Her second, Lace Curtain, released by Berkley, was awarded the Caomnoir Award, presented annually to a “keeper” of Irish traditions in America. She and her partner Joan Garvey wrote and released Beautiful Crescent, A History of New Orleans. Between 1989 and 2000, Mary Lou wrote five hard-cover nostalgia books for Pelican Publishing, entitled New Orleans in the Twenties, Thirties, Forties, Fifties, and Sixties. Her latest work, again with Garvey, isLouisiana, the First 300 Years, released in 2001.