Guest Post by M. J. Rose

Please join me in welcoming author M. J. Rose as we are treated to what led to the writing of the new novel, The Book of Lost Fragrances.  Such a fascinating story!

What Inspired The Book of Lost Fragrances?

Guest Post by M. J. Rose, author of

The Book of Lost Fragraces

I was reading Cleopatra (69 BCE to 30BCE), who was the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, and found she was fascinated with and some say obsessed by scent. Marc Anthony built her a fragrance factory where he planted now extinct flora and fauna including groves of balsam trees (important in the creation of perfume at the time) confiscated from Herod.

In the 1980s a team of Italian and Israeli archaeologists believe they unearthed the factory at the south end of the Dead Sea, 30 km from Ein Gedi.

Residues of ancient perfumes along with seats where customers received beauty treatments were found there.

Cleopatra was said to have kept a recipe book for her perfumes, entitled Cleopatra gynaeciarum libri. The book has been described in writings by historians Dioscorides, Homer and Pliny the Elder. No known copy of the book exists today.

When I read about that book, I knew I had the idea for a new novel.

How fascinating?!  I have always loved reading or watching things about Cleopatra and I did not know about this fragrance factory.  I will have to check it out.  Thank you for writing this wonderful post.  It is the perfect trigger for a novel!

You can find M. J. Rose on her website or blog for further information about her books.

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