I have to hand it to my alpha readers and best friends, Erin, Audrey, and Arezou, for reading the first—incredibly bad—draft of this book. You all believed in Saffron when she was just a little baby detective, and me when I was just a little baby writer. Thank you for providing me a stepping-stone on the way to A Botanist’s Guide becoming a real book.
I owe a debt of gratitude to Christi Barth, who transformed my manuscript. Christi, I don’t know what made you choose to read my manuscript and take on the massive job of editing it, but I cannot thank you enough for your tough love and gems of wisdom about Saffron’s life choices. You were absolutely right! Thank you for being such an unexpected but essential part of my journey.
Thank you to Aleah, Caity, Talieh, and many others for suggesting excellent changes that enriched this book. Special thanks to Jack, without whom Alexander’s flirting game wouldn’t be half so adorable.
My writing community has been wonderful since the moment I decided to make an Instagram account chronicling my writing experiences. I’m so lucky to have found so many amazing people who decided that my stories and my career are worth supporting. Thank you all! I’m so honored to be a part of this little corner of the internet with you.
Finally, thank you to my editor, Melissa Rechter, and the whole team at Crooked Lane Books for bringing A Botanist’s Guide to life. Melissa, I cannot thank you enough for not only wanting my book but also for guiding it into its current state that I could not be more proud of. After long months of doubt, you brought me hope and joy. Thank you to Madeline, Rebecca, and all the amazing, patient people who contributed to getting Saffron’s story out into the world in such style.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
As with all historical fiction, my intent was to be as accurate as possible—with one very big exception: Solandra xolotum doesn’t exist. Shocking, I know. I delighted delving into research about plants and their study, but it was too tempting, too fun, to come up with my own big, bad, poisonous plant to terrorize Saffron. I will say that quite a bit of research went into the xolotl vine even if it wasn’t real, as well as all the other plants in the book. I’ve been an avid plant enthusiast for years, cultivating my own jungle in my living room and bathroom. Now I have the added benefit of being able to identify poisonous plants as I walk about my local gardening center.
As for the expedition to the Amazon, the years following World War I were a time of huge scientific development. We all know about the Roaring Twenties and its party culture, but so much was happening in the world of science too. The first transatlantic flight was completed, insulin was discovered, fossilized dinosaur eggs were uncovered—and that’s all before the events of A Botanist’s Guide take place in spring of 1923.
Released from the threat of war, scientists and explorers traversed the dark corners of the world to see what they could find. Percy Fawcett, whom Saffron mentioned, would have been a headliner in the world of archaeology, zoology, and many other disciplines for his continued exploration of South America, though he later made headlines for disappearing into the wilds of Brazil in 1925. Also around this time were significant discoveries in Egypt, South Africa, and Ur （Iraq）。 You can understand why Dr. Henry was so keen for the university to develop an anthropology program; this was a time of huge discoveries and he wanted in on it! Anthropology itself was a burgeoning practice; it was not yet a distinct field of study in many places.
Much has been written about soldiers experiencing shell-shock, so I wanted to explore a lesser known avenue of symptoms and recovery. Alexander’s recovery from the Great War is complex and isn’t straightforward—few cases are—nor it is over. I will just say that many hours of research and consideration went into developing his symptoms and coping strategies, with many more to come.
I want to offer a special thanks to the University College London’s Library Services for providing me with much-needed resources that helped me better understand the University College in 1923, particularly where things were. I did my best to make sense of the departments’ locations, but as Saffron mentions, the University College was constantly adding new buildings to their campus and moving things around. I, myself, added a new building to the fictional version of the campus: the greenhouses. I found no evidence of a greenhouse on any campus map or directory, but I desperately wanted one! I hope you find the inaccuracy is worth it, as I do.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Kate Khavari is the author of fiction ranging from historical mysteries to high-fantasy epics. She has her parents to thank for her fascination for historical mysteries, as she spent the majority of her childhood memorizing Sherlock Holmes’s and Poirot’s greatest quips. A former teacher, Kate has a deep appreciation for research and creativity, not to mention the multitasking ability she now relies on as an author and stay-at-home mother to her toddler son. She lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas with her husband, son, and a lovely garden that contains absolutely no poisonous plants.