Here is a little book trailer teaser in advance of the fall 2023 release!!!
Press Copy of My Parrain is the Loup Garou is in!
I received the press copy of my new book My Parrian Is the Loup Garou, and it looks so good! Heather Stanley’s bold illustrations really set the swampy mood for this original Cajun tall tale about a boy and his Godfather as they go on wild adventures together, perhaps too good to be true. Books should be in by mid-September, and will be available in time for my book signings for the book launch as follows:
Saturday, October 7, 2023
11:00 AM 12:30 PM
Blue Cypress Books, 8123 Oak Street, New Orleans, LA, 70118
Saturday, October 14, 2023
11:00 AM 12:30 PM
Garden District Books, 2727 Prytania Street, New Orleans, LA, 70130
Saturday, October 28, 2023
Time TBA
Louisiana Book Festival, State Library of Louisiana, 701 North 4th Street, Baton Rouge, LA, 70802
You can also pre-order copies on my website , through Amazon, or through the two bookstores listed above.
I hope to see you there!
My Parrain is the Loup Garou Book Cover Reveal!
South Louisiana folktales are as unique as they are colorful and Johnette Downing, with expressive illustrations by Heather Stanley, crafts a tale of the loup garou in a delightful way that children of all ages will enjoy.
-Cheré Dastugue Coen, Food & travel writer, and author of Exploring Cajun Country
I have a new book coming out this fall with illustrator Heather Stanley through Pelican Publishing, and as promised, I am revealing the cover to you, my subscribers, first! Heather and I have two other books together (Petit Pierre and the Floating Marsh and Mademoiselle Grands Doigts), and in this book, she really captured the boldness and wildness of my Cajun tall tale My Parrain is the Loup Garou.
This familial love story between a child and his godfather is my original Cajun tall tale, and it is peppered with exaggerated colloquial vernacular to create humor and warmth especially when read aloud. Like children on the playground, the child boasts to the reader about his Parrain’s superhuman strength and wolf-like qualities as proof that the godfather is in fact the legendary mythical creature, the Loup Garou. As playmates, the child and the Parrain set out on magical adventures, perhaps too good to be true. The vivid colors and bold brush strokes in Heather Stanley’s illustrations set a swampy tone and blur the lines between fact and fantasy. This lighthearted twist to the often dark oral traditions of the Cajun werewolf are sure to make children laugh, and hopefully wildly dream.
The book will be released in fall 2023, and there are already two events scheduled:
Saturday, October 7 at 11:00-1:00, Blue Cypress Books, 8123 Oak St, New Orleans, LA
Saturday, October 28, Time TBA, Louisiana Book Festival, State Library of Louisiana, downtown Baton Rouge, LA
Pre-order your copy today for a fall 2023 delivery at
Or contact retailers@arcadiapublishing.com