I have some exciting news for fans of The Forlorned series. The second book, The Forsakened, will be released in just a few weeks. If you like Victorian Era haunts and bloodcurdling tales of the sea, you will enjoy reading this chilling gothic novel.
A lot of research went into the making of The Forsakened. The process of learning about Victorian mourning attire, mourning jewelry, and burial customs was such a fascinating, yet sad journey for me. I spent months researching records in the National Archives and pouring over hordes of out of print books on the subject. Although not all of the material went into the manuscript itself, it allowed me to become well acquainted with these long-ago customs.
When I first began writing The Forsakened, I had no idea that antique mourning art, photographs, and jewelry had been rising in popularity among collectors in modern times. Memorial art is highly valued for its sentimental attributes as well as its historical worth. As far as the medieval times, death art was created as a way to remember the dead. In the Victorian Era (named after Queen Victoria), death art reached an all-time high in popularity which had never occurred before or since. There were many types of ornamentations created in the name of the deceased. These ghastly decorations included, jewelry, hair, and sometimes teeth woven into wreaths, pictures of the dearly departed in death, paintings and more.
In the next blog post, I will take you on a photographic journey to some of the mausoleums and crypts I have visited along the way.
The Forsakened is scheduled for release in just a few short weeks. Please sign up for my newsletter for giveaways and exciting updates.
