This afternoon I shall be climbing into a car with my good friend Chris Stevens and we’ll be setting off south.  Destination: New Orleans.  We’ll be in a Mini Cooper, which doesn’t seem very Jack Kerouac to me, but never mind.  It’ll probably be more comfortable than a battered old van, I suppose, and we are old men now.  I shall be playing the part of Hunter S. Thompson, although these days my pharmacological repertoire stretches no further than aspirin and the occasional antacid tablet.

I’m excited.  I’ve never been to the Big Easy before, and cannot wait to visit.  I’m hoping for some great food, good drink, and maybe even a little jazz.  It will be particularly interesting because New Orleans is where my characters in A GOOD AMERICAN first arrive in the United States.  With the help of old photos I have recreated in my head (and hopefully on the page) what the port area looked, felt, and smelled like back in 1904.  It will be fascinating to see how things have changed since then.  I will report back, both here when I return and (oh, technology) on twitter as we go.  If you dare, you can follow me on twitter here and watch the, er, fun.