A lot of the enjoyment I get from writing is in the research. Here are some of the gems I uncovered in my latest book!
Here are the Top 9 things I learned during the creation of Forget Me Not, Elizabeth:
1. Forget-me-nots haven’t always been so romantic.
The forget-me-not (translated from 1530s Old French ne m’oubliez mye) was worn by lovers to ensure they never forgot each other. However, these delicate, blue flowers were known as ‘scorpion-grass’ in England until the early 19th century. Not nearly as romantic…
2. The Royal Navy’s uniform was inspired by a woman. Fashion matters! (Says the person wearing a t-shirt and yoga pants…)
3. Ironically, the originator of the theory that a second blow to the head will cure amnesia…apparently died of a head injury.
4. As early as the 1700s, electronic stimulators were available to the public for treating the brain. Shocking!
5. Frankenstein was inspired by the experiments of 2 eccentric Italians who believed they could bring people back to life with electricity. The uncle-nephew duo’s experiments were both grotesque and extremely popular.
6. Bedlam, the famous insane asylum, was a tourist attraction often compared to the Palace of Versailles.
The fancy façade disguised crumbling walls and deplorable living conditions for the patients inside.
7. Belladonna, or Nightshade, was the go-to beauty treatment for rich women.
The flowers made a lovely rouge and the oil, used as eyedrops, dilated the pupils, making eyes appear larger. The berries are sweet. Too bad they’re so very deadly.
8. If you want to attract a swarm of bees (like many people do), use a brood comb.
One of the gentlemanly pastimes of the Regency era was beekeeping, not so much for the bees but for the science. They might have used this method to attract bees and further their studies.
9. Mr. Collins was not a very nice beekeeper (according to the ’95 BBC film adaptation, anyway.) Regency beekeepers used straw skeps to house their hives, which, unfortunately for the bees, meant that collecting their honey was a murderous business.
What do forget-me-nots, uniforms, bees, belladonna, Bedlam, blows to the head, and Frankenstein have to do with Darcy and Lizzy?
Click here to get your copy.