Cover image: Ulysses and the Sirens by John William Waterhouse (1891) Please note, this post will contain some spoilers for Shores of Chaos: Darkness Follows. One of the narratives throughout Shores of Chaos: Darkness Follows involves beings from Greek mythology. In Shores of Chaos: Shipwrecked, I briefly touched on Elysia's background as a siren and her… Continue reading Greek Mythology: Sirens and Chaos
Cover image of the White House after President Gardfield's death. (Courtesy of Billion Graves) A major theme in my new novel, Shores of Chaos: Darkness Follows, is death. The societal customs and industry that accompanied death changed dramatically in the Victorian period. Prior to this period and during the early part of it, it was… Continue reading Death and Mourning in Victorian America
Cover image from the film Dr. Mabuse (1922), directed by Fritz Lang. Photograph: Bettmann/Corbis Because my novel Shores of Chaos: Darkness Follows takes place in 1902, I couldn’t help but include a séance scene. But séances were only a part of the much larger Spiritualism movement that started in the mid 19th century and lasted… Continue reading A New Religion: Spiritualism
Cover image of a 1960s carnival. (Courtesy of http://www.docsmidwaycookhouse.com) As with part one of Shores of Chaos, I included some customs and entertainment from the turn of the century in Darkness Follows. For one, circuses and carnivals gained popularity during this time. Many carnivals can trace their roots to the World’s Columbian Exposition held in… Continue reading Carnivals and Freaks: A History
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