The Yellow Lantern Spotlight – Apothecary

Posted by abakersp in Spotlights / 8 Comments

Welcome to The Yellow Lantern Summer Blog Series!! I am excited to have author Angie Dicken here today to give us a look at apothecaries. You can really tell that she put a lot of thought, effort, and research into writing this book. BTW – the book releases August 1st!! Pre-order your copy now before it’s too late.

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First, let’s learn a little bit more about the story. And, make sure you follow Angie’s blog schedule because there is a different giveaway each month! Check out more about the tour at Angie’s website.

AN AMERICAN TRUE CRIME ROMANCE

In Massachusetts in 1824, Josephine Clayton awakes on the table of the doctor she’s assisted all these months. She was presumed dead by all and has become the doctor’s next corpse for his medical research. Frightened, the doctor tries to kill her, but Josephine begs to be spared. A deal is struck—Josie will leave her village and work at a distant cotton mill. All the while, she’ll await her true mission—posing as a mourner to help his body snatcher procure her replacement. At the mill though, Josie is praised for her medical remedies among the mill girls, gaining attention from the handsome factory manager Braham Taylor. Yet, when Braham’s own loved one becomes the prey for the next grave robbing, Josie must make a choice that could put her dark past behind her or steal away the promise of any future at all.

What price will Josie pay for love when her secrets begin to unravel?

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“What, ho! Apothecary!” -Romeo, Romeo and Juliet

This month, we are focusing on Josie Clay’s passion for healing. In her day, apothecaries were the men (and women) whom villagers would seek out for salves, tinctures, and elixirs. While I could unload research items here—I thought I’d take a different route and share my personal connections with Josie’s passion.

There are a couple precursors for my apothecary inspiration. Besides the obvious connection to the evolving medical community of the time, my own background plays a part. It’s always fun to get to the root of something, isn’t it? (Pun fully intended).

One of the secondary characters in The Yellow Lantern is Daisy Young, the town of Gloughton’s apothecary and family friend to the hero. While Daisy’s character played out in my own imagination, she was first dreamed up as a tribute to a very real person in my life.

I think the first time I heard the word “apothecary” was when I played Juliet my senior year of high school. My best friend played the apothecary who gives the poison to Romeo. Fast forward two decades as I considered including an apothecary in The Yellow Lantern. The apothecary in Romeo and Juliet came to mind—not in the form of the shady giver of poison in a Shakespearean tragedy, but as my vibrant bestie going on 23 years of friendship. Her favorite flower is the Gerber Daisy, and her maiden name is Young. So, Josie Clay befriends this Daisy Young, with a back story that’s completely fictional, but whose existence stems from a very real “apothecary” friend of my own.

Besides my friendship, my college major was a surprising contributor to my passion for this thread in The Yellow Lantern. Some authors are insightful enough to major in English before diving into a writing career, but I was clueless that my journey would lead to writing. I ended up with a degree in Landscape Architecture. When I mention this to people, they often say, “Oh, you must have a beautiful yard,” and I immediately respond, “No!”(my love of design outweighs my very un-green thumb). But, looking back on those college years, I am still fond of the experience, and especially the material from my horticulture classes—learning about different plants and their properties. I am constantly amazed by God’s provision to us through the natural world.

So, weaving this next thread into my story stemmed from so much more than research, but the stepping stones I took on my way to this publication journey.

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Thanks for joining us in the summer series! Release day is less than a month away! Please comment below to enter to win the July giveaway.

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8 responses to “The Yellow Lantern Spotlight – Apothecary

  1. Dianne Casey

    “The Yellow Lantern” sounds like a fascinating story. Looking forward to reading the book.

    • Jessica

      It is such a great series! I am so glad these authors are working together!!

  2. Jennifer K

    I enjoy reading these behind the scenes glimpses. Thanks for sharing.