I've just watched Episode 3 of Mayfair Witches. I haven't really begun to digest it just yet, but when I do, I'll write it up in the next blog post.

Really, I wanted to talk briefly about...TikTok. Since this morning, TikTok has become available again in the US. What happens next is anyone's guess, but I'm sure many creators on TikTok are extremely relieved. As I said, it takes a lot of hard work to build a following, and especially, a business, on social media. People who dedicate themselves to that hard work, to creating content their followers/subscribers/members/etc find relevant, valuable, and entertaining (among many other things) have invested a lot of time, skill, talent, and even money into what they've built. To see it suddenly swept away for any reason that is no fault of their own is...unjust, I believe.

The need to protect our national security is not a trifling thing. There is absolutely no argument there. I'm not an expert on how to tackle something like this, but I do believe there has to be a way to protect our national security without doing so at the expense of so many creators.

Regulations in the United States with regard to social media are an ongoing matter at all levels. I think we are arriving at a point where we are starting to get a handle on it. Before I go to ponder Episode 3, I want to briefly highlight some rules finalized by the Federal Trade Commission with regard to fake reviews and testimonials in August 2024.

It's become a major concern with the advent of AI technology, but some things were issues even before AI. Fake reviews, fake testimonials, review suppression, and even fake social media indicators. I'll put a link to the article on the FTC website, which can also be found in the Parlor Guidelines with respect to analytics.

Fake reviews and testimonials--that statement means what it says. I'd also like to point out another type of "review" that is deceptive and certainly malicious: "reviews" of, say, books the reviewer has never actually read but still hurls criticism at. Or going to Amazon.com to "review" a book Amazon cannot verify the reviewer has even purchased, let alone read, for the purpose of hurling criticism at the book, the author, or both.

This goes beyond attacking an author in a review on the basis of a number of things, but if the one launching the attack hasn't even bothered to read the book, then yes, it is certainly malicious. If a reviewer has read the book and uses a review to attack the author on the basis of things like formatting, grammar, spelling mistakes, or the like, Anne Rice herself had a better solution: return the book and state the reason as "Not up to professional standards". No need to publicly attack the author over it.

However, if someone has read the book and genuinely did not like it, as long as they do so in an appropriate manner, they have the right to give a negative review. Suppression or removal of the review in order to make the book appear more successful than it actually is, in this situation, now prohibited.

When it comes to social media, the FTC had something to say about fake analytics, as well. If you know you're hijacking someone's social media in order to drive their views using a viewbot, knowing this sort of artificial analytics is prohibited, you can now be held accountable for it. If you buy fake views, fake subscribers or anything meant to inflate analytics, and you do so for commercial gain, that will get you into trouble. It makes your social media appear to be more important and/or influential than it actually is, which in itself is underhanded and dishonest.

Do it for money, and you could find yourself on the wrong end of a civil action. Even if you aren't doing it for money, or you are trying to "get rid of a competitor" by inflating someone else's analytics in order to trigger the social media platform to shut them down for such a violation, it's still unacceptable. It's dishonest, and I am glad to see that there will now be some kind of legal consequences for those who do such things.

For those creators on TikTok who put in the time, the work, the real effort to build your followings, your businesses on TikTok and other platforms as well, those who put effort into your content so that it has real value to your audiences, those who achieve success without lying, without cutting corners--I tip my hat to you. I really hope that a solution can be found that will preserve and allow you to continue your work while at the same time, protect our national security.

It is worth the effort.

Federal Trade Commission Announces Final Rule Banning Fake Reviews and Testimonials

A bit of revising has been done with the Parlor's cookie consent banner. I realize some find this very annoying, but the Parlor aims to make sure each and every guest is kept informed and safe as regards any data that belongs to Parlor guests. Meaning, the user data of Parlor guests is NEVER collected without informed consent FIRST.

Today, January 19, 2025, marks the day TikTok goes dark in the US. The Parlor moved what little content it did have on TikTok to other social media platforms: YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. In the main navigation menu above is a link to Chronicles of the Mayfair Witches, which is a page built to gather Parlor content from across several platforms, including this website. It also includes the new blog, which replaces the Blogspot blog. There is a section where you will find links to the Parlor's social media.

You may also go directly to the blog by clicking on Blog of the Mayfair Witches, which has just been added to the main navigation menu above. I know it's terribly confusing, but I wanted to have something that gathered the whole online presence of The Mayfair Witches Parlor, formerly Come Into My Parlor. I particularly wanted to create a place where the Parlor Chronicles' social media and other online presence is all in one place. Hence the name "Chronicles of the Mayfair Witches". It is hosted by GoDaddy. YouTube is perhaps the most pronounced besides the sections of this website, as I've included a few of the videos you seem to enjoy the most. The sections under The Files on the Mayfair Witches will take you to the sections of this website and corresponds with this website's sitemap.

I should draw a roadmap, I think. Would that be more helpful?

TikTok has not yet been removed from the Chronicles page. However, if you are in the United States and you click on it, you will be taken to a landing page letting you know TikTok is unavailable due to the new law banning TikTok in the United States. As President Trump's inauguration will occur on Monday (tomorrow), it will be up to his administration to determine what will happen with regard to TikTok in the United States.

The Parlor never did much with TikTok, and is really much newer to social media than it ought to be. However, many creators and public figures have built followings, businesses, on the platform and now face the prospect of possibly having to completely rebuild on other platforms. This is troubling to the Parlor, as it is, in fact, very difficult to do this on social media as a general rule.

I hope as those who have been displaced will find other platforms willing to accommodate them and work with them. At a time when so many in the Los Angeles area have lost everything in what has to be the single worst series of wildfires I have ever seen in my lifetime, this really couldn't have happened at a worse time. 2025 has not begun well at all, considering the year began with an horrific terrorist attack on New Years' morning in a place known for its hospitality and its love of people and gathering: New Orleans.

I will be looking into any updates on the investigation into the terrorist attack in New Orleans, and any additional information to pass along to help the victims, families, friends and the city of New Orleans begin to recover and heal from this awful crime. One thing is for certain: New Orleans has been struck by disaster before across its entire history. And New Orleans survived them all. Or rather, New Orleans triumphed. Every. Single. Time. The people in New Orleans are what makes that possible, and New Orleans WILL triumph this time, too. I know it will.

To close this, I thought I would share that I have restored the page of the Parlor that discusses the Soria-Creel house, which was used as the Mayfair house in the AMC series. It is among the pages of the Parlor under From Page to Screen. Soon to return is the page discussing the Mayfair emerald. I've also made two blog posts, each about episodes 1 and 2 of Season 2 of Mayfair Witches. As stated above, you may go directly to the blog at the Chronicles page by clicking on Blog of the Mayfair Witches, linked above in the main navigation menu. They have also been shared to the Facebook page that bears the name of the Chronicles page. I've not made the Facebook page available to search engines yet, but you will find the link to it in the social media section of the Chronicles page. The new Chronicles page has only recently begun to appear in Google searches, itself.

What do I think of Season 2 so far? I'm actually pretty intrigued to see the next episode. It's not easy to adapt novels to the screen, even when it's done in a television series. It looks like more effort to be familiar with the source material--the novels--has been made. That pleases me a lot. I think Anne Rice would have been pleased that more effort has been made in that respect, too. Let's hope this continues as Season 2 moves forward.

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...