writing

Deadly Nightshade, also known as Atropa Belladonna, is a poisonous plant native to Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia. It has been used as a poison throughout history due to its ability to cause hallucinations and death.

In ancient Rome, deadly nightshade was used as a poison by assassins and was believed to be the poison used to kill the Roman Emperor Augustus. The plant was also used by witches in the Middle Ages to create potions and ointments that were believed to have magical properties.

In more recent history, deadly nightshade has been used as a poison in a number of high-profile cases. In the 19th century, it was used by English wife and mother Madeleine Smith to poison her lover, and in the 20th century, it was used by cult leader Charles Manson to poison a judge.

Despite its toxic properties, deadly nightshade has also been used for medicinal purposes. The plant contains atropine, which can be used as a muscle relaxant and to treat conditions such as asthma and glaucoma. However, it must be used with caution due to its potential to cause hallucinations and death in high doses.

It is important to note that deadly nightshade is a highly poisonous plant and should not be ingested or handled without proper training and protective measures. If ingested, it can cause symptoms such as dilated pupils, hallucinations, confusion, difficulty speaking and swallowing, and even coma and death.

Books Are Made From Books

I recently came across an interesting quote – Books are made from books – by the writer Cormac McCarthy (No Country For Old Men ,The Road, Child Of God and others).

Never a truer word, I thought.

My first Regency Romance is a good example. The story was ‘suggested’ by one of my favourite books, Wide Sargasso Sea, by Jean Rhys. Rhys’s novel was in turn ‘suggested’ byCharlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. It’s the storyofRochester’s mad wife lockedup in the attic.

My novel, Marrying The Reluctant Lord, follows the story of a young woman who goes to London from the West Indies in search of a husband. Her plantation-owner father has died, leaving her the heiress to a great fortune, but only if she marries an English lord.

But the lord who is tricked into proposing to her is reluctant to marry for money alone. He’s penniless, but the idea of becoming a ‘petticoat pensioner’ does not appeal to him. So the story of Juliet and her memories of her turbulent and often violent life in the West Indies is interwoven with the developing romance between the two main characters.

Marrying The Reluctant Lord is currently on sale for US 0.99c or available in Kindle Unlimited.

My latest novel, Alias Lord John, has echoes of Daphne du Maurier’s The Scapegoat, another book that I really admire. Du Maurier’s hero is nothing like mine, he’s practically suicidal and considering how he might end it all when he meets his double, a French count, who wants nothing more than to escape from his family andpressing commitments. So the exchange of identities is made.

The Scapegoat is a heavy story with the main character making mistakes that inevitably lead to disaster. My storyis lighter, as my hero manages his new identityby neatly side-stepping deeper involvement with the family, except for the lord’s half-sister, to whom he becomes increasingly attracted. But wait! He’s supposed to be her brother, so where will it all end?Alias Lord John is currently available in Kindle Unlimited.