The Carter Brothers

Marita Woywod Crandle’s new novel offers secrets and surprises

Fore-edge painting is a unique art form where a watercolor painting is crafted on the fanned-out gilded edges of a book.

The Carter Brothers’ includes a painting that reveals a secret within the book and a watercolor will be crafted by Royal Honor MBE recipient Martin Frost, one of the very few professional fore-edge painters in the world with over 50 years of experience. Frost plans to come from England for the book release to draw the winner of this special edition. All pre-sales are eligible for a chance to win the book and will be available through Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Books-A-Million.

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The Carter Brothers

Please complete the form below for a chance to win the $3,000 one-of-a-kind leather hand-bound edition that includes the secret vanishing painting in

Marita Woywod Crandle’s new book

The Carter Brothers

Two deranged serial killers claiming to be vampires are hanged at their own request in the early 1900s. When their bodies mysteriously vanish from their tomb, the legend sleeps — until 2014, when an archaeologist accidentally awakens them following a building collapse next to their old home in the heart of the French Quarter.

Marita Woywod Crandle is an author, historian, and entrepreneur best known for her work documenting New Orleans folklore, vampires, and local history.

Local Identity: Originally from Germany, she spent part of her career working in marketing and writing in California before moving to New Orleans. Once in New Orleans, she spent years as a French Quarter bartender which compelled her to write the book Johnny White’s Sports Bar - The Tiny Joint That Never Closed - Until it did, before becoming a central figure in the city’s modern vampire culture and gothic scene.

She has written several books, documenting local folklore and historical fiction, including New Orleans Vampires – History and Legend and Josie Arlington’s Storyville – The Life and Times of a Storyville Madam, both as research for her historical fiction work, Mosquito-Southern Vampires Part I and II and The Carter Brothers (to be released September 2027)

Crandle also owns several vampire themed businesses in New Orleans’ French Quarter. She is the owner and founder of :

Boutique du Vampyre:

Open in 2003, this famous vampire-themed gift shop primarily offers hand crafted items by both local aritists as well as artists from all across the country.

The New Orleans Vampire Cafe: Located on St. Ann Street, this upscale restaurant blends vampire aesthetics with traditional New Orleans cuisine. It is famous for serve-ware quirks—such as cocktails served in blood bags or IV drips—alongside fine dining dishes like duck, gumbo, and seared scallops.

The Vampire Apothecary:

Located on St. Peter Street, this venue combines an eatery and bar with mystical services. Alongside lunch, dinner, and craft cocktails, it features an botanical/herb-infused menu, on-site tarot card readings, custom vampire fang fittings, Apothecary and Seance themed magic shows. Authentic Seances and Enchanted Evenings a storytelling event that pairs themed cocktails with spooky stories.

Potions Speakeasy:

Potions is a private, vampire-themed speakeasy located in secret spot in the Quarter and requires a password obtained through a visit to her other businesses for entry and serves signature cocktails in a lush, hidden lounge setting.