What's New
I've had to recreate a few pages of the Parlor in order to update the Site Map, which can be found above in the main navigation
menu. I will be adding the pages that discuss the Mayfair Emerald, the AMC series and the page about the Soria-Creel house
used in the series soon, so keep an eye out for them!
Sadly, the devastating fires in Southern California have continued and have worsened. It's hard to look at the television
and see the devastation, the loss, knowing lives have been lost. Even more, amid RAPIDLY growing concerns about scam/fraud
related activity, those affected by this disaster have to worry about being targeted by bad actors. Scammers, fraudsters,
the type who see such tragedy and loss as an opportunity to prey on people who are traumatized and suffering.
I have plenty of choice words for these types of parasites, and will freely indulge at some point, I'm sure. Right now, I
want to pass along one piece of critical advice given this evening on CNN.
Unless you personally know someone who was affected by this disaster, or have some direct connection, and you would like to
help by making donations, choose a fundraiser that is for all affected. The fundraiser for the victims of the terrorist attack
in New Orleans linked below on this same page is a very good example of this type of fundraiser. "The greatest good for the
greatest number".
As with New Orleans, the Parlor is willing to provide links to organizations where people can provide assistance in this way.
So many people have already been displaced, to say the least, and will need all the help they can get. We want to make sure
that the entities offering that help are reputable ones who truly will do, and are doing, the greatest good for the greatest
number.
 Mayfair
Emerald and Blood Red Poppies Created on NightCafe by
The Mayfair Witches Parlor
I wanted to make something that blends something from the Lives of the Mayfair Witches novels with something from the AMC
series. I went for the poppies that appear in the animated poppy vignette in the opening credits of the AMC series and the
Mayfair emerald as the pendant necklace it is in the novels.
It's not perfect, obviously. But WHAT am I supposed to do with a second emerald pendant hovering in front of her throat?
This is where my photo editor comes into it. Watch this space (I'm being cheeky).
I wanted to start with something fairly cheerful, because...
We now watch in utter horror as the Los Angeles area has turned into what looks like a hellish apocalypse. The amount of
destruction is...unfathomable.
Even for me, a life-long Oregonian who looked out the window one morning in September 2020...and saw that what had not burned
still looked like an orange apocalyptic wasteland covered in ash. One in a complex of fires had ignited closer to our area
than we ever could have imagined, and it also managed to take out the town of Blue River.
We have to ask: HOW, when there really is no excuse for the lack of care and safety practices that could lead to wildfires,
could such a thing happen to a place like Los Angeles? The very fact that this is a heavily populated area with a lot of
structures is horrifying in and of itself. Fires need fuel, and with plenty of oxygen and structures, with vegetation between,
there is no shortage of fuel sources.
That makes a fire extremely difficult to contain, let alone extinguish.
Let me yak; September 2020 was NOT the first time I managed to survive a fire. I REALLY hope it will be the last, though.
The amount of loss in the fires in Southern California is even more unfathomable. It's heartbreaking. I cannot imagine the
devastation. It's hard to describe even the horror of September 2020...or 1994...or the way my family and I felt in February
2003 as we watched the news reports of the horrific Station Nightclub fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island. And now, to see
this happen...
We can only hope and pray all who have survived will be able to recover and rebuild, and support them and the families and
friends of those who might not have. In the wake of a terrorist attack in New Orleans and the Las Vegas explosion, this seems
so unreal.
January 5, 2025--Today, an update on the investigation into the attack in New Orleans on New Years' Day was provided
by the FBI, ATF, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry. They have made progress in the investigation,
and have also announced that The Greater New Orleans Foundation has set up a fund for victims of the New Years' Day tragedy
to help them in every possible way.
