15 Minutes of Fame: The Emperor Who Wasn't

By Anna Randol

In November 1825, Tsar Alexander I died unexpectedly of typhus while taking his sick wife to a southern Russian city. The heir to the throne was Alexander’s younger brother Constantine. Coins were immediately minted with Constantine’s image. Nicholas, a third brother, swore an oath of allegiance followed by a large portion of the military.

There was only one problem— Constantine didn’t want to be the Emperor.

Constantine had been content with his life as a military man and in his more recent post of viceroy of Poland. His marriage to a delicate Polish countess also strengthened his ties to Poland, and since the countess was not of royal birth, no children of their union could ever be heirs to the throne. In fact, shortly after his marriage several years earlier, Constantine had sent a letter to his brother Alexander declaring his intent to abdicate. Constantine had flatly stated that he did not “possess the genius, the talents, or the strength necessary to qualify [him] for the dignity of sovereign”.

Unfortunately for all those involved, the letter wasn’t made public. It was stored away to be opened upon Alexander’s death along with a letter accepting the abdication and a letter naming their younger brother, Nicholas, emperor. It is unclear whether Nicholas knew of the change in succession in advance, but after reading the letters, he declined the crown and sent an envoy to try to convince his brother to change his mind. But the envoy was met by a messenger carrying Constantine’s adamant refusal to accept the empire.

Revolutionaries took advantage of the uncertainty to stir up discontent, accusing Nicholas of unjustly usurping the throne. With full-blown revolution brewing, Nicholas finally agreed to rule. Instead of taking a new oath of allegiance, the revolutionaries convinced 3,000 soldiers to march in the streets in defense of Constantine’s rule. On December 14th, the same day Nicholas was crowned, he ordered the rebellion crushed. Constantine later arrived to swear allegiance to his younger brother in person, thus ending his twenty day rule of the Russian empire.

Anna Randol writes sexy, fast-paced, Regency romances for Avon. Her debut novel set in Constantinople, Secret in Her Kiss, will be published in February, 2012.

Real Life Heroes: Joseph Lister

By Anna Randol

Quick, when I say hospital, what images come to mind? Polished floors and florescent lights? Doctors in white jackets and surgical masks? The smell of disinfectant?

If we had asked this question to someone living in the London in the 1800s, their answers would have been far different. For instance, people often found their way to the surgical ward of a hospital by following the smell of rotting flesh. Doctors saw no need to wash their hands between patients. In fact, an apron covered in layers of gore was thought to show how important and busy a doctor was. Instruments weren't washed between patients and observers might even smoke as they crowed around an operation. If a wound became infected, it was the result of bad air, and as unfortunate as that was, there was nothing a doctor could do about it.

So how did we get from that nightmare to the safe, clean environment we expect from our hospitals today?

Enter medical hero, Joseph Lister.

Joseph Lister was a British doctor in the second half of the 1800s. He began to notice a correlation between cleanliness and infection. For instance, he noted that babies that had been delivered by midwives had a much higher survival rate than those delivered by surgeons. He correctly attributed this to the fact that the midwives washed their hands far more frequently. He also noticed something interesting--compound fractures where a bone pierced the skin had much higher infection rates than fractures that did not. Lister realized that something must be getting into the wounds to cause the infection.

After reading Louis Pasteur's work about the microorganisms that caused fermentation, Lister finally had his answer. With his beautiful and ever-dedicated wife at his side, he began to experiment. Pasteur claimed there were three ways to kill the microorganisms: heat, filtration, or chemicals. Since the first two options wouldn't work on a living person, Lister settled on the third. He'd heard that a nearby city was having great success deodorizing its sewage with carbolic acid, so he began treating wounds with it. When his infection rates dropped dramatically, he also began to recommend surgeons wash their hands and instruments with it as well.

Encouraged by his success, French and German surgeons began to follow his lead. Lister's antiseptic techniques were credited with saving hundreds of soldiers during the Franco-Prussian War

But surgeons in Britain didn't rush to follow his example. Using the carbolic acid took too much time and was too much of a hassle to bother with, they argued. It also burned the eyes and hands and was an added expense. Lister knew that to convince the world he needed to convince London, so he persisted in his cause.

