Jan Moran: The Mystery of Vintage Perfumes

 

The Mystery of Vintage Perfumes

By Jan Moran

4.22.2013

 

Hello Elisabeth, it’s so nice to join you and your readers here today. Like you, I also enjoy the paranormal genre. In paranormal books, the characters are often going back in time, so vintage perfumes are often woven into these types of stories as the alternate world is created.

Since my novel, Scent of Triumph, is set partly in France during the 1940s, I wanted to showcase two exquisite French fragrances that were created during the first half of the nineteenth century. From Marcel Rochas comes Femme, created for his wife, Hélène, in 1944 after the end of World War II. Guerlain created L’Heure Bleue in 1912, a time of relative innocence in Paris before the war years. These perfumes are exemplary artistic bookends of the period. To this day, these perfumes have the power to transport the wearer back in time.

Scent of Triumph is a suspenseful historical saga about a young French perfumer. The protagonist, Danielle Bretancourt, hails from a family of perfumers. Perfumery is her profession and her passion, so authentic vintage perfumes available at that time were an important part of the world building in this story.

 

L’Heure Bleue by Guerlain (1912) –

L’Heure Bleue means “blue hour” in French, and it was reportedly inspired by the gentle blue-hued twilight of a pre-World War I Paris, a time of relative innocence.

 

Third-generation perfumer Jacques Guerlain conceived L’Heure Bleue for the sophisticated woman. He freely employed the latest synthetic ingredients to create a totally new scent, combined with passionate florals of rose, jasmine, and iris, and dusky, exotic base notes of vanilla, vetiver, and sandalwood The resulting scent is tender yet penetrating, like a twilit evening in Paris, with undercurrents of bewitching sensuality, and a powdery sillage.

 

The perfume is captured in a heavy glass flacon adorned by scrollwork on the shoulders. The triangular stopper is shaped like a gentleman’s hat, a chapeau de gendarme, from which a hand-tied silken tassel dangles. L’Heure Bleue was a landmark scent of 1912 and remains an enchanting favorite. A classic French perfume, L’Heure Bleue is an elegant selection for romantics at heart.

 

Femme by Rochas (1944) – Femme is a full-bodied fragrance from Parfums Rochas, a fragrance as rich in history as in scent. The distinctive composition was created for the House of Rochas just after World War II by the noted perfumer Edmond Roudnitska of Cabris, France. When once asked about his olfactory gift, Roudnitska replied, “The capacity to create is essentially the ability to imagine.” To the perfumer, the fragrance is a composition, as evocative as a Monet masterpiece. Femme was his second professional composition.

 

Marcel Rochas opened his couture salon in Paris in 1924 and quickly became known for his broad-shouldered suits, bustiers, and elaborate designs. Femme was originally available only by strict invitation. Rochas sent a letter to his clients, allowing them to purchase a limited-edition, numbered bottle. Imagine the demand he created! The next year when he made Femme available to the public, he had an instant hit.

 

The legendary Femme explodes with sweet Mediterranean fruits, mingled with intoxicating floral aromas, and underscored with lingering balsamics. Due to the rarity of ingredients, Roudnitska was limited to ingredients available during the war. He created a peach and oakmoss accord and enveloped it in prune, the magical note in Femme. The effect is opulent and magnetic, a perfume designed to be the essence of femininity.

 

The bottle, designed by René Lalique, is a sensuously curved crystal flacon, symbolic of a woman’s graceful silhouette. The voluptuous Mae West, who was a personal friend of Lalique and a valued client of Rochas, inspired the bottle. A favorite Mae West quote is: “Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before.” Femme–created to embody femininity.

 

On her next blog stop, she will cover a few more classic fragrances. Visit me at http://www.janmoran.com to learn more about fragrance and Scent of Triumph.

Please help out for a good cause

 

Just to let everyone know Tina Pollick an author here on the page with us will be donating 25% of all books sales May 1-15 to breast cancer research. Please go help her out by purchasing her books. The cover is GORGEOUS. 

I lost my grandmother to this. I will be purchasing one for sure and it will be in my grandmothers name.