The Mayfair Witches Parlor keeps the victims, the survivors, their families and friends and the city of New Orleans in its
thoughts, its prayers and its heart. To help spread the word about the fund, the Parlor is providing the link that will take
you to the fund site where you may donate to help the victims, if you can. Anything you can do to help, even to spread the
word by sharing the link on your own platform is greatly appreciated:
https://www.gnof.org/new-orleans-new-years-day-tragedy-fund-2/
The investigation into the tragedy in New Orleans is being led by the FBI. Because this website is about a very well-known
series of novels set in New Orleans (with Season 2 of an AMC television show based on the series premiering on January 5),
the Parlor has decided to help get word out of requests by law enforcement for help from the public. In particular:
1. Anyone who was in the French Quarter, and in particular, on Bourbon Street on the evening of December 31, 2024 and/or
the early morning hours of January 1, 2025;
2. Anyone who might have any videos of Bourbon Street just before or during the attack;
3. Individuals who looked at the two coolers placed by the driver just before the attack; and/or
4. Information at all about the attack, and anyone who knew the driver, perhaps as a coworker, or anyone who served with
him in the military, to please contact them.
At this time, the driver of the pickup (deceased) is the only person believed to have been involved in this attack on Bourbon
Street in New Orleans. Law enforcement has stated they need to speak with the individuals as possible witnesses who might
be able to provide valuable information to their investigation. The investigation is still ongoing, so if you have any information
that could help in any way, the Parlor urges you to contact the FBI immediately. Contact information is provided below.
The Mayfair Witches Parlor extends its deepest condolences to the families and friends of the 14 victims who lost their lives
and holds the survivors and the city of New Orleans in its thoughts and prayers.
FBI Digital Tip Line: https://www.fbi.gov/bourbonstreetattack
Toll Free: 1-800-CALL-FBI
Here also is the non-emergency telephone number for the New Orleans Police Department:
NOPD: 504-821-2222
Below is a link to the FBI's statement on the attack on their official website:
FBI Statement on the Attack in New Orleans
Happy New Year!
Hopefully, I can get back to focusing on content instead of having to put out digital dumpster fires of any description.
But first, Season 2 of Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches premieres on AMC on January 5. I'd hoped to get to my project of comparing
Season 1 to the novels, but I suppose I could have a binge-watching session in the next few days.
Unfortunately, the first day of 2025 has been marked by a terrible tragedy in New Orleans. Earlier, I did make a community
post on YouTube that included some words about it. I'm still in shock, to be honest, so I will share what I wrote in my community
post about it here:
New Orleans experienced a terrible tragedy this morning. In the early morning hours, a pickup truck was deliberately driven
into a crowd of people celebrating the New Year on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. As of this writing, ten have passed
while over 30 more were injured, including police officers during a confrontation with the driver of the pickup truck. (Edit:
as of now, just after 6:00 pm CST, 15 have passed according to CNN)
This really is shocking and horrifying. I woke to the news, and...I really can't find the words to describe this, let alone
say them. They wouldn't be able to get past the lump in my throat. So I keep the victims, the survivors, their families
and friends, and the city of New Orleans in my thoughts and my prayers. I hope you will, too.
 New
Orleans Cameo Habille Created on NightCafe by
The Mayfair Witches Parlor
Previously...
A belated Merry Christmas!
Yes, I took time to have Christmas with my family. This year, I didn't get to focus on the things I really wanted to, like
new content (guess why), so I made public the Parlor's holiday videos from last year on YouTube. As I've begun to reorganize
the footprint of the Parlor, this original website has retained the name The Mayfair Witches Parlor, but the original name
of the site, Come Into My Parlor, remains in use as a tagline across all platforms. Just to review, I created a sort of "catch-all"
page, a home/landing page of sorts, on GoDaddy, which has sections where various links to each of the Parlor's platforms (hence
its role as a sort of home/landing page). Each platform has a particular type of content that is not the same as the type
of content on other platforms. Some are more or less similar, such as Instagram and TikTok, but I'd still like it if they
didn't have the exact same content across them all.
This is why I decided to call the web page on GoDaddy "Chronicles of the Mayfair Witches". Different ways of chronicling
content that explores Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches of the novels online. And, of course...Where'd I get that word?