Soon Lister was operating on injuries that other surgeons thought too risky due to the chance of infection. In 1877, he agreed to perform a surgery on a man's fractured kneecap. The announcement met with widespread opposition. Lister would be turning a simple fracture into a compound one, a procedure that usually resulted in infection and death. But Lister trusted his discovery and also recognized the opportunity this presented to prove his theory to his opponents. The surgery was successful, and finally the surgeons of Britain began to follow Lister's example.

Due to Lister's perseverance, hundreds of lives were saved during his time and countless more after that. So next time a doctor dons fresh gloves before an operation or opens a sterile syringe, sigh in relief and give thanks for Joseph Lister.

Anna Randol writes sultry, adventurous Regency romances. Her debut novel, set in the heart of the Ottoman Empire, will be released by Avon in the beginning of 2012.

Money Matters: If You Don't Want Our Money, New York...

By Anna Randol

In the 1870s in New York, the Knickerbockers and Old Money families that made up the city's elite were in trouble. Rich newcomers were swarming New York, demanding acceptance and recognition. They were families that had made their money through industry--railroads, armaments, and machinery. And these upstarts knew nothing of the Knickerbocker ideals of thrift, modesty, and conservatism. For instance, rather than leaving a dress from Paris in a trunk for a year to avoid being too showy and ostentatious as a proper women should, these gauche women would wear a new gown the very season they bought it.

The ruling women of New York society fought back against the interlopers by closing ranks and inventing increasingly intricate rules for how things should be done properly. Seeing the futility of trying to break into New York society, the mothers of some the upstart families whisked their young, beautiful, wealthy daughters to Europe.

One of these women was Clara Jerome. Knowing her husband's scandals had made it impossible for her three daughters to be accepted into New York society, she packed them up and moved to Paris. When a Prussian army invaded Paris a short time later to end the Franco-Prussian war, however, the family moved to London. To her delight, English society proved far more accepting than what she'd left behind in New York. Leading this acceptance was Albert, Prince of Wales. The prince was especially fond of these new, charming American women and English society followed his lead. After all, by this time, many of England's aristocratic families were deeply in debt. They took one look at the gloriously wealthy American girls and saw a way to mend roofs on manor houses and modernize drafty old castles.

All three of Clara's daughters married into well-respected English families. But perhaps the most famous was Clara's middle daughter, Jennie. She was considered one of the most beautiful women of her time. In 1874, she met and fell in love with Lord Randolph Churchill, the second son of the Duke of Marlborough. In exchange for marriage to the duke's son, the Jeromes provided a dowry of ₤50,000, an exorbitant amount for the time. Eventually the couple had two sons Winston (yes, that Winston Churchill) and John.

Following Clara's lead, wave after wave of American mothers found that money bought their daughters not only the acceptance they craved but spouses among the aristocracy of England and Europe.

Anna Randol writes sultry, adventurous Regency romances. Her debut novel, set in the heart of the Ottoman Empire, will be released by Avon in the beginning of 2012.

Weekly Announcements - 4 Sept 2010

As we continue to revamp our contributor line-up, we'd like to introduce another fine author joining our ranks. Please welcome Anna Randol, who writes Regency-set historical romances set in exotic locales. Her untitled debut with Avon, set in the Ottoman Empire in 1816, will be released in early 2012. Here's Anna's description of this exciting adventure!

Born to a Greek mother and British father and raised in the heart of the Ottoman Empire, Mari Sinclair's allegiances are as mixed as her heritage. A shot exploding above her head convinces Mari it is time to cease spying for the British and return to her work as a naturalist and illustrator. The British government refuses to let her go and blackmails her into continuing. They saddle her with the far too handsome Major Bennett Prestwood, an overbearing, battle-weary soldier, ordered to ensure she fulfills her mission for the crown: to draw the specifications of a new fort in an area so perilous two agents have already perished in the attempt. When passion flares between them, Mari must decide if she can trust her heart to a man who obeys orders at all costs...even if the ultimate cost is her life.

