New Orleans

It’s Mardi Gras, Baby!

on February 28, 2022

In celebration of Mardi Gras—and the very happy fact that it’s being celebrated in New Orleans this year—I’m sharing some of my favorite vintage Mardi Gras images. And I’m also sharing one of my favorite blog posts: Your Guide to Mardi Gras, circa 1889. Enjoy!                    … Read More


Best Books about New Orleans?

on October 26, 2021

Fellow Historical Novelist Sharon Cathcart included me on her list of Best Books about New Orleans! Read what Sharon thinks about FANNY NEWCOMB & THE IRISH CHANNEL RIPPER and her other great NOLA picks at the new readers book site, Shepherd.com. Thanks, Sharon!


It’s a 99 cents sale for FANNY NEWCOMB!

on September 27, 2020

To celebrate FANNY NEWCOMB’s new cover, my publisher has lowered the price of FANNY NEWCOMB & THE IRISH CHANNEL RIPPER on Kindle to 99 cents for the next fortnight (aka “two weeks”). “FANNY NEWCOMB & THE IRISH CHANNEL RIPPER is a ripping good read. Author Ana Brazil brings the dark underbelly of Gilded Age New… Read More


A new back cover also!

on August 31, 2020

As thrilled as I am with Fanny Newcomb’s new cover, I’m equally thrilled with the back cover–both the art work and the blurbs. Check this out: FANNY NEWCOMB & THE IRISH CHANNEL RIPPER is a ripping good read. Author Ana Brazil brings the dark underbelly of Gilded Age New Orleans vividly to life as her… Read More


but w-h-y?

on August 30, 2020

Yep, Fanny Newcomb and the Irish Channel Ripper has a new cover. But W-H-Y? Here’s what I told fellow crime novelist Vinnie Hansen when she interviewed me for the Sisters in Crime NorCal newsletter earlier this year: “Last June I was at the Historical Novel Society Conference and saw my book on sale next to… Read More


A new look for Fanny Newcomb!

on August 29, 2020

As you can see from my homepage (and from my FB Banner and elsewhere), Fanny Newcomb has changed! Yep, the cover of FANNY NEWCOMB & THE IRISH CHANNEL RIPPER has definitely changed. Gone are the drops of blood and the photographs of Gilded Age prostitutes. Gone is the back cover copy proclaiming “Gilded Age New… Read More


My Favorite Historical ZOOM Backgrounds

on June 28, 2020

We’re all on ZOOM these days, right? I ZOOM in from my home office, which unlike everyone else’s beautifully-bookshelfed office, is really not that attractive. (No, I’m not going to provide photographic proof!) So I often use the ZOOM virtual backdrop option and these are my favorite backgrounds so far: Since I didn’t have a… Read More


Just in time for Saint Valentine’s Day…Stinky Vinegar Valentines!

on February 14, 2020

The feast of Saint Valentine of Rome was designated in the year 496. The date? February 14th, of course. About 900 years later, Saint Valentine and his feast day (already celebrated with food, drink, jousting, poetry, singing, and dancing) somehow became associated with romance, passion, and love. And so began the need to send Saint… Read More


It’s Giveaway Time…for 48 hours or so…

on February 5, 2020

The very kind and wonderful storyteller Suzanne Adair has invited me to share how to “hold history in your hands” in this week’s Relevant History blog. And…here’s Suzanne’s scoop on the FANNY NEWCOMB giveaway: “A big thanks to Ana Brazil! She’ll give away a packet of four reproduction postcards and one original postcard of Italian… Read More


Kate Chopin Tussles with a Novel Ending – Now Available!

on March 25, 2019

I’m very pleased to announce that my historic short story “Kate Chopin Tussles with a Novel Ending” has been published in Fault Lines: Stories by Northern California Crime Writers. This stunning anthology includes “19 short stories that explore crime, guilt, and justice in our earthquake-prone region and beyond.” My “Kate Chopin Tussles with a Novel… Read More