Guest Post: M.J. Rose's Inspiration for The Book of Lost Fragrances
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The Book of Lost Fragrances by M.J. Rose (my review) is a suspenseful mystery that takes readers through time from Egypt to present day New York City and Paris. As with her other books in the series, Malachai Samuels is seeking memory tools to aid in his reincarnation work, but there is more at risk here as friends of his are endangered by his search and are embroiled in international political struggles.
Today, I've got a treat for my readers from the author about what inspired her to write about lost fragrances in her latest reincarnationist book.
Without further ado, here's M.J. Rose; Please give her a warm welcome.
M.J. Rose: I've been fascinated with lost fragrances since long before I started writing The Book of Lost Fragrances... since I found a bottle of perfume on my great grandmother's dresser that had belonged to her mother in Russia. Here is one of those lost fragrances that stirs the senses and the imagination... (researched and described with the help of the perfume writer Dimitrios Dimitriadis)
![2 Le Feu dIssey](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6cb3524-a281-47d1-a1b8-02042adf8f2a_300x201.jpeg)
ISSEY MIYAKE - LE FEU D'ISSEY
A creation that came well ahead of its time, Le Feu d'Issey was launched amidst countless androgynous, unisex releases in the mid 90s, and represented the polar opposite of the scents that found their success at that time.
Sichuan pepper, amber and benzoin leant a combustable warmth to the composition, whilst Japanese lily, Bulgarian rose and lactic milk accords an opulent facet. Regarded as a huge commercial flop upon its release, Le Feu d'Issey is a perfume which many look upon now, some 15 years later, as an abstract masterpiece.
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Thanks, M.J. Rose, for sharing your inspiration with us. Please follow the discussion on Twitter: With Hashtag: #LostFragrancesVirtualBookTour