EVERY STORY I WRITE

BEGINS WITH A WHISPER...

ONE MEANT FOR READERS

WHO STILL BELIEVE IN WONDER.

- Elisabeth Sereda

Hi. I'm Elisabeth

I write richly researched historical fiction inspired by the women who shaped New Orleans.

If you’re drawn to forgotten women, hidden truths, and the beauty and brutality of the past, you’re exactly where you belong. I keep writing because history still whispers—and some stories refuse to stay buried.

Author of Casket Girls - The Novel

A story of forgotten women, hidden truths, and the beauty and brutality of the past.

History continues to whisper, and when stories refuse to stay buried... I write them.

ABOUT The AUTHOR

Bringing forgotten women out of history’s shadows.

Elisabeth Sereda is the author of Casket Girls, a richly imagined historical novel rooted in one of the most fascinating and mysterious chapters of early New Orleans history. Born and raised in Vienna, Austria, Elisabeth grew up surrounded by stories of the past, instilled with a lifelong love of history that would eventually shape her work as a writer.

Before turning her full creative energy to fiction, Elisabeth worked as a journalist and storyteller in a variety of media — experiences that sharpened her curiosity and her ability to bring complex, compelling stories to life. While she has engaged with many worlds through her career, it is the history of New Orleans and the untold story of the Casket Girls; young women brought from France to Colonial Louisiana in the 18th century. These young souls, abandoned by family, used by their government and forgotten by history ultimately inspired her first novel.

Elisabeth’s journey to uncover this intriguing piece of history began with a chance discovery in a bookstore in the French Quarter. That brief reference sparked months of deep research, blending historical fact with imaginative storytelling to create "Casket Girls", a tale of courage, resilience, and survival that brings to life the voices of women navigating a world of hardship, hope, and transformation in early New Orleans.

Now living in New Orleans, Elisabeth continues to explore the rich cultural tapestry of the city she loves, always seeking stories that resonate with depth, humanity, and historical texture.

Elisabeth writes historical fiction with a deep respect for truth, atmosphere, and the emotional lives of the people history often leaves behind.

Her storytelling blends meticulous research with vivid, sensory detail, inviting readers to step fully into another time and place. She does this by bringing her characters back to life through the pages of her book "Casket Girls" and introduces you to people who made a true impact on the history of New Orleans and women in general.

Above all, she wants readers to feel history, experience its beauty, danger, and resilience and to leave her stories with a lasting sense of connection to the women whose voices still echo through the past.

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Six Women. One Voyage. What Happens When Faith, Voodoo, and Survival Collide.

A scandalous Parisian aristocrat. An enslaved girl with voodoo skills. A French widow with a dark secret. A free woman of color from Cuba. A criminal with an agenda. A shy country girl from rural France. And twelve Ursuline nuns.

Together, they spend six months crossing the ocean, arriving at La Nouvelle Orleàns, France’s outpost in their colony at America’s South shores. The year is 1727.

Regardless of the color of their skin or their social class, the Ursulines educate them at their convent where they find safety. But outside, they face criminals and sometimes commit crimes themselves. As they endure trials, their lives intertwine – and their pasts are revealed.

The story of the Casket Girls – one of Catholicism and Voodoo, nuns and prostitutes, of pirates and smugglers, tragedy and redemption, and most of all survival – has never been told before. Rooted in historical facts and occurrences, some of the characters are based on real people. Their stories – told over the course of twenty years – however, are fictional.

A Few Places EliSabeth Sereda Has Been Featured:

Book Review on Casket Girlswww.mindfood.com