The Beauty Doctor
My Review
The author takes me back in time. Instantly, I shared a connection with Abigail. Additionally, she was a bit of a feminist. She did not conform to the idea that she had to marry. She threw that away for a chance to pursue her interest in medicine. This is where Dr. Rome steps in. He was a charmer. As the story started out, he was kind but the further you get into the story, you start to see a different side of Dr. Rome. He was like Dr. Jekyll and Dr. Hyde.
The price of beauty became more about what it was worth to you and how far would you go. I have never been sold on the idea of plastic surgery for myself but it was amazing to think of how far back people have desired perfection. Although, Dr. Rome may have changed, he was not the only one. Abigail went from a young naïve girl to a strong woman. This book had all the elements of a great book...characters, intriguing and well-written storyline, and lovely time period. I look forward to reading more books from this author.
A writer and musician, Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard is a former Communications Director for the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and former Executive Editor of the internationally subscribed Aesthetic Surgery Journal. She currently lives in Arizona with her husband, Bob, and their black Lab, Pearly Mae. Her historical suspense novel, The Beauty Doctor, is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, and Kobo. For more about Elizabeth, including her historical fiction-lovers' blog, "Style and Subtance," visit EHBernard.com or follow her on Facebook.
Did your
knowledge in plastic surgery make it an easy process to write this book?
I do think that it helps to write about what you
know. My years of working in the field
of plastic surgery---first as a Communications Director and then as Executive
Editor of a widely read aesthetic journal---were a very valuable asset. I
wouldn't say, though, that my knowledge of plastic surgery made the process of
writing this book exactly "easy." I still faced the same challenges
as any fiction writer: developing a unique and, in this case, suspenseful plot; fleshing out my
characters to make them believable; and communicating my major themes in a way
that, hopefully, connects powerfully with readers. And, of course, historical
fiction always requires a great deal of research. But grounding the story in a
subject that I know well had definite advantages.
Please
share your writing process. Example: Do you listen to music when writing? Do
you have a set limit of words or pages you write each day?
It's funny that you ask about music. As a former
professional musician---I toured as a vocalist and flutist for nearly a
decade---I simply cannot listen to music while I write! I guess I find it too
distracting. I did try it for a while when I started on my upcoming novel, Temptation
Rag (due for release mid-2018), because the whole story centers on the
world of ragtime in the early 20th century in New York City. So when I sat down
to write, I would put on a recording from 1912 of the ragtime pianist Mike
Bernard, a major figure in my fictionalized story, and try to let the music
"work on me" subconsciously. That was the idea, anyway! But in the end, I found silence more
conducive to channeling my characters. As far as how much I write each day, I
don't count words. I just get as far as I can, and when I'm close to running
out of time I send the whole manuscript to myself in an email, open it up on my
iPad in Kindle or iBooks, and read what I've done that day with "fresh
eyes." This method really helps me to see my work in a whole different
way. Somehow it's better than sitting in front of my big computer looking at
the manuscript as a Word document. I
make notations as I'm reading and implement them the next day before moving on
to a new section.
How would
you compare 1900s plastic surgery techniques to today's techniques?
Some of the techniques used back in the early 1900s were
actually quite similar to those used today. The rhinoplasty operation in my
book, for example, was very much like it might be performed in 2017. Modern-day
facial rejuvenation, however, has become quite a bit more complex as surgeons
generally work with the deeper tissues for a better and longer-lasting result.
Facial fillers---mainly various concoctions using paraffin---became popular at
the turn of the century, before their disastrous results were widely evident.
Today, of course, we have a variety of safe and effective substances to fill
facial wrinkles and creases and to add volume, and the area of nonsurgical
facial rejuvenation has revolutionized aesthetic medicine. The range of
procedures in 1907, when my novel takes place, were much more limited than
today. Modern plastic surgeons do many body contouring operations which would
have been far beyond the scope of early cosmetic surgeons. And don't forget
that the medical training of beauty doctors in the early 1900s was often
questionable, at best!
Why do you
think so many people are drawn to the idea of plastic surgery?
Here's what the beauty doctor, Franklin Rome, says about
his so-called "transformative surgery" as he is advising his young
assistant, Abigail Platford, on how to drum up business for his budding beauty practice:
"Some will think [beauty surgery] wonderful, others will be aghast. But in
the end, they all want to hear about it in every fascinating detail. And if it
is presented to them properly, they will hardly be able to restrain themselves
from making an appointment right on the spot." It's true that just about
everybody is curious about plastic surgery, whether they have ever considered
it for themselves or not. As to why people ultimately decide to undergo plastic
surgery procedures, there are many reasons---because they want to correct a
feature that they find disturbing, or they want to look more like they did when
they were younger, or they simply want to feel better about themselves. In The
Beauty Doctor, my goal is not really to make a value judgment about
cosmetic surgery and why people choose to have it. As the story progresses, we
see that surgery works out very well for some, not so well for others, and for
reasons often beyond their control.
Why should
readers check out this book?
I wrote The Beauty Doctor for readers who
enjoy historical fiction with a heavy dose of suspense and a touch of romance.
But there is a lot more to the book. The moral and social issues of the day are
explored quite extensively through the intricate plot and the harrowing experiences
of the characters. And at the heart of the book are questions about the meaning
of beauty and man's obligation to his fellow man---questions that are timeless
and quite possibly have no single answer.
What can
readers expect from you next?
My next historical novel, Temptation Rag, is a compelling tale of the ragtime era (the action of the book
starts in 1896) and the musicians who made it great—their lust for fame, their
loves and betrayals, and their ultimate longing for redemption. The fictionalized story focuses on the lives
of three of the most famous figures of the time---Ben Harney, Mike Bernard, and
Will Marion Cook--as well as the women who loved them. Readers can learn more
about it on my website, and they soon should be able to preorder the book.
Cheryl, thanks so much for the opportunity today to talk
with everybody about both my historical novels!
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