This headline from the New York Times could be talking about new cases of COVID-19 falling off, but it refers to the 1918 Spanish influenza. Then, too, New York was trying to find the fine line between optimism and pragmatism. “Health Commissioner Copeland was optimistic, but in discussing the ... Read More about Vigilance Urged as Grip Wave Recedes
Spanish Flu Symptoms
Symptoms of the Spanish flu, the name given to the 1918 flu pandemic, differed from seasonal flu symptoms in surprising ways. While the onset brought about familiar fever, body aches, and a sore throat, the illness progressed quickly to bleeding from the nose or ears and petechial hemorrhages, ... Read More about Spanish Flu Symptoms
1918 Influenza Pandemic: Spanish Flu Cures
This advertisement in the New York Times during the 1918 influenza pandemic caught my attention, and I wondered if the advice on Spanish flu cures would apply to our 2020 coronavirus pandemic. “Avoid crowds, coughs and cowards, but fear neither germs nor Germans!” Given that World War I was ... Read More about 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Spanish Flu Cures
New Women: Jo March and Jane Eyre
Jo March in Little Women has long been an inspiration for my novel’s main character Helen. When considering which books and heroines Helen would have read in the early 1900s, Louisa May Alcott and her story about family or independence, love or career, and domesticity or adventure would have given ... Read More about New Women: Jo March and Jane Eyre
Historical Novel Society Conference
Life was pretty fun last week during the Historical Novel Society conference. Hundreds of historical fiction authors came together for three days of inspiration, presentations, and discussions. One of my favorite events was a coffee klatch discussing the New Woman hosted by historical fiction ... Read More about Historical Novel Society Conference