A tragic blast from Terrebonne Parish’s past
November 28, 2018
Confection shop gets a sweet start
November 28, 2018
Christopher Pena will have his own personal homecoming week in Thibodaux next month, when the former Nicholls State University professor attends two local library to celebrate publication of his newest literary offering.
“Death Over A Diamond Stud: The Assassination of the Orleans Parish District Attorney” (Pelican Books, Gretna, La. 2018) is the true tale of the first judicially-related murder to take place in the 20th century. Newly elected District Attorney J. Ward Gurley was shot dead in 1903, in a case that rocked New Orleans at the time.
Praised by former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New Orleans, Jim Letten, and already winning critical acclaim, Pena’s account of Gurley’s death and its aftermath is painstakingly researched, a hallmark of the author’s forays into historical true-crime. His prior literary work is “The Strange Case of Dr. Etienne Deschamps: Murder in the New Orleans French Quarter” (Pelican Books, 2017) which tells the story of a murder most foul of a young woman in 1889.
“I have been writing stories and formulating stories since I was a kid of 12-years-old,” Pena says. “I started writing short stories, hand written in cursive. Since 7th Grade I have loved writing.”
Pena is considered a leading south Louisiana historian. Native to Lake Charles, he received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Nicholls State University, where he later studied history.
His first book, “Touched By War,”centered on Louisiana Civil War battles. His second, “Scarred By War,” provides insightful information on the social and political effects of the war in the Bayou Region.
One of the things he likes most about his current work is the opportunity it afforded for combing old archive and newspaper articles, as well as other reference sources. These are the actions that provide his books with deep detail, something in which he takes great pride.
“I try to incorporate details like climate,” he said. “I go to newspapers. The Daily Picayune, a precursor of the Times-Picayune, provided weather for the previous day and I use that to set the scene.
At web sites like Ancestry.com he accesses information like old city directories to verify addresses as well as public records in archives.
“I love southeast Louisiana history and adore the history of New Orleans,” said Pena. “Especially the criminal justice aspect of it, the ins and outs if what occurred.”
During his visit to the Bayou Region Pena plans to look up and visit with friends he came to know during his time at Nicholls, which he said had a profound impact on his career.
He will attend two events at the Thibodaux Public Library, 705 West 5th Street.
From 3 to 4 p.m. Dec. 7th he will give a talk on his book. On Dec. 8th at the library’s annual Book Market event he will appear from 10 a.m to 2 p.m.
“I love discovering things on a page and weaving the story and using every aspect,” he said. “In my next life I want to be a detective.”
