CROSSED ROADS

About the Book

Crossed Roads tells the stories of three contemporary women living in the New Orleans area who feel a sense of knowing each other even before they meet. Ali Rushing is married to her Tulane sweetheart, David, and she works as a counselor at a private girls’ school. She is fascinated by the study of human behavior and also spends much time researching the architectural history of the city. Claire is a lawyer who is an advocate of judicial equity for rich and poor alike. Her fervor is stoked by the devastation and allegations of wrong-doings by Federal and State agencies and officials following Hurricane Katrina, and she sets out to get accountings from the core of “victims” and to make this information available to all. Remee is a shop owner in the French Quarter who creates jester figures, Mardi Gras Krewe replicas and voodoo charms and potions. She is fascinated by the culture that built and maintains the essence of the French Quarter, specifically the Voodoo and Creole cultures. She is especially drawn to observance of private Voodoo rituals. The story that brings these three women together stems from their ability to exchange information mentally even before they meet. As the story unfolds, the reader is given glimpses into New Orleans life in the 2000s including Hurricane Katrina, Mardi Gras, a Jazz funeral parade, a view of the historic Garden District, the Cajun and Creole cultures, an authentic Voodoo ritual and a murder. The plot takes the reader also to Natchitoches and St. Martinville in Louisiana, both steeped in the Creole culture.

About the Author

Margaret Saetre Ward, retired educator and medical professional. Throughout her lifetime, she was a sounding board for a diversity of problems, both real and imagined. Reflection on these recountings provided the springboard to the development of the characters in Crossed Roads which she set in New Orleans, her college home.