The Book of Lost Fragrances by M. J. Rose… M.J. Rose is a Renaissance woman. She is a respected journalist and the internationally bestselling author of twelve highly acclaimed novels. She is the founder of AuthorBuzz, the first marketing firm for authors and one of the founding board members of International Thriller Writers. Rose has also co-founded Peroozal.com and the popular website BookTrib.com. She has an enduring passion for art, mythology and esoterica, as evidenced her Museum of Mysteries blog. In essence, M.J. Rose is a force to be reckoned with.
Rose is also an impeccable researcher, often blending actual history into her spellbinding storylines. And her latest, The Book of Lost Fragrances (Atria Books), an engrossing thriller that weaves together reincarnation, ancient Egypt, international intrigue, and a lost book of fragrances, is no exception. It’s already been chosen as an Indie Next Pick for March and was recently named one of Publishers Weekly’s Top Ten Mysteries and Thrillers. Rose will also be part of Atria Great Mystery Bus Tour—In April, Atria Books will send four authors from three different countries to twelve cities.
In preparation for writing The Book of Lost Fragrances, Rose spent more than two and half years researching ancient treatises on perfumery and alchemy, traveling to flower farms and conventions, as well as studying with fragrance architects, famous “noses,” and niche perfumers. Based on that research, Rose provides exclusive author notes in The Book of Lost Fragrances, as well a comprehensive glossary that offers factual information about some of the topics, locations, theories and legends she vividly weaves into her plot.
While writing, to remain in the world of the novel, she burned incense and her favorite candles created by Frederick Bouchardy under the brand name JOYA. When the novel was finished she searched out Bouchardy to give him a copy of the yet to be published novel. Bouchardy was instantly intrigued by her book—first, as a reader, he said he was taken with the mystery and romance of the story. In Rose’s tale, scent plays a strong role as it pertains to memory. Bouchardy, who creates using oils and other classic ingredients, said this notion spoke to him as a designer and producer of fragrances. The ancient fictional fragrance at the heart of Rose’s novel is called Âmes Soeurs, which means “Soul Mates” in French. Inspired by the book, Bouchardy has brought the perfume to life with his version: Âmes Soeurs, The Scent of Soul Mates. Bouchardy interpreted Rose’s imagined fragrance with notes of Frankincense, Myrrh, Orange Blossom, and Jasmine.
It Wasn’t Always Easy—getting published has been an adventure for M.J. Rose who self-published her first novel, Lip Service late in 1998 after several traditional publishers didn’t know how to position or market it since it didn’t fit into any one genre. Frustrated, but curious and convinced that because of her advertising background she could figure out the marketing, Rose set up a web site where readers could download her book for $9.95 and began to seriously market the novel on the Internet. After selling over 2,500 copies (in both electronic and trade paper format) Lip Service became the first e-book and the first self-published novel discovered online. It was chosen by the Literary Guild/Doubleday Book Club and published by a mainstream New York publishing house. The rest, as they say, is history…
The Book of Lost Fragrances by M. J. Rose available at Amazon.com