F.J. Wilson
Celestine: The House on rue du Maine
In 1795 New Orleans, the Spanish controlled city struggles to rebuild after two devastating fires, and a
young teenage girl is just as determined to leave her past behind and start anew. Celestine, the
daughter of a Mississippi River prostitute spends most of her time hating herself, her life and the dirty
men who rut with her mama. When she turns thirteen and her mama informs her she’ll be servicing the
very men she hates and fears, she has no other option but to run to the good nuns of the Ursulines
Convent where for the first time she encounters kindness and a different kind of life.
After meeting the dashing ship captain Maurice Dubois, a man with his own past demons to reckon
with, Celestine allows herself to be truly loved for the first time. But when a shocking turn of events
leaves her once again with nothing more than her own wits to survive, Celestine begins to realize the
power her intoxicating beauty gives her over men including the debonair and infamous pirate Jean
Lafitte. It’s this very power that Celestine learns to capitalize on to begin a new career...not as the
common riverfront lady of the night her mother had been...but as the most sought after courtesan in all
of New Orleans.
The Hornet Slayer
Will a forbidden love on the fringes of society stand the test of time?
Drew Down, an accomplished son of a rich Kentucky planter, is destined to be the richest man in
America; however, his life-long love for Daisy, a young, beautiful slave on his grandparent’s plantation,
threatens to unravel their world and destroy their families. In this sweeping saga beginning with his
lessons with beautiful Celeste in the house of her grandmother, Celestine, the Civil War, the collapse of
King Cotton, and exiles to Europe, two lovers struggle to be true to their hearts despite society’s
disapproval.
Drew is the courageous hornet slayer who uses his wealth and power to fight social and legal dragons,
but Daisy is the calming force who captures the slayer’s heart with kindness and fights to secure her
family’s place in what will become the melting pot of America.
About the author...
F. J. Wilson was raised on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi in the fishing village and artist community of
Ocean Springs, ninety miles east New Orleans; the city far from her reach but close to her heart.
Much of her time growing up was spent reading under her grandmother’s big camellia bushes
hiding from housework and the inevitable call to come inside and help start ‘supper’. In a time when
young girls dreamed of big weddings and picket fences, she dreamed of the dangerous but darkly
handsome Heathcliff and the English moors of days long gone. With Hemingway’s Paris, Scott
Fitzgerald’s language and Margaret Mitchell’s South keeping her company, why would she ever
want to clean her room?
Raised with small town values but dreams of a bigger life, she was more than ready to leave home
in 1965 and began her education in the Theatre Department of the University of Southern
Mississippi. From there she finally reached New Orleans and began a film career that sent her to
New York, where she co-wrote an episode of the Emmy award winning Kate & Allie. Eventually her
work in TV and film would take her to Los Angeles and all over the United States, Canada and New
Zealand.
Her passion for the South and New Orleans brought her back to Mississippi in 2000. In 2007, her
love for writing and her love of films collided, and she wrote humorous articles for the Arts and
Entertainment Section of the Hattiesburg American newspaper.
In mid-2013, F.J. Wilson passed away, but the sweeping Southern sagas she wrote continue to live
on and entertain readers.
In 1795 New Orleans, the Spanish controlled city struggles to rebuild after two devastating fires, and a
young teenage girl is just as determined to leave her past behind and start anew. Celestine, the
daughter of a Mississippi River prostitute spends most of her time hating herself, her life and the dirty
men who rut with her mama. When she turns thirteen and her mama informs her she’ll be servicing the
very men she hates and fears, she has no other option but to run to the good nuns of the Ursulines
Convent where for the first time she encounters kindness and a different kind of life.
After meeting the dashing ship captain Maurice Dubois, a man with his own past demons to reckon
with, Celestine allows herself to be truly loved for the first time. But when a shocking turn of events
leaves her once again with nothing more than her own wits to survive, Celestine begins to realize the
power her intoxicating beauty gives her over men including the debonair and infamous pirate Jean
Lafitte. It’s this very power that Celestine learns to capitalize on to begin a new career...not as the
common riverfront lady of the night her mother had been...but as the most sought after courtesan in all
of New Orleans.
The Hornet Slayer
Will a forbidden love on the fringes of society stand the test of time?
Drew Down, an accomplished son of a rich Kentucky planter, is destined to be the richest man in
America; however, his life-long love for Daisy, a young, beautiful slave on his grandparent’s plantation,
threatens to unravel their world and destroy their families. In this sweeping saga beginning with his
lessons with beautiful Celeste in the house of her grandmother, Celestine, the Civil War, the collapse of
King Cotton, and exiles to Europe, two lovers struggle to be true to their hearts despite society’s
disapproval.
Drew is the courageous hornet slayer who uses his wealth and power to fight social and legal dragons,
but Daisy is the calming force who captures the slayer’s heart with kindness and fights to secure her
family’s place in what will become the melting pot of America.
About the author...
F. J. Wilson was raised on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi in the fishing village and artist community of
Ocean Springs, ninety miles east New Orleans; the city far from her reach but close to her heart.
Much of her time growing up was spent reading under her grandmother’s big camellia bushes
hiding from housework and the inevitable call to come inside and help start ‘supper’. In a time when
young girls dreamed of big weddings and picket fences, she dreamed of the dangerous but darkly
handsome Heathcliff and the English moors of days long gone. With Hemingway’s Paris, Scott
Fitzgerald’s language and Margaret Mitchell’s South keeping her company, why would she ever
want to clean her room?
Raised with small town values but dreams of a bigger life, she was more than ready to leave home
in 1965 and began her education in the Theatre Department of the University of Southern
Mississippi. From there she finally reached New Orleans and began a film career that sent her to
New York, where she co-wrote an episode of the Emmy award winning Kate & Allie. Eventually her
work in TV and film would take her to Los Angeles and all over the United States, Canada and New
Zealand.
Her passion for the South and New Orleans brought her back to Mississippi in 2000. In 2007, her
love for writing and her love of films collided, and she wrote humorous articles for the Arts and
Entertainment Section of the Hattiesburg American newspaper.
In mid-2013, F.J. Wilson passed away, but the sweeping Southern sagas she wrote continue to live
on and entertain readers.
Now available...
e-book
Smashwords
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
AllRomanceebooks.com
Paperback
Amazon
Lulu.com
e-book
Smashwords
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
AllRomanceebooks.com
Paperback
Amazon
Lulu.com
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F.J. Wilson as a teenager in
Mississippi.
Mississippi.