Healing Hazel Blog Tour: Author Guest Post + Giveaway

 

 

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Healing Hazel by Jennifer Moore, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Healing Hazel 

Series: The Blue Orchid Society #3 

Author: Jennifer Moore 

Publisher: Covenant Communications 

Release Date: September 8, 2022 

Genre: Clean & Wholesome Romance / Historical / Victorian

Hazel Thornton has one great ambition: to help the sick and wounded as a nurse. But that dream can never become a reality. After a devastating childhood trauma, she has spent her life battling fits of panic that make it impossible to finish her studies. Everything changes, however, when a trip to Spain takes a perilous turn that derails her plans to visit her father for Christmas and immediately plunges her into the dangers of a brutal war.

With single-minded focus, she springs into action to help her fellow travelers. To ensure their continued care, she begins work at a Spanish hospital alongside Dr. Jim Jackson, a man whose only emotion seems to be wariness of his new assistant. Armed with gifts of support from each of her dearest friends, a group that dubs themselves the Blue Orchid Society, Hazel embarks on a journey of hope and healing to battle the demons of her past with the help of the doctor who has captured her heart.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookBub

---

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jennifer Moore lives with one husband and four sons who produce heaps of laundry and laughter. She earned a BA from the University of Utah in Linguistics, which she uses mostly for Jeopardy. A reader of history and romance, she loves traveling, tall ships, scented candles, and watching cake decorating videos. When she’s not driving carpool, writing, or helping with homework, she’ll usually be found playing tennis.

Connect with Jennifer by visiting authorjmoore.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

GUEST POST

Practicing Medicine in the 1800s: The Research Behind the Story 
by Jennifer Moore

I discovered that writing a story with heavy emphasis on historical medical practices was doubly difficult. First of all, because I’m not a medical person myself, and then, I also found it difficult to figure out what methods were in use—or even known about—during the time period.

I read biographies of Clara Barton and Florence Nightingale, who were contemporaries of the time period, which were helpful in understanding how nurses were trained, but not quite about the specifics of medical practice—especially emergency medicine. There were some great Civil War books, but most covered battles rather than details about treatment. Another problem I ran into is trying to balance what was known at the time with what would have been practiced in this particular situation. An isolated hospital in a rural area isn’t going to have the same innovations as a state-of-the-art hospital in a city like London.

I had some good conversations with a surgeon and a nurse, but of course, they were trained in using antibiotics and x-rays. And they weren’t sure what sorts of procedures were followed in the 1870s.

One thing that was just starting to be taught at the time was “germ theory.” Microscopic bacterium had been discovered, but the prevailing belief was that bad air caused illness. Florence Nightingale believed in fresh air and cleanliness, teaching her nurses to open windows and to clean bedding often. So, the time period of Healing Hazel is right during that shift, when the air was still to blame, but people were also starting to understand the importance of sterilizing instruments and washing hands.

After a bit more reading, I found a great resource, a wilderness medicine book. It’s basically a first aid guide for hikers who have no medical equipment aside from an emergency kit.

So, the medical part was definitely tricky. I was vague with the details that I wasn’t sure about, and for the other things I got wrong, I’m hoping the reader will extend me some grace. I really tried to make it accurate.

---

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a signed copy of Healing Hazel, bookmark, blue orchid pin, themed stickers, and a $25 Amazon gift card!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight September 20, 2022 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on September 27, 2022. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Gift card open internationally. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

---

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!