Ghost for sale

            Aaah T-Frere’s House Bed and Breakfast in Lafayette, Louisiana, is now on the market. The 9-bedroom, 9.5-bath home has been featured on the Travel Channel and was raved about by AAA Travel Magazine, Trip Advisor and others. The Acadian Colonial-style home built in 1880 of Louisiana Red Cypress hauled from the Vermillion Bayou also features a one-bedroom, one-bath apartment with kitchen for those who want to remain on property.

            And did we mention there’s a ghost?

            Amelie Comeaux apparently haunts T-Frere’s Bed and Breakfast, a young widow who “accidentally” fell into a well on the property. The story goes that Amelie caught a fever, stumbled out at night for a drink and fell in to the dark water’s depths. Also, according to legend, the Catholic Church labeled it a suicide and Amelie was not buried on sacred ground.

            Amelie is a mischievous girl, what Cajuns call a “Canaille.” Like most ghosts she doesn’t approve of change and shows her displeasure when it happens. Owner Maugie Pastor has heard banging in the kitchen and visitors have had their toes pulled. One visitor claimed to have seen the petite lady in the yard; she spoke French to her. Previous owners have had paranormal experiences as well — but friendly reminders that they are not alone, such as the keys on the piano playing, bread rising and falling on the floor, female laughter in the parlor.

            If you’ve always wanted a bed and breakfast that comes with lagniappe — in South Louisiana that means a little something extra — and you have a million on hand, T’Frere’s Bed and Breakfast is for sale.

Book events scheduled for 'Haunted Lafayette'

The release date for “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” is September!

            Here are the events currently scheduled for the book launch.

           Sept. 14, 2013: PlantFest from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lafayette Horse Farm. The Writers Guild of Acadiana will host several authors signing books.

            Sept. 21, 2013: Booksigning from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Wild Birds Unlimited in Lafayette, part of the Hummingbird Day celebration. Hey, birds like ghost tales too!

            Oct. 26, 2013: Cheré Coen joins mediums Vicky Cormier and Allyson Glynn Schram and Traiteur Becca Begnaud for a “Coffee, Tea and Spirit” discussion from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Little Big Cup in Arnaudville, Louisiana. The talk will be followed by a booksigning.

            Oct. 30, 2013: Cheré will tell Lafayette's ghost stories from the book at 7 p.m. at Carpe Diem Gelato & Espresso Bar in downtown Lafayette, as part of Voices in Fall literary series.

            Nov. 2, 2013: Louisiana Book Festival in Baton Rouge.

            Check back for updates to the schedule. We add things constantly.

Cheré Coen is an award-winning travel writer specializing in the Deep South. She is the author of "Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History," "Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana" and "Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana" and co-author of "Magic's in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets." She also writes Louisiana romances under Cherie Claire, including "A Cajun Dream" and "The Letter." Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.

The book cover has been released!

            It’s quite an exciting thing when a book cover arrives. After months and months of interviews, ghost-hunting, writing, photographing and copyediting, the book is finally out the door and on the way to press. 

             But it’s something very special when your editor sends you the cover shot for the first time.

            So here it is, the cover for “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana,” due to hit shelves later this summer, just in time for fall and that wonderful spooky holiday that closes up the month of October. And being that it’s full-on summer in Louisiana, I’m doubly looking forward to fall and those delightful drops in temperature.

            I’m also happy to report that the cover shot was taken by my son, Joshua Coen. Josh is a BFA Fine Arts-Photography candidate at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette and will graduate this fall after what’s soon to be his spectacular senior thesis show.

            Please check back for book events! There’s plenty coming and they will be fun!!

Haunted Lafayette to hit bookstores in September!

    Ghost stories abound in the Cajun and Creole city of Lafayette, Louisiana, from those lost in Civil War skirmishes and fever outbreaks to the former living who can’t say goodbye. “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” by The History Press takes readers inside some of the most historic sites in South Louisiana, including haunted bed and breakfasts, restaurants and entertainment venues — even the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. In addition, there are the back roads and cemeteries where spirits linger, pirates who refuse to leave and ancient French legends hiding in the swamps, bayous and woods.
      Join long-time journalist and ghost seeker Cheré Dastugue Coen as she visits Lafayette’s haunted sites and travels the countryside in search of ghostly legends found only in South Louisiana.
    “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” will be on bookstore shelves in September, 2013! But follow this blog for a taste of what's to come.