After fighting Napoleon for twelve years, Major Bennett Prestwood believes that without duty, life would be chaos. Yet when he's ordered to travel to Constantinople to protect a spy, he hesitates. Too many family obligations await him in England to waste time protecting a foolish woman who cares nothing for her own safety. Despite his expectations, the stunning beauty he is assigned to protect tempts him to look beyond the duty which has always ruled his life. When the danger toward her is revealed, he must rely on his expertise to discover the person behind the plot. But what if that duty forces him to sacrifice the life of the woman he loves?

And here's a little more about Anna:

Anna Randol was raised in San Diego, California. When she was eight, she decided her diary was too dull and decided to write as if she lived on a raft in the Amazon with her imaginary dog, Cream Puff. At twelve, Anna decided racing down rapids with only a dog for company might get rather lonely. Handsome heroes began to appear on her raft, and her love of fast-paced, adventure-driven romance was born.

When Anna's not writing, chasing her children, or re-painting her walls, she's pursuing her second love: hitting and kicking things really hard at her local kung-fu studio.

***

Congratulations to Jean Adams sold YESTERDAY'S DREAMS, a tale of reunited lovers set in the present-day Bay of Islands in New Zealand, to The Wild Rose Press.

***

More congratulations to Michelle Styles, who just signed a four-book contract with Harlequin. The books will be set in the early Victorian period. In addition, her latest early Victorian has been titled TO MARRY A MATCHMAKER and will be released in the UK in July 2011.

To celebrate, Michelle is giving away a complete set of her Roman-set historical romances over at Christina Phillips's blog. Leave a comment for your chance to win!

***

Fresh Fiction Readers recommend Margaret Mallory's current release, KNIGHT OF PASSION, as a favorite summer read. This is Margaret's second book to be selected as a "Fresh Pick!"

Margaret also has two book signings in Northern Michigan during the Labor Day Weekend: Sept. 5th between noon–1:00pm at Horizon Books (243 E. Front St., in Traverse City) and Sept. 5th between 4:00–6:00 pm at The Book Store (330 Main St, in Frankfort).

***

Anna C. Bowling's "From Fanfiction to Fantastic Fiction" workshop goes live at on September 6th through October 3rd. The cost is $15 for members and $25 for non-members.

Learn to use fan fiction techniques to create original stories and characters without having to look over your shoulder for copyright lawyers. Let favorite movies, television or music inspire your own creativity, put your own spin on archetypes and themes we all know and love and avoid the dreaded Mary Sue along the way. The name of the game is inspiration, not imitation.

Topics covered include thinking outside the screen; use character archetypes to find the core of why we love our favorites the way we do; learn how to gather a multimedia trove of inspiration; what to keep and what to change while putting your unique spin.

***

Zoe Archer's WARRIOR, the first of her four-part "Blades of the Rose" series, comes out on Tuesday, Sept. 7. It was awarded an A review from The Good, the Bad and the Unread, which declared, "This is a must read for anyone looking for a fun, exciting tale of love and adventure."

To help promote the series, Zoe was interviewed by RT Book Reviews, which can be viewed here.

In addition, the second book in the series, SCOUNDREL, received a starred review and pick of the week from Publisher's Weekly: "Archer follows WARRIOR with another delightful tale of an intelligent, competent woman sharing adventure and romance with a formidable partner...London's personal growth paces the adventure story beautifully, and readers will cheer for both the romance and the Blades."

***

Join us Sunday when Harlequin Historicals author Jeannie Lin will be here to chat about her Undone short story, "THE TAMING OF MEI LIN", set in Tang Dynasty China. She'll also be giving away a digital copy to one lucky commenter! Be sure to join us then.

In addition, come join the Sept.-Oct. launch celebration for "The Taming of Mei Lin" and Jeannie's October debut, Butterfly Swords at this special website.

***

We'll also draw the winner of Susanna Fraser's THE SERGEANT'S LADY guest appearance on Sunday. You still have time to leave a comment or question for your chance to win.

***

Stay with us through the coming weeks when we'll be featuring the best unusual historical authors! Lila DiPasqua, Christina Phillips, Sarah Parr, and Zoe Archer will be our guests. Join us!

***

Have a good weekend! Remember, you don't have to be an Unusual Historicals contributor to submit good news to the weekend announcements. If it has to do with unusual historicals, we'd love to shout it out to the world! Send announcements to Carrie. See you next week...