Did You Know…?
The word bedlam (uproar, confusion) comes from the nickname given to Bethlehem Royal Hospital, an insane asylum that once had a horrible reputation. It’s also the name of the town in the Pandora Belfry Adventures series.
In Need of Nepenthe
Nepenthe means a drug or potion, or anything, really, that brings welcome forgetfulness or wipes out grief and suffering. I named the insane asylum in the Pandora Belfry books ‘Nepenthe Manor.’ When you read the books, you will likely guess why.
Schizophrenia does not mean a split personality (so the joke, I am schizophrenic, and so am I, is inaccurate). That’s dissociative identity disorder, once known as Multiple Personality Disorder. Sybil is an example of DID.
Dr. Sigmund Freud, said to be the father of psychology, thought cocaine was a wonder drug. I wonder why?!
To find out more about the world of the outre (this means unusual or startling) … Read the Pandora Belfry Adventures! The series is about a 14-year-old girl who has lived her whole life in an insane asylum. You will encounter the macabre, the strange, the unique, and the spirited.
Kristina Schram is the author of fourteen novels. She writes romance, paranormal gothic romance, YA fantasy, and YA outré. She loves the dark, the macabre, and the psychology of everything. Feel free to wander around her site - though in doing so, be prepared to encounter various forms of mischief, mystery, and magic!