It would be nice to be able to really focus on content, because I'd really like to see what people who find sites like the
Parlor appealing as fans of Anne Rice's work would prefer: different content for each platform, or a version of the content
for each platform so those who do not use all the platforms can still see the content on platforms they do use. The ability
to create this kind of content the way we can now is something that more or less wasn't available in the early years of this
website. However, I've been on both Facebook and on YouTube since just before launching this site. By 2013, I did begin
to see more and more types of Facebook pages that were for people who had a particular interest in common as well as pages
that were for businesses. That was when I first began to explore the possibility of expanding this website to include Facebook,
but it was a bit tricky for me. I didn't want a business page, because this is not a business, but somehow, I ended up creating
a page and then making attempts now and then to try and figure out how to fix it so it didn't show up as a business.
The Facebook page as it exists now also bears the name "Chronicles of the Mayfair Witches", and Instagram now uses mayfairwitcheschronicles
as its user handle (as do some other platforms). The YouTube channel still has the name "The Mayfair Witches Parlor".
The Parlor's blog, which until recently was on Blogspot, has been moved to the new GoDaddy site. Yes, the GoDaddy site--unregrettably--has
a terribly long subdomain of a URL. Hopefully, too long for certain things. However, a navigation menu of jump links to
the web page's sections has been added across the top of the page, and you will find a jump link to the new blog there. You
will also see something else: a growing gallery of exported 2D images of 3D models of the world of the Mayfair Witches that
I've built. Most are from my 3D model of the Mayfair Witches house, in real life the Brevard-Rice house in the Garden District
of New Orleans.
There are links to each of the sections of this site by topic, and those have graphics rendered in somewhat different ways.
The Talamasca Files has as its image the business card for the Talamasca that I made as a 3D model. I made it according
to the description of it in The Witching Hour, the one Deirdre Mayfair tossed to her friend Rita Mae Dwyer from the
staircase of the Mayfair house while urging her to contact Aaron Lightner in 1959. You will also find a link to the page
of the Parlor that discusses to some extent the AMC series. Season 2 of Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches premieres on AMC on January
5, 2025. And--for those who like countdowns, I've added one to the GoDaddy web page, along with a link to the official trailer
on AMC+'s YouTube channel.
YouTube, by the way, has its own section on the GoDaddy site, quite a bit of a section.
This next is not website-related, but recently, Christopher Rice shared new covers for the UK editions of The Witching
Hour, Lasher, and Taltos. Also included on the new UK editions are quotes about the series from contemporary
authors. The covers look fantastic, and Christopher Rice also shared some fascinating tidbits from when Anne Rice began to
write The Witching Hour and how the book really began to become the novel it is once Anne returned to New Orleans with
her husband and son and bought what is now known as the Brevard-Rice house in the Garden District. I have shared the post
on the Facebook page with a few notes of my own. If you go to Anne's Facebook page and look for posts where Christopher Rice
talks about the Mayfair Witches novels, you'll find some really incredible insights into Anne's writing process and fascinating
facts behind the story.
I've got a few pages on the Parlor I've been meaning to finish the content on, but for now, I'll leave you with this. For
funsies, you understand. My brother knows me well. So, for Christmas this year, guess what was under the tree? A Beetl---EEEEEEE!!!
 THE
NAME'S IN THE CORNER!
Warner Brothers, 2024
Whoops! A Tarot deck with graphics from the 1988 film and based on the Rider-Waite deck. It even comes with a Handbook
For the Recently Dece--I mean instruction manual. (Funny animated GIF from the second film found on Reddit)
 Christmas
in 16th Century Scotland--Emaleth, Lasher's sister in life?
Created on NightCafe by The Mayfair Witches Parlor
Previously...
The other day, I wrote a blog post about the AMC series and a few other things. The Mayfair Witches Parlor now connects to
a new website home page created for that purpose. As the various platforms spread the content out among them, I thought something
to bring each together would be very handy.
In the main navigation menu above, you will find the link to the comprehensive web page, where I have also shifted to using
the page's blog. Which, of course, you will see very quickly, since it is rather prominent and near the top. This has all
become such a maze that I think I've outdone Facebook on the confusion factor.
To see this new comprehensive catch-all, look for Chronicles of the Mayfair Witches in the main navigation menu above...
Back to
Come Into My Parlor...
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