These are short stories based on musings of a seasoned citizen. Some are preposterous and others just posterous, according to the author. They are sprinkled with oddly named fictional characters, some based on real people. You could call the author a Cracker Barrel philosopher, but that might be an insult to the restaurant chain.

"Susanne Duplantis is out to save the world one leftover at a time. You'll think twice before ever throwing edible food away again!"--Poppy Tooker, host of Louisiana Eats! radio show "With this fun, family-friendly cookbook, there's no longer any excuse for standing in front of the refrigerator with the door wide open and asking oneself the eternal question: 'What in the world am I going to make?'"--Adrian Miller, James Beard Award-winning author "You'll never look at your leftovers the same way again! Susanne Duplantis has unlocked the code to rethinking leftovers and reducing kitchen waste."--Cynthia Graubart, James Beard Award-winning author Susanne Duplantis takes the last bit of leftovers from your favorite Southern dishes and repurposes them into brand-new tasty offerings. These simple home-cooked recipes combine the time-saving advantage of leftovers with the convenience of pantry staples you already have on hand to create family-pleasing meals that are also friendly on your wallet. With Susanne's guidance, you'll begin to see leftovers as a delicious way to save time, food, and money.

A Reunion, a murder, and a wedding... What's next? Becca Smith Poole should have known her forty-fifth high school reunion would be anything but normal - especially when a dead body turns up! Renowned for her problem-solving skills, Becca is determined to discover who the murderer is - and if her former high school crush is still as handsome as he was in their younger days. The first will take some time to solve, the second one took her breath away. Retired detective Zach Baker has been lonely since the last of his Baker’s dozen moved out. When he sees Becca Smith’s picture in the “where are they now” brochure, he wonders if this might be a first chance for him with the gal he could never connect with in high school. But before he can ask her out, a murder breaks up the party. Lucky for him, his son’s upcoming wedding is full of problems requiring Becca’s professional problem solving touch. Can a retired cop and a mystery reading problem solver unmask a killer before the wedding? Even more challenging, can Zach convince Becca that there is no end date for falling in love? Dive into the next installment of the Big Uneasy series that reviewers have said will “make the reader feel as if they’ve been plopped down right in the middle of the Big Easy.” Get Louisiana Lagniappe: The Big Uneasy 2.5 now! New Orleans, the city of mystery, weirdness, quirky heroines, and virtuous heroes, comes alive in this whodunnit series with all the color and vibrance of Mardi Gras. Grab a sweet romance with scorching action, adventure, and tummy-burning humor and discover what really happens when the sun goes down! #NoBlushRomanticComedySuspense #NoBlushRomance #NoBlushMystery #MysteryRomance #romanticsuspense New Orleans suspense mystery series, New Orleans romantic suspense, romantic mystery books, Romantic suspense ebooks, romantic mystery and suspense, classic romantic suspense, Romantic suspense novels

GUMBO LAGNIAPPE (You’ve Got to Be Kidding) contains original plays, many with public health themes, but others dealing with our fascinating current political and social climate. Several plays were written for this year’s Spectral Sisters Productions Ten-Minute Play Festival for which the theme was “You’ve Got to Be Kidding,” thus the second part of the title. A collection of selected recent medical essays, some of which complement the plays, also add to this literary gumbo, as does a new translation by the author of Moliere’s classic, “Tartuffe.” Together, these new plays, an old classic and some assorted medical essays, offer “lagniappe,” a little extra, to the body of world literature. This small town, Alexandria, stuck in the middle of Louisiana and two hours’ drive (at least) from any larger city, has the advantage of being like a tramp steamer isolated in the immensity of the Indian Ocean. We have learned to entertain ourselves on the trip and this unlikely location has produced a host of plays from many other talented, but unrecognized playwrights. May creative energy continue to bubble forth from this curious location, as far off-Broadway as you can get, but perhaps a bit closer to heaven. My thanks to those who want to explore something new while supporting an undiscovered author from Central Louisiana.

What power makes a seedling burst To escape darkness of its shell? From what great muck is beauty born To emerge radiant from Hell? Please, judge not from mere appearance, As there are great Mysteries here — Beginning with the seed within, A spark that cannot disappear! Fear not the trials of Winter On that road to self-becoming. Prepare instead to boldly bloom, As the Spring is always coming! *This collection includes twelve poems. ---------------------------------------- Sample: Hidden Flame Friction, friction, breathing smoke Within a world most dark! Stoke the embers of the past With lick of precious spark. Smolder, seethe discovery In emptiness of night; Ripple, burn, and manifest Most vital fire bright! Throb with urge for secret warmth, Releasing bitters old; Melt the rigid for the hard, Illuminating bold! Hear it whispered flame to flame Through crackle, pop, and snap: Soaring heat consumes all lost As smoke reveals new map. Kiss me, Love, to glow anew, Ignited by our gaze. Let's dance within these vapors, And feed this mighty blaze.