistakenly address her as Jan Eldritch, which is quite fine with her since eldritch is her favorite word. (Eldritch- adjective eerie; ghostly; supernatural; unearthly.)

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Coming up next week is another…

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