Thank you to all who can help out. Tina and all those dealing with cancer in some form thank you as well.
here is the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Gabriel-Kematian-Hunter-ebook/dp/B00B4JYSMC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366988642&sr=8-1&keywords=tina+pollick

YAB Fest!!!!

Come check out an amazing book fest!!

It is the Young Adult Book Fest!! It will be held in Round Rock, Texas at the high school. 

Here is a list of authors that will be attending:

Our Authors for 2013
(For more information, click on their names.)

David Levithan (keynote)	Andrea Cremer (keynote)
E. Kristin Anderson	Jessica Lee Anderson
Sharon Bayliss	Kiera Cass
Ernest Cline	Krissi Dallas
Jordan Dane	Tracy Deebs
Beth Fehlbaum	Rachel Harris
PJ Hoover	CC Hunter
Greg Leitich Smith	Mary Lindsey
Mari Mancusi	Emily McKay
Cory Oakes	Lindsay Scheibe
Victoria Scott	Amy Tinterra

 

Follow this link to see a list of the featured book for the event:

http://yabfest.com/category/featured-books/

Go to this link for more info:

http://yabfest.com/

 

CL Foster cover reveal

 

 

 

 

 

COVER REVEAL:

Please enjoy the gorgeous cover reveal and excerpt from CL Fosters new book Bluffing the Devil.

BLUFFING the DEVIL by CL Foster
Releasing May 2013!

 

Excerpt:

He slithered his way across the casino floor and instantly his predacious gaze locked onto me. In a spontaneous act of avoidance, I burrowed into the crowd a bit deeper and tunneled my way through the unsuspecting human-shields and headed toward the mock-safety of the elevators. Not that I am afraid of him, far from it, I just cannot stand cocky bastards that think they are God’s gift to the game. Especially when it’s obvious that the only reason he chats me up so often is he is trying to learn my strategy and make a place for himself as poker royalty. Not on my watch, chump. But wait, I am not prey in this situation! I am never going to be someone’s doormat or stepping stone ever again! Resolve hit me suddenly and I pivoted on my heel quickly, nearly slamming into his eye-level chest. Man, he was fast! And tall, geez. When did he get so tall? How had I never noticed that before? Ahh yes, always sitting at a poker table and only having to deal with his consuming gazes. This was a new level of freak-out.

“Is there something I can help you with, Rey?” I said as I craned my neck to see the tower of man before me, “Or were you on a mad dash to bilk someone of their life savings or rob some unsuspecting college girl of her panties and possible virtue tonight?”

“You wound me, truffle.” He drawled with his gorgeous Latin accented “r”.

Seriously? What is up with everyone and their nicknames for me lately?

“I decided at the last moment to switch to this hotel so I could be away from the action over at Caesar’s and as I was registering I couldn’t miss your glorious essence calling to me from the crowd.”

As if I was “calling” to him? Pssh. As if!

“And I just had to come speak to you and make sure you are doing well. Are you busy? You seemed in a hurry.”

Rey could fool most people into thinking he was innocent or sweet or whatever façade he wanted to wear today but I know poker players and I know men and he was not fooling me one bit. He always stayed at Caesar’s, which was one of the most important reasons I never did. Had he followed me? There would be no point in that. I have to stop being so paranoid.

“I was in a hurry yes, I.. uh.. have a date.” It was sort of the truth. I was planning on going to my room for a nap before the tournament and was also praying that I would have a few moments with my Dream Guy, that always settled my nerves and gave me a little something extra to smile about.

A flash of something crossed Rey’s face. Amazingly, I couldn’t decipher if it was anger, confusion, or some other emotion. Even though I have been training to read people’s faces, actions, words, and other characteristics for years now, he somehow managed to show an emotion I hadn’t seen before. Weird. Well-played, sir. Game on.

 

Bluffing the Devil Trailer ~  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4UWMHklfcg

Find CL Foster here:
facebook
Good Reads
Amazon

Twitter

Cover by the amazingly talented Regina Wamba of Mae I Designs ♥ ~

S.A. Price cover reveal

Maybe you have seen this little graphic about?

 

 

Did it get you curious? Winter is the very sexy bassist for the band 13 Shades of Red, and his book, THIS IS FOREVER will be releasing December 2013. Wanna see the cover?

