7 NEW HISTORICAL FICTIONS FOR FALL
Who would have thought we’d still be in quarantine 7 months on?! I certainly didn’t. But Fall, my power season, has come round once again and even though all my time is spent in doors now, I am ready to get cozy!
Not only are there some really fun books that I’m looking forward to reading, but I randomly had an idea for a novel that I’m very excited to get started writing. All I’m going to tell you about it now is that it will be a Victorian romance novel with lots of science and adventure. Maybe one day it can join the other books on my yearly list and you’ll read it. For now though, here’s what I can’t wait to read:
ALL THINGS ANNE BOLEYN
Before her tragic (and definitely orchestrated end) she was a glamorous queen, early feminist, and fiercely intelligent woman at a time when that was not a good look for a lady. To celebrate the life of England’s most infamous queen, here is a round up of all things Anne Boleyn!
THE WONDERFUL ADVENTURES OF MARY SEACOLE IN MANY LANDS
I recently received a request: to cover more of the many positive stories about historical people of color. The requester also had a perfect first candidate: Mary Seacole! In honor of Mary Seacole (who died on the 14th of May in 1881), and in honor of the nurses on the frontline of the current pandemic, today we’re going to look at her incredible life.
QUARANTINE AND CHILL
I’m in Seattle and this is day 24 of isolation for me and my family. Restrictions came gradually as we were the first in the US to deal with the outbreak. Since anxiety is my superpower, I stocked up on materials for my business, food, cleaning supplies, and books, puzzles and games well before the stay-at-home order came.
At this point, I’m not really anxious anymore as I just assume we’ll be here for a while. But the days are starting to blend into each other. Here’s my list of favorite things to help you make your quarantine a little more pleasant.
HISTORICAL OUTBREAKS AND PANDEMICS
With the rapid spread of COVID-19, people across the globe are feeling anxious and uncertain. It’s important to remember that we’ve been here before. Many times. With less technology and less knowledge about health, medicine, and germs. So, before you rush out and buy more toilet paper, take a look at some of the worst pestilences in human history and how we got over them and changed the world.
BEHIND THE PERFUME: MARY SHELLEY'S UNHALLOWED ART
Mary died on February 1 1851. Her son Percy Florence was there at her side. When Percy Florence died in 1889, he was buried with the ashes of his father’s heart.
BEHIND THE COLOGNE: DHARMA BUM
Iconoclast. Pioneer of the Beat Generation. Catholic. Dharma Bum. Just a few descriptors that comprise the complicated identity of one of the 20th Century's most famous writers, Jack Kerouac.
ANNE BOLEYN: A KING'S OBSESSION
This is the review of the second book in Alison Weir's series, Six Tudor Queens. If you missed the first one, check out the review of Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen.
I said it in the last review. Anne Boleyn's story is Tudor prime time and A King's Obsession, the second book in the Six Tudor Queens series, did not disappoint.
THE VOODOO QUEEN OF NEW ORLEANS
Mardi Gras is upon us. For this installment of the Behind the Perfume series, we'll be visiting one of New Orleans' most famous residents. This is part of a series of posts on the historical figures that are the inspiration for Immortal Perfumes. For more historical figures, check out the rest of the series.
SIX TUDOR QUEENS: KATHERINE OF ARAGON BOOK REVIEW
Immortal Perfumes came about because of my love for historical fiction. I've always been a history nerd, but I didn't realize that the heroes of history I'd enjoyed reading about could be fleshed out and made to come alive again until the TV show, The Tudors, came out in 2007. After I got hooked on that show, I got past my haughty, self-imposed, English major, "I only read literary fiction" weirdness and began devouring novels based on the Tudors and Marie Antoinette, among others.
BEHIND THE PERFUME: MADAME MOUSTACHE
Frontier life was no picnic – especially not for women. In the Old West, if a woman was to survive she had to have a certain level of luck, charm, and resourcefulness. Enter Eleonore Alphonsine Dumont; also known as Madame Moustache.
HOW TO MAKE SOLID PERFUME
Making solid perfume is incredibly easy and fun! Once you get the process down, it only takes about 15 minutes and you're left with endless gift possibilities. You can put your perfume in a locket, compact, tin, pocket watch...seriously, any kind of small compartment will do.
HOW TO MAKE PERFUME: EAU DE PARFUM
Eau de Parfum is probably what you're used to wearing. Instead of using a carrier of Jojoba like we used in our perfume oil, Eau de Parfum has alcohol and is what you buy at most stores. It's that friendly little spray bottle that you can carry in your purse and spritz on throughout the day
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN PERFUME OIL
DIY perfume is super easy! This handy guide from Immortal Perfumes will take you through how to make your own perfume oil at home. You will be a potions master in no time!