 

 

Now isn’t that just sexy? From now till December if you check out some of your favorite blogs that are rocking the mini graphic on the side column, we will be giving some teasers, excerpts and interviews about the book, on the 10^th of the month.

 

Believe me; it really is going to be a Long Hard Winter. *wink*

 

And now… for a sexy sneak peek at THIS IS FOREVER…

 

Seeing Lola after eight months was a fucking kick in the teeth. She had changed her hair, it was purple with black streaks, and she was wearing one fucker of an outfit. Platform Mary Jane’s, her signature, purple torn fishnet thigh highs with garters that ended in bows with skulls on them, micro mini in black satin with a lace trim. She had tripled up on her belts, her little baby tee molding to her torso like a second skin. It was razor cut in places, showing skin and the purple of her lace bra. Her arms warmers were knitted with little skulls on them. He was pretty sure she wasn’t wearing underwear also, the girl just loved to shock. Dare he think it was for his benefit? He wasn’t sure he even saw her, thinking he was dreaming the perfection before him.

But dreams don’t blow you off… at least his didn’t. His dreams, her especially, blew him. When dreams blew you off, those were called nightmares, and those sucked. Sucked like life was sucking right now. She had walked in with the rest of her band, greeted everyone but him, her gaze lingering a little too long on Colin, Rhys’ little brother, but then moved on as she kissed cheeks and hugged people.

 He had to adjust his groin, discreetly of course, when she and Saffron hugged and snuggled. Apparently over the past several months Saffron and Lola had become quite the BFF, with Lola staying at Saffron’s place in New York when she had to go in for several shoots and meetings with her record company. Rhys had teased him about getting face timed and seeing both of them in little booty shorts and white tank tops… but he didn’t think they were that close.

And worse, he didn’t think seeing her all snuggly with Saffron would illicit the images rolling through his head. Not that Saffron wasn’t hot, but he just didn’t dig his best friend’s girl like that.  He grabbed a tootsie pop and unwrapped it, sticking the thick ball into his mouth. He watched her move from person to person, but never to him.

What. The. Fuck.

When everyone sat down, she sat at the other end, didn’t even bother to look at him. He went through dinner in a blur, his anger getting to him more and more. What the fuck was going on? He was beginning to feel like he was invisible. Maybe it was a nightmare?

When she got up and went to the bathroom, he followed, after exchanging a meaningful look with Rhys.

“So you’re just not going to say anything to me?” he said as he caught her coming out of the bathroom.

She looked at him and then sighed. “I didn’t want a public thing to happen.”

Public thing?

He cocked his head and scowled. “And what the fuck does that mean?”

She looked him up and down. “I don’t know if I’m ready to say hi like I want to.”

Winter rolled his eyes. “So you can wrap yourself around Saffron, eye Colin up like he’s a steak, which by the way he’s not even eighteen yet, eww,” he ticked off on his fingers, “Yet you can’t even just turn and wave at me?”

Lola shook her head. “It’s not what I wanted. And Colin is going to be very popular…”

“You just didn’t wanna talk to me at all?” he asked, thoroughly confused. She was the one that pushed for the tour, and by all accounts she didn’t have issue with their past. It was what gave him hope.

She moved closer and shook her head. “That’s not it.”

“Then what’s it?” he bit out, his hands clenched at his sides. Gods, only she could infuriate him like this. Fuck she smelled good. All honey and warm clover… no one smelled like Lola.

Her voice lowered. “Do you like my outfit Winter?”

He growled. Fuck yes he liked her outfit. Loved. Wanted it crumpled on the floor of his bedroom. Wanted to peel it from her slowly, kissing every inch of skin he exposed.

She reached for him, her fingers tugging him closer by the belt loops of his jeans. “Good. You’re supposed to. You don’t get anything from me Winter Tulane. No greeting, no, little wave, no explanation. Eat your heart out baby.”

She got closer, her lips just against his, a slight almost imperceptible move of the hoop through the middle of his lip and then she was gone, back towards the party, her ass shaking with a sashay that had blood rushing from every place in his body to his cock. Fuck. What the hell was going on?

“Hey Lo,” he called after her. She gave him the finger and kept walking.

Game on. Game fucking on, he thought as he followed her back into the room. Confusion didn’t even convey how he was feeling about what happened, but holy fuck the signals she was throwing off were so convoluted he didn’t know if he should fist pump for getting her so close to him or brood over her words.

 

LIKE? Add it to your TBR pile at GOODREADS: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17672271-this-is-forever

 

Books before this: Giving Up the Ghost (#1):

 

You Burn Me(Prequel/ Bridge book):

 

Wanna Win something awesome? Well easy peasy!

 

Add THIS IS FOREVER to your TBR pile on goodreads and you will be entered to win:

A Merch Package: t-shirt, Poster, Pin, Card, Door hanger, tote bag, and Keychain, a 25$ GC to Amazon.com, a Print copy of Giving Up the Ghost with a special short story from Saffron’s past and a Print copy of You Burn Me. Book MUST be ADDED between April 19 and April May 1st. Winner will Be announced on May 4th!

Playing Patience by Tabatha Vargo

Sometimes all you need is Patience.

Life’s been hard for Zeke. Being a punching bag for his alcoholic father has turned him into stone. Not even the dodgy trailer park he lives in can scare him. Fighting is his release and sex, drugs, and his guitar bring him peace, but deep down Zeke isn’t quite as hard as he makes himself out to be. When he meets Patience, she finds all his broken pieces and puts him back together, but she’s a ray of light in his shadowed life and the last thing he wants to do is bring her into his dark world. Playing careless is easy, playing the bad guy can be fun, but playing Patience is impossible, especially when she can see right through him.

Zeke isn’t the only one who’s broken, and for the first time, in a long time, Patience feels alive. Her black and white world gets a shot of color when she meets Zeke. He’s unlike anyone she’s ever met with his tattoos, piercings, and blunt honesty. She wants nothing more than to let go and ride the wild side with him, but some wounds never heal and the broken pieces of Patience aren’t so easy to find.

***Warning: this book contains graphic language, sex, and violence. Mature readers only. Not intended for young adult readers.***

Cover reveal for Dannika Dark

I am so excited to have a cover reveal for Dannika Dark!! Her covers are just gorgeous. Please read on to find out more about her amazing books.  

 

Book Blurb:
He twirled a lock of my dark hair between his fingers, bringing the soft tendril to his nose as he
drew in a deep breath.
“Do I still smell like lemon cake?” I asked. My fingers wandered along the tight muscles on his arms,
sliding underneath the sleeves of his light grey T-shirt.
He suddenly crouched low and ran his nose along the length of my body—close and inviting. God, I
loved it when he did that.
Smelled me.
What a strange thing to love about a man. The gesture felt erotic and the tiny hairs on my arms
would stand up. With each inhale, his soft purr rumbled and I pulled his face close to mine, planting
a soft kiss on his warm cheek. He caged me with arms that had once climbed a thirty-foot tree with
blinding speed to rescue me—his agile body leaping from branch to branch as he held me tightly to him.
“Put your mouth on mine, Little Raven. I’m ready for a taste of lemon cake,” he said in a deep and
tumbling voice.
“Maybe I’m not so sweet,” I whispered, wetting my lower lip with a sweep of my tongue.
Logan’s eyes followed every movement, and he licked his lips in response. “I want your mouth…
on my mouth. Do it, or else I’ll have to find something else to kiss.”

Author Links:
Website/Blog: http://www.dannikadark.blogspot.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DannikaDark
FB Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dannika-Dark-official/148451945238628?
ref=ts&fref=ts
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5181752.Dannika_Dark

Amazon:

Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/dannika-dark

 

Author’s Bio:

Down in Texas, there’s a woman who drinks copious amounts of vitamin water placed precariously close
to her laptop. Yeah, I know. I’ve got a drinking problem. Hi, I’m Danni.

When I’m not writing (which is all the time), I’m listening to obscure
music, watching movies, reading, discovering new ways to humiliate
myself bowling, and burning up my laptop battery on the internet. I
live with a cat who thinks she is a dog, or a goat (she eats plastic, so
I’m not sure which).

Some people count sheep when they have insomnia. Since I was little, I
used to make up stories in my head in a futile attempt to bore myself
to sleep. The problem was, I’d get so wrapped up in my “head stories”
that I would continue them through the following nights, changing it
up each time to make it more exciting. Eventually, I started writing my
ideas down more and more, creating short stories which evolved into
poetry.

Lots and lots of poetry. It’s almost embarrassing that I have an entire box loaded with spiral notebooks
filled with furious, heartfelt, and blushing words. Apparently, I had a lot to say.

Another one of my hobbies is digital art. I designed all my book covers.

I am finally doing what I have always wanted to: giving my characters a pulse through publishing. I write
adult urban fantasy romance, but I don’t like labels. I let the story tell itself, and color outside the lines. I
am not a YA author, but I think it’s pretty great that there are so many books available to teens in Urban
Fantasy and Paranormal. These are the future readers!

The work that goes behind self publishing is hard work, I won’t lie. On top of my regular day job: I write,
edit, format, create cover art, and market.

But it’s what I love to do, and someday, I’m going to be doing this full time.

BOOKS IN SERIES

Sterling (Mageri Series, #1)
Zoë Merrick lived a less than ordinary life, until late one night, she was
brutally attacked and left for dead.

A man named Adam spotted her running down the road covered in
blood, and took her under his wing. Zoë didn’t just survive that night – she
underwent a physical transformation and acquired strange new abilities.
Severed from her old life, her frustration grows as she tries to
comprehend what’s happening to her.
Serendipity leads her to Justus. He’s handsome, arrogant, and not entirely
human. Zoë learns the truth about what she is, and just how dangerous
their world is for a young Mage. The only way she will understand her
power is by putting her trust in this man, and accepting the protection he
offers. When her immortal freedom is threatened by the one man who
has a right to claim her, Zoë learns the price of freedom…and the value of loyalty.

 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12541491-sterling

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sterling-Mageri-Book-Dannika-Dark/dp/148014178X/
ref=la_B005LXWZWM_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1365624632&sr=1-2

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sterling-dannika-dark/1113121444?ean=2940015547481

 

Twist (Mageri Series, #2)

Months after moving to the mysterious city of Cognito, Silver is
developing her gifts as a Mage, and learning how to live under new
laws. Forced to give up her old life, she must now live in secret
among the humans. She finally has hope of leading an ordinary
life . . . until Logan Cross walks into it. Their chance meeting leads
her close to discovering the identity of the nameless Mage who
once stole her light and discovered the unique power she
possesses. That knowledge poses an unimaginable threat to Silver,
fueling her search to find out who he is, before he finds her first.
Lives are at stake. Truths are revealed. And an unexpected passion
ignites.

 

 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13502238-twist

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/TWIST-Mageri-Novel-Dannika-Dark/dp/1480198854/
ref=la_B005LXWZWM_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1365624632&sr=1-3

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/twist-dannika-dark/1113129845?ean=2940015552263

 

Impulse (Mageri Series, #3)
Almost one year ago, a Mage attacked Silver and changed the course of
her destiny. Immortals exist, and now she is one of them.

Within the dark and supernatural city of Cognito, Silver is living under the
watchful eye of her Ghuardian and dating her mortal enemy. Neither
man can protect her from a dark secret, one buried within the contents
of a box. As rival factions struggle to gain control, she finds herself in the
middle of a centuries-old feud that threatens to drive a wedge between
her and Logan Cross, the man who intends to seduce her.
In an explosive turn of events, one life is saved and another is forever
altered. Can Silver trust those around her, or are they hiding a dark
secret of their own?

 

 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13571893-impulse

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Impulse-Mageri-Book-Dannika-Dark/dp/1482017229/
ref=la_B005LXWZWM_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365624632&sr=1-1

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/impulse-dannika-dark/1113737433?ean=2940015918939

 

 

New book

Go check out this new book!!

Facebook page

Come on over to the Reader’s After Dark Facebook page. We are writing a story together. You can only write one sentence at a time. You are welcome to do more than one but you need to give others a chance to do some posts first.

Here is the link:

https://www.facebook.com/ReadersAfterDark

Playing with patience release info

 

Amazing author and I can’t wait to read this book. She is hosting a give away on her blog. Go check it out!!

http://www.tabathavargo.blogspot